NIE Speak Debate South I zone result

‘‘Is patriotism refuge of the scoundrel? Has it become a virtue of the vicious? Is patriotism an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles?’’ These were a few questions that were dealt with at the latest NIE Speak Debate on our Times, South I zone. The subject of debate was ‘Patriotism is outdated’.
The debate, third in the series of the Times NIE Speak, was held at Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar on November 5.Sponsored by Professional Tutorials, over 40 schools participated in the event.
The speakers for the topic dismissed the notion that patriotism is a redundant concept confined to history books. ‘‘Patriotism is not fickle as fashion. It is an emotion; and emotions can never be outdated,’’ said Vrinda Marwah of DPS R K Puram.
The voices of dissent from the opposing camp pooh-poohed the antediluvian philosophy, calling it an irrational emotion whipped up by religious bigots to fight for a meaningless cause in the name of the country.
Chief guest Nafisa Ali, handed over the prizes, sponsored by Scholastic India, to winners. The judges included Dr Pushpesh Pant, JNU; Tushar Aggarwal, regional director, Delhi Professional Tutorials; and Nivedita Singh, Visiting Faculty, Amity Institute of Behavioural and Applied Sciences.