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THE PURPOSE OF A DEBATE |
-
A. P. Venkateswaran - Former Foreign
Secretary
The purpose of a debate is to find out
the truth about the chosen topic, which
is being debated. It is certainly not
intended merely for amusement of the
audience, although it may add to the
interest of the listeners to enliven
the proceedings and sustain their interest
in an otherwise serious subject.
The art of debate is closely linked
with oratory and during Roman times,
two thousand years ago, the debates
in the Senate were crucial in reaching
critical decisions. The marriage of
truth to oratory is seldom the case
but when that occurs it is irresistible
in swaying the listener in taking the
right decision.
There is an interesting story of Cicero
and Cato, who both lived a century before
the Christian Era and were both famous
in Rome for their debating skills. Cato
was fiercely wedded to the Truth and
had few friends, although much admired
for his advocacy of the people’s
will. For example, he had become an
implacable opponent of Ceaser, who was
popular with the masses, because he
suspected him of fierce personal ambition
and wanting to rule over Rome, no matter
what the cost.
The only person who could match Cato
in debating skills in the Senate, at
that time, was Cicero. Some of the people
who were envious of Cato, sought to
provoke him by pointing out to him that
Cicero had a statue erected for him
in the Roman Senate, whereas Cato had
not been accorded a similar honour.
The reply Cato gave them was classic
and firmly established his reputation.
He addressed the persons who sought
to demean him and answered:
“Is it not better by far that
in the years to come people should wonder
‘Why is there no statue to commemorate
Cato’, than to ask ‘Why
is there a statue for Cato’!
In today’s debates in our Parliament
and even in International Organizations
like the United Nations, there is no
fire or wit in any of the debates. Most
statements made by national delegations
are boring and liberally sprinkled with
misinformation, even disinformation,
so as to deliberately lead listeners
astray and to score unfair points.
As young students on the threshold of
life, I would urge all of you who like
to take part in debates, to stick to
the facts and present them to the audiences
that you address, as fairly and interestingly
as you can, without twisting the truth
in any way. Only in that manner can
you truly serve.
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A
DEBATE
KEEPS YOUR MIND TICKING
-Rajan Bala
One
of the
India's finest debaters in English
was the great Utpal da's, the
actor leftist. Iremember debating
with him when I was just out
of school. The proposition was
- life begins after 40. I think
Utpal dutt was over 40 then,
just about. I was allowed on
to the podium and permitted
to speak my bit. And in the
few minutes I was allowed to
hold forth, I saw a smile on
his face. When it was all over
he remarked to me, " You
think well and speak clearly.
Very good. I hope you read a
lot."
Utpal
da's deep voice remained with
me for many years, till our
next meeting. I was then his
fan and in some ways a bhakta.
I reminded him of my pretentious
attempt to debate with him al
those long years ago. He smiled,
the same smile, and said, "Iread
you and I know that you read
a lot."
It
was during this meeting that
I asked him about the qualities
of a quality debator. And Utpal
da replied in just one sentence,
"Anyone who thinks clearly
on a subject, is able to see
both sides of the argument and
knows what is right and how
to establish it."
It
is not that all subjects that
are debated have to be serious
and earth - shaking. There can
be humorous su bjects. Or, for
that matter a subject like-are
clowns the most serious people
in society? That is worth a
debate all right. Now, is this
a serious subject?
After
a healthy and energetic debate,
one should emerge a better and
more objective individual. Better
because if one has lostor won,
has learned something new-that
one cannot always be right.
And objective as your opponent
has outwitted you and has another
point of view on the same issue
which he has substantiated as
right.
Well
kids, I hope I have generated
in your little and wonderful
minds an interest in debating
on some of the subjects that
I have written about. Good luck
and God bless. (Rajan Bala)
Rajan
Bala is a journalist of nearly
40 years standing and is the
Consultant Editor of The Asian
Age in Bangalore. as he has
coached schoolboys at cricket
he knows how children think.
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WHY
DEBATE ?
