Hans News Service Nambur (Guntur district)

Thesemi-finals of Vaad-Vivaad 2026, a bilingual debate competition, were held at VVIT College here on Wednesday, with 60 shortlisted students competing on issues concerning India’s role and identity in the emerging global order.

The competition is being organised by AE Foundation, Amaravati Chapter, in collaboration with Rotary Club Vijayawada Mid Town and MY Bharat, AP Ministry of Youth Affairs.

The organisers said Vaad-Vivaad seeks to encourage young people to move from ‘social media to social thinking’ by providing a platform to articulate their views on national issues, understand constitutional values and develop logical thinking, public speaking and leadership skills. The initiative is also aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

Vaad-Vivaad was launched in Hyderabad in 2025 as the flagship initiative of the AE Foundation with the theme ‘Youth Ki Soch, Rashtra Ka Nirman’. This year, the competition was expanded to Amaravati region.

Three preliminary rounds were conducted at Andhra Loyola College, KL University and KBN College, with students from more than 15 colleges in Vijayawada, Guntur and Amaravati participating. The organisers said more than 200 registrations were received, from which 60 best debaters were shortlisted for the semi-finals.

The semi-finals were conducted in two rounds under the theme ‘India in the 21st Century: Redefining Our Nation’s Identity in the Emerging World Order.’ In the individual power round, participants were given one minute to prepare and one minute to present their views on a given topic. In the second round, participants were divided into teams of three to debate, counter opposing arguments and present a collective perspective. The competition was conducted in both Telugu and English. Commissioner of Youth Services S Bharani was the chief guest. The Vice-Chancellor of VVIT College was the guest of honour, while MY Bharat State Head Venkat Ujwal attended as an esteemed guest.

The jury included Suresh Kocchatil, Dilip Kilaru and other educationists, media personalities and social leaders. The organisers said 20 to 25 participants would be selected from the semi-finalists for the grand finale in Hyderabad, where the Amaravati finalists will compete with finalists from Hyderabad.