Xavier School of Rural Management (XSRM), Xavier University, Bhubaneswar (XUB) conducted its National level debate competition - "Vaktavya", organized by the Rural Management Association of XSRM, in the Xavier City campus on July 29, 2018. "Vaktavya" is a platform for students across the nation to showcase their competitive spirit & vigor. With a stellar participation from across the country, the program started with an address by Mr. Akshaya Kumar Biswal (Regional Manager, Odisha & South India, Oxfam India). He stressed on the significance of this function-specific platform for students, and how such platforms assist the students to express themselves and bring a change in the society. He further asserted how crucial it is to be cautious about misleading information and develop an in-depth knowledge about several topics currently existing in our society, which will help the students understand different perspectives and become more equitable.
Attended by both the batches of MBA-RM, the gathering was graced by many notable industry veterans like, Mr. Sibabrata Choudhury (Consultant, Samagra Development Associates), Mr. Rakesh Kumar Panda (AVP - Business GL, State Head, Suryoday Small Finance Bank Ltd), and included some of the reputed alumni of the University namely, Mr. Akshaya Kumar Biswal (Regional Manager, Odisha & South India Oxfam India) and Mr. Rashmi Ranjan Parida (Founder, Odisha Diary Foundation).
In the preliminary round, a total of 30 students participated and debated on several topics: stressing on many social issues like "Jan Dhan Yojna after 4 years”, "Legalizing euthanasia in India" and many more. The topic was given to all the participants on-spot to maintain a non-partisan approach. The exchange of views was carried between the teams in a form of counter-argument, where each team could counter a response of the other team on a topic simultaneously. All of them engaged in an impressive exchange of words and reasons, where they not only defended but also argued against the motion. The two teams who were the winners of round one, were elevated to the second round, where they interchanged their school of thoughts on the topics: "B-Schools in India are elitist" and "Bollywood is gender insensitive" in a prodigious and substantial manner. There were so many astounding points and several viewpoints that propelled the audience to contemplate about the topic divergently. The final round was equally invigorating.
Finally, after a galvanizing wait, the winners of the debate competition were declared. Aman Singh and Ankita Pal, the winning team from Xavier School of Human Resource Management, showed-cased a superlative presentation through the competition. Mr. Sibabrata Choudhury gave away the trophies and certificates of merit, along with a prize money of INR 12,000, to the winners for showcasing outstanding performance; along with a prize money of INR 8,000 to Sauvik Dey and Cyril Bastin, the runners-up, a team from Xavier School of Rural Management. He appraised all the teams and praised the ferociousness of the finalists. He further exhorted that knowledge and communication skills are the most important ingredients which one needs to enhance to survive in the present competitive scenario.
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