A senior lecturer from the School of Law has recently returned from Delhi after helping judge a debating competition co-sponsored by the University of Aberdeen.
Mrs Margaret Ross made the near week-long trip to India to act as an adjudicator in a mock Parliamentary Debate at the University of Delhi's Campus Law Centre. Teams from all across India - featuring the country's finest students - travelled to the event which was arranged by the Law Centre's Moot Court Society.
"The competition was brought to our attention by Study Overseas Ltd who are agents for us in Delhi," explained Margaret. "It caught our attention as an innovative and challenging enterprise which we wanted to support.
"I do not have experience of Parliamentary Debating apart from judging a Scottish schools debating competition, so it was with some trepidation that I had agreed to be an adjudicator.
"However, it was difficult to believe that this was the first time that the Society had staged such a competition, since the professionalism and expertise of the organizers shone through, and any questions that arose for adjudicators or competitors were dealt with efficiently, wisely and patiently."
She was welcomed to Delhi with open arms.
"Nothing could have prepared me for the warmth of the welcome that I received from Committee members and Faculty, including Faculty involved in the Moot Court Society and the Professor in Charge of Campus Law Centre, Professor Rajiv Khanna."
And the debaters proved equally impressive.
"They took my breath away," said Margaret. "Their skillfulness, articulacy, inventiveness, policy knowledge, and competitiveness were exceptional; of world class in my view. I count myself very fortunate to have been exposed to such high quality debate from such intelligent and resourceful young people from across India. I'm sure that I will be hearing in the future of their successes, whether as lawyers or parliamentarians."
She added, "As a first time visitor to India, I could not have hoped for a more impressive and rewarding introduction to the country. But I also had the added pleasure of meeting students from across the Campus Law Centre who expressed interest in study in Aberdeen Law School. I was proud to tell them that we are ranked 5th in the UK by the London Times in 2006.
"All of the people I met and their talents made my visit memorable, although I confess that the leafy campus with its mischievous squirrels, the chai and the lunches will also linger long in my memory."