District 126
June 2024, Vol. 2
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP 2023-2024
Sandeep Raj Madasu, DTM
Vikram Chandra, DTM
Mayuri Assudani, DTM
Trinath Chinthapalli
Manideep Kanagala, DTM
Sai Charan Singh
Saisudhan Sutrave
Sainadh Gupta Pothuri, DTM
Chisty Basha
Sabiha Syed
Manikanta Toram
Sravya Mantripragada
Karteek kota
Haswanth Kumar Kurevella
Sirisha Pammi
Sai Bharath Kumar Kancherla
Chanda Nikhil Kumar
Raheem Mohammed Abdul
District Director
Program Quality Director
Club Growth Director
District Administration Manager
District Finance Manager
District Public Relations Manager
District Logistics Manager
District Parliamentarian
District Chief Judge
Division E Director
Area E1 Director
Area E2 Director
Area E3 Director
Area E4 Director
Division F Director
Area F1 Director
Area F2 Director
Area F3 Director
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
Kalpana Chandika, DTM
Pragya Jain
Ravi Shankar Hanasoge
Jaya Prakash Didugu
Rahil Hussain
G Shiva Raj
Venkatraman Balasubramanian
Lasya Priya
Akshitha Thakur
John Pasha Shaik
Jyoti Pattnaik
Jagadek Meesala
Dharani Kalakoti
Amrit Mishra
Nitin Kumar Prusty
Sakshi Bhuwal
Shivani Dongarwar
Dr Aliakbbar Maimun
Pranav Raj
Division G Director
Area G1 Director
Area G2 Director
Area G3 Director
Area G4 Director
Division H Director
Area H1 Director
Area H2 Director
Area H3 Director
Area H4 Director
Division I Director
Area I1 Director
Area I2 Director
Area I3 Director
Area I4 Director
Division N Director
Area N1 Director
Area N2 Director
Area N3 Director
District Director’s Foreword
SANDEEP RAJ, DTM
s 100 years old cannot be 10,000 saplings planted
is unique Each one of us he experiences we have us add value to this our way.
take this opportunity to your contributions and pport to the District
elations Office has made nnected with the roots of communicating with you elieve you have been ghout as much as I was
pe that this final issue is ake us reflect on the nd learnings we had for year in this journey
me to closer to our year, let us celebrate our nd learnings and let us mbark a new journey ence.
Program Quality Director’s Foreword
VIKRAM CHANDRA, DTM
As I reflect on this year, I believe “change” has been the mainstay for our District and for me as well.
For our District, this has been a great year of learning and growth. Our District’s second-year success story is unique;
During my term as Program Quality Director this year, we asked District Leaders to focus on club support early in their terms, encouraged Area Directors to schedule area council meetings more frequently, and successfully organized more than 20 education sessions We thrived on quality during our District Conference and brought glory and smiles on member’s faces In terms of DCP, we have already met Select Distinguished Status.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I will continue my journey of change and hope you will continue yours I will continue to support this organization and this family
I believe our organization changes lives, and by changing lives, we change our world Let us embrace the changes in our organization and continue our future together as the first-choice provider of dynamic, high-value, experiential communication and leadership development. It has been my honor to serve. You have inspired me. You have touched my heart. I will always remember this year of changes, this year of quality, and more learning
Club Growth Director’s Foreword
As we approach the end of the 2023-24 year, it is natural to reflect on the recent past, evaluate the present, and look ahead to a promising future. Our District faced some challenges early in 202324, and unexpectedly, I found myself stepping into the role of Club Growth Director
My mentor encouraged me with the words, “Go, Mayuri, you will learn something new!” And so, I embraced the role, uncertain about how I would handle the critical tasks of growth and membership payments However, with the support and guidance from our District
MAYURI ASSUDANI, DTM
Director and other leaders, we have achieved Select Distinguished status payments wise On the flip side, we are significantly behind in paid clubs’ status
This realization brings two important points to mind First, the fact that members have renewed and made payments reassures me that we are on the right path However, the loss of clubs saddens me, as it indicates we were unable to convey the value that Toastmasters offers
In leadership, there are two principles I always uphold:
1. Never let an opportunity to serve pass by. We live only once, so I strive to serve as long as I can and to as many as I can
2 Take risks Ask when you don’t know Ask when you don’t understand. Because if you don’t ask, it’s already a no
These principles have guided me through this journey, and I hope they inspire you as well
Leadership, Lessons, and Life
Q1: 1st July 2017, what was the first thought that struck your mind about Toastmasters? That was when your term as the District Director ended.
