The Mukarji Memorial Debate

13/03/2018

Hello friends.

Certain unfortunate events have made this post of utmost importance and necessity. Post the end of the tournament, there was a tabbing error that was noticed in calculation of Round 2 matchups. An error in the formula on the tab sheet affected the order in which the teams were sorted and hence, the matchups of Round 2. This meant that matchups in this round were incorrectly made including an incorrect pull down. Given this happened in Round 2, we realize that it affects almost every future round/ matchup in the tournament, and hence, the integrity of the tournament itself.

This is mistake was caused absolutely due to an error on our part and our failure to spot it in time. We realize that it has wide repercussions for all the participants who put sincere effort and energy into the tournament. This post is thus a sincere apology from our part to everyone who has been affected by this unfortunate mistake.

We apologize, firstly to all participants, who trusted the OrgComm to preserve the integrity of a competition they valued; we have failed you all, and repent our failures thoroughly. We apologize also, to the circuit at large, all of us, debaters, who turn up every weekend to compete and enjoy the activity we love so very much. Let this not be something that deters our spirit to debate. We apologize to our Adjudication Core, who put in countless hours for the benefit of the tournament, as an OrgCom we had assured them sound tabbing so that they could rest their reputation on us; we let them down and nothing can be more disappointing. Lastly, we apologize to all the people who have their names attached to the legacy of MukMem by being a part of the Debating Society of St Stephens College in the past. This legacy was created by the hardwork of generations of dedicated Stephanians, we apologize for casting a shadow over all of their work.

We also realise, however, that an apology does very little for the people who came to the tournament and have been affected by our error. To this end, we have decided that we will be reimbursing atleast half the registration fee to every team and adjudicator at MukMem 70. We understand that this is but a token amount, but right after a really expensive tournament, we unfortunately cannot assure anything more than this at present.

We understand that anything we do right now will not seem enough for the gravity of the error made, but some sort of tangible compensation, we hope, will reflect the sincerity of our apologies and the reality of our repentance.

However, while we acknowledge our mistake, we don't want to invalidate the effort of all the teams that worked hard to win the matchups they did face, and don't want to invalidate the teams and adjes who broke. We will continue to recognize the final results of MukMem 70.

This is a time for introspection for us a society and we hope that we receive the continued goodwill and support from this circuit that has made us who we are. We apologize once again.

Arjun Sengupta
Convenor
MukMem 70

11/03/2018

Hey guys!
Please find attached the link to the final tabs for The 70th Mukarji Memorial Debate 2018.
Thanks for coming :)

Link:

MasterSheet S. No, Team Name, PRE-BREAK TOTALS, ROUND 1, ROUND 2, ROUND 3, ROUND 4, ROUND 5 WINS, SPEAKS, MOVs, Win/ Loss, Speaks, MOV, Win/ Loss, Speaks, MOV, Win/ Loss, Speaks, MOV, Win/ Loss, Speaks, MOV, Win/ Loss, Speaks, MOV Preliminary, Penalty, Final, Adj # 1, Adj # 2, Adj # 3, TOTAL, Ad...

10/03/2018

Hello everyone! Here the breaks for the 70th Mukarji Memorial Debate. We apologise for the inconvenience we caused today and thank you all once again for cooperating with us. Having 3 rounds and the break night in under eight hours was a mammoth task that would not have been possible without your constant support cooperation.

We will be releasing tabs at 10 a.m sharp today. Given we are again running under tight time constraints, we would really request everyone to be on time.

See you all tomorrow :)

09/03/2018

Helloooo

The Mukarji Memorial Debate has an Instagram page!

Follow us for fun updates and behind-the-scenes bloopers

Our handle is

08/03/2018

Hi guys! This is the equity policy for the tournament. We are also attaching the link to the Google Form through which you can submit complaints.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/110Y_sLk2UYOOcwfYrZbV8Sm0xmjAaHgg/view?usp=drivesdk

Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqTPy3CxOmbAty8WLvcvdR-JTtPYYAbf8G2hPQHIGoewXqRw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Here's to a happy and safe MukMem!

07/03/2018

Hello everyone.

This is a message of utmost importance, so please pay attention. Unfortunately, we have had multiple teams and adjes pulling out in the evening today. This is after multiple requests to confirm slots, including many unanswered personal messages. Many of these pull outs were also unexplained, with colleges just informing us that they will not be able to send debaters and adjudicators.

This is absolutely unacceptable. When institutions ask for slots, we expect them to stick to the commitments they make to the tournament. It is really hard for us to recalculate and obtain more participants at such short notice. Of course, we are and will be sensitive to any extraordinary circumstances where people had to back out, however, such nonchalance is both unfair on us as well as every other institution which has worked hard to send their quota of adjudicators. This compromises the quality of the tournament and thus the experience everyone will have.

Keeping this in mind, we have decided to instate a fine of Rs 400 for every adjudicator and team which has pulled out TODAY. We will message all such institutions separately as well.

Looking forward to seeing you all at 1pm tomorrow!

07/03/2018

Hi guys!

