Word War 1.0

Vivek Venkatram | Scintilla Weekly

Navi Mumbai: The much-awaited debate of the Literary Club of SIES Graduate School of Technology took place on the 13^th of August, 2013. The Literary Club had put up some attention-grabbing posters throughout the campus. More appealing than the posters, were the various topics of the debate. A large number of students paired up in teams to be a part of the debate, a different kind of debate, a debate on whacky topics, trendier topics, be it Superman versus Batman or Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal.

The atmosphere in the SIES Graduate School of Technology auditorium was inspirational. Students had come up in large numbers to not only partake in the debate but also to witness the debate fittingly named Word War 1.0. The debate was judged by the Mrs. Ramya George, Mrs. Sumitra Padmanabhan and Mr. Ashok Tagalpallewar.

The debate sparked off with two very exciting teams going against each other on a realistic issue, Mumbai Local: I class versus II class. Dharini Dutia argued that I class compartments provide comfort and safety to women and children alike while Kavya Kumar believed that there shouldn’t be a I class compartment in the train at all. If this debate didn’t get the other participants and the throng enthused enough, the next one surely went on to do so. Chandrika versus Dove. Nevathika Narendran submitted the argument of Chandrika being an Indian ayurvedic product whereas Priya Girijan appealed to the fact the Dove nourishes your skin and makes it glow. This short little debate caught the attention of the assembly and set the tone for the rest of the debates to come.

Shortly following this, was one for the movie buffs. Hollywood vs Bollywood which  turned into a cat-fight between the all-girls team as they quarrelled about who the better one is, Tom Cruise or Tollywood’s Dhanush. Well, we all know who is superior of the two, don’t we? But the team of first years, Nikita and Dharti, who supported Dhanush, yes, went on to the semi-finals. Two attention-grabbing debates succeeded them. Live-in relationship versus marriage and are high maintenance girlfriends worth the hassle. Champakesh Gopal along with Arnab Kundu strongly believed that marriage was the way forward and that live-in relationships do not promise any security to the woman after separation. Chaitanya Ramji and Kavya Krishnamohan of laid love as the decisive factor in a relationship and that high maintenance are worth the bother for boyfriends who absolutely love their girlfriends. The audience was wholly in splits by the end of these two debates.

There was something for the comic buffs and for the anime-lovers, as well. Superman versus Batman and Dragon Ball Z versus Naruto. The Dark Knight reigned over the Man of Steel and team Naruto got the better of team Dragon Ball Z. Essentially, Sathyaghan and Aditi who supported Batman went on to the be the next semi-finalists. Team Shinchan comprising of Ruchika and Shruti got the better of the Tom and Jerry team as they headed towards the semi-finals, only to be disqualified.

The fourth and the last semi-finalists, Madhuri Achmani and Akhil Menon supported the censorship of smoking scenes by beautifully laying down the point about smoking influencing young minds and adults, alike and emphasized the need to cut smoking scenes in movies.

In the first semi-finals, Dharti and Nikita were pitted against Aditi and Sathyaghan on a subject gaining significance rapidly; Are Indian men ready to be house-husbands? Dharti and Nikita strongly believed that Indian husbands have realised the need to help their counter-part in raising their child and would willingly be house-husbands as it is the need of the hour. While Sathyaghan felt that the male ego wouldn’t let men to stay at home while their wife’s went off to work. It was a debate that enriched the audience, made them conscious and gave them a whole new standpoint on the subject.

In the other semi-finals, Champakesh excellently defended Roger Federer against a frail argument by Akhil Menon who felt 17 grand slams did not make him better than Rafael Nadal. Champakesh got the better of his opposite number by laying down one simple fact known to many, Roger Federer is a living legend and a brilliant ambassador of the game of tennis.

Surprisingly, both the teams from first semi-finals made the finals. The teams were a subject on-the-spot.  And it was Salt versus Sugar. Dharti believed that sugar makes special moments more unforgettable and Nikita imposed the truth that every festivity in India is incomplete without sweets, stating Cadbury’s ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’  tagline. On the other hand, Sathyaghan and Aditi mentioned that salt is a major component in every delicacy and it is what that sustains life and keeps it going. The judges seemed to be impressed with what the first years, Dharti and Nikita had to say and fairly adjudged them the winner of Word War.

To lighten the mood, two ex-GSTians, Sajid Abdulla and Rohit Ramkumar took over the microphone and gave a light-hearted talk to the gathering.

The debate Word War organised by the Literary Club of SIES Graduate School of a Technology proved to be that vent that the students needed as they resourcefully expressed their feelings and opinions about the issues they supported, thereby validating the whole purpose of organizing it and making it a grand success.