22-04-2025
Sirsi boy wins Karnataka edition of Speak for India
Bengaluru: Karkihakkalu is a small village, about 25kms from Sirsi town. No one there had heard about debating competitions until 2023, when Prateek Hegde reached the semi-finals of the Speak for India event, an inter-collegiate debate competition. In 2024, Prateek reached the finals, and in 2025, he emerged as the winner of the Karnataka edition, bagging Rs 2.5 lakh and a trophy, leaving the village joyous.
The BCom final year student of JSS SMI UG & PG Studies, Dharwad, was adjudged the winner of the Speak for India Karnataka edition, an initiative by Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation in association with The Times of India and Vijay Karnataka Tuesday. The finals were held at Kristu Jayanti College.
"This was my last year to attempt the competition, and I am glad I made it. It is a great opportunity for youth. Students in villages have no exposure; they do not know about such platforms or how to improve their communication skills. After hearing about my experiences here, about 40-50 students from Sirsi participated in the district-level competition in Udupi," said Prateek.
On Tuesday, Prateek rubbed shoulders with the best debaters from the state. About 5,000 students from 600 colleges participated this year in the competition. In the finals, he argued for the topic on whether euthanasia should be made a fundamental right, against Chandan M Naik, a psychology and journalism student of MES College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Bengaluru.
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Prateek presented his points in Kannada, actively listening to his opponent, who articulated in English, and refuted the arguments. The competition permits students to take the debate in their preferred language. Madhu Y N, engineer and writer, Keertana Venkatesh, assistant professor of law, National Law School of India University, and K Narayana Gowda, ex-vice chancellor, University of Agricultural Sciences, were the judges.
Son of a retired KSRTC employee and a housewife, Prateek's journey in the debate competition was not easy. "My father is a public speaker. I took inspiration from him. When I participated for the first time in Speak for India, I did not even understand English. I could not follow the arguments of my opponents when they made points in English or the questions the judges asked me. My first task this time was to learn the language. Last year, I came in touch with a few people and learnt to sharpen my skills and widen my knowledge," he said.
Chandan, on the other hand, was a debutant at Speak for India. However, a regular at debating competitions, he was at the Parliament of India, representing Karnataka for the National Youth Parliament competition. "I started debating when I was in class 6. The prizes really excite me! I realised how important communication is in any walk of life. So I honed my skills, attended Toastmasters, and started mingling with NGOs and a student organisation, where I was exposed to public speeches," he said. A final year student in psychology and journalism, he is preparing for civil services and will attempt his prelims this May. Raised by a single mother, Chandan lives in Mahalakshmi Layout.
"The best part about Speak for India are its topics. They are contemporary, interesting, and current. It calls for a lot of hard work to research, gather data, find court rulings, and prepare your arguments," he said.
On Tuesday, about eight semi-finalists debated in two separate rounds. Each group debated on whether AI takes away our privacy and whether mandatory drug testing for students is required in colleges. Two candidates were selected for the grand finale.
