JU’s International Relations 12th Scholastic Conclave a resounding success

The three-day mega International Relations Scholastic Conclave (IRSC 2025) organised by the Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University (JU), in Kolkata, concluded successfully on Wednesday. The three-day annual academic symposium, with Millennium Post as the official media partner, served as a platform for intellectual and academic discourse. With this year’s theme ‘Looking Through the Lens of the Global South’, the 12th edition of IRSC brought together distinguished academicians, policy researchers and cultural artists under the same roof. A student-driven academic forum, the conclave also featured quiz competitions, essay contests, and cultural performances.

Important conversations

Organised by the students of Jadavpur University’s International Relations department, the event highlighted how important it is to talk about global issues especially now, when conflicts are unfolding across the world and trade policies like US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have shaken the global economy. Retired Indian diplomat Pinak Ranjan Charkravarty reflected on the disruption of the international order, the rise of new powers like China and the growing strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific, Asia’s economic rise and challenges to globalization, such as protectionism and Covid nationalism. He also discussed global inequality, demographic shifts, migration and the limitations of global institutions like the UN in addressing crises. One of the highlights of his speech was cyber threats and how cyber warfare has revolutionised contemporary warfare.

Prof Amitava Datta, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, JU, congratulated the students of International Relations for pulling off such a grand conclave. “JU is always proud of the students and the performance in the academic ladder in the country that we share. I am very happy that the Ministry of External Affairs has sanctioned this particular programme where experts will share their opinion thus helping students,” he said at the inaugural event.

The second panel for the event veered on the global south and its struggle for autonomy and political agency. It was chaired by Prof Kakoli Sengupta of the International Relations department and featured eminent panelists including Prof Debi Chatterjee (retired professor of the same department) and Prof Samir Kumar Das, Vice Chancellor of the University of North Bengal. Chatterjee’s speech addressed the evolving idea of the global south, focusing on post-colonial states in Asia, Africa, and Latin America grappling with development, state-building, and marginalization. Prof Das analysed and critiqued capitalist and Eurocentric frameworks, emphasizing how urban development relies on exploited informal labor. The third panel deliberated on the challenges of journalism in contemporary India.

The three-day flagship event concluded with the closing ceremony organised at Vivekananda Hall. Prof Kamaran Mondal, teacher coordinator for IRSC’25, boosted everyone’s spirits with his enthusiastic words.

EVENTS

ROADMAPS: POLICY LAB

It is a collaborative and research driven approach to policymaking that tackles complex social issues through innovation. Participants were divided into junior and senior categories, each with two broad topics to choose from. Juniors focused on infrastructure for right to food or developing public education institutions to address right to education, while seniors tackled sustainable agriculture or public healthcare institutions.

WINNERS:

First position: Sanga Putatunda and Sresthargha Paul

Second position: Sampurna Bhowmik and Divyasree Ghosh

Third position: Tanisha Das and Yashika Srivastava

QUIZZ-TIVAL: QUIZ COMPETITION

Quizz-tival, held in collaboration with the Jadavpur University Quiz Forum, saw 30 participants—individuals and teams—compete in a gripping intellectual face-off.

WINNERS:

First position: Yashjit Mandal & Swastik Sinha Roy

Second position: Anirban Guha & Abileen Mukherjee

Third position: Shreyan Chanda & Samrat Banerjee

ARGUMENTIS: DEBATE

The timely motion, ‘This House believes that security is not only a logistical question but also ideological,” was addressed in the finale of Argumentis (debate) at IRSC 2025. From Pahalgam to the Cold War, from global infrastructures to the geopolitics of terror, the scope of their arguments spanned an extraordinary range.

WINNERS:

Best Speaker (For): Aparajita Banerjee

Best Speaker (Against): Rannvijay Roy

Runner-Up Speaker (Against): Disha Chaudhuri

Best Team: Aparajita Banerjee and Disha Chaudhuri

CRISIS RESOLUTION

It’s an immersive, simulation-based event where participants tackle complex global crises, forging collaborative solutions under pressure. The agenda for the crisis resolution committee was ‘Indo-Pak War of 1971: Liberation of Bangladesh.’

SNAPTICS: PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Snaptics, the photography competition, was organised as an online event in collaboration with the Jadavpur University Photography Club. The theme for Snaptics was ‘Life in Global South’ wherein participants submitted immersive photographs inspired from all walks of life in global south.

IMPOSTER: POSTER MAKING COMPETITION

Imposter, the poster making competition, gave an opportunity to combine politics with art to all the budding artists who wish to express their worldviews more through their art than mere words. The theme for Imposter was ‘Beauty’s cash in on: Body dysmorphia in a world of consumerism.’

PENSIVE: ESSAY WRITING

Pensive, the essay writing competition, was held in two categories — junior and senior. The young essayists of the junior category penned down their opinions on AI and rise of religious fundamentalism while the participants from the senior category deliberated on sustainable methods for development in the age of corporate as well as challenges of journalism.

SYMPOSIUM: PAPER PRESENTATION

Symposium was the paper presentation competition at IRSC’25. With a number of 15 teams and 30 participants, Symposium intends to promote the voice of Global South in academia.