Date:09/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/09/stories/2006090905920200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

RVCE students create debating history

Special Correspondent

WINNERS ALL: Ankur, Mrinal and Sudha (RVCE A); Abhas, Rohit and Rochelle (RVCE B); Alan (deputy chief adjudicator, 13th All Asians) and Sharath and Naini (RVCE adjudicators).

BANGALORE: Being keenly involved in college level debating contests can take you places. DebSoc, the literary and debating society of R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore, has created debating history. Ankur Prasad, its president, is the first Indian engineering student to be appointed deputy chief adjudicator for the 14th All Asian Debate Championships to be held in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2007. This is a position every debater seeks to attain to mark the culmination of his or her debating career. Ankur is one of the only three from Asia to be appointed to this position. The others are Chihiro Nakagawa, University of Tokyo, and Hafiedz Iqbal, UT Mara University, Malaysia.

As deputy chief adjudicator his duties will be manifold, one being a representative of the growing debating culture in South Asia, being overseer of all major events in Seoul, selecting the judges for the knockout stages of the tournament and judging the finals.

RVCE A team with Mrinal, Ankur and Sudha was voted the best new team at the 12th All Asians in Kuala Lumpur while Khurram Masood having been unanimously elected best adjudicator and asked to be part of the panel to judge the finals. At the 13th All Asians in Kangkawi, Malaysia, RVCE Team A became the first from the Indian sub-continent to reach the finals and finished runners-up. The RVCE Team B (Abhas, Rochelle and Rohit) were ranked 11th from a pool of 96 teams from Asia.