The finalists were Cummins' College of Engineering, Ness Wadia College of Commerce, College of Engineering, Pune (COEP), Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT), National Defence Academy (NDA), St. Helena's Junior College and Nowrosjee Wadia Junior College.

Four topics and chits were drawn and the teams given an hour to prepare. This time around, one team had to speak for the topic and another against. And as this was a panel debate, the judges also had an opportunity to pose their own questions. The debate took off with two sides contesting whether ``the gradual break-up of the joint family system has made the individual more independent,'' with Symbiosis speaking for and Cummins speaking against the motion.

``Living in a joint family means compromises and adjustments, and adherence to the family hierarchy may encroach on the individual's independence,'' was one point of view. The opposition countered - ``A joint family projects unity of thought and action, it is the support system, the cocoon which you can fall back on anytime.''

COEP and Ness Wadia considered, ``Does a literate India ensure an educated India.'' COEP put forth that, ``Literacy takes an individual to the doorstep, but he does not stop there, he enters the room. Literacy provides the choices,'' whereas Ness Wadia said, ``Literacy cannot ensure education, it is the drive and enthusiasm to learn which ensures education.''

NDA and PICT debated, ``Marriage, a necessity for companionship.'' The speaker from NDA, supporting the move, said, ``If our parents were not amicably married, nobody in this room would be here. I will be an eligible bachelor soon, provided with a home and a helper, so what is the need for me to marry - but it is the wife who provides companionship when one goes through rough times.'' However, he had to answer the opposition's cogent argument of the rising incidents of dowry deaths, divorces and forced togetherness. The judges made it more difficult by asking all the debaters to explain the role of the ego in a marriage. St. Helena's and Nowrosjee Wadia battled over, ``Computers bring unemployment,'' and a heated debate it turned out to be. This well-organised battle of the intellect had Wing Commander Ghosh, retired fighter pilot, Dilip Chitre, writer, Vijaya Naidu, lecturer in French, Bhavani Rangaraman, principal, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Parimala Subramanium, principal, MIT School as the judges.