ECHO-Newsletter_Oct2023_ICC One TMC

ICC ONE TOASTMASTERS CLUB

CLUB No: 9379 AREA 12 DIVISION C DISTRICT 116

CLUB MISSION

ABOUT THE CLUB

TheICCONETOASTMASTERSClub(InternationalCompetent Communicators)isoneoftheoldestclubsinDoha,Qatar.Itwas foundedon21stMay2003,byMohomedIkhlasFarid,DTM.Itisan

OpenCommunityClub,whichfocusesonhelpingmembers improvetheirPublicSpeakingandLeadershipSkills.Itwelcomes andencouragesgueststoattendmeetingsandhopes,thatthey wouldeventuallyjoinasmembers.Wemeetevery1stand3rd Mondayofeverymonth.

Weprovideasupportiveand positivelearningexperienceinwhichmembers areempoweredtodevelopcommunicationand leadershipskills,resultingin greaterself-confidenceand personalgrowth. T A B L E O F C O N T E N T

ICC ONE TOASTMASTERS CLUB

EX-COM2023-2024

Power to the People

There is this beautiful quote by the great George Bernard Shaw:“Mylifebelongstothecommunity,andaslongasI live,itismyprivilegetodoforitwhateverIcan Iwantto be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, themoreIlive.”

Withoutevenrealizingit,weinICCOneareallpartofthe community–aplacewheremanyofushavelearnttotake theirfirstfewsteps–inspeaking–especiallyaboutthings thataredeartotheheart

This issue of ‘The Echo’ is special, since almost every member has written something – that which makes meaning for them and backed by a photograph which is evenmoreprecious,asitisabeautifulmemory Weputthisissueintoyourhands!

President's Message

I am so happy to write this as President of ICC-One ToastmastersClub BeingoneoftheoldestToastmasters clubs in Qatar, ICC One has never failed to produce competent leaders and champion speakers. I believe that it is because we have become a community of likeminded individuals who support, encourage, and uplift one another Our meetings are not just about speeches andevaluations-theyareaboutcreatinganenvironment whereeveryonefeelsvalued,respectedandinspired.

In DTAC 2022-23, our members contested in the District 116 finals and TM Chandrasekhar Angadi won the first place in the Table Topics Contest and as well as in the Humorous Speech category and Distinguished Toastmaster Nalini Mathur stood third in the Evaluation SpeechContest.

ItwasabsolutelyaproudmomentforICC-One.Thisyear,Iamprettysurethatenthusiasticmembersof thislegendaryclub,willbringinmoreawardsinallcategories.

Thestrengthofourclubisthesupportfromourseniormembers,whoarealwaysreadytomentorthe new members and we are very thankful to the chartered members who are still with us. With the immense support from senior members, I have personally benefitted in improving my public speaking andleadershipskills,whichhashelpedmetostepoutfrommycomfortzoneandgrowpersonallyand professionally.Iamsure,thatwiththesupportandencouragementofourseniors,anyonewhojoined ourclubintherecentyears,hasimprovedsomuchintheirpublicspeakingandleadershipskills,thatit hashelpedthemachievetheirgoalsinToastmasters

Looking ahead, let us continue to embrace the Toastmaster principles of integrity, respect and excellence.Letussupportoneanotherinourendeavors,offeringconstructivefeedbackandguidanceto help each other reach new heights. Together, we can create a culture of continuous learning and improvement,notjustwithinourclubbutalsoinourcommunitiesandbeyond.

TMAnthonyMascarenhas

The power of a ‘No’!

TM Balakrishnan is a Chartered Accountant by profession and is currently partner with an audit and consulting Firm in Qatar. He is passionate about sports (especially cricket) and is an avid traveller.

-TMBalakrishnanK

“ILiketoemploythePowerof‘No.’Weallwantto say ‘Yes,’ because with ‘Yes’ comes so much opportunity, but with the Power of ‘No’ comes focusandEngagement”–JaredLeto

All of us would have experienced an uncomfortable feeling at some point on having said a ‘No’ The biggerquestioniswhywereweuncomfortable–Was itthefearoflosinganopportunity?Wasitthefearof losing a relationship? Was it the fear of being left secludedfromapack?Well,forme,themajorreason hasbeenthefearofbeingostracized,afearthathas beendifficulttoconquer.

