Every argument needs a
voice behind it.
Verbattle is run by a small panel who still show up to state finals, still read every scorecard, and still believe the shakiest first-timer on stage is the whole point.
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What we're arguing for
A generation of young Indians who can think on their feet, disagree without disrespect, and walk onto any stage — literal or figurative — and be heard.
We build structured, repeatable ways to teach clarity, listening, and spoken confidence — in classrooms, on competition stages, and inside every teacher we train to carry it forward.
Leadership
Three people, one podium. Here's who sets the motion for Verbattle — tap a card to read the full bio.
Deepak Thimaya
Managing Director & Founder“Confidence isn't handed to a student when the mic turns on. It's built one argument, one rebuttal, one nervous first attempt at a time.”
Mr. Deepak Thimaya founded Verbattle in 2005, coining the name by combining “Verbal” and “Battle.” As Founder and Chief, he leads the organisation’s philosophy, original three-team debate format, and more than two decades of competitions and training programmes across India and beyond.
- Coined and developed the Verbattle Debate Format from 2005 onward
- Leads Verbattle Foundation and Verbattle, the Thinking Company
- Guides curriculum, competition standards and institutional direction
Vinayaka Ramakrishna
Chief Executive Officer“Every state we enter and every school we walk into has to leave a little louder, a little braver than we found it.”
Vinayaka Ramakrishna serves as Chief Executive Officer, supporting the operational delivery of Verbattle competitions, academies and institutional programmes across multiple states and regions.
- Leads day-to-day operations for large-scale Verbattle championships
- Coordinates state-level and national competition logistics
- Supports the academy-to-competition pathway for participating schools
Sowmya H P
GM – Business“A partnership is not a line item. It's the room where the next debater on our roster gets discovered.”
Sowmya H P leads business development and partnerships with schools, sponsors and academy partners — aligning each collaboration with Verbattle’s standards and the benefit to participating students.
- Manages partner school and sponsor relationships for Verbattle programmes
- Leads onboarding for participating institutions
- Supports business planning for competitions and academy initiatives
Verbattle wasn't built to produce winners. It was built to produce listeners who happen to also know how to speak.
Evolution of Verbattle Over the Years
Debate is important.
The earliest Verbattle thinking begins with a simple conviction: debate matters because it teaches students to step forward, think aloud, and enter public conversation with courage.
Debate develops communication.
The focus sharpens from debate as an activity to debate as a disciplined way of building expression, listening, articulation, and confidence in communication.
Debate develops leadership.
Verbattle's work expands around the idea that speaking is not only performance. It prepares students to influence, organise, take responsibility, and lead with clarity.
Debate develops critical thinking.
The platform matures into a stronger intellectual model, using debate to train reasoning, comparison, analysis, and the ability to examine more than one side of a question.
Thinking is the purpose. Debate and public speaking are the tools.
Verbattle now stands for something deeper than competition. The larger goal is better thinking; debate and public speaking remain the practical tools through which students learn to reason, respond, and express themselves responsibly.
What we stand for
Clarity Over Noise
We coach students to say one true thing well, not ten things loudly. Precision is a form of respect for the room.
Courage On The Floor
A shaking voice that shows up beats a confident one that stays home. We build the showing-up first.
Curiosity First
Every rebuttal at Verbattle starts as an honest question, never a rehearsed line waiting for its cue.
A Community Of Speakers
A podium is built for turns. Our job is to keep making room for the next voice to take it.
The people who make fight-night happen
Coaches, coordinators, and the operations team the audience rarely sees.
Five minutes before the mic goes live
Students taking the stage during a live Verbattle round
Backstage energy just before students walk to the mic
A candid practice-room exchange between student speakers
A different Verbattle moment from the wider public gallery
A room full of applause and thumbs-up after a strong round
Quiet concentration from students and mentors in the audienceLed by experience
What people are writing about the panel
Inside the classroom where arguing is the assignment
A look at how Verbattle's coaching model reshapes a normal Tuesday period into a debate round.
The Academy and teacher-training initiatives supporting Verbattle programmes
Coverage of the certification track behind Verbattle's teacher-training numbers.
How a state debate circuit became a national one
A short history of the expansion from Karnataka's first circuit to a pan-India programme.
What the room says about the panel
The team doesn't just run competitions, they build the coach in every teacher who walks through their door.
On the ground, across states
Bengaluru
Where the curriculum gets written and every state programme starts.
Chennai
Coordinates the Tamil Nadu circuit and academy partnerships.
Mumbai
Runs the Maharashtra tour and western-region school onboarding.
Online
Hosts the online national rounds that connect every state at once.
Think you belong on this stage?
We're always looking for coaches, judges, and partners who care about young voices as much as we do.
A Real Stage
Not a webinar. You'll be in the room — or running it — for state and national finals.
A Panel, Not A Hierarchy
Coaches, judges, and staff sit at the same table as leadership. Everyone gets a turn to speak.
Built To Grow
Certification tracks, mentorship, and a clear path from volunteer judge to programme lead.
Questions about the panel
Write to us with your background in debate, teaching, or public speaking. Our Academy team runs a short certification track before you're paired with a stage.
Less often than in the early years, but you'll still find them running select masterclasses and sitting in on state finals.
Reach out through the partnerships contact below. Sowmya's team handles onboarding for schools and academy partners.
Bengaluru, with a state and regional coordinator network that runs events across India.
Yes — the newsletter below covers new state launches, open judge certifications, and upcoming competitions.