It is very difficult to remember what was the first thought back then because a lot of time has gone between then and now. But I think if I have to kind of make an effort and recollect what I was going through then in 2017, I think it was a very emotional time, filled with mixed feelings for multiple reasons
Number one is we were a President Distinguished District. This was the second time in a row we achieved it and that was a great accomplishment And second, that family of 78 District Officers came together very close in that tenure The thought that it is not going to be the same from the next day, where of course we all still exist, but it is not the same bond in terms of picking up the phone and connecting with your DPRM or with your Area Director or whoever it is made things emotional The show was over; curtains were down; that was the feeling I had back then
Q2: As you were saying, when you were the District Director, the District became a President's Distinguished District, what does it take for a District Director to be a President's Distinguished District Director?
I don't know, because to be honest, we never really planned that way. I never paid a lot of attention to the numbers. My approach was a macro one For me, it's more about a bird's eye view For me, to use a metaphor, it was more about scanning the District from the top and looking at the happiness of our members. Where are the smiles coming from? How many people are able to give me that 30, 40, 100-watt smile? And how many people are not able to do that?
For me, if my District is happy, if my members are enjoying their time in Toastmasters, if everybody feels great about whatever they are doing, the rest really doesn't matter But again, to be fair, I had my team members paying attention to the numbers and all. Also, it's not fair to say the District director got the District Distinguished That's not how it works The District Director is just the representative
But then it's the work of every member, the work of every club and Area, the Division, and all the leaders of the District And that's how it works
Q3: Now, let us zoom out of this, and let us talk about how your life has changed after that. Professionally and personally, if possible - After you got done with your term.
On a lighter note, I became jobless because 2016 and 2017 were a time when I had kind of a hectic schedule.
I just took over as the CEO of JGI schools in 2016 Second, I was a District Director And then third, I was also the chairperson for YI Hyderabad in the same year So I was leading three different organizations at the same time. So that made it hectic for me. So fast forward to 2017, I became jobless, right? Because I finished two of the three responsibilities I had And I just had to come back and continue as CEO of JGI schools
So that was one way of looking at it But if you look at it from the other point of view, it taught me a lot of things. It taught me gratitude because not many people I know got this kind of opportunity in the same year to deliver
Q4: What does Chandra of 2016-17, who used to be the CEO and who still is the CEO, who used to manage the YI group and who used to be the District Director of District 98 back then, have to say to the members of District 126 who say, I do not have time for a Toastmasters meeting?
Let me borrow a proverb and answer you “It's often the busiest person on this planet
who finds time for almost everything in life”, The point here is that you cannot blame time for your inefficiencies and inadequacies You can be as busy as you are on a Monday on a Sunday. It is all in your mind. Sunday doesn't have 30 hours. Monday does not have 20 hours So if you say, I wish I could do this, but I do not have time It's because you are not wishing hard enough
Q5: Please tell us about two leadership successes from your life
I think the first thing I'll pick is the Everest Base Camp expedition We did an Everest Base Camp expedition in 2018 This is after my IPDD term So, I took a contingent of 25 children to Everest Base Camp and we completed it. We became the largest contingent of school students to complete the Everest Base Camp. The best part is it is a world record to this day I have even written a book on it called “One More Step”, which talks about the entire journey and the story and the lessons and the learnings. But that apart, why I call that my best leadership experience is the youngest kid on that particular expedition was seven years old. In January 2019, that kid was nine years old and he was recognized by the government of India, Honorable Prime Minister Modi, as well as President Ramkanth Kovind as the Bal Shakti Puraskar winner By 2019, that boy, who is nine years old, has declared to the world that he is going to become a professional mountaineer. And he had completed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kaskus Ki by then So it was not just Everest Base Camp's success that got him the Bal Shakti Puraskar He determined to carry on For me, that was a leadership journey, which I will always remember because you never know as a leader who and when you are impacting. So that was my first best leadership story.
