Every argument
needs a voice behind it.
Verbattle is run by a small panel who still show up to state finals, still read every scorecard, and still believe the shakiest first-timer on stage is the whole point.
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What we're arguing for
A generation of young Indians who can think on their feet, disagree without disrespect, and walk onto any stage — literal or figurative — and be heard.
We build structured, repeatable ways to teach clarity, listening, and spoken confidence — in classrooms, on competition stages, and inside every teacher we train to carry it forward.
Leadership
Three people, one podium. Here's who sets the motion for Verbattle — tap a card to read the full bio.
Deepak Thimaya
Managing Director & Founder“Confidence isn't handed to a student when the mic turns on. It's built one argument, one rebuttal, one nervous first attempt at a time.”
Deepak started Verbattle with a folding table and twelve students in a borrowed Bengaluru classroom in 2014. Over a decade later, that same curriculum runs statewide across India — still shaped, in large part, in his own handwriting. He still sits in on state finals whenever his calendar allows it.
- Designed the original Verbattle judging rubric, still in use today
- Trained the first cohort of 40 certified debate coaches
- Regular speaker at national education and youth-development summits
Vinayaka Ramakrishna
Chief Executive Officer“Every state we enter and every school we walk into has to leave a little louder, a little braver than we found it.”
Vinayaka joined Verbattle to turn a single-city programme into a national one, and spent the years since building the operational backbone that lets a competition run identically whether it's in Bengaluru or a small town three states away.
- Scaled the competition circuit from 1 state to 12+
- Built the state-coordinator network that runs events year-round
- Oversees the academy-to-competition pipeline end to end
Sowmya H P
GM – Business“A partnership is not a line item. It's the room where the next debater on our roster gets discovered.”
Sowmya leads every conversation Verbattle has with schools, sponsors, and academy partners — and insists that each one starts with a simple question: what does this actually do for the student standing at the podium?
- Built the current sponsor and partner network from the ground up
- Leads onboarding for every new partner school and academy
- Manages the business relationships behind every large-scale competition
Verbattle wasn't built to produce winners. It was built to produce listeners who happen to also know how to speak.
Our journey, round by round
One School, One Stage
Verbattle begins as an after-school debate club — twelve students and a borrowed classroom.
The State Circuit Opens
Karnataka's first structured, large-scale student debate circuit launches under the Verbattle banner.
Teachers Join The Panel
The Academy is founded to train teachers as debate coaches, not just spectators from the back row.
Verbattle Goes National
The first national online competitions connect students across states from a single screen.
The Junior Circuit Launches
A dedicated track for younger students opens, built around confidence before competition.
10,000+ Teachers Trained
The training program crosses five figures, reshaping how classrooms across India talk about talking.
1,000,00+ Students, And Counting
Verbattle's stages — physical and virtual — have now put over a million young voices in front of an audience.
What we stand for
Clarity Over Noise
We coach students to say one true thing well, not ten things loudly. Precision is a form of respect for the room.
Courage On The Floor
A shaking voice that shows up beats a confident one that stays home. We build the showing-up first.
Curiosity First
Every rebuttal at Verbattle starts as an honest question, never a rehearsed line waiting for its cue.
A Community Of Speakers
A podium is built for turns. Our job is to keep making room for the next voice to take it.
The people who make fight-night happen
Coaches, coordinators, and the operations team the audience rarely sees.
Five minutes before the mic goes live
Students and coaches settling in before the opening round
Teacher training and workshop moments from the floor
Backstage energy just before students walk to the mic
Celebration after a hard-fought roundLed by experience
Awards & recognition
Best Youth Education Initiative
State Education AwardsTop EdTech Innovators
India EdTech ReviewCommunity Impact Award
Bengaluru Civic ForumRising Programme Of The Year
National Speech & Debate CircuitWhat people are writing about the panel
Inside the classroom where arguing is the assignment
A look at how Verbattle's coaching model reshapes a normal Tuesday period into a debate round.
The Academy training 10,000 teachers to teach talking
Coverage of the certification track behind Verbattle's teacher-training numbers.
How a state debate circuit became a national one
A short history of the expansion from Karnataka's first circuit to a pan-India programme.
What the room says about the panel
The team doesn't just run competitions, they build the coach in every teacher who walks through their door.
On the ground, across states
Bengaluru
Where the curriculum gets written and every state programme starts.
Chennai
Coordinates the Tamil Nadu circuit and academy partnerships.
Mumbai
Runs the Maharashtra tour and western-region school onboarding.
Online
Hosts the online national rounds that connect every state at once.
Think you belong on this stage?
We're always looking for coaches, judges, and partners who care about young voices as much as we do.
A Real Stage
Not a webinar. You'll be in the room — or running it — for state and national finals.
A Panel, Not A Hierarchy
Coaches, judges, and staff sit at the same table as leadership. Everyone gets a turn to speak.
Built To Grow
Certification tracks, mentorship, and a clear path from volunteer judge to programme lead.
Questions about the panel
Write to us with your background in debate, teaching, or public speaking. Our Academy team runs a short certification track before you're paired with a stage.
Less often than in the early years, but you'll still find them running select masterclasses and sitting in on state finals.
Reach out through the partnerships contact below. Sowmya's team handles onboarding for schools and academy partners.
Bengaluru, with a state and regional coordinator network that runs events across India.
Yes — the newsletter below covers new state launches, open judge certifications, and upcoming competitions.