First of a kind: International Summer Festival Shimla to feature inter-school declamation competition

In a first of a kind, the International Summer Festival, Shimla-2026 will feature an inter-school declamation competition named ‘Shyamala Manthan’, aimed to provide students a platform to showcase their public speaking skills, creativity and reasoning ability. The competition will be held in English and Hindi, and will feature students from class VIII to XII, from different schools. The declamation will be held on two themes, i.e, ‘Will generative AI create pioneers or bystanders?’ and ‘The 15-Second Attention Economy: How the doom scroll is rewriting our brain’.

The Zonal level competitions will be held on June 2, which will be held in the Nodal Schools, while the grand finale will be held on June 10 at the historic Gaiety Theatre. Winners will be awarded with Rs 50,000 cash prize along with a trophy, while the team which will secure the second and third positions will be awarded with Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 cash prize respectively.

Providing the information, Shimla DC Anupam Kashyap said that this year, the festival will not only be limited to cultural and entertainment performances, but will also focus on engaging students and the youth in meaningful and progressive activities. He said that at a time when most of the youth spend their time on social media and other virtual spaces, it is very important to provide a suitable platform to them, where they can express their ideas and opinions on social issues. “This competition will be one of the main attractions of the festival,” he added.

Highlighting the importance of debates and declamations, the DC said that the tradition of debating has long been a rich part of India’s intellectual heritage.

“The competition aims to promote logical reasoning, self-confidence, effective communication, leadership qualities and social responsibility among students. It is also a step towards keeping our youth away from drug abuse as well as from any kind of anti-social activities and other negative influences,” added Kashyap.

Regarding the declamation, the DC said that in one topic, students will express their opinions on the growing influence of AI on innovation, creativity, employment, education, and future opportunities, while in the second, students will discuss about the impact of social media, reels, and short-form video culture on attention span, thinking ability, mental health and behaviour among young people.

He also appealed to all the government and private school students in the district to ensure their participation in the competition.