Instigator / Pro
AKmath's avatar
0
AKmath
1443
rating
11
debates
22.73%
won
Topic
#1017

The British Empire Destroyed India

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
0
15
Better sources
0
10
Better legibility
0
5
Better conduct
0
5

After 5 votes and with 35 points ahead, the winner is...

oromagi
Tags
Society
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
4
Time for argument
Three days
Max argument characters
10,000
Voting period
Two weeks
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Con
oromagi's avatar
35
oromagi
1922
rating
117
debates
97.44%
won
Description

The British Empire Destroyed India. Prove to me why they were good/beneficial to India.

Round 1
AKmath's avatar
AKmath
Pro
#1
Forfeited
oromagi's avatar
oromagi
Con
#2
PRO forfeits first round.  CON is assuming that no argument is coming so I won't make much of an effort here.  Just to clearly establish more effort than PRO at this point.

THESIS:The British Empire Destroyed India

India was not destroyed.  Wikipedia confirms that India is still a country, a nation, a people:


Perhaps PRO would like to argue that the verb of his thesis was figurative by intent, a bit of hyperbole, if you (meaning me) will.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
Round 2
AKmath's avatar
AKmath
Pro
#3
Forfeited
oromagi's avatar
oromagi
Con
#4
No feedback from Pro.

Extend all arguments into R3

The deserted temple
(Śrāvaņabèļagoļa)

The god is gone. His cave is bare.
In shadow from the sun
The clotted bats hang from the roof.
Below, the scorpions run
And pious folk no longer come
Lest evil should be done.

Ruins of flowers on the floor
Bear imprints of his feet.
They point through the door into
The many-miraged heat.
His voice was heard. His fragrance kept
This prisoned air once sweet.

His voice was heard: It told his tribe
To leave this sun-cursed hill.
They went, and left his dwelling here.
They went; it was his will.
Who piled these stones knows when he comes
And where he stays until.

--Vijay Nambisan

Round 3
AKmath's avatar
AKmath
Pro
#5
Forfeited
oromagi's avatar
oromagi
Con
#6
Extend argument to R4.


Independence


When I am nine, the British quit
India.  Headmaster says, "The Great
Mutiny started it."  We repeat,
The Great Mutiny of 1857
in our booming voices.  Even
Akbar was Great, even Catherine,
Great!  We titter over History.  His back
turns: we see his pink spotty neck.


Sorry, the British leaving? we beg.
"This is hardly a joke or a quiz --
sit up and stay alert," he spits.
"It is about the trains and ships
you love and city names.  As for me,
I'm old, I'll end in a library,
I began in trade."  But you must stay,
we tell him.  He lived here as we have lived


but longer.  He says he was alive
in Calcutta in 1890.  He didn't have
a rich father.  A third son, he came with
the Tea Company:  we saw a statement
in his office. The company built
the railroads to take the tea "home
to England" so that Darjeeling and Assam
could be sipped by everyone, us and them.


They sold our southern neighbor Ceylon,
silk, pepper, diamonds, cotton.
We make a trade of course.  In England
there is only wool and salt and
snobs and foggy weather, Shakespeare.

-Reetika Vazirani

Round 4
AKmath's avatar
AKmath
Pro
#7
Forfeited
oromagi's avatar
oromagi
Con
#8
Pro has forfeited all four rounds of this debate.  CON recommends that voters award CON full forfeit.

Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata


Oh! the ruler of the minds of people, Victory be to You,
Dispenser of the destiny of India!
Punjab, Sind, Gujarat, Marhatta(Marathi heartland),
Dravida (South India), Orissa and Bengal,
The Vindhyas, the Himalayas, the Jumna and the Ganges, 
And the oceans with foaming waves all around.
Wake up listening to Your auspicious name,
Ask for Your auspicious blessings,
And sing to Your glorious victory.
Oh! You who impart well being to the people,
Victory be to You, dispenser of the destiny of India!
Victory, victory, victory to You!

Your call is announced continuously,
We heed Your gracious call
The Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, 
Parsis, Muslims and Christians,
The East and the West come together, 
To the side of Your throne
And weave the garland of love.
Oh! You who bring in the unity of the people!
Victory be to You, dispenser of the destiny of India!
Victory, victory, victory to You!

The way of life is somber as it moves through ups and downs,
But we, the pilgrims, have followed it through ages.
Oh! Eternal Charioteer, the wheels of your chariot
Echo day and night in the path
In the midst of fierce revolution,
Your conch shell sounds.
You save us from fear and misery.
Oh! You who guide the people through torturous path,
Victory be to You, dispenser of the destiny of India!
Victory, victory, victory to You!

During the bleakest of nights,
When the whole country was sick and in swoon
Wakeful remained Your incessant blessings,
Through Your lowered but wink-less eyes
Through nightmares and fears,
You protected us on Your lap,
Oh Loving Mother!
Oh! You who have removed the misery of the people,
Victory be to You, dispenser of the destiny of India!
Victory, victory, victory to You!

The night is over, and the Sun has risen
over the hills of the eastern horizon.
The birds are singing, and a gentle auspicious breeze
Is pouring the elixir of new life.
By the halo of Your compassion,
India that was asleep is now waking
On your feet we now lay our heads
Oh! Victory, victory, victory to you, the Supreme King, 
Victory be to You, dispenser of the destiny of India!
Victory, victory, victory to You!

- Rabindranath Tagore