Retrix June 2020 by Palakkad Toastmasters

Editor”s Note Message from Div. D Director Message from Area 10 Director From Club Mentor From Club Sponsor President’s Desk Penned by EXCOM members Club Contest My 2020 TM Memory Book Area Contest Creative Outlook Vital In Developement Complain OR Rejoice? Things to do in Lockdown The Rays behind the Dark clouds Living through a Pandemic Think before you … PTM Meeting posters Executive Committee ON

An Experience to Cherish forever Women and Toastmasters The Life long transformation Read … Reflect … React

UBUNTU The Controversialists Bright Cool Moon

Pathways achievements DTM’s 2019-20 Pathways Chart - DTM PTM in ZOOM World PTM accolades President Distinguished DCP The ENTRON Debacle

Humour Express Educational and Leadership achievements RADIANCE - Virtual Social Meet GEMS of PTM U Turn Hardwork Paid Off Bulls Eye Out going and Incoming EXCOMS

Editor ’s note Dear Toastmasters, Greetings!

TM SIGILAL, IP1 Editor

Welcome to the 2nd issue of RETRIX 2020, the newsletter of Palakkad Toastmasters. As its Editor, I am greatly honoured and immensely pleased to launch the 2nd issue of Retrix 2020.

With our journey for the year 2019-2020 nearing its destination, we are proud to present the accomplishments that we, Palakkad Toastmasters have achieved during the second half of our term from January to June 2020. Considering the challenging situation that the world is facing due to the COVID 19 pandemic, “EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE” was chosen to be the most appropriate theme for this issue. In this issue we have shared messages, views, information, talent, games and other activities in which members have been actively involved. I would like to thank our Toastmasters for their valuable contributions to make this newsletter interesting.

I take this opportunity to thank our Club President TM Deepa Sajeevan and the Executive Committee for entrusting me with the responsibility as Editor. I also express my gratitude to Division D Director DTM Pon Sankara Pandian, Area 10 Director TM Anil Pachlangia, Club Mentor DTM Madan Mohan Ambat & Club Sponsor DTM Krishnadas Nair, for their inspiring messages. Last but not the least, my sincere thanks to the Editorial team for putting the pieces together to get the final picture. A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to TM Sumesh for design & page layout, TM Sajitha Madan for proof reading and TM Divya for technical support for the e-release of RETRIX issue 2, volume 9, June 2020.

Editorial Team

TM SAJITHA MADAN, CC ALB

TM SUMESH MANIMEL

TM DIVIYA RAMESH, PM 1

Message fr om D iv. D D ir ector

Dear Palakkad Toastmasters,

DTM PON SANKARA PANDIAN DIVISION D DIRECT0R District 20

It’s my immense pleasure to participate in this newsletter. Life is about discovering who we are; leading is about striving to become better than we are and helping everyone around us to become better too.

In this Toastmasters term 2019-20, the club executive committee lead by President TM Deepa Sajeevan has done remarkably, an excellent job in getting every possible success to the club. Palakkad Toastmasters have comfortably achieved President Distinguished club status successfully even in this tough situation. The legacy created by the club for the past 10 years has been lifted to greater heights. Members of Palakkad Toastmasters have been a great support for the Division in every aspect. Division D Excom, events, trainings & contests were very much supported by PTM Members. My heartfelt thanks to PTM members for being part of Division success. It’s a great momentum to see the club’s achievement of all the Division goals – 9 DCPs, Many District sponsored awards & rocking on DTAC screen. Now the club is gifted with an elected Division D Director DTM Sajitha Satheesh. Let these words inspire you, motivate you, encourage you and empower you to be the best you can be. Wishing you all the big success dear Palakkad Toastmasters. Be Positive – no matter what

Message from Area 10 Director

As we inch closer to the end of our term, it is important to

TM ANIL PACHLANGIA AREA 10 DIRECT0R

conclude it on a high and at the same time it is even more important to ensure that the transition or handover to our successors is smooth and effortless. As the Area Director, I am indeed pleased to inform you that our Area-10 has already achieved Select Distinguished Area and this achievement would not have been possible without your dedicated efforts.

