Young Voices Take Centre Stage at Blind Boys’ Academy’s 53-Year-Old Inter-School Debate Competition

Narendrapur, June 24, 2026: The 53rd Annual Inter-School Debate Competition, one of Kolkata’s longest-running school debate events, concluded on Wednesday at the Blind Boys’ Academy, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narendrapur. Around 200 students, teachers, parents and guests attended the day-long programme, which brought together 20 student debaters representing 10 schools from Kolkata and its surrounding areas.

Organised annually by the Blind Boys’ Academy for over five decades, the competition has become a respected platform for fostering critical thinking, public speaking and informed dialogue among young minds. This year’s motion was: “The long-term economic impact of war is more devastating than the loss of life.”

Addressing the gathering, Swami Mahanananda, Principal of the Blind Boys’ Academy, highlighted the rich legacy of the competition and encouraged students to participate actively in debates and other intellectual activities that help develop analytical thinking and responsible citizenship.

The debate session was chaired by Prof. Achintyan Chattopadhyay, while the panel of judges comprised Prof. Sobujkoli Sen, Principal, School of Languages, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark and former Vice-Chancellor of Visva-Bharati University; Shri Sumit Kumar Roy, former Air Force officer; and Joydeep Dasgupta, journalist and media educator.

After a closely contested competition marked by thoughtful arguments and impressive oratory, Delhi Public School, Ruby Park emerged as the Champion, while Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur secured the Runner-up position. The judges commended the participants for their research, clarity of expression and balanced understanding of the complex issues surrounding war and its consequences.

With a distinguished legacy spanning 53 years, the Annual Inter-School Debate Competition continues to inspire generations of students to engage with contemporary issues through reasoned discussion and intellectual exchange, reaffirming the importance of dialogue in a democratic society.