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After the second semi-final was over, which was, as expected, another keenly fought affair, it was time for the results. I had always been quite confident about the results being in our favour in the regional round, but now, I knew it was anybody's game. I knew
it was a genuinely very very closely fought battle and was actually glad that I was not one of the judges. And then it happened. We had achieved the unimaginable, we defied all odds to beat the defending champions and enter the Grand National Final! Oh boy, what a thrill that was! Me and Maclo hugged each other, still trying to come to terms with the magnitude of our success! We knew just how tough this battle was and were elated at our achievement. We were to face IIM Calcutta in the finals.

We were to speak 'for' the topic "India's Business Leaders should Take Over the Political Leadership". It was a relatively simpler topic than the last one, where we didn't need as many figures and data. We prepared decently enough and I was much more relaxed this time compared to the semis. I felt good about the topic and was keen to go up there and carry on our good form. And as if the grandness of the event was not enough already, a pleasant surprise came our way in the form of the Chief Guest of the evening, none other than John Abraham! I didn't know that he's an MBA as well and the entire place was electrified due to his presence.

We had to keep a cool mind as this was our last hurdle. We didn't want anything to faze us. We had come a long way and were determined to leave this place as winners. Maclo started as usual, and started well as usual. The debate went on to become very lively indeed as this was a topic where every one in the audience had an opinion about, unlike the last one which was much more technical in nature. The judges questions were sharp and we had to be crisp and lucid in our responses. But we did well and I again felt that we handled the Q&A better than the opposition.

At the end of it all, Harsha Bhogale had to admit that the semis and finals were by far the highest level of debating he had ever seen. That compliment itself was a victory for all of us! After an agonizing wait, which saw the quizzes being played out, it was finally the time for declaring the debate national champions. Oh man, I can't remember when was I last so anxious and nervous. That's the thing with me. I will be a statue of calmness and confidence when it's the time to perform. But when its results time, I start getting the jitters, but I guess it's because I know I have given my best already and can afford to be nervous now. Anyways, coming back to the moment, my fingers had started aching a bit now that I had kept them crossed for over an hour! There was a silence just before announcing the runners-up name, which got filled with shouts of IIM-Calcutta from somewhere behind in the audience. It felt good to know that some people thought we had done better and deserved to win. And then came the moment of truth...

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* Contributed by -
Vinamra Srivastava (Campus Associate),
PGP - 2,
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.