Farida Memorial Debate and Quiz Competition

Bishop Cotton Boys’ School participated in the 9th Edition of the Farida Memorial Debate and Quiz Competition with great enthusiasm and distinction. Representing the School in the Debate category were Ayush Prem (12 B), Glen Harel (12 B) and Sukrit Shivaprasad (12 D), while the Quiz team comprised Prajwal L (12 A) and Challa Monish Krishna (12 D).

In the Quiz competition, 26 teams competed, with only 8 teams qualifying directly for the finals after the preliminary rounds. Though the Cottonian team did not progress to the finals, the experience proved to be enriching and competitive. Sunbeam School Lahartala emerged as the winners, while La Martiniere College, Lucknow secured the runner-up position.

The Debate team, however, delivered an exceptional performance. Competing against 28 teams, Bishop Cotton Boys’ School advanced to the Quarter Finals after being adjudged the best team in their pool. The preliminary motion debated was, “This House believes that public figures must be judged by the standards of their time, not ours.” Sukrit Shivaprasad was awarded the Best Speaker Prize in the preliminary round, while Ayush Prem was recognised as the Second Best Speaker.

In the Quarter Finals, the motion debated was, “Forgetting is essential for happiness.” The team once again excelled, advancing to the Semi Finals among the top four teams. Sukrit Shivaprasad was adjudged the Second Best Speaker in the Quarter Finals, and the team also received the Runner-Up Trophy for the round.

The Semi Final motion, “This House believes that a story told through a wrong face is a story told dishonestly,” witnessed the boys debating with remarkable poise, clarity, conviction and depth of content. Although the team narrowly missed qualification to the finals, their commendable performance reflected the strong debating tradition of the School. The final was contested between St. Joseph’s North Point, Darjeeling and Seth M.R. Jaipuria School, Lucknow, with North Point emerging victorious.

The competition proved to be a valuable learning experience for the boys, strengthening their analytical thinking, public speaking and teamwork skills. The School extends its heartfelt gratitude to Mrs. Ishita Guha for mentoring and accompanying the team throughout the competition.

NEC DEXTRORSUM, NEC SINISTRORSUM.