The Indian School hosted the Silver Jubilee Edition of the Dr Amidas Goradia International Inter-School Debate in English on 6 and 7 August 2026, continuing its longstanding tradition of fostering intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, eloquent expression and respectful dialogue. Sponsored by the Prafull Foundation, the prestigious annual event brought together some of the finest young debaters from India and abroad, providing a vibrant platform for students to engage with diverse perspectives and articulate their ideas with confidence and conviction.
The two-day debate witnessed the participation of 62 teams, including 7 international teams representing Kuwait, Oman, Nepal, Nigeria, the UAE and Indonesia. The international contingent was joined by 39 leading outstation institutions from across India, representing Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir, along with 16 esteemed institutions from Delhi-NCR. The event thus brought together a remarkable diversity of voices, making the Silver Jubilee Edition a truly national and international celebration of debate, discourse and intellectual camaraderie.
This milestone edition was dedicated to 7 landmark commemorations that provided a vital lens on literature, social justice, philosophy and cultural reform. These included the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar and the birth centenaries of Mahasweta Devi, Nabakanta Barua, Neal Cassady, James Baldwin, Count Ossie and Harishankar Parsai.
The event was graced by Chief Guest, the Honourable Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, former Chief Justice of India. Justice Chandrachud addressed the gathering with an inspiring message, underscoring the vital role of critical enquiry, constitutional values and persuasive dialogue in shaping responsible global citizens.
Principal Ms Tania Joshi inaugurated the event with an inspiring address, emphasising the importance of debate as a space for thoughtful enquiry, diverse perspectives and meaningful dialogue. She encouraged the young debaters to approach every argument with curiosity and openness, while using the power of language with clarity, integrity and conviction.
The jury comprised Mr Parnab Mukherjee, independent pedagogue, knowledge resource curator and performance consultant, who served as Head Juror, along with Dr Nandita Banerjee, Mr Partha Banerjee and Mr Sahaj Umang Singh Bhatia. Their collective expertise enriched the contest with academic rigour, multidisciplinary perspectives and high analytical standards.
The proceedings were adeptly anchored by student compères Avika Bansal (VIII E) and Aditya Goswami (VIII C), whose confident coordination ensured a smooth flow throughout the event while sustaining the vibrant spirit of the competition.
The preliminary rounds tested versatility and presence of mind through Extempore, Turncoat and Moving Images Review formats. In the Extempore segment, participants engaged with evocative and abstract topics such as Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds, Blackboard and a Piece of Chalk, Cartesian Grid, Bending the Curve, The Lady from the Fortress and In Between the Lines.
The Turncoat debates required speakers to shift persuasively between opposing perspectives within 90 seconds and addressed complex geopolitical, environmental and ethical issues. Students deliberated on whether alternative energy can fully replace fossil fuels, whether artificial intelligence systems should be banned from warfare, whether robots should be granted legal rights, whether mandatory vaccination is morally justified, whether genetically modified foods should be banned, and whether public surveillance technology should be tightly regulated to protect privacy.
In the Moving Images Review round, debaters were challenged to compose reasoned and analytical responses to visual prompts within a stipulated time, sharpening their critical and interpretive abilities.
8 exceptional delegations advanced to the semi-final stage: Indian Educational School, Kuwait; Invictus International School, Amritsar; The Indian School; The Future Foundation School, Kolkata; Welham Girls' School, Dehradun; B. K. Birla Public School, Kalyan; BDM International School, Kolkata; and Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School, Jaipur.
The semi-finals featured two rigorous motions:
Semi-Final 1: “This House believes that laws cannot realistically keep pace with technological changes.”
Semi-Final 2: “This House believes that electronic databases will completely replace traditional libraries in the near future.”
The four teams that qualified for the Grand Finale were Welham Girls' School, Dehradun; The Future Foundation School, Kolkata; BDM International School, Kolkata; and The Indian School. They contested a profound motion at the intersection of literature and cinema:
“This House believes that cinematic adaptations of literary classics lose the essence of the subtext and metatext of the original text in its celluloid form.”
The concluding round showcased razor-sharp argumentation, eloquent rhetoric and incisive rebuttals, bringing the landmark 25th Edition to a memorable close.
The event concluded with a gracious vote of thanks and a reaffirmation of The Indian School's legacy of nurturing democratic expression, intellectual curiosity and global youth leadership.
Overall Best Delegation (Rolling Trophy)
Welham Girls' School, Dehradun
Overall First Runner-Up
BDM International School, Kolkata
Joint Second Runners-Up
The Future Foundation School, Kolkata
The Indian School, New Delhi
Joint Best Delegations – Research
Indian Educational School, Kuwait
Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School, Jaipur
Joint Best Delegation – Speech Synergy
B. K. Birla Public School, Kalyan (Semi-Finals)
Madhusthali Vidyapeeth, Madhupur (Prelims)
Most Promising Delegations – Prelims
Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram
Birla Vidya Mandir, Nainital
Best Speakers – Turncoat
Akriti Anand – Delhi Public School, Gaya
Sanvi Srivastava – Navy Children School, Kochi
Archisha Tripathy – Indian Language School, Lagos, Nigeria
Best Speakers – Extempore
Angad Suri – Modern School, Barakhamba Road
Lakshya Raj – Tagore International School, East of Kailash
Arwa Zahoor – Kashmir Harvard Educational Institute, Srinagar
Best Written Analysis – Moving Images Review
Zeus Lalani – Navrachana International School, Vadodara
Ahaana Arora – Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan
Yuvraj Pancholi – The Emerald Heights International School, Indore
Best Speakers – Semi-Finals
Abana Dhillon – Invictus International School, Amritsar
Devapriya Deepak – Indian Educational School, Kuwait
Best Speakers – Finals
Kyra Nagpal – Welham Girls' School, Dehradun
Oindriya Banerjee – BDM International School, Kolkata
Best Interjector
Manyu Singhal – Sunbeam English School, Bhagwanpur
Overall Most Promising Speaker
Subhashree Mondal – The Future Foundation School, Kolkata (Finals)
Lavanya Malhotra – Mayoor Private School, Abu Dhabi (Prelims)
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