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Hon'ble Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, addressed students and the SRCC community at the 3rd Edition of the Shri Arun Jaitley Memorial Debate (SAJMD), the annual national debating tradition of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), University of Delhi. Held at the Shridhar Shriram Auditorium, the event brought together the leadership of the University of Delhi and SRCC, the family of Late Shri Arun Jaitley, alumni and students during SRCC's landmark Centenary Year.



Instituted in 2023 in memory of Padma Vibhushan Late Shri Arun Jaitley, former Union Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs and one of SRCC's distinguished alumni, the memorial debate commemorates his legacy through the very discipline that defined much of his public life: reasoned argument, parliamentary engagement and the exchange of ideas. The 3rd edition, organised by SRCC in association with the Debating Society, SRCC and the Hindi Sahitya Sabha, SRCC, was held under the theme 'From Legacy to Leadership: Debating India's Next Century.'



The national, multi-stage competition was conducted in both English and Hindi, bringing together undergraduate teams from higher education institutions across India. The English winners, Mr. Sahastrajit Pranshu Sinha and Ms. Srishti Sanjay of Shri Ram College of Commerce, and Hindi winners, Ms. Arya Dixit and Ms. Krishna Pathak of Lady Shri Ram College, were recognised for their winning performances. The English runners-up, Mr. Keshavaditya Sharma and Mr. Akshat Vir Singh Mehta of Hindu College, and the Hindi runners-up, Mr. Naivedya Shekhar Singh and Mr. Aditya Mishra of Hansraj College, were also recognised. The competition carried a total prize pool of ₹2.5 lakh.



Addressing the gathering, the Hon'ble Vice-President emphasised that great institutions are built not merely with bricks and mortar, but with ideas, and that a university at its best is a place where ideas are questioned, examined, challenged and refined. He underlined that debate is not simply about winning an argument, but about listening to an argument with which one disagrees, engaging with evidence and testing one's own position through reason.



"Arun Jaitley was a formidable debater and an exceptional parliamentarian, whose clarity of thought, command of language and ability to articulate complex issues with precision made his interventions memorable. He brought the same intellectual breadth to public service, serving the nation as Finance Minister, Defence Minister and Corporate Affairs Minister, while also shouldering several other important responsibilities in the Union Government. His was a rare combination of parliamentary eloquence, legal acumen and administrative experience." — Hon'ble Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan



The Vice-President also highlighted the importance of these capacities in an age shaped by social media, algorithms, misinformation, deepfakes and artificial intelligence. He stressed the need for young people to distinguish between information and knowledge, opinion and evidence, and confidence and competence, noting that while technology can accelerate thinking, it cannot absolve individuals of the responsibility to think.



Prof. Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi, underlined the continuing relevance of debate as a tradition of intellectual engagement. He observed that the Indian intellectual tradition has long valued questioning, dialogue and the testing of ideas, and that debate must be rooted in reason, evidence and a willingness to listen. He also emphasised the importance of fact-checking and critical discernment at a time when social media can allow unverified information to travel rapidly.



"Debate has deep roots in the Indian intellectual tradition. It is not merely an exercise in speaking, but an exercise in listening, questioning, examining evidence and refining one's understanding. In an age of social media, misinformation and rapidly circulating information, fact-checking has become an essential part of responsible citizenship. Our young people must learn to distinguish fact from assertion and evidence from opinion. The University of Delhi, in keeping with the spirit of the National  Education Policy, is also creating greater possibilities for multilingual learning, enabling students to study Indian languages alongside their principal areas of study. Language, debate and critical inquiry together strengthen our ability to understand India in all its diversity and to participate meaningfully in shaping its future." — Prof. Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi



In a lighter observation on the need to pause, question and examine opinions rather than accept them instantly, the Vice-Chancellor remarked: "Instant sirf noodles achhe lagte hain, opinions nahi." — Prof. Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor, University of Delhi



The legacy of Arun Jaitley was also recalled through his deep association with debating at SRCC. His contemporaries remembered him as an eloquent and accomplished debater, known for his ability to speak extempore and for his success in inter-collegiate debating competitions. Jaitley himself wrote of SRCC as the place where he had spent 'three of the best years' of his life as an undergraduate student.



Smt. Sangeeta Jaitley, wife of Late Shri Arun Jaitley, shared a personal recollection of his enduring connection with SRCC. Recalling one of his visits back to the College, she spoke of how he would look at the institution and imagine the changes he could make to improve it. She also recalled how deeply he valued his three years at SRCC and how debating had been an integral part of his student life. According to her recollection, his success in debate competitions was such that he would often earn prize money through competitions and therefore did not need to ask his family for pocket money during his college years.



The anecdote captured a formative aspect of Jaitley's personality: his early confidence as a speaker, his competitive spirit and his enduring belief in the power of institutions to shape young people. His contemporaries similarly recalled that he was a highly talented debater who participated in numerous inter-collegiate competitions and won many awards.



The occasion also placed the memorial debate within SRCC's century-long institutional journey. Shri Ajay S. Shriram, Chairman, SRCC Governing Body, situated the event within the larger legacy of Sir Shri Ram's vision and the College's evolution over a hundred years, highlighting the continuity between institutional excellence, intellectual endeavour and a wider sense of public purpose.



For Prof. Simrit Kaur, Principal, SRCC, the value of education lies beyond the accumulation of credentials. The development of knowledge sets, skill sets and mindsets enables students to think independently, engage with complexity and apply their learning with confidence, purpose and responsibility. The SAJMD gives this educational philosophy a living platform by asking students not merely to speak, but to read deeply, listen carefully, question assumptions and respond thoughtfully.



The occasion also saw the presentation of awards and prize money to the winners and runners-up of the 3rd SAJMD, recognising the teams for their performance across the English and Hindi competitions.



Towards the conclusion of the programme, students and members of the SRCC community took the Drug-Free India Pledge, reaffirming their collective commitment to building a healthy, responsible and drug-free society.



As SRCC celebrates its Centenary, the 3rd Shri Arun Jaitley Memorial Debate became a meeting point between institutional legacy and the intellectual responsibilities of a new generation. The debate reaffirmed the enduring importance of intellectual curiosity, reasoned engagement and the responsibility of a new generation to participate thoughtfully in shaping India's next century.