Return of the Closing Argument

When I wrote a post last year, looking back at what I then thought was the last debating event in my life, I had no clue that another one was coming exactly a year later. Do I have a clue about what's coming next year? Perhaps not. But then again, a few epiphanies I had in the last four days made sure that there will be no more of this.

The 5th IIT Delhi Parliamentary Debate concluded with a win for Ramjas yesterday, and what a ride it was. Sleepless nights, missed meals, meals consisting of pizza on the go; it was the busiest I had been in a very long time. And while I knew that I was going to say exactly the opposite when it all ended, there were times in between when I really wanted it to end. There were also these times when my head told me I was too old for this. I wonder what Chauhan's head tells him then. There's always that sense of ennui once the frenzy dies after a whole week of madness; but it's good to return to life the way it was before one was forced to shift tracks, albeit temporarily. I think the strangest bit is when you meet people, you work with them and befriend them for the duration of the debate. Once the debate is over, especially in this case (with it being the last ever for me), you wonder if you will run into them again. I'm going to stop wondering in about a day when I've slept off the sleep deprivation and gone back to work.

All said and done, the whole affair went off rather well (even if grossly behind schedule). I haven't added anything to my debating experiences in the time-span between the the last two IIT PDs, but I've added enough in the last week or so to say again that it's been a great run; and more importantly, this is it. Not the kind of "it" I mentioned a year ago, this time it's a curtain call!

Fare-thee-well EDLC. I wish you the best!