COVER STORY Jinsei Dojo Toastmasters Club's Charter Ceremony
The Languages of Leaders
Before this story, I never knew of clubs which had regular meetings in languages other English, apart from the occasional special meeting. I had vaguely heard of clubs abroad conducting meetings in other languages, but it always seemed like a foreign concept to me—too removed from the format I had grown used to. Therefore, it took me by surprise when I discovered there were two clubs in India which held meetings in a dedicated bilingual format! What started as a simple information gathering exercise soon became a richer learning experience filled with interesting stories and insights into the culture, language and history of people. It was truly a fascinating journey. I hope that it inspires you all and sparks the inception of more such clubs. Jinsei Dojo Toastmasters Club, Bangalore, District 92 (Japanese-English bilingual club) (Jinsei = life; Dojo = place where you improve on something) TM Appu Geetha Byju, founder and Past President of India’s first bilingual Toastmasters club, had the idea of starting a Japanese community club in 2013 when he realised there wasn’t a platform to practise the Japanese he spoke. He sought help from leaders in District 76 (Toastmasters District of Japan) and started handing out fliers at the annual Indo-Japan cultural festival, Japan Habba. Eventually, he built a mailing list and got people on board. They faced several challenges getting the club started. They weren’t entirely sure if the concept of a foreign language club would work in India, especially a niche language like Japanese, which is difficult to learn and not taken up by many. It took one year for the first meeting to finally materialize, and an additional six months to charter. Acquiring patient mentors was difficult too but today, mentors provide their expertise remotely from Japan, via posts on their Facebook group, email, Skype, or video chat. This has helped improve the language skills and grammar of the members, which is further facilitated by regularly bringing in external speakers to MCs for Japan Habba give educational sessions on various aspects of Japanese.
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COMMUNICATE 98 | JANUARY 2018