If you've never tried organizing a national-level debate tournament in 45°C heat while negotiating hotel deals on the fly, dodging DJ disasters, and assembling an Avengers-style squad of ex-debaters, are you even living?
Welcome to Maha Behes Varanasi 2025—our first Maha Round outside the comfortable chaos of Delhi. And because we like to live on the edge, we chose none other than the spiritual furnace of India—Benares—to host the storm.
Now, a regular debate tournament is a controlled beast: structured, spreadsheeted, air-conditioned. A Maha Behes? It's a full-blown circus with Oxford accents and PowerPoint presentations. Add in 100+ extra people we didn’t account for, some minor logistical “surprises,” and a squad of Behes legends all crashing together in a rented Airbnb like it’s a reality show—and you’ve got content.
Let’s set the scene.
There’s me—the newly minted official Behes member but also someone who’s basically been haunting this platform since its origin story. I brought back the chaos, the unfilter brainwaves, and the unspoken rule that sleep is optional.
Then there’s my ride-or-die, co-chaos agent—the gentlest, kindest soul to ever debate a motion while carrying snacks for everyone. Truly the yin to my slightly hyperactive yang.
Enter: our eccentric founder, a man powered by caffeine, obscure historical references, and spontaneous side quests.
Add to the mix our logistics guy, whose catchphrase might as well be, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” He’s the friend who shows up with duct tape, a charging cable, and a five-point plan when everything’s on fire.
And finally, the MVPs of Vibes: our three-man video team, walking memes with cameras. Their leader, a fellow creative gremlin and one of my dearest friends, basically ran a parallel film festival while the debates were happening. No notes.
Day 0: Welcome to the Heat Games We descended upon Varanasi with big dreams, bigger bags, and no idea that our accommodation plans were about to laugh in our faces.
You know that moment when you realize your “cool, pre-booked stay” is suddenly 30 beds short because who knew Varanasi had so many debate enthusiasts? Yeah. Us neither.
Cut to your favorite Behes people negotiating with local hotel owners like it’s Shark Tank: Uttar Pradesh Edition. Eventually, we solved the issue the Behes way: we just booked entire buildings. Plural. Yes. It’s not a Maha Behes unless we accidentally become landlords.
Day 1: The Calm Before the... DJ Day 1 was glorious. Schools flooded in. Students wore their badges like armor. The school was buzzing. The banners (put up at midnight, thank you very much) fluttered proudly. It felt like something big was happening—and it was.
Arguments flew, judges nodded, air conditioners barely kept up. The debates were crisp, the rebuttals spicy, and for once—everything seemed to be going suspiciously well.
Which of course, brings us to The Behes Ball.
Imagine: fairy lights, groovy moves, and some slightly questionable music choices. And by questionable, I mean someone’s playlist had thoughts. The kids were vibing, the team was grooving, and the DJ? Well... he played one too many tracks that made the school authorities clutch their pearls.
But fear not. Like the seasoned diplomats we are, the Behes team swooped in, apologized, reassured, and complimented their kurta choices until all was forgiven. It was our finest moment of political maneuvering since “That Time We Debated Wearing Sarees to Court.”
Day 2: Tired Feet, Full Hearts, One Last Round Day 2 was a marathon of motion rounds, video shoots, lost ID cards, water bottle confusion, and the occasional “Sir, the projector’s not working” crisis.
But we powered through. We ran on adrenalin and poorly made instant coffee. And once the final round ended, we packed it all up, handed out awards, said teary goodbyes, and stumbled home to our Airbnb like victorious soldiers who had just won a very well-spoken war.
There was laughter. There were group selfies. There were 800 debates and approximately 27 emotional support Maggis consumed that weekend.
The Afterparty That Wasn’t Supposed to Be
Back at HQ (read: our Airbnb mansion), we debriefed the only way the Behes team knows how—stories, snacks, and side-splitting laughter. Old friends reunited, new friendships were sealed over banana chips and Coke, and someone (definitely not me) may have fallen asleep with a spreadsheet open on their face.
This Maha Behes was more than just a tournament—it was a homecoming. A beautiful, chaotic, full-house reminder of why we do this. We argue. We adapt. We run through cities with walkie-talkies and banner tape. But more than anything, we build something worth remembering.
Varanasi may be ancient, but this round felt like the future. Loud, brilliant, and full of possibility.