Islamabad:05 May: Participants with their heart-touching verses, dramatic rise and fall of pitch, literary dictions, scholastic themes, metaphoric vocabulary, meticulously practiced pronunciation and pithy and crispy delivery of their speeches were showered with commendations and accolades from their university fellows and teachers at Interdepartmental Declamation Contest.

This Interdepartmental Declamation Contest was arranged by the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) on Friday.

NUML Debating Society Chairman Arshad Mehmood said, "The purpose of such events is to introduce and develop the art of public speaking, promote confidence and sense of responsibility amongst students. Moreover, it will help them understand that different languages have different moods and to master the art of public speaking requires the knowledge of the mood of the language concerned."

A total of 19 student participants from departments of Arabic, English, economics, education, engineering, information technology, governance and organisational sciences, international relations, management sciences and mass communication participated in the declamation contest and presented their views with masterly acumen in English and Urdu. The students were not professional speakers or debaters and some of them had even never been on the rostrum.

The contestants were required to carry a strong theme regarding the present-day social, cultural, economical and geo-political aspects of life.

The speeches were memorised, as no notes were allowed, while each speech was between three to four minutes in length.

Muhammad Shabbir from Arabic Department won the first position, Aurooj Qaiser from English (Functional Courses) Department secured the second position while Muhammad Ikhlas from IR Department secured third position. The first and second consolation prizes went to Muhammad Umer Farooq of the Governance Department and Sarmad Bashir of the Mass Communication Department, respectively, in the English declamation contest.

Arif Qureshi of the English Graduate Studies Department was declared first, Sajid Abbas from the Urdu Department stood second while Sajid Ali Niazai of the Arabic Department won the third position in Urdu Declamation Contest.

Speaking on the occasion, NUML Rector Maj Gen (r) Masood Hasan said that he was satisfied with the performance of the contestants who were amateur speakers.

The credit goes to teachers and faculty members that they are putting their hard work for preparing students for a practical life ahead, he said.

At the end, the rector and Debating Society chief gave away prizes to the winners of declamation contest. NUML Director General Brig Azam Jamal, poet and writer Iftikhar Arif, senior faculty members and students of the university attended the event. Daily times.