- Justice M. F. Saldanha |
Since Ancient Greece debating has been
raised to the level of a fine art and
in today’s world it is crucial whether
at a meeting, in business, in Parliament
or in Diplomatic relations. It makes you
think, express yourself effectively and
convincingly, drive home points and at
the same time accept and consider other
shades of opinion. Apart from its being
a well-defined mental exercise what is
more important is to realize that every
honest and right-thinking citizen is duty-bound
to speak out and oppose if necessary all
that is not in conformity with the public
good. The tragedy of our times is that
we prefer to be silent and allow wrong
things to happen, we do not oppose what
is bad and later on regret the mess that
results. It is therefore absolutely essential
that we are more alive, that we keep our
eyes and ears open and that we take anticipatory
action to PREVENT the wrongs from happening.
At the same time we must be ready with
the better alternatives. Debating requires
moral courage and commitment of the right
order and the skills to sustain the rightful
course of action. If Democracy is to be
meaningful and effective every citizen
needs to participate in what is happening
through vibrant expression. For a student
therefore the art of debating is a vital
skill. |
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WHAT DO I SEE IN A DEBATE ?
- Harish
Bijoor |
A
good to great debate is one where all
facets of what’s being discussed
are put forth. The points of view need
to be balanced and zero-agenda oriented.
If you are in a debate, and if you are
defending a proposition, you need to be
passionately convinced about the point
of view first. Your personal passion makes
for a passionate debate.
Never
represent a point of view you are forced
to represent. If you do not believe
with conviction in the point of view
on defense, do not participate in the
debate. It is not worth the effort to
represent a cause you do not personally
believe in.
A
great debate is one in which all points
of view are discovered and debated.
A 360 degree view of the issue is important.
A debate done with stained glass attitudes
will never be a true-blue debate. A
debate needs to be transparent, and
must cover every facet of the issue
at hand, whether convenient to the discussion
point or not.
Remember,
the point of a debate is not to win
and score a point. The point of a good
debate is to be able to discover new
facets, explore, and present the case
with passion. No point of view in life
is actually 100 per cent right or wrong.
Therefore, feel passionately for a point
of view, discover, cover the point elaborately
from every view there is, and rest your
case.
Presentation
ability is reasonably important in a
good debate. A good presenter however
will not necessarily win as a hollow
set of thoughts can never ever be couched
in the comfort of good diction and presentation
ability.
Do
not be a demagogue as well. A good debate
is about conveying passion. Passion
can be communicated without a loud voice.
Without anger. Without a shout even!
Some of the most powerfully words are
spoken softly.
Be
passionate. Be real. Never compromise
values that you represent. Don’t
make a point for the sake of making
a point. The integrity packed debate
is the best debate.
If
you are a chicken and you have laid
an egg, tell the whole world that you
are a chicken and you have laid an egg.
Don’t shout from the rooftop that
you are a Pea-hen and that you have
laid an asteroid. Be real. Be truthful
to the point.
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| Harish
Bijoor is a brand-domain specialist and
CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. He can
be mailed at: harishbijoor@hotmail.com |
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A GOOD DEBATER
- K.
Jairaj - an aspiring speaker
To
be a good debator is both an art and a
science. " Art" because there
are innate qualities, which spring from
the inner self and which, in the ordinary
course, cannot be cultivated. These are,
for example, the speed of repartee, the
quick thinking on one's feet while replying
to a debate, the sense of humor and the
magical elegance of language. In terms
of repartee, there can be no better example
than the memorable riposte of Benjamin
Disraeli to Gladstone. Both were bitter
political rivals in 19th century Britain
and headed the Lab our and Conservative
parties. Disraeli was once asked the difference
between misfortune and calamity. He replied:
“if Mr. Gladstone fell into the
River Thames, it would be a misfortune.
But if some one pulled him out of it that
would be a calamity". The elegance
of language and the powerful appeal it
commanded are evident in the "Blood,
sweat and tears" speech of Winston
Churchill when he assumed the Prime Minister
ship of Great Britain at a time when it
seemed that the island would be overrun
by the might of Nazi military supremacy.
Or, his memorable defiance in the ringing
address to the people: " we will
fight in the beaches, we will fight in
the hills... we will never surrender".
At home, the 'tryst with destiny' address
of Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of India's
independence is awe inspiring" tonight,
at the mid night hour, when the world
sleeps, India awakes to freedom. A moment
comes but rarely in history when the soul
of a nation long oppressed finds delivery
in freedom"
Through constant practice and focusing
on self improvement, a conscientious speaker
can improve his speaking abilities. Churchill
was wont to practice his important speeches
before the mirror and many times over.
