Jaipur, Aug 19: The second edition of the Harvard College Debating Union World Schools – India Invitationals 2026, organised by the Indian Debating League (IDL) in partnership with the Harvard College Debating Union, concluded in Jaipur, with five Indian school debating teams earning the opportunity to represent India at the international Harvard debating platform in April 2027. Held from 14–16 August at Jayshree Periwal International School, Jaipur, the tournament brought together 250 students from 54 schools across India and was conducted in the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) format.
In this 2nd edition, the tournament brought together young debaters on a prestigious platform associated with the Harvard College Debating Union, with the stature of the competition and the opportunity for international participation serving as key highlights. The event featured Mr. Mohit Yadav, Co-Founder of Minimalist and Zyna Dhillon, Convener, Harvard College Debating Union, who interacted with participants and shared their perspectives on debating, communication and the importance of creating global opportunities for young speakers.
“Students face constant pressureto always have the answer, whether in school, in exams, on stage. Real life rewards the opposite: the honesty to say 'I don't know, let me find out. You don't fail because you were wrong. You fail when the evidence changes, and you refuse to change with it” emphasized Mohit Yadav, Minimalist Founder in his Key Note“What we built at IDL has always been bigger than teaching young minds how to build strong arguments. Life rarely hands you certainty. Bounded rationality, the idea that we never have complete information, yet we still have to choose, argue, and act inside that incompleteness is not just a debate skill. That's the basic condition of being a person in the world today. Today, seeing five teams earn the opportunity to represent India is a powerful reflection of how far this community has come, ” said Anjali Tiwary, Founder and CEO of Indian Debating League
Debaters were encouraged by Ayush Periwal, CEO Jayashree Periwal Group of Schoolsstating “The future will not belong to the loudest voice in the room. It will belong to the mind that makes the room rethink. That is what we celebrated at the Harvard Debate at Jayashree Periwal International School.”
