Can a Machine Lead? SBS University’s 17th National Debate Competition Puts Artificial Intelligence, Talent, and Human Judgment in the Dock-TBT
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Can a Machine Lead? SBS University’s 17th National Debate Competition Puts Artificial Intelligence, Talent, and Human Judgment in the Dock

Over 100 students from 46 universities across India gathered at North India’s oldest university to debate the question every institution, employer, and policy-maker is quietly wrestling with: what...

TBT Online Desk
April 29, 2026 5 Min Read
Over 100 students from 46 universities across India gathered at North India’s oldest university to debate the question every institution, employer, and policy-maker is quietly wrestling with: what does talent look like in an age when machines can do almost everything faster than us? Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 29: Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], April 28: There is something fitting about a debate on artificial intelligence taking place in a university that has been building human minds for over three decades. Sardar Bhagwan Singh University (SBS University), Dehradun, North India’s oldest university with a 32-year legacy, concluded the 17th edition of the Sardar Gurcharan Singh Memorial National Debate Competition on April 4, 2026, with the kind of intellectual energy that reminded everyone in the room why human conversation still matters, even in an AI-driven world. The theme this year was not chosen at random: “The Age of Artificial Intelligence is Redefining the Meaning of Talent and Leadership.” With over 80 teams registered from universities across India, 46 shortlisted, and more than 100 students stepping onto the competition floor, the debate was as much a reflection of the times as it was a contest. For a single day on a 25-acre campus in Dehradun, young voices took on the biggest question in contemporary education: what does a human being bring to the table that a machine cannot? A Stage Set with Purpose  The competition opened with the lamp-lighting ceremony and the university song, a deliberate nod to tradition in a conversation entirely about the future. In his welcome address, Prof. (Dr.) J. Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of SBS University, set the intellectual tone for the day immediately. “In the age of AI, talent is no longer about being a walking encyclopedia. It is about cognitive agility and curiosity. When a machine can provide the answer in seconds, the truly talented individual is the one who knows how to ask the better question. Leadership in the age of AI requires ethical stewardship, human-centric vision, and sound judgment under uncertainty.”  — Prof. (Dr.) J. Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, SBS University  It was the kind of framing that set the competition apart from a standard university event. This was not a debate about whether AI is good or bad. It was a deeper reckoning, one that asked students to think carefully about what human beings are actually for, and what makes a leader worth following when algorithms can make faster decisions than any person in the room. The Chief Guest: A Scientist’s Perspective on What Machines Cannot Do Dr. Ajay Kumar, Outstanding Scientist and Director of IRDE-DRDO, Dehradun, graced the inaugural session as Chief Guest. His address carried the weight of a career spent at the intersection of technology and national defence, a field where the stakes of getting AI wrong are higher than almost anywhere else. “In this AI-driven landscape, talent has migrated from the technical to the conceptual. We no longer need human calculators; we need human architects of thought. Modern talent is found in the Three Cs: Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Compassion. While AI can synthesize existing data, it cannot experience a eureka moment born of lived experience. It can mimic style, but it cannot possess a soul. The talent of tomorrow lies in managing the machine, not competing with it.”  — Dr. Ajay Kumar, Outstanding Scientist & Director, IRDE-DRDO, Dehradun  The “Three Cs” framing, Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Compassion, became something of an anchor for the day’s debates. Students returned to it repeatedly as they argued their positions, and more than one judge cited it in their feedback. The Valedictory: On Imagination as the Real Ceiling  The closing session was addressed by Dr. S. Farooq, President of Himalaya Wellness Company, whose perspective brought a corporate and entrepreneurial lens to a day dominated by academic voices. His core argument was simple, memorable, and hard to argue with. “We are transitioning from an age of knowing to an age of thinking. Technical skill is the floor, but imagination is the ceiling. AI is not a replacement for human intelligence; it is a magnifying glass for human creativity.”  — Dr. S. Farooq, President, Himalaya Wellness Company  Prof. Gaurav Deep Singh, President of SBS University, congratulated the winners, praised the organising team, and reaffirmed something that institutions with genuine legacy can say with credibility: that nurturing spaces for meaningful dialogue is not incidental to education. It is what education is for. The Winners  After a day of closely contested rounds, the results were announced at the closing ceremony. The Best Team award went to Vaishali Singh and Aarushi Maikuri of SBS University itself, a moment that drew particular warmth from the home crowd. The First Prize in the English category was shared between Vaishali Singh (SBS University) and Rajshree (Doon University). Third Prize went to Aarushi Maikuri (SBS University). Bhavya Pathak (Divine College of Medical Sciences) received the Consolation Prize. The First Prize in the Hindi category to Aditya Kirti (Hindu College, University of Delhi). Second Prize to Vidhan Malik (Lovely Professional University). Third Prize to Pravez Khan (Jigyasa University, Dehradun). The judging panel comprised Mrs. Damini Puri (Summer Valley School), Ms. Poonam Gupta (Head, Engineering Services & AFLAD, CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun), and Dr. Sunil Kumar Pathak (Chief Scientist and Head, Climate Change and Data Science Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun). Their assessments drew on expertise spanning education, science, and applied research, a panel as multi-disciplinary as the competition’s theme demanded. A University That Has Been Doing This for 32 Years  Events like the Sardar Gurcharan Singh Memorial Debate do not happen in isolation. They are expressions of a culture, and SBS University’s culture has been building for over three decades. As North India’s oldest university, UGC-listed and approved by AICTE, PCI, and IAP, the institution has long believed that what happens outside the lecture hall shapes students as much as what happens inside it.
The numbers reflect this. With a 90%+ placement rate, 500+ companies visiting campus annually, 200+ placements every year, and a highest package of ₹15 LPA+, SBS University’s graduates are clearly entering the workforce ready. The 70+ expert faculty, of whom 60+ hold Ph.D. degrees, work with a 15:1 student-faculty ratio that makes real mentorship possible, not just a talking point in a brochure. The research ecosystem is equally serious. Over 1,000 research publications, 50+ patents, and 30+ government-funded projects, backed by more than ₹2 crore in research grants from DST, AYUSH, UCOST, and USERC, make SBS University one of the more productive research institutions of its size in the country. The dedicated Institution’s Innovation Cell (IIC) adds an entrepreneurial layer to this, giving students who want to build something a real infrastructure to do it in. And then there are the 11,000+ alumni, working at AIIMS, Apollo, Fortis, PSUs, and international universities, who are themselves the most honest measure of what the university has built over 32 years. About Sardar Bhagwan Singh University (SBS University)  Sardar Bhagwan Singh University (SBS University), located in Balawala, Dehradun, is North India’s oldest university with over 32 years of academic legacy. UGC-listed and approved by AICTE, PCI, and IAP, the university offers programs across pharmacy, science, engineering, management, and allied health sciences. With a 90%+ placement rate, 500+ recruiting companies, 70+ expert faculty, including 60+ Ph.D. holders, ₹2 crore+ in research grants, 50+ patents, and an alumni network of 11,000+ professionals working at AIIMS, Apollo, Fortis, PSUs, and international institutions, SBS University has built a quiet but consistent record of producing graduates who are genuinely ready for the world. has built a quiet but consistent record of producing graduates who are genuinely ready for the world.

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