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.

Our Philosophy:

 

Ideas

 
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The Yale Hindi Debate sets the stage for intellectual discourse – for thoughtful people to ponder over important issues, form an opinion, craft an argument around that opinion, and then deliver that argument to convince an audience, while engaging with their peers. It is thus more a platform for the showcasing of ideas than a test of linguistic prowess.

 

Language

 
 

The debate seeks also to encourage the study of the Hindi language, and to foster it by creating an atmosphere conducive to speaking, writing, thinking in, and listening to Hindi. Again, the debate is not a test of one’s fluency in Hindi. Instead, it is a celebration of the Hindi language, and a testament to the role of language in the mingling of cultures.

 

​People

 
 

If one were to witness the Yale Hindi Debate on campus, one might call it a social event – and one wouldn’t be wrong. Students and faculty from the top universities across the US arrive at the Yale campus, and interact with each other and with Yalies on and off stage – celebrating shared passions and discovering new ones. Further, our student hosts help participants experience, firsthand and in unique ways, the wonderful world that is Yale.

 
 

Sterling Memorial Library at Yale - Source: Akhil Sud, SM '16