You, the members of Palakkad Toastmasters can be really proud. You are certainly the flag bearers in terms of your phenomenal accomplishments this year, despite being the youngest club of our Area. Yes, the only Club in Area 10 to release a second newsletter in the term, the only club in the Area to conduct Youth Leadership Program, the only club with so many theme based meetings throughout the term, Speech Marathon, Speakathon and many more. Unsurprisingly, at the District-20 Toastmasters Annual Conference you were the recipient of Outstanding Motivator Award, Lead & Win, DCP Bronze awards.

I must admit, it was a great learning experience to work with each one of you. I congratulate the President, TM Deepa Sajeevan, the Executive Committee and all the members for a fabulous year. I also wish President Elect, TM Sreejith Raja and his team good luck for their term 2020-21. I do not have an iota of doubt that under their leadership, Palakkad Toastmasters will get better and better. Before I conclude, I cannot prevent myself from complimenting my predecessor, DTM Sajitha Satheesh, who will be taking up the mantle of our Division D in the next term. Rest assured, with a charismatic leader like her at the helm, our Area, Clubs will have a productive term. On behalf of all the toastmasters from the Area-10 Clubs, I extend my best wishes for all your future endeavors. May you achieve more and more. May you continue to inspire many more in your community and empower them to be effective communicators and leaders.

From Club Mentor Nature the Teacher...

There

were no warnings…no predictions to validate…

The new year began like any other one in the past… yet year 2020 changed the world in many ways, CLUB MENTOR unprecedented …. A miniscule and invisible being made a sweeping change across the world … Suddenly nothing but our lives became the most precious thing to be protected and saved… religion, wealth, power, position or social status became insignificant… an invisible virus which we called as corona taught the humans lessons, which would have been impossible otherwise by any prophecies or holy books … People realized the pain of being locked in … Corona enlightened the humans on how the animals felt – when they were captured and put in the confines of zoos for us to enjoy… People realized the futility of accumulating wealth when Corona virus mercilessly struck the wealthy and the poor alike and when their mortal remains were disposed off without honours, in bulk, along with the hundreds and thousands of people who perished.

DTM MADAN MOHAN AMBAT

It was a tight slap on the face of human race who were hitherto riding on a high horse viz. anthropocentrism…. But will we ever learn…? As the restrictions relating to the outbreak begins to be removed, as the human lives limp back to normalcy, we begin to hear the stories of elephants being mercilessly killed after being fed with coconuts filled with explosives, husband killing wife using venomous snakes, friends killing each other in inebriated condition, people killing and looting others… yes… we are bouncing back to higher levels of insensitivity and cruelty… Do we really need another strike by Nature as a correction? Can we afford to have something like this again during our lifetime or in the times to come? If your answer is a vehement NO like mine, then let us learn from this experience… for our own sake - for the sake of human race.

From Club sponsor Hi friends, Another Toastmaster year is about to get over. This year we have learned a lot than the previous years because of the present situation. The lessons we learned and experienced in Toastmasters gave us that extra DTM KRISHNADAS NAIR confidence to learn more on virtual meetings. It was a CLUB SPONSOR new experience for most of the Toastmasters and I am happy to say that within 2-3 months we are all familiar with it and now it has become a routine thing. It was a good year for Palakkad Toastmasters as well. One of the biggest achievements is that we managed to reach up to the District level contests and I believe it’s a big achievement as a club. It took nine years for our club to reach that level and all credit goes to TM Nikitha for taking Palakkad Toastmasters to that level by participating in the DTAC 2020 Evaluation contest. Not only that, TM Aathira also proved her talent as Master of Ceremonies in the DTAC 2020. All these show that we have capable talents among us and we need to encourage them well so that Palakkad Toastmasters name will be in the forefront of Bahrain Toastmasters. The Excom of 2019-20 did an excellent show despite many problems that they encountered and we can definitely say that they took Palakkad Toastmasters name to further heights. They set a huge task for the incoming Excom and I hope they will do the necessary to take the name of Palakkad Toastmasters to new heights. As a Sponsor of the club I am extremely happy with the achievements of our club and I assure my support and assistance at all time. Thanks & regards

From President’s desk

A TM DEEPA SAJEEVAN, LD1

Toastmasters club is the place where Leaders are

made. It is also the place where self-confidence and selfesteem is built by providing constructive evaluations and tips for improvement.