The second one is maybe closer to my work In 2019, I started a new school of my own We started without any idea that COVID would come and that it would kill all our dreams. We had invested heavily. We started the school and we had around 100 plus children coming and joining us in the very first year Of course, we were not making profits because you cannot make profits with 100 children with this kind of investment But we wanted to go
forward because any business takes time to grow and develop But then in March, COVID hit us And we were just not even in the first academic year We started in June, and in the next March, COVID struck us And then schools were shut. Everything was online. And there was no online infrastructure in that place. There was no Wi-Fi, only 4G and 3G. You definitely cannot run a class with 25 children on the other side with that kind of network And many children did not even have more than one single phone in their house And that phone normally used to be a normal digital phone not a smartphone. So, many children left us. They didn't even pay us the fees. And the strength of the school came down to around 32 or 33 from 100 plus The next year, again, it was a COVID hit year, but we somehow recouped ourselves
Q6: Thank you so much for being personal and vulnerable. It means a lot. Now, what difference do you see between leadership in Toastmasters and leadership in other areas?
There's no difference Why should there be any difference? Because in Toastmasters, you are leading and dealing with people Outside, you are dealing and leading with people, right? There's nothing different.
Toastmasters has a structure So does the other organization The day you understand that I am who I am, wherever I am, you won't see any difference between your leadership in Toastmasters and leadership in other areas.
We went up to 78 students But then many students did not even pay us the fees They just agreed to be on our school rolls because we were offering a decent enough online education, which the government schools in the surroundings were not. Despite all of this, we paid our teachers salaries for two years If I have to recollect the numbers, it was close to 1 8 to 1 9 crores But then for these 2 years, we told the bus drivers and escorts that we would not be paying them salaries and asked them not to come to the office. But in June of 2021, when we opened the school back to normal, we had six buses All the six bus drivers and escorts were there on the very first day And I was shocked I expected that they would not come back because we never paid them any salary for 18 months When I asked them, they said, “Sir, we know what you did with teachers. We know what you did with students We know that you did not do anything wrong with us And we want to be with you ” For 18 months, they never had a salary They sold vegetables They pulled carts on the roads They did some work They made their two square meals a day. But they came back unscathed on the 18th month to just resume their work. So I think that's the story which I will hold very close
Q7: Now, at the end of the day, Toastmasters is a non-profit organization and one does not have any real incentive to offer to the members of a club to make them attend the meetings. But then a manager at Workplace has an incentive to make employees attend the meetings. Isn't that a difference that makes people behave in different ways in these two settings?
No, let's take a step back here Because what do you mean by incentive? Is it just cash alone? Not really. It can be a financial incentive, moral incentive, or any social incentive. So why do you think there is no social and moral incentive in Toastmasters?
Is winning a contest and bringing laurels to your club and your community not an incentive for you? Is getting called for an education session because you are good at what you do not an incentive for you? Is somebody recognizing that you are always on time, welldressed, and properly following the Toastmasters values not an incentive? Why do you want to say that incentive means somebody paying my bills?
In fact, I will see the other way. As a president, if you are praising somebody genuinely, it is out of your heart If a manager is giving you an incentive, it is out of the company's pocket
Q8. One thing that people like us do not know about you.
I'm married Because back then when I was in Toastmasters, I was unmarried So maybe people don't know that about me
Q9: Who was that one person with whom you love working?
I liked working with Raja sekhar Mamidanna Of course, we were never District Leaders at the same time Because our focus was always on challenging each other, I always loved working with Raja sekhar Mamidanna, if you call that work.
