Bengaluru: Siddharth Pandiya, a student of Grade 12 at Greenwood High International School, Bengaluru, has developed the world’s first live debating platform which allows debaters from around the globe to engage in an intellectual discussion of relevant topics. Siddharth, an avid debater and a Model UN participant, took the reins to start the initiative called Debate for Change, the first and only live voice debate platform in the world.
The 16 year-old is an avid debater and has participated in debates and Model UN conferences since middle school. Having noticed the glaring absence of a quality debate platform to debate with people on the same level, he started Debate for Change to fill this very void.
“I realized that people, who are interested in debating for joy, do not have a practice ground to learn from others and discuss the pertinent issues facing the world today, every day. Moreover, existing debates which we watch on TV and the internet often devolve into chaos, diluting the quality of debate. That is what inspired me to develop Debate for Change – as a platform for the exchange of ideas among people of all ages, across the world,” said Siddharth Pandiya about his initiative.
The website, https://www.debateforchange.com, has many unique features which set it apart from other text-based debate websites. Participants sign up, choose a topic and debate against people worldwide in the presence of a moderator, who judges the debate and decides a winner. Based on the number of participations and wins, debaters attain a worldwide ranking. The participants can discuss any topic with anyone registered.
Siddharth’s other notable triumph was when he founded MUNdreas, India’s premier Model UN (MUN) delegation, which has consistently won the country’s most prestigious MUN, Harvard MUN, in 2015 and 2016. He is also a tech enthusiast, and aims to pursue Computer Science during his higher education. Moreover, he has quizzed at the national level, and is a footballer, having represented his school as a central defender. He wishes to become a tech entrepreneur and start something of his own in this arena. Debate for Change is clearly a leap in that direction.
Niru Agarwal, Trustee, Greenwood High International, said, “Provided with due encouragement, students will rise to the challenge to solve any impending problem. Greenwood High is proud to have had the chance to harbor such talent that inspires generations of students to reach for something great.”