Another practice recommended is to read
aloud from the daily newspapers for at
least half an hour daily. This improves
intonation, brings about voice modulation
and provides cues to a speaker on where
to emphasize his words and where not to.
The 'science' part also comes in by utilizing
as many opportunities to speak as are
possible and in different formats: impromptu,
prepared speeches of various time durations
and so on. From experience, it can safely
be said that the more speaking opportunities
one utilizes, the better one becomes as
a speaker with reference to the context
and content. Reading from classical texts,
including the speeches of Particles, Edmund
Burke, Nehru and the works of Shakespeare
are ways of fortifying the use of language
and getting that special phrase which
will light up your speech. Practice makes
perfect.
While in College I was both an active
and avid debator. My mentor,
T.G. Vaidyanathan always an unsparing
critic, would emphasize that a speaker
must accomplish four tasks: (a) never
speak more than the allotted time (b)
refrain from hand and facial gestures
and (c) have a structure which ensures
logical flow of ideas including an introduction
and conclusion (d) speak to the occasion
and avoid bombastic delivery, rhetorical
flourishes and histrionics. The late TGV
(as he was affectionately known by generation
of students) was also a teacher in the
classical sense, wedded to the idea of
improvement in his wards and protégés.
He would be present at important inter
collegiate debates and frown if any mistake
was made in terms of usage of words, or
in speech. A huge smile would light up
immediately after the judges announced
their results and if I was awarded the
first prize. Looking back now after all
these decades, I realize that the incentive
for me to do well in debates was not the
first prize but the glow of satisfaction
in TVG’s face.
Here are some tips for an aspiring debator:
prepare your speech in terms of a structure
with an introduction;
Body and conclusion
the length must be tailored to the time
allotted and no more practice
the speech by reading it at least four
or five times and time it
speak from memory or with the assistance
of a sheet containing the main points
once you acquire confidence, pick up a
few points from the opposition to
rebutt
in conclusion, always emphasize your main
points
look the audience in the eye
Don’t fumble and use words like
" you know", " and so on"
From my own experience as a Debator, I
can testify that there can be no greater
joy than a speech well prepared and delivered
and which receives audience approval.
Good luck.
SCHOOL DEBATES
- DeepakThimaya
Remembering
with trepidation my attempts to participate
in debate competitions while in school
I can’t forget how much admiration
I had for those veteran debaters among
my classmates who could scream their arguments
into any listening ears and get appreciative
nods from compassionate judges and win
prizes.
It
is only after many years I found out,
that those debates did not, even by
a faintest measure, match my idea of
a good debate which evolved out of my
conviction to stand in favour of or
against any subject or issue that I
strongly felt about. In fact, I believe
that at a macro level, democracy itself
is a debate – a debate with opinions
and emotions expressed by way of votes,
where political parties and candidates
represent or replace issues. I think
no healthy democratic society can survive
without debating. For that matter, I
strongly believe that nothing should
be accepted unless it is debated thoroughly.
School
debates that I have noticed are shouting
contests of speeches learnt by-heart,
and in most cases one cannot make out
the difference between a debate and
an elocution contest. At least elocution
sometimes can be more sombre. Coming
to the point, what would I like to see
in a good school debate and a good student
debater? I would like, first of all,
a debater to be a quick thinker and
have a thorough understanding of the
topic. If a debater thinks that his
points can be heard, only by way of
putting it forth with the loudest of
voice, and wild gestures, he could never
be more wrong. I would most prefer a
person who can kill with a smile on
his face.
All
said and done, give whatever weight
to the argument, still, the personality
of the debater, the attitude and demeanour,
will earn considerable points at the
judges’ end. Speak whatever you
may, however convincingly, but if there
is no logic, the points won’t
be remembered. So, in the end, the judges
may only well remember a lot of noise
and nothing else. A good debate garnished
with enough examples, anecdotes, statistics
and facts from personal experience,
if any, would certainly be an entertainer
too.
It
may be easy for me to expect all this
and a lot more, while it is actually
an achievement for a lot of children
to even just stand on a stage, in front
of an audience and rattle a few words.
But anyway, who said that a good effort
doesn’t pay off. So, all young
debaters – try very hard and win.
Good luck!.
Stupid
people use knives and guns. Wise people
use tongues - Deepak Thimaya
Deepak
Thimaya is a well-known communicator,
consultant and television personality.
He may be contacted at :mail@deepakthimaya.com
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