KARACHI:
We are all the pupils of time, said Abdul Nafay Siddiqui, a student, as he raised his fist and volume at the 7th All Pakistan Declamation Contest held at St Patrick’s High School. “Time is about living not dying.”
Siddiqui did not win but a girl from his school, Hafsa Sarwar, bagged the top slot with prizes such as a return ticket to London and an iPod Nano. Sarwar and Siddiqui are currently enrolled at the Generation School. St Michael’s Convent School’s Arvin Anoop came in second while Zineerah Saleem of DHA College for Women came in third.
Around 47 O- and A-Level students from 40 schools gave inspirational and somewhat philosophical speeches to win the prize at the event on Saturday. Some faltered, some got confused while others tried to give a lecture in four minutes to prove themselves to a panel of six judges.
The participants were asked to speak on one of the three topics – ‘In the republic of mediocrity, genius is dangerous’, ‘With the disappearance of God, the ego moves forward to become the sole divinity’ and ‘Time is a great teacher but unfortunately it kills all its pupils’. The students spoke about how ‘gifted’ people were isolated from the mediocre crowd. Aiman Khan, a student, said that Apple’s Steve Jobs was rejected by his peers but he went ahead with his plans and proved himself.
While talking on the same topic, Mohammad Abbas, another student, said that nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan was isolated by society.

St Patrick’s High School teacher Nazish Nomani said that she had judged the event every year and felt that over the years, the students had become much more confident.
“We are looking for students who have a clear progression of thoughts,” she said. “Sometimes students from a well known school do not do well.” Another judge, Margaret Madden, said that such events help young people share their ideas and opinions. Madden has 27 years of teaching experience under her belt.
The crowd seemed to enjoy the debating competition. Ali John, a student from the Anchorage School, said that it was a great platform for students because it taught them how to speak in public.
Alizeh Faisal from the Convent of Jesus and Mary spoke about the ego becoming the sole divinity. She said that her topic was a sensitive one and needed deeper understanding. She added that her speech focused on how people were unaware of the real meaning of prayers.
Afreen Tariq and Sareeha Shamsuddin from the Westminster School said they liked the way the event was set up. “It’s not boring,” said Shamsuddin. “We have attended many debating contests but this is well organised and on a much bigger scale.”
Published in The Express Tribune,

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