Aim
The Literary and Debating Society (‘LnD’) is dedicated to the promotion of literary activities and debate at NLSIU. With a storied and vibrant history of nurturing some of the finest debaters in the country, LnD is committed to developing spaces for critical thinking, literary engagement, and public speaking both within and beyond the campus.
The Society conducts the University Debate Selection Rounds, the Student Bar Debate, Literati (an intra-University event for self-expression and improvisation), and also hosts the NLS Debate Junior, a Debate competition for school students. At the heart of our mandate lies the National Law School Debate (‘NLSD’), our flagship event and one of South India’s largest institutional parliamentary debating tournaments, bringing together some of the most talented debaters from across the country and abroad.
Legacy
LnD has hosted one of India’s largest regional majors, NLSD, currently in its XXIIIrd edition, for over two decades. It has also hosted the Student Bar Debate, featuring prominent figures such as Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi, Mr. Ram Jethmalani, Justice (Retd.) Santosh Hegde, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Mr. Abhinandan Sekhri, Dr. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, and Lt. Gen. Satish Nambiar PVSM AVSM VRC (Retd.). Our students have excelled at the national and international level, breaking at the World Universities Debating Championship, and winning the All Asians. Our alumni and past convenors, including figures like Ms. Vibha Nadig, Ms. Unnati Ghia, and Mr. Osho Chhel, have gone on to achieve great things in the legal field, spearheading social change and working at the forefront of the legal field.
Our Work
In recent years, the Committee has reached new heights with a record-level participation at our Internal Debate Rounds and NLSD. LnD has consistently maintained an active debating culture, with regular spars with students of external institutions such as NUJS and PES. With an expansion in the student body, our literary culture has been revamped, and we regularly organise literary open-mics (‘Literati’); play-reading events with acclaimed authors, playwrights, and thespians; and literary game-nights. We also publish our own in-house magazine, Tapestry, which is a culmination of original student submissions and artwork. The committee also has a rich history of literary performances, with multiple plays having been held in collaboration with local theatre communities and collectives.
Being committed to fostering an inclusive and open debating culture, LnD also schedules regular training and workshops exclusively for women and gender minorities, and Pro-Am Debates to create a holistic and resilient system of mentorship for novice debaters. At LnD, we want to make the activity as accessible as possible to all who are interested.
Membership
Membership is open to all students enrolled in any programme at NLSIU, with attendance in three consecutive constitution meetings of the committee. Please feel free to reach out to either of our co-convenors, Adityatej Ghosh (III Year BA LLB) and Chahat Bhambri (III Year BA LLB), in case of any questions.
Looking forward to having you join us, and until then, Happy Debating!
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