Times School Parliament: A pleasurable chaos, say students

Nagpur: Away from school for longer than ever before and with few outlets to exercise their intellect, students found catharsis in the Times School Parliament (TSP) 2020. The fact that they were debating whether schools should be reopened made it all the more personal.
Riya Thakre from Narayana Vidyalayam, Chinchbhuvan, thoroughly enjoyed the impassioned discourse.“The way everybody fought for and against the motion and the vigour with which we made our points, shows how strongly we feel about it. The youth is clearly alive to the responsibility of bringing change with its views,” Thakre said.
Most students felt that while the physical experience of the Town Hall parliamentary proceedings was “something else”, the Covid-induced virtual nature of this year’s TSP made it unique in its own way. “It was pretty cool debating virtually. I had not expected it to be this much fun,” said Sharvari Bhagat from The South Public School, adding that this was her second time at TSP, and she felt “a bit lonely because I did not have my batchmates along as a team.”
In consonance with Bhagat, Arjun Rathi from Bishop Cotton School, Sadar, quipped that this debate was “a pleasurable chaos, and not a chaotic one”. Both sides were given a fair chance to speak and put forth their views with perfect timing, he added.
Vaibhavi Vyas from Montfort School said the debate exceeded her expectations. “The way everyone was eager to counter others’ arguments was something I had not imagined could be possible virtually,” she stated. A first-timer at TSP, Vyas added that it was “a good learning experience” for her and “informative as well”.
Despite being conducted over a Zoom call, Pranav Shukla from Edify School said the debate did not waver in its intensity. “I was a part of TSP last year too and I must say that while physical debating is quite lively, the virtual experience was amazing too. It totally met my expectations,” Shukla added.
Ditya Thapar from Centre Point School International pointed out that since the event went on smoothly without any interruptions or network glitches, the excitement quotient stayed high. “It was great to see how elegantly everybody presented their arguments and stuck to them,” she said.
Participating in a debate for the first time, Gunjan Kaur Tuli from Edify School found it an amazing ride. “I enjoyed putting out my views so much and look forward to attending more such initiatives. This was a memorable experience.”