PRESIDENT PALAKKAD TOASTMASTERS

In Palakkad Toastmasters, member’s communication and leadership growth is remarkable. Even members who stammer for their first Ice-Breaker speech move forward and become outstanding speakers and leaders. How is that possible? Answer is simple. Palakkad Toastmasters Club offers a warm, friendly and supportive environment by addressing each member’s goals and objectives. This is a place where all our fears are conquered and the inner ability and skill confined within us is unleashed! It was a proud moment to get nominated as 9 th president of the prestigious toastmaster club in the island of pearls for the term 2019-2020. The journey of one year was exciting as well as challenging. This was a great chance to learn different leadership styles. I strongly recommend all the fellow toastmasters to take up leadership roles whenever you get opportunity. Year 2019-2020 was an existing and demanding year. Since March, we were compelled to stop conducting meeting at our meeting venue due to social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet we came together staying apart from each other through our virtual meetings. This was a different experience for the entire members. This helped us to learn new skills in Information Technology too. Amidst all the concern caused by Covid 19, we have achieved most of the goals set for the year. I am quite happy to celebrate our achievements during this tenure. I thank all the members from the bottom of my heart for all the support you have provided without which this would never be a reality. Here are some of the highlights: Attained President Distinguished status. Inducted 5+2 new members and reinstated 1 member. Organized 200th milestone meeting in a meticulous way. Many members could give their Ice breaker speeches on this day. We were able to bring a keynote speaker, TM Madhavi Tiwari who presented a keynote speech titled “Leap to Leadership” Honored our Club Mentor (DTM Madan Mohan Ambat) and sponsors (DTM Krishnadas & DTM PB Dinesh) Successfully conducted Youth leadership program.

Conducted

theme meetings on Bahrain National Day, Onam, Christmas and Teachers day. On Teachers day, the teachers in our Club were honored.

Organized Debate, Speech Marathon and Speakathon. A special meeting was conducted by incorporating talents of toastmasters and exciting games.

Conducted club contests. Our members participated in Area, Division and even in District levels.

Many members took assignments and leadership roles in Area and Division contests. Few of our members participated in the Judging Workshop. Took roles in other club meetings.

Selected the Toastmaster of the year 2019-2020 and to be announced soon. Released 1 edition of Retrix and 2 edition to be released soon. Introduced Instagram for PTM and separate whatsapp friends group for building strong nd

bonds between members.

During this year we conducted 23 meetings and also regular Excom meetings. It was a great learning experience working with Excom. I appreciate their dedication and commitment and thank them for working selflessly. I take this opportunity to thank Immediate Past President TM Chitra Ramesh and my mentor, TM Divya Ramesh for all the guidance provided throughout the year. I am thankful to our mentor TM Madan Mohan Ambat and sponsors TM Krishnadas Nair and TM PB Dinesh for providing a platform like Palakkad Toastmasters. I also convey my gratitude to Area director Anil Pachlangia and Division D Director Pon Sankara Pandian for their guidance and support. All the very best to our new Excom. I ensure 100% support from my side. May the glory of PTM touch new heights.

From V P Membership

Dear Toastmasters, “When you focus on problems, you will have more TM RAMESH K. T CC, ALB problems. When you focus on possibilities, you will V P Membership have more opportunities”. During the current COVID -19 Pandemic situation I salute the corona warriors for risking their lives to save others. The entire world is having a very difficult time, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. But let us not focus on problems and make it double. Let us focus on the possibilities. Yes, this what PTM did, we focused on the possibilities. From the month of February, we were not able to conduct regular meetings. As an optimist finds opportunity in a difficult situation, our members decided to explore the possibilities of online meetings and we very well succeeded in that. Even the outdoor meeting, we conducted as a special online meeting, in which the hidden talents of our fellow members were showcased. I am proud that I am a part of this wonderful team who always looked for possibilities. Now coming to the role of VP Membership, first of all, let me thank everyone for giving me the opportunity to serve the club as VP Membership. With my experience in Toastmasters, the most difficult part for a club is to get new members. Even though it is a TEAM work, as VP Membership, I am the responsible person for turning the guests as members of the club. During our first term, it really went well. 5 new members joined our PTM Family within 3 months from the starting of our term. For Achieving 2 DCP points, related to membership, we need to have 8 new members. I was very confident of achieving that, but in between the COVID- 19 pandemic came as a villain in my dream. The guests who promised to join, stepped back as it is online meetings. But again we focused on possibilities and last week we inducted a new member online. We need 2 more members for getting 1 DCP point. We, as a TEAM will focus on different possibilities and I hope we can find an opportunity to induct 2 more members during our term itself.

