He said, she said: Kinnaird, GCU take top spots in debates

‘It’s not just about your knowledge but how effectively you convey it.

LAHORE:

The top three awards in the All Pakistan Declamation Contest 2012 were picked up by teams from Lahore. Kinnaird College’s Bareeha Fatima took the Best Speaker in English prize while Zahid Ali from the Government College University (GCU) walked away with Best Speaker in Urdu. GCU also took the trophy as the Best Team.

The competition was organised by the Pakistan Air Force Academy Risalpur. Forty-four universities took part this year. University and college level teams compete for the Best Speaker in Urdu and English along with the Best Team. According to past winner Fahad Ali Kazmi (Best Speaker in English, 2006), “There is a lot of pressure. The decorum is formal and the crowd very disciplined.” He added that it was every debaters dream to make it to Risalpur. “It is a once in a lifetime experience. Something like the World Cup, only amongst the best teams in Pakistan.”

Fatima, 19, said her victory was the first for her college. “It’s one of those experiences you want to capture in a box so that you can relive it anytime you.”

Fatima, a student of international relations, has been debating since 2006 and is the general secretary at her college’s debating society. This was the first time she took part in the contest as Risalpur. She said the competition was not just about delivering an opinion on a subject. “Your content, logic, style, pronunciation and even body language has a lot to do with your overall performance.”

The initial rounds were held on December 13 and the final took place on December 14. “In the final round, four teams compete against one another and the competition is tough,” Fatima said.

Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt handed out the awards to the winners.

GCU won the Best Team trophy for the eleventh time. GCU’s Ali had participated in the competition for the second time. In 2010, he had participated in the competition representing the Government College in Sahiwal, but that year the title had also been won by GCU, he said. Pursuing his bachelors at GCU, 19-year-old Ali said that besides the competition, the experience of travelling on a C-130 was one to cherish.

“We were picked up from Lahore on a C-130 and were then flown to Risalpur - it was an altogether amazing experience.”

He said that the GCU Debating Society, with over a 100 members, is one of the most active societies in Lahore. “We work on producing a great combination of speakers and debaters with a focus on language and preparation,” he said.

“Students from smaller cities aren’t groomed and disciplined like they ought to be. It was very difficult for me to work on my confidence and public speech while I was studying in Sahiwal.” He said that every student should have a similar opportunity to take up debating.

Fatima added that debating helps people establish the ethics of discourse, both in a public and a private capacity. “At the end of the day, it’s not just about what knowledge you have but how effectively you are able to convey it,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2012.