Q10: One message that you have for a District Leader.
Like your members. Love your members.
I mean, whatever it is, you will fall prey to things like photographs, selfies, that adulation You are the District Director So your members will always be in awe of you
But that's all temporary. If you love your members, you will never lose sight of your final goal. And that is to serve your members.
Love your members And I mean it in the purest sense It may be a girl It may be a boy It may be a new Toastmaster It may be a veteran Toastmaster.
It may be a good-looking Toastmaster or maybe an average-looking Toastmaster It may be a student Toastmaster or it may be a businessman Toastmaster Love your members
Because at the end of the day, when you call yourself a Toastmaster, there is no 10-year Toastmaster or a two-year Toastmaster or a one-month Toastmaster Ralph C Smedley is also a Toastmaster Chandrashekar is also a Toastmaster Love your members
Q11: Finally, one message that you have for our members.
Members, enjoy your journey into Toastmasters. Whether it is for one month, for one year, for one decade, or for lifelong.
LIFE IS A TABLE TOPIC
As with life, never shy away from Table Topic!
By TM Shazia Parveen
Be it an argument with your spouse, colleague or boss, most of the time, the best punch line comes to our mind only after the fight is over; this could be an apt comparison to the table topics session at Toastmasters.
I was privileged to represent my Area at the Division contest a couple of years ago and although I did not win, I really enjoyed and learnt a lot from this experience. Thereafter, I was determined to never miss any chance of attempting the Table Topics in my club. I have an innate fondness to try again and again until I really deserve to succeed I can’t help but reminisce about the ways I could come up with great answers right after moving off stage Below is an example:
In the Division contest, I was asked the following question
Q: ‘Honesty is not the best policy’ and I thought that I had come up with a decent answer But the answer below came to my mind once I was off the stage.
A: Yes, I am dishonest when I put on a mask of selfregulation in front of kids to set the right example for them, even though I am quite tempted to be honest and scold them at times
Ironically, when I was small, I used to think that we have to be right all the time. As I matured, I realized that nurturing human relations and emotions is more important than being right. So yes, we all put on masks in our lives and are dishonest, sometimes to hide our shortcomings, sometimes to avoid hurting others feelings.
I am proud to say that I value Empathy more than Honesty
In retrospect, I realized that for me, the main challenge was to align my varied thoughts and structure them into a 2 minutes speech Initially I needed at least 2 minutes of thinking time to frame a speech, but now with practice I reduced this to 30 seconds
Now it’s time for you to identify the most challenging part of the Table topic and tame your weakness With planning and practice, you can be on that big stage acing the dreaded Table Topics This could well be the first step in You becoming the next Champion Speaker
Rising Together
The New Club's Odyssey in Toastmasters
By TM Himanshu Patle
Stepping into our very first Toastmasters meeting at Eureka Toastmasters Meeting, we were all newbies, venturing into uncharted waters together The room buzzed with excitement as we embarked on a shared journey of learning and growth.
In just our third meeting, I leaped the Humorous Speech contest, surprising everyone, including myself Laughter echoed, reminding us that trying something new was a win for the entire club We were a group of beginners, embracing the learning curve as a united community
To our amazement, I clinched the runner-up spot at the Club and Area levels, turning each applause into a collective celebration In our brandnew club, where everyone was finding their footing, every success felt like a victory for all.
Reflecting on the recent Division contest where I secured the runnerup position, I can't help but acknowledge the incredible support and growth within our club As we look back on the journey, I am filled with gratitude for the shared triumphs and laughter in our tight-knit community. Looking ahead, I envision a future where our club continues to grow, where each member finds their unique voice, and where we navigate challenges together The path ahead promises even more success and camaraderie as we embark on new adventures together.
Toastmasters
on Wheels
Sandeep Raj, DTM at Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Temple, Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh.
TM Trinath Chintapalli at Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand.
