<p>The Indian team argued for the motion, ‘Protecting the public from terrorism should come before civil liberties’. <br /><br />They are the first Indian champions to win this first-of-its-kind exhibition debate. Launched in India in partnership with the British Council, Debating Matters is a school debate competition in the UK, which aims to be less formal than the traditional debating competitions. <br /><br />At the final debate, Pune students Shivanand Ambalavanan, Auzita Irani, Vignesh Gundesha and Mrinalini Shinde faced tough questions on their stance from a panel of judges, including AC Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College; Kenan Malik, writer, lecturer and broadcaster; and Anita Anand, presenter of BBC2’s The Daily Politics, who later praised them for “their detailed research, fine grasp of the subject and eloquent presentation.”<br /><br />Shivanand Ambalavanan of Choksey School also won the prestigious Gima Owen Memorial Award, an audience prize for “the sharpest, wittiest contribution delivered with warmth and humour.”</p>
<p>The Indian team argued for the motion, ‘Protecting the public from terrorism should come before civil liberties’. <br /><br />They are the first Indian champions to win this first-of-its-kind exhibition debate. Launched in India in partnership with the British Council, Debating Matters is a school debate competition in the UK, which aims to be less formal than the traditional debating competitions. <br /><br />At the final debate, Pune students Shivanand Ambalavanan, Auzita Irani, Vignesh Gundesha and Mrinalini Shinde faced tough questions on their stance from a panel of judges, including AC Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College; Kenan Malik, writer, lecturer and broadcaster; and Anita Anand, presenter of BBC2’s The Daily Politics, who later praised them for “their detailed research, fine grasp of the subject and eloquent presentation.”<br /><br />Shivanand Ambalavanan of Choksey School also won the prestigious Gima Owen Memorial Award, an audience prize for “the sharpest, wittiest contribution delivered with warmth and humour.”</p>
