Model United Nations
“Fake it till you become it” . I have an alter-ego named ‘Anmol’- a version of me that is limitless. My weaknesses are His strengths, and my insecurities are His confidence. When I was small, I used to be the quietest of the lot- thinking uncountable times before saying anything out aloud. I never liked being that way, though. Hence, it was that frustrated 13-year old Siddhant who took up the challenge of pursuing Model UN, an activity that centred around his biggest weakness. With practice, Model UN has enabled me to become ‘Anmol’. Cathedral MUN, Mumbai (Outstanding Delegate) and La Martiniere MUN, Lucknow(Best Delegate) were one of my best experiences till date. It has also given me an opportunity to help others become their own ‘Anmol’. Having trained more than 50 juniors as a chairperson for Eastern India’s largest Model UN conference, this is my most meaningful extracurricular commitment.
Debate
Debate allows me to understand and listen to both sides of a coin which in turn imbibes a sense of empathy in me; Participation in international debates like The French Consulate Debate and The Jaipur Debate has allowed me to hone my communication skills and have brave conversations on controversial topics. Brave conversations,apart from driving change, also pave the way for human connection when nothing else can. During the Covid lockdown, when interaction among students was at its lowest, I, along with three friends, organised an online debate competition - ‘War of Words’ - for students of classes 6-9. Over fifty students from all around Kolkata participated for over a month. The impact of this debate tournament was more than what it appeared to the naked eye: at a time when everyone was captivated at their homes, an interesting 2 hours of exchange of ideas proved to connect us with each other. The kind of conversations students had at this time was significant - not because of the topics they were inspired by, but the situations they arose in spite of.