In the modern world, it is very important to understandthepowerofsayinga‘No’Anditisvery importanttoimbibethisstartingfromchildhood.As childrenwehavemostlyassociatedtheusageof‘No’ tobeingdisrespectful.IfIsaya‘No’tomyeldersit’s disrespect, saying a ‘No’ to my teachers is disrespectThat’s what we have been taught and that’swhatwehavepracticed. Iamnotforamomentstatingthata‘No’isaperfect answertoallsituations.Butasituationwhichneeds to dealt with a ‘No’ needs to be shown a ‘No’ on its face Wehaveevenfearedsayinga‘No’toourfriends – and the reason – the fear of being left out of a group–thefearofbeingOSTRACIZED.Thisformeis thefirstfearweneedtoconquerandthefirstlesson weneedtoteachtheyoungergenerationoftoday

Look at things happening in the world today

for instance, child abuse and substance usage Just imagine the number of cases that would have reduced if a child was educated to say ‘No’ to a bad touch,evenifitisfromanelderperson.Succumbing topeerpressureandfeelingtheneedtobepartofthe pack–Nowthat’swhatresearchsaystobetheprime reasonforsubstanceusage.Can’twejustsaya‘No’–Just feel nothing bad about being ostracized from a group which is negative. Well, that for me should be thestart

Let’s start learning to say a ‘No’ to members within family as well if that’s needed. I still remember my early days on starting a new job. The definition of weekdays was ‘hectic’ And weekends – visits to funerals,birthdaypartiesandweddings.

Now, if these were events of close relatives and friends, its fine. But I saw myself being at weddings where I didn’t even know the bride or the groom Funerals where the deceased was just someone in oblivion – But the compelling reason to attend? Pressure from parents to ensure that we were there for everything on the FEAR of some random members Notbeingthereforourfunctionswhenwe wouldcallthem. Continued..

The power of a ‘No’!

Continuedfrom(pageno.6)..

Now that is subterfuge. Pure deceit. Why should we be bothered about someone we don’t know. Not being part of the function we host – I mean they are defined as “DISTANT” relatives for a reason Why wouldIwanttowasteaweekendofgoodtimeforself afterahecticweekinthepretentionofbeingtherefor others.I started learning to say a ‘No’ to the extent that the so called “DISTANT” members have now stopped inviting me for anything I can only define thatinasingleword-“PEACE”.

Let’sstartsayinga‘No’whenrequiredatwork.Istill remembermystartofthejourneyasanentrepreneur Clients knew I was starting afresh and needed work What did that end me up with? A huge bundle of clientswithmewhodidn’tpaymemyworth.Andmy attention was all over the place. I even had days where I used to move with the flow – attending to client after client whenever they called, with no calendarorschedulewhatsoever.

Itdidn’ttakememuchtimetorealizethatIhadbeen hit by a Tsunami until I learned to say ‘No’ to underpaidwork Myanswertomyclientswassimple –Ifyouneedme,betterpaymewhatIamworth The result – a perfect balanced approach to work and personallife.Thatwasadetox.

It'simportanttolearnthepracticeofsayinga‘No’to anything that would affect you in the negativeLet’s stop being preachers. Let’s be practical towards ourselves first and then towards others. Its ok to be selfish.Itsoknottobebotheredaboutothers.Wejust have this life to enjoy Should we lead this life to enjoyforourselvesortomakeothershappy?

Thinkwithanopenmind.Don’tbephilosophicalhere. Let’s all enjoy embracing the Power of a ‘No’ – The power of saying a ‘NO’ as well as receiving a ‘No’ for an answer (This cannot be one sided!) Trust me on this – This will give us a lot of self-space and the opportunity to enjoy life. Try it once.You can thank melaterusingmycontactbelow!

From Darkness to Light

TM Shad Kaisar hails from the ‘Steel City’ of Jamshedpur in India. He lives in Qatar with his twins - a daughter & son and his wife. He is part of the QatarEnergy IT department. In his free time he like reading books.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, Laal Ten Did you notice anything wrong? Yes, you are right I said Lal Ten instead of 9, 10.Yes,thisisaLanternalsocalledLaalTeninIndia. YoumustbewonderinghowthisLanternrelatestomy life.IamShadKaisarfromtheSteelCityJamshedpur inIndia

The earliest memory of my childhood is my mother teaching my elder sister Ruby and me in the evening with a lantern for light. It was my birthplace- a small town Nawadah in Bihar Supply of electricity was irregularinthe1970s Whilelearningtocount,Iwould naughtily say 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, Laal Ten instead of 9, 10 seeingaLanterninfrontofme.

