“Change starts from the decision to create a better society, which the Rotary Four-Way test allows for.”
Two students of the SMART Campus, Sindhu Shree and Aditya Garladinne not only participated but won the debate competition - Rotary Four-Way test organised by the Rotary Club of Colombo.
The Rotary Four-Way test a set of indispensable, timeless questions which aim to promote high ethical standards and simultaneously act as a foundation for club activities. Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. It is a non-political and non-religious organization open to all. In June of 2021, the Rotary Club of Colombo brought together interact clubs from Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Sri Lanka to debate the feasibility of the four-way test in today's day and age. Subsequently, the debate looked at whether the four questions (Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?) are truly applicable in creating welfare, or whether they are simply a utopian facade, the former having taken the win.
The program started at 8:00 AM Indian Standard Time, beginning with the preliminary round, where debaters engaged in the controversial discourse regarding whether the four-way test is applicable in the pandemic environment that engulfs us today. The Singapore debate team consisting of us from GIIS PG Smart Campus and Varshitha and Jayden from Punggol Secondary School were the proponents for the preliminary agenda, and consequently the semi-final and final agendas. The team made impactful four-minute speeches regarding why a four-way test is necessary today and helps alleviate situations like gender disparity, digital divide, religious discrimination, and youth issues.
As a result, the Singapore team tied with the Sri Lankan team for first place. The debate has always been a platform for students to elucidate why our world today is flawed, yet it is Rotary’s open-minded platform that allowed for students Asia-wide to shed light on possible solutions that can take flight with the use of the four-way test. Rotary’s core mission is “Service above self” and our team was able to manifest the fact that neglecting the four-way test and nullifying the questions asked would be exemplifying the antithesis of Rotary’s mission.
Sindhu Shree Muddam
- 0
- 0
Comments ({{totalComments}})
Login to post a comment...
{{comments.CommentText}}