Just one day to go!

Please reach the X corridor, which is the corridor adjacent to the Seminar Room corridor, for registration at 1:00pm sharp.

All participants must carry their ID cards.

This is the link to the WhatsApp group for the tournament. All participants should join for updates.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/9i3Gf4eCisMLhh1h6OcJeS

Looking forward to hosting you all

Follow this link to join

05/03/2018

ADJ CORE ANNOUNCEMENT

In the words of honory Stephanian and close friend Raag Mathur Ramdev, we present our fourth and final core adjudicator Avani Tandon Vieira.

"Avani coring MukMem is like a proud lioness returning to check on how the pride is doing. The ever inspiring and slightly problematic Avani returns as the prodigal daughter to a tournament that doesn't pay people (yes I had to slip that in). The reason she is slightly problematic is because of her weird stands on beating children black and blue but also her unflinching patriotism for the national anthem. I'm glad St.Stephens college is providing an opportunity for representing all individuals on the political spectrum including hardcore right wing nationalists. A true patron of the gap year, Avani decided that just taking a gap year after college was too mainstream and decided she wanted to pay to take one (cough cough YIF) and thus her romance with Ashoka started. Now that you know Avanis background you need to understand what makes her the most honest individual out there.

Everything mentioned before will be taken as a hearty joke and that's why she truly represents a dying breed of individuals who are willing to laugh at themselves. Her reflective nature not only allows her to be one of the best debaters one will see in their life time but also an individual who is genuinely willing to listen. Nobody cares about something the way Avani cares about something, and that's just a fact. If you're lucky enough to have a conversation with her, you'll realise it'll be one of those conversations you'll tell your grandkids about, cause of course she's going to have a legacy recognizable for generations to come. This flowery praise might seem over the top but it's only because no one inspires this kind of loyalty more than her. If you're her friend, it's like being married to her. She will be with you through the thick and thin, and if you're an idiot who takes that loyalty for granted she's also not above asking for a divorce. It is precisely this duality of extreme loyalty coupled with an ability to be reflexive that creates a lethal combination wherein she is proud but not arrogant, she is a role model and will advise you against having role models. When you catch Avani at MukMem make sure not only to take debate advice from her but general life chànging advice. It doesn't matter how scary and intimidating she might look, at the centre of that tough exterior lies a person who you'll remember for the rest of your life."

To get a glimpse of the inspirational Avani, come to MukMem 70!

05/03/2018

This is the schedule for the tournament. As always, we will be running on time. If you want the delicious kebabs you're looking forward to, you better run to Stephen's on time too.

Registration fee excluding accomodation is Rs.400
Reg fee including acco is Rs.2500

See you at 1pm on Thursday!
Looking forward to hosting you at the 70th MukMem

04/03/2018

Hi friends!

This is the second slot allocation list for the 70th MukMem. Kindly ensure you do not send any extra adjes/teams, they will not be entertained.

To confirm your slots, message one of the people below by noon on Monday, March 5, tomorrow.

Vamika +91 91671 14757
Sonakshi +91 97211 49988
Rutvi +91 99789 48928

We will be having a separate novice category this year, the criteria for which is that both members of the team must be in their first year of debating. All novice teams are to declare their status during team reg on March 8th.

03/03/2018

ADJ CORE UPDATE

In the words of his good friend and debating contemporary Ashish Mathew, we present our next core adjudicator- Akash Pattanayak.

"In every batch, there is always that one person who would take debating to the next level. No matter what the team, no matter what the motion; they would always find a way to win. You never understood what they did, or how they did it. You’d just wait for the next tournament and see it happen all over again. For us, that guy was Pattu.

The first time is met Akash, he was a tall, funny, slightly awkward guy with the trippiest hair I had ever seen. In a circuit that glorified jargon, convoluted concepts and “discourse”, Pattu was an anomaly. He was simple in his words, but profound in what he would say. It was this simplicity that Pattu honed repeatedly, till it became perfect.

To Pattu, a loss isn’t a failure. It’s just an opportunity to make a case better. The rigour and passion which he put into debating is something I have never seen matched. Pattu would watch matches, hone case prep and practice speeches; he approached debating like a modern day athlete approaches sport. Once, after losing a finals to some seniors at a tournament, Pattu spent days making that case again, he spoke to seniors, read more and practised till he had made the case perfect.
Pattu’s approach towards debating and the phrase, “dharti pe aa jao” would go on to change an entire generations approach towards the activity. He hated the way DU debated at that time, a room full of assumptions and very few facts. Pattu over the years has invested a lot of time into making the circuit better. Getting people to read more, use matter files during debates, going to the South circuit to gain exposure; Pattu has changed a lot in the way the circuit approaches the activity.

It’s great that Pattu is finally coming to MukMem, a tournament which is very close to his heart. He has been a great friend to the Stephens DebSoc over the years. His experience, his rigour, and his perspective will be a wonderful addition to MukMem."

To enjoy the taste of some Dharti from Akash, come to the 70th Mukarji Memorial Debate. :)