9 Sep :The preliminary round of the 11th Mahbub-ul-haq debate was held by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation at Carmel Convent School, Sec9 today. The topic was -Corruption is a tax for the rich, it doesn’t affect the poor. Various prestigious schools of the city like St.Johns, Vivek High, KBDAV-7, Bhavan Vidyalaya and St. Stephens, DAV 15 and St. Kabir participated in the debate .While some tried to grab the audiences attention by their emphatic approach others strung brain chords with their affable dialect.
They elucidated the effects of corruption. "It is a threat to mankind and has become a virus which is affecting the rich and the poor" marked one participating students. They also suggested various measures to fight this impending problem. Since all the students were very enthusiastic and competitive, it was a close call for the judges who were finding it very difficult to select the best. Smiti Yadav of Carmel Convent and Bir Sukhman Singh of St.Kabir won the best speakers awards for speaking against and for the motion respectively. A very excited Smiti exclaims "The competition was tough. I’m very happy and it still hasn’t sunk in." Carmel Convent School also won the overall trophy for the best team while Vivek high school bagged the runners up trophy. "The Competition was fair enough and Carmel deserved the trophy" said Pukhraj Singh of St.John’s.
"The debate was well organized but I was a little nervous and I goofed up." said Asad Dhaumya of DAV-15. Mrs.Neeru Bali a member of the jury said "It was an honor to be one of the judges. It’s always a pleasure to come to Carmel and interact with the students." The representing teachers remarked that the event had provided them with many ideas and were very happy to know that the students had taken such a keen interest for the same.
The final round of the debate will be held in Delhi.