MyyoungersisterRumiwasbornmuchlater.Iusedto sleep on the terrace under the open sky with my extended family and look at the sky, stars, and the moon–thinking,dreamingandfallingasleep.Perhaps thisisthereasonforthethinkerandthedreamerIam now.

Mynumeracyskillswerequitehighformyage Inmy KGdays,Iknewthetablesupto30byheart Icoulddo complicated addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and even LCM and HCF. The foundation was laidfortheComputerEngineerwhichIamtoday.

My father was posted in another town Jamshedpurmy hometown now He used to be with us very few timesinayear.Whocanknowbetterthanmehowa child feels when his father is not around? I used to miss him a lot. When I was in Grade 1, we shifted to Jamshedpur Thisgaveusanopportunitytolivewith myfather

While passing by the best school in Jamshedpur –Loyola School, my mother dreamed of sending me there. In a couple of years, I managed to get admission in this school after competing with 400 candidates.Fromthis,Icametoknowthepowerof dreams-howitcanmakethingshappen.

WhenIwasinGrade5,myfatherwastransferredto another town. Now, once again I missed him a lot. Sincehewasnotthere,Ihadtodohouseholdwork like shopping and grocery etc. I learned to take up responsibilitiesatanearlyage.

When I was in Grade 8, some health issues brought myfatherbacktoJamshedpur Thoseweredifficult daysformyfamily Butittaughtusresilience Italso gavemeanopportunitytobewithmyfatheragain. Finally, after grade 10, I left home to join the University- AMU - Aligarh Muslim University. Now, I missed my whole family Adjustment, independence,andhardwork-thisiswhatIlearnt from university life. I left the university as a Computer Engineer. This opened doors I never thoughtpossible.

Myabilitytoadjusthelpedmetosustainduringmy career in places like New Delhi, Mumbai and Khartoum, Sudan. I got married to my wife Sadaf. After long honeymoon period of 7 years, my twins ShayaanandWareeshacameintoourlifes.

IaminnowinQatarwithmyfamilysince2011and working in the oil and gas industry My father is no morenow,butIstillmisshimalot.Iammoreorless anintrovert–livinginmyownshell.Mostlyreading and spending time with my family. Overall, it has been a life full of hard work, learning, doing, adaptingandresponsibilities

Goingbacktothelantern-ItstandsfortheLightof Education for me. Education is what survives when what has been learned, has been forgotten. I will always remember Maya Angelou’s words- “Nothing candimthelightwhichshinesfromwithin.”

TMShadKaisar

Introducing Our Members

“Join the Toastmasters and unleash your hidden talents.”

-DTM, Mohomed Ikhlas Farid

“Life is beautiful, since you are in my world.”

TM Anthony Mascarenhas

“Be positive to always putting in optimum efforts and always hope, with belief that something good is about to happen next.”

-DTM, Abhijit Kuwalekar

“Count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

-TM Zelita Fernandes

“Take it one day at a time. Do not worry about the past and the future. Today is what counts.”

-TM Balakrishnan K

“Believing in your own potential is important for developing your confidence. Toastmaster skills can boost it.”

-TM Madhusoodanan Nair

“Surround yourself with people who help you grow and encourage you to reach your goals and be the best version of yourself.”

-TM Rejeesh P. Rajan

Introducing Our Members

“You have never come far enough to go far enough.”

-TM Chandrashekar Angadi

“How can I contribute? And FIFA was an amazing outlet for me.”

-DTM Nalini G. Mathur

“What can I do better today to make that incremental change.”

-TM Bhuvana Annadurai

“I pass this way but once. Any good I can do let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.”

-TM Sharon Coutinho

“No matter what happens, I will handle it with the help of the Almighty.”

-TM Shad Kaisar

“Believe in yourself. You can do anything that you strongly believe in and desire for.”

TM Ansu M. Philip

“Pray, play, sing, love the one you are with – these are a few of my favorite things”

-DTM R.S. Kumar Naidu

Introducing Our Members

“Give respect and you get respect.”

-TM Shamsudeen Sulaiman

“Before every rise is a fall. So just don’t worry about failure and keep going!”

-TM Ruban Devadas

“Be the reflection of what you like to receive. What you give out will return to Subramaniyam

“Believe in yourself and do not give up.” -TM

Ashwini Sonawane

a stone, don’t throw it at me.” -TM

Hany Zamzam

“This too shall pass, but watch the seeds you are planting as surely you shall reap what you sow.” -TM

Kedir Tahir

wherever you are in life.” -TM

Mubeen Ali

“Life is short, I try to bring a smile to everyone around me”

-DTM Ajaya Rogiye