Great debaters of JU

Great debaters of JU

Tarek Aziz

4 August, 2019 12:00 AM, Published in the Daily Sun

Tonni, Aditi, and Brishti are students of Jahangirnagar University. They have grown up in different places in Bangladesh but they are now upholding a common identity as ‘Jabiyan debater’. The girls can be addressed as one of the best debaters in contemporary debating arena of Bangladesh. They are currently working in a university-based debating organisation, Jahangirnagar University Debate Organisation (JUDO) as the General Secretary, Joint Secretary (Communication), and Joint Secretary (Bangla) respectively. This organisation has given birth to dozens of eminent debaters since its inception in 2005, and the names of the three girls are mentionable, among others.

In one hand, JUDO sharpened the girl trio’s debating career by shaping their debating dream and teaching them the tricks for clinching the crowns of different debating competitions. On the other hand, they are also the gifts for JUDO as they are practicing debate since their school level and have innumerable achievements individually.

Tazrin Islam Tonni, the splendid girl who can easily mutate her surroundings just as how she wants. She was reared up in Natore. She started debating when she was a six grader, and took part in a national event for the first time in National Children Debate Competition when she was eight grader. She launched a debating club in her school, took part in Inter-Cantonment School Debate held in Dhaka and ended that competition as a semi-finalist when she was a nine grader. After SSC she moved to Dhaka and continued her debates in higher secondary level also. Along with different individual and group achievements in national events, she sealed a championship trophy in public speaking and ended higher secondary as the Vice-President of her college debating club.

Redeta Tahsin Audity has grown up in Dhaka. She has been an excellent debater since her school days. She sealed a BTV organised championship trophy of national debate competition and ended her school level as the President of her school debating club along with sealing dozens of achievements. In the higher secondary level, she was not regular in debating arena but has some mentionable achievements including a runner up trophy in a debate event ‘Debate for Democracy’ organised by ATN Bangla where Tonni was her teammate. The workaholic girl Audity got an invitation from Thailand as an adjudicator in Hanoi Asian Debate Championship last year for her outstanding debate experiences.

Simum Mousumi Brishti was raised up in Bagerhat. She started debates when she was an eight grader. She clinched the title of the competition in her maiden school debate and hauled dozens of championship trophy in district level debate competitions. She showed her excellence continuously in district and division level, took part in a national event for the first time in 2012 and sealed a public speaking championship in the higher secondary level.

Though Tonni wanted to be an architect, Audity and Brishti to be a doctor, they are the student of the Chemistry, Law and Justice, and Economics department respectively.

The three Jabiyan girls resumed their debating career with JUDO after getting into Jahangirnagar University (JU) under the academic session 2015-16 as freshers but they all had a pre-acquaintance with JUDO because of taking part in JUDO organised national debate competition prior to university level. After a short span of times, they started doing well in different competition for JUDO and started working individually with different teams of JUDO and hauled a good number of achievements.

For the first time, JUDO formed a team with Tonni, Audity, and Brishti (JUDO Sangsaptak) for a two daylong Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology Debating Society (CUETDS) organised debate competition, titled ‘CUETDS National Debate Festival 2019’, held on July 26-27 on Chittagong University campus with the slogan ‘Gorje uthuk shankhachurer bish, Fena mukhe ahata titas’.

A total of 24 university-based debating teams from across the country took part in the competition, where the team of Jahangirnagar University Debate Organisation (JUDO Sangsaptak) clinched the title of the competition defeating a team of Bangladesh University of Textiles Debating Club (BUTexDC Bunan) and made a new record in the debate arena of Bangladesh, as it was the maiden all-women debate team clinched a title of any Inter-University level debate competition where team leader of the champion team Tazrin Islam Tonni nominated as debater of the final too.

The writer is a student of Chemistry Department of Jahangirnagar University. He can be reached at tarekju45@gmail.com