The Yale Hindi Debate

THE YALE HINDI DEBATE

Born as a student’s idea in a Yale classroom, the Yale Hindi Debate has grown exponentially, from an ambitious venture to an intellectual, cultural, and social institution. 
The debate was established as a Yale-only event in 2008, and now sees participation from faculty and students from USA’s preeminent schools, including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, NYU, Cornell, UCLA, Wesleyan, Rutgers, the University of Texas at Austin, and Wellesley College.

Beauty and the beast

February 04, 2014  /  Akhil Sud

“I’ve worked my heinie off - literally. It’s smaller now.”
— Nina Davuluri at Yale University
Nina, when she became Miss America - Source: The Washington Post

Nina, when she became Miss America - Source: The Washington Post

The first Indian Miss America, Nina Davuluri, spoke to Yale on 4 February, 2014, at Battell Chapel. She spoke candidly about her past, and the backlash she received - first as Miss New York, and later, as Miss America. As articulate as she is beautiful, Nina addressed matters including beauty, race, religion, and even dating. 

Miss America at Yale, in casual conversation with members of the Yale family before addressing the gathered students and faculty - Source: Akhil Sud SM '16

Miss America at Yale, in casual conversation with members of the Yale family before addressing the gathered students and faculty - Source: Akhil Sud SM '16

Listening to her, one can't help but think about ethnicity in the context of a globalized world - where distances between people are shrinking, while barriers between them continue to persist. For the Yale Hindi Debate, the mixing of cultures is of paramount significance. Perhaps YHD 2014 could debate this issue. We haven't decided on a topic yet - and this certainly seems ripe with potential.