New Clubs New Clubs inDistrict126
Pepsico Hyderabad Toastmasters Club - E4
Diebold Nixdorf India Toastmasters Club - G3
Vasavi Toastmasters Club - H3
MyEO Odisha Toastmasters Club - I4
National Academy of Defense Production Toastmasters Club - N2
OF THE MONTH DESIGN
November, 2023
January, 2024
December 2023
February,
May, 2024
April, 2024 June,
DIVISION SPOTLIGHT
CELEBRATING EVERY EFFORT
Division E
Division F
MILESTONE MEETINGS
ADP Hyderabad Toastmasters Club – 400th Meeting
Novartis Hyderabad Toastmasters Club – 300th Meeting & 12th year Anniversary Celebrations on 6th Mar 2024.
Xlrators-Miyapur Toastmasters Club - 200th Meeting - 8th Anniversary celebrated on 25th June 2023
THEMED MEETINGS
Xlrators-Miyapur Toastmasters Club - Diwali Celebrations on 26th Nov 2023
Madhapur Toastmasters Club - Thanks Giving Day - 1st Dec 2023
Walk The Talk Toastmasters Club Anatomy of Scandal (courtroom drama) Battle of Witts (Debate Competition) Turncoat Event (Valentine's Day Special) Memes of the Year 2023 (Last meeting of th Year)
SPECIAL MEETINGS
Tech Mahindra Infocity Toastmasters ClubToastmasters Orientation Session, October 20, 2023 at Danube Auditorium, Tech Mahindra Infocity Campus, Hyderabad
Walk the Talk Toastmasters Club
⦁ Conducted a session with GS women's network (All women employees of GS) on improving communication through Toastmasters
⦁ Conducted a session with Women's Engineering Team on How to excel at presentation
⦁ Conducted a session with Women's Engineering Team on How to excel at presentation
⦁ Launch of our Walk the Talk Hyderabad Club for all GS Hyderabad employees
Novartis Hyderabad Toastmasters Club
⦁ Customized learning program workshops for the Data and Digital team comprising 6 sessions with evaluation and feedback, at Novartis
⦁ Workshop for Undergraduate college girls on impactful communication
Joint Meetings
OracleHyderabadToastmastersClubandTCS Maitree Toastmasters Club Pune on 27th October2023
ADPHyderabadToastmastersClubandAnurag ToastmastersClub
WalktheTalkToastmastersClub- with3Clubs - ADP Hyderabad Toastmasters Club, Novartis Hyderabad Toastmasters Club and Walk The TalkBangaloreToastmastersClub
Novartis Hyderabad Toastmasters Club and CDKToastmastersClub
Madhapur Toastmasters Club and Xlrators MiyapurToastmastersClubon14thApril
Division G
MILESTONE MEETINGS
Providence India Toastmasters Club –
Providence is glad to inform you that we have completed 25 meetings in Providence India Toastmasters Club on 06-Jun-2024. This meeting is particularly significant as they celebrate the theme of "Unleashing Potential: Speaking, Leading, Evaluating." As someone who embodies the spirit of leadership. It reflects on the power of effective communication, the essence of leadership, and the art of constructive evaluation
Bosch Hyderabad Toastmasters –Bosch Hyderabad Toastmasters rejoiced in their first anniversary by conducting an "Open house" on 22 May 2024, an engaging and interactive event aimed at showcasing the culture and spirit of the Toastmasters club to the Boschlers The event was decked with insightful talks from eminent guest speakers District 126 Trio - DTM Kalpana Chandika, DTM Vikram Chandrakumar, DTM Sandeep Raj Madasu, and Mayuri Assudani, DTM The list includes our club sponsors and mentors who were with us right from the inception. The venue was graced by
our competent leadership - Sasikumar Ranganatha Madhavabhotla, Prakash Gadgi, Krishna Kishore Amara, and Priya Menon. The ambiance was electrified by a full house of cheerful audience. The club members reminisced on their evolution from a precocious club to a well-noted club and illuminated our triumphant moments at external events which included the President, Rishabh Jain, PMP® unfettered winning saga at the Table Topics contest. There were also sprightly fun segments anchored by our genial Toastmasters Anirban Saha, Atluri Sri Swapna, and Ravikumar Narapureddy which saw the audience break into banter and spark cheeky responses to whimsical questions thrown at them.
