Debating is an acquired skill!
Reason to Debate aims to make world-class parliamentary debate training accessible to
high-school and university students in India.
It is the brainchild of Aditya Verma, Uttara Gharpure, and Yaman Verma, who are visiting faculty at and graduates of the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru (NLS). Since 2009, they have trained over 2500 students in debating and critical thinking skills at educational institutions across India, including the Shri Ram College of Commerce and Miranda House in Delhi University, Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore, and National Law University, Jodhpur, as well as St Paul’s School and St Joseph’s School North Point in Darjeeling, and Welham Girls’ School, Dehradun.
They were part of the faculty for the Foundations for a Legal Education course at NLS in since 2021. In 2018 and 2019, Reason to Debate was the Debate Training Partner at the National Law School Debate and is the sponsor of the Novice Awards at the 2024 edition.
During their time at NLS, Aditya, Uttara, and Yaman won the All-Asian Debating Championships 2008 in Dhaka (apart from their multiple domestic debating achievements). Aditya and Uttara also qualified for the semi-finals of the Cambridge Inter-Varsity 2008 and the quarter-finals of the United States Universities Debating Championships 2009 at the University of Vermont. Yaman was a Deputy Chief Adjudicator at both the United Asian Debating Championships 2010 in Bangkok and the Asian British Parliamentary Debate 2011 in Dhaka. He has also been a trainer at the Asian Debating Institute, South Korea.
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Aditya is an independent advocate practicing in Delhi. He is qualified as an Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court of India as well as a solicitor in England and Wales. He has previously worked at Clifford Chance LLP (in London and Moscow) as well as at the Mary Ward Legal Centre and Barclays Capital (both in London). His areas of legal expertise include constitutional and civil litigation, commercial and company law, insolvency, intellectual property law, and arbitration. Aditya appears regularly before the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi.
He graduated in 2009 from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.
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Uttara is head of strategy at Supr Daily (a Bengaluru-based Swiggy subsidiary). Previously, she was a senior consultant at McKinsey and Company in Bengaluru. She holds a master’s degree in Development Economics and International Development from the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She has also worked in development and with government organizations globally, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Malawi, the Public Health Foundation of India in New Delhi, and Instiglio Inc in Medellin, Colombia.
She graduated in 2009 from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.
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Yaman is a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Company, New Delhi, with over 13 years of experience as a competition lawyer. He has advised extensively on complex multi-jurisdictional mergers as well as abuse of dominance and cartel cases, with a special focus on technology and e-commerce markets. Yaman has been recognised by leading directories, including Chambers & Partners, India Business Law Journal, Who’s Who Legal, Legal500, and Experts’ Guide.
He graduated in 2010 from the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.
What we offer
Intensive introductory training programmes to learn parliamentary debating and adjudication.
Individual practice and feedback to help you prepare for national and international tournaments.
Best practices for you to create a parliamentary debating society in your college.
Technical advice for your debating society to organise a tournament.