Assam: 40th Manik Chandra Barooah debate concludes successfully 

The 40th Manik Chandra Barooah Memorial National Level Debate Competition successfully concluded at the KBR Auditorium of Cotton University yesterday.
 
The day marked the 107th death anniversary of the noted visionary of Assam. The competition was organized by the Debating and Symposia Section of the students’ union of Cotton University. 
 
While Anvisha Srivastava and  Shalwin Yoosuf from Hindu College, Delhi won the best team award, Gaurav Kashyap and Raunak Rupam Parashar from J.B. College, Jorhat won the runners-up trophy. Samar Raja from Ramjas College and Shalwin Yoosuf from Hindu College won the best and second-best debater awards respectively. 
 
Kaushik Deka, the Executive Editor of India Today, presided over the house as the speaker of the debate. In his concluding remarks, he said that we suffer intolerance every day, in every human encounter. “Intolerance is large because of one’s own dominant ideology. It is very contextual. As individuals, we need to stop being so obsessed about news and stop believing in each and every media narrative,” he added. 
 
Anju Talukdar, Human Rights legal expert, Prasanta Jyoti Baruah, Executive Editor of The Assam Tribune, and Prof. Dhruba Pratim Sarma, faculty of the Department of Political Science, Gauhati University, graced the competition as judges.
 
The topic of the debate was “In the opinion of the house, the growing culture of intolerance in contemporary global spaces is a threat to individual freedoms - of expression, faith and belonging”. Altogether, 14 teams from across the country and the northeast participated in the debate. 
 
Prof. Arupjyoti Choudhury, Registrar of Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University (KKHSOU), graced the inaugural event as the chief guest. In this address, he reminisced how in 1979 he organized the first MCB debate as the secretary of the Debate and Symposia section under the guidance of the teacher-in-charge late Prof. Dilip Kr. Barua.
 
In his address, he said that interaction, discussion, and dissent are the foundations of democracy. A democratic set-up cannot survive in the absence of these three elements. He also urged that there is a need to develop a culture of self-reliance and explore new avenues of livelihood, one that is intrinsically linked to our culture.
 
Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharya, Advisor of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and former president of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) released a Souvenir at the inauguration ceremony. “We will shine, We will make Cotton Shine, We will make Assam shine - this should be the motto of every Cottonian,” he urged in his speech. 
 
Prof. Diganta Das, Registrar of Cotton University, while delivering the address of welcome, highlighted the key role played by Manik Chandra Barooah in the establishment of erstwhile Cotton College. 
 
“A tribe of freethinking intellectuals grows out of these student activities. Cotton University has and will continue to shape individuals with a keen sense of responsibility and vision,” he added. 
 
Also present at the inaugural programme were Vice Chancellor of Cotton University Prof Bhabesh Chandra Goswami, former Vice Chancellor of KKHSOU Srinath Baruah, Deans, faculty members and staff of Cotton University, and students from Cotton University and other participating institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ram College of Commerce, Ramjas College, Hindu College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Manipur University, Royal Global University, University of Science and Technology Management, etc.
 
The vote of thanks at the inaugural event was delivered by the organizing secretary of the debate Sudarsan Sharma. 
 
The competition, which was organized after a gap of two years owing to the global pandemic, encouraged young minds to debate, deliberate, and critically reflect on the topic that merits immediate attention.