Division H
MILESTONE MEETINGS
HITAM Toastmasters is known as one of the best college clubs in District 126 The club celebrated its 125th meeting in month of July 2023 The event was with fun and learning
The 500th Toastmasters meeting Deloitte Hyderabad Toastmasters C held on 10th August 2023, was ma by a significant celebration, attende District Director Sandeep Raj Mad who delivered an inspiring speech the topic "How to Be a Brand " insights were both motivational practical, leaving a lasting impressio all attendees The meeting was not informative but also filled with engag g activities Members participated in two entertaining games: Taboo and Turncoat. The Taboo game was skillfully hosted by TM Zeba, challenging participants to describe words w using a set list of related terms Turn-coat game, moderated by Avinash, required speakers to flip perspectives on a given showcasing their versatility and thinking
SPECIAL MEETINGS
Dilsukhnagar Toastmasters conducted its annual sports meet where members of the clubs played box cricket and Badminton. This event was a huge success in bringing the members of the club together
SRIT Vibrant and Eloquent speakers hosted the area H4 contest in Anantapur at their college
Division I
Division N
DIVISION EVENTS
Offline COTP 2.0 - Organised by the Area Directors of Division N, for training Club officers
FunNFurore, led by TM Smita Mishra and TM Sapna Acharya under the guidance of Division Director TM Sakshi and Club Growth Director
DTM Mayuri. UTSAH and UTSAV, the area contests of Division N.
Euphoria 2024, ISC and TT contest for Division N
Tall Tales contest, organized under the leadership of TM Eshant Gupta
DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS
Overall 222 Education levels were filed throughout the year 509 membership payments were made 6 clubs have achieved Distinguished status by the May 31st
NADP Toastmasters Club was chartered in April, aligned to Area N2.
DIVISION LEVEL AWARDEES
Outstanding Toastmaster of the Year - Rushikesh Kawalkar
Golden Eagle, N1 - Loyal Toastmasters Club
Golden Eagle, N2 - Nagpur Toastmasters Club
Golden Eagle, N3 - Raisoni Institute’s Emerald Toastmasters Club
Golden Feather, N1 - Rushikesh Kawalkar
Golden feather,N2 - Vishnu Pillai
Golden feather, N3 - Jaisi Chawra
SPECIAL MEETINGS
On 9 September, 2023 Gurukul.education Toastmasters Club celebrated its 5th Anniversary.
Loyal Toastmasters Club celebrated its 4th anniversary meeting on February 3, 2024. The event was filled with fun activities and games in true Toastmasters style
On March 23, 2024, the Loyal Toastmasters Club held a joint event with the Rotaract Club of Nagpur Vision as part of ROTARISE, the Rotaract District 3030 Professional Development Week. We collaborated on a panel discussion.
Nagpur Toastmasters Club celebrated its 10th Anniversary meeting, on 13th January 2024.
SSIPMT Spellbinders had an incredible meeting centered around the theme of "Indian Weddings" , celebrating the rich cultural traditions and rituals of South Asian weddings
Open House
SSIPMT Spellbinders conducted an open house where DTM Joy Hans delivered an exceptional keynote session that left a lasting impression on all attendees.
Gurukul Education Toastmasters Club organized Toasted - A Toastmasters open mic
Workshops
Loyal Toastmasters Club hosted a workshop on HSC and EC by TM Rahul Jain who was District 126 champion of 4 contest at Jubilance 2023
GLIMPSES OF THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
NEWSLETTER TEAM
TM SAI CHARAN SINGH
DISTRICT PR MANAGER
TM SAKSHI BHUWAL NEWSLETTER EDITOR
TM RISHIK SINGH DISTRICT DESIGN CHAIR
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