Shouts of joy, tears of frustration, steely determination to prove a point, accepting criticism with grace — just a few drops of from the fountain of emotion that was evident at the very closely fought grand finals of Debating Matters, where SM Choksey Junior College from Pune pipped Don Bosco, Liluah (West Bengal), to the post by a whisker and lifted the gleaming silver trophy at the British Council in New Delhi in January.

Debating Matters is an innovation of Institute of Ideas, UK, where it is a very successful senior school debating contest. In India, the competition was presented by the British Council as part of its Intercultural Dialogue project and supported by Pfizer.

Vignesh Gundesha and A Shivanand of SM Choksey School anchored the grand final debate — against Sayan Samanta and Subhransu Mukherjee of Don Bosco — and were ably supported in the earlier rounds by their teammates Mrinalini Shinde and Auzita Irani. The four debaters from SM Choksey fly out to London in July to compete against the UK champions. The clash of the two national champions will take place in the impressive Royal Society of Medicine in London on 5 July.

For those who were not at the venue the emotions that poured out on virtual space and email exchanges were indication enough of how exciting it had all been.

“Debating Matters has been the most enriching experience of my life so far. Rather than a victory, it has been a journey, a process of constant fulfilment,” wrote Mrinalini Shinde of the winning team, a class XI student of SM Choksey Junior College from Pune, a wildlife lover who would like to pursue a career in law. Her mother, Dr Surakha Shinde, adds, “The children are back to their studies. We are trying to live life without debates. The entire process was really fascinating.”

It’s not just the winning team that was thrilled. Chennai-based artist Parvathi Nayar wrote to British Council, “My niece Nayantara Nayar from Lady Andal was a participant. She’s just returned from the nationals at Delhi where, though her school lost, she was judged second best speaker overall! So much excitement, she’s bubbling over with enthusiasm about how wonderful the experience was, and how many interesting people with interesting ideas she met through the experience. I was pretty impressed at how much it encouraged students like Nayantara and her teammates to think about, and grapple with, current issues.” Her niece Nayantara says on Facebook, “So cool. The first words I say when I hear about Debating Matters. It was in no way disappointing. Well except that it ended.”

The launch of the Debating Matters competition in India had seen schools flock to enter. Over 250 schools from across India took part in the elimination rounds in October 2008. Earlier this month four regional finals had whittled down to eight schools who competed in the national final starting on Thursday 15 January at the British Council India’s head office in New Delhi. Students debated issues as diverse as India’s response to terrorism, the role of nuclear power in meeting India’s burgeoning energy needs, the importance of free speech and whether clinical trials exploit the poor and the vulnerable. Wrote  participant Aashima Khosla from St. Mark’s Senior Secondary, Meera Bagh, “No debating format can be compared to the one we experienced in DMI...it was tough...it was fun...I learnt the importance of team work and how to give my views on controversial topics.”

Debating Matters has established itself as one of the UK’s toughest schools debating competitions since it started in 2004. Last year the organizers, the Institute of Ideas, decided to launch the competition internationally in India, with the support of the British Council India and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

The response from Indian schools was overwhelming. Sujata Sen, director of the British Council, East India said: ‘We are delighted to be working with the Institute of Ideas, UK, in introducing an exciting new format for debating in India that emphasises on content and intellectual rigour over all else. It fosters a questioning culture and invites participants to delve deeper into issues that affect their lives and society. Schools across the country responded enthusiastically.”

A unique feature of Debating Matters is the robust questioning of participants by a panel of high profile judges. This has proved a hit with Indian judges and participants. Amir Ullah Khan, Director of the India Development Foundation and a judge of final in Delhi said, “I judge many debates and all of them have some room for improvement in its format. But this is the most perfect format of debating I have come across — and stresses on elements that are really important in any debate — the ability to listen, analytical reasoning and thinking on one’s feet, rather than flowery speeches.” Participant Sunayana Golechha writes: “When we first heard about Debating Matters we thought it was just another debate...but when we got to actually doing it, it made us learn so much about issues we never even bothered about. It has made me more knowledgeable and aware of the world I live in.”

Over 250 students had crowded the British Council auditorium since Saturday morning to witness the two semi finals and the final.

Student debater Sayan Samanta from Don Bosco School, from Liluah in West Bengal described Debating Matters as “unlike anything we’ve done before”. Punya Srikanth, from Bala Vidya Mandir School, enjoyed the opportunity to“explore topics I wouldn’t usually” and all enjoyed engaging in debate with accomplished professionals.

Schools from as far afield as Chennai and Delhi faced each other to debate issues ranging from Western pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials in India to India’s relationships with China and the US.

In order to win the opportunity to take on the UK’s best debaters students had to enter into debate and impress key Indian figures such as Sir Mark Tully, former BBC India bureau chief; Shruti Pandey, a top lawyer practicing in the Supreme Court of India, leading Indian businessman Santosh Desai, CEO of Future Brands Ltd., Dr Jack Watters, Vice President of Pfizer and Les Dangerfield, Deputy Director of British Council in India and Sri Lanka region. “It was a privilege to meet Sir Mark Tully and Mr Chandan Mitra, to name a few,“ said participant Abhinav Gupta of Smt Sulochana Devi Singhania

High School Mumbai. Responded parent Farah Irani, “The well researched topic guide provided by you all; the well informed panel of judges who interacted with the debaters and analyzed their debating styles and the topic debated; the seminars and workshops conducted by eminent people made this whole experience for the debaters all the more wonderful.” Claire Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas, who chaired the Indian national final, said: “Indian students have put a huge amount of energy into their research and passion into their arguments. They have proved capable of debating at the highest level and it will be fascinating to see the encounters at the Indian Debating Matters national final and the subsequent showdown with the UK champions.” Bob Miglani, Senior Director, External Medical Affairs at Pfizer Inc. USA, said: ‘Pfizer is delighted to be supporting the Debating Matters competition in India during January 2009. One of our primary goals is to support a greater, richer understanding of topics that are at the heart of a strong civil society. We believe that only through rigorous debate and deep conversation can we hope to achieve greater partnerships and collaborations which yield strong minds. Bringing the Debating Matters competition to India is a remarkable undertaking and Pfizer is proud to support this educational program.”

Debating Matters was launched nationally in the UK in 2004/05. For further information see www.debatingmatters.com.

Debating Matters India was launched in October 2008. For further information, please click here.