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The best team award went to Anvisha Srivastava and Shalwin Yoosuf from Hindu College in Delhi, and the runners-up prize was bagged by Gaurav Kashyap and Raunak Rupam Parashar from J.B. College in Jorhat. 

Digital Desk: Today at Cotton University's KBR Auditorium, the 40th Manik Chandra Barooah Memorial National Level Debate Competition came to a successful conclusion. The day marked the 107th death anniversary of the noted visionary of Assam. The competition was organized by the Debating & Symposia Section of the students’ union of Cotton University.

The best team award went to Anvisha Srivastava and Shalwin Yoosuf from Hindu College in Delhi, and the runners-up prize was bagged by Gaurav Kashyap and Raunak Rupam Parashar from J.B. College in Jorhat. The prizes for the best and second-best debater went to Samar Raja from Ramjas College and Shalwin Yoosuf from Hindu College, respectively.


Kaushik Deka, the Executive Editor of India Today, presided over the house as the speaker of the debate. In his concluding remarks, he said that we suffer intolerance everyday, in every human encounter. “Intolerance is largely because of one’s own dominant ideology. It is very contextual. As individuals, we need to stop being so obsessed about news and stop believing in each and every media narrative,” he added.


Anju Talukdar, Human Rights legal expert, Prasanta Jyoti Baruah, Executive Editor of The Assam Tribune, and Prof. Dhruba Pratim Sarma, faculty of the Department of Political Science, Gauhati University, graced the competition as judges. The topic of the debate was “In the opinion of the house, the growing culture of intolerance in contemporary global spaces is a threat to individual freedoms - of expression, faith and belonging”. Altogether, 14 teams from across the country and the northeast participated in the debate.

Prof. Arupjyoti Choudhury, Registrar of Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University (KKHSOU), graced the inaugural event as the chief guest. In this address, he reminisced how in 1979 he organized the first MCB debate as the secretary of the Debate and Symposia section under the guidance of the teacher-in-charge late Prof. Dilip Kr. Barua. In his address, he said that interaction, discussion, and dissent are the foundations of democracy. A democratic set-up cannot survive in the absence of these three elements. He also urged that there is a need to develop a culture of self-reliance and explore new avenues of livelihood, one that is intrinsically linked to our culture.

Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharya, Advisor of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and former president of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) released a Souvenir at the inauguration ceremony. “We will shine, we will make Cotton Shine, We will make Assam shine - this should be the motto of every Cottonian,” he urged in his speech.

In his welcome address, Prof. Diganta Das, Registrar of Cotton University, emphasized the crucial part Manik Chandra Barooah played in the founding of the former Cotton College. These student activities produce a tribe of independent thinkers. People with a strong sense of duty and vision have been developed at Cotton University and will continue to be," he added.

Also present at the inaugural programme were the Vice Chancellor of Cotton University Prof Bhabesh Chandra Goswami, the former Vice Chancellor of KKHSOU, Prof. Srinath Baruah, the deans, faculty, and staff of Cotton University, as well as students from Cotton University and other participating institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Ramjas College, Hindu College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Manipur University, Royal Global University, and University were also present at the opening ceremony. The vote of thanks at the inaugural event was delivered by the organizing secretary of the debate Sudarsan Sharma.

The competition encouraged young minds to discuss, consider, and critically think about the issue that need immediate attention and was held after a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic.

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