Horticulture Debate Competition Report

Healthy Culture with Horticulture: Inter-House Debate Competition

Ms. Jinali Pagariya: HFSI Faculty

An Inter-House Debate competition was held amongst grades VII & VIII students on 9th August to celebrate the importance of Horticulture at HFSI Multi-Purpose Hall. The event was held to inform, imbibe and invoke a sense of humanness towards Earth and its green milieu.

The event commenced with applause as soon as the judges Ms. Hareeshma Shiju: Senior Executive and content writer, as well as Ms. Aarthi: Office Administrator both belonging to Hiranandani Group: one representing the Horticulture Department of Hiranandani Group and one representing Hiranandani Foundation School International, entered the hall.

There were four Teams competing in the debate competition, wherein, Team A (Delta) was competing against Team B (Alpha) on the topic Organic Vs Hybrid Horticulture and Team C (Beta) and Team D (Sigma) on the topic Planning to fail or Failing to plan in relation to urban green spaces.

Up first were Teams A and B who debated really well presenting their speech with concrete facts and evidences, followed by a strong rebuttal round. Nonetheless, for Team C and D’s case was similar to theirs, and while they were debating we had two more judges: Mr. Yashes Mirgal: Manager and Mr. Ranvijay Pratap Varma: General Manager representing Horticulture Department of Hiranandani Group as well as our beloved Head of School: Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik, who joined for the rest of the event.

All the four teams were nip and tuck and the judges were finding it hard to choose a winner. Whilst they were immersed in deciding Ms. Jinali who teaches English at HFSI School recited a poem titled ‘A Modern Eden’: a piece which highlighted the importance of horticulture as well as the role of women in it.

After the recitation, judges as well as Head of school were called upon the stage to share their insights on the prominence of Horticulture. They had left the audience thinking with their pieces of advice calling the future generations to action. Head of School, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik, who has a knack of vision foresaw an opportunity towards this day and declared that the school will take up ‘GreenPeace March’ to celebrate the eminence of Horticulture in the next year.

Soon the judges were ready with the winner list and students of grades VII & VIII who were part of the audience were eager with excitement to hear who had bagged the first place. No sooner Team A was announced the winner of the competition than the Delta house students hooted in enthusiasm declaring victory with Team D winning a Runner-Up position.

The judges gave away plants as prizes to all the winners and the event concluded with these prizes symbolizing a world yet to grow into a tree, serving as a gentle reminder to not just the winners but to all present for the event as well, for a small plant when nurtured blossoms to provide for generations to come.

A Modern Eden -

God forbade Eve to eat from the Garden,
And Adam did choose the apple of Eden,
Milton wrote ‘Paradise lost’ to state this:
That Man had the power of eternal bliss,

But what about the Lost Paradise we live in?
The woman of which does not give in;
For horticulture provides opportunities for her,
To grow for and grow in, and to confer;

And Man of today is no less in growing,
Fruits and plants and seeds of future sowing,
For a good man is a servant of God’s will,
And he who plants saves all from growing ill.
- Jinali Pagariya

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