Ath Tiwari, a student of Ramdeobaba College of Engineering in Nagpur, won the Speak for India intercollegiate debate in association with the Times of India. Spectators said that his hand gestures during the debate reminded them of actor Nana Patekar.
Ath received Rs 1 lakh cash, a Rs 2 lakh scholarship and Rs 50,000 went to his college. His opponent and runner-up Jugal Mundra received Rs 1 lakh cash, and Rs 50,000 towards his college. Each of the six finalists won Rs 25,000.
Speak For India has grown to become the largest inter-collegiate debating competition in the country, the Maharashtra leg is being the most successful one yet. This season, the contest reached out to 1,500 colleges in 36 districts of the state. Around 35,000 students auditioned for the preliminary rounds.
The final round was a debate on whether the BJP’s proposal of ‘One Nation One Poll’ was feasible.Tiwari’s witty and prompt arguments in flawless Hindi earned much praise from the audience. His opponent Mundra made strong arguments in English. Each of the finalists were allowed to make arguments in a language of their choice.
“There is a difference between debates on TV and in Parliament. Social media is altogether different. When you forward a post you may not own the thought behind it. But when you speak, you own the thought”, said Vinod Tawde, State Education Minister, who was the Chief Guest.
Advertising guru Bharat Dabholkar BJP leader Shaina NC and Rajesh Mapuskar were on the judging panel. The students impressed them with their interest in current affairs and competing arguments.