NEWBIE First member of Palakkad Toastmasters Club installed virtually

TM SANTHOSH PULIKKAL

Embrace the Challenge

The

TM SIGILAL, IP1

V P PUBLICATION

whole world is now facing a challenge of epic proportions. COVID-19 crisis has crippled this Planet 4 months ago, who imagined that a strand of RNA would cause so much devastation!

This virus created significant knock-on effects on the daily lives of almost everyone in this world. People are getting sick and many are dying, challenges in healthcare system treatment , disrupted world trade movements and global economy, risky financial futures for many people, empty restaurants, abandoned playgrounds, schools shuttered for weeks, social distancing even with family members, disruption of celebrations, cultural, religious and festive events, undue stress among the population . In a nutshell, COVID 19 affected people physically, mentally and socio economically and presented new challenges. It forced us to confront a new world that is unfamiliar, unpredictable, uncertain, and uncomfortable. Each country is handling this pandemic strategy in a different way. Even each household may be handling it in a different way. The bottom line is that we have to find a way to curtail covid; Embrace the challenge of COVID 19. As long as the crisis lasts, we need to develop a lifestyle to work within its state of “new normal.” Let us utilize our time in a creative way by trying something new and different. Focus on developing the areas in our life that have been neglected because of our busy schedule like for example, enjoy a hobby or some exercises, arts, gardening etc. We can create new structures and routines in our daily activities and social life. Let us respond to the crisis as an opportunity to become more positive, adaptable, and resilient which will serve us well when the current crisis passes. Social distancing is one of the key factors to prevent the spread of Covid 19. Digital platforms have become the only way for many of us to work, get fit or be educated and entertained. Toastmasters International also provides virtual platforms to improve our leadership and communication skills. We, Palakkad Toastmasters utilize the opportunity of virtual platform not only for club meetings, but also to motivate and support each other and to spread happiness, love, compassion and positivity. As fellow beings, let us EMBRACE this challenge; The challenge to make our world a better place for EVERYONE.

Your Life… Your Success “The greatest glory in living lies in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" - Nelson Mandela

Says

that everyone has to seek the help of someone

else sometime or the other. However, one cannot be sure of getting the help from others at the right time. To avoid TM SUMESH MANIMEL this, we should be self reliant or in other words, we should Treasurer help ‘ourselves'. The spirit of self-help begets many good qualities in humans. They develop faith in themselves. They acquire courage and strength of mind. They can face difficulties boldly and overcome them early. Hence, they succeed in life. I believe the biggest mistake a person can do in his or her life is committing suicide. Many of them who have done so would have thought that it is the easiest way to escape from all the liabilities and responsibilities. But did they at least once think about their dependents whom they left behind in a vacuum. “Life is the only thing which we never get back, once lost". Money, position, fame, health etc will come to us one day on our hard work. For that we should have patience and work hard. Moreover, we should believe in ourselves. Recently we heard lots of news about this. Personally, I enquired about some cases and was surprised to know many of them don’t have any financial or family issues which is usually considered as the main reasons. Each one of us is facing several issues in life. Once we overcome that we will be much stronger to face the hardest one. Never try to draw the success or failure in a straight line. It is also said "Failures are the pillars of success”. One should try again and again until he reaches his goal.

Happy Endings

Yes,

Life brings tears, smiles, and memories & to

learn your lessons, you need to Observe Attentively & Remember Distinctly. True to the core.

TM AATHIRA MENON, EC 3

It was the month of December 2019 while I was getting ready to fly to India after 2 years or more when our club President, TM Deepa called & told me, “ Aathira, you should participate in all 4 contests, there is no escape for you”. I said “Definitely aunty”. Iflew to India, enjoyed my short vacation with my grand parents & returned on 5th January 2020 with no intention to contest. A week after my landing was the first contest. Tension, Pressure, complaints, threatening to withdraw from the contest….At the end of everything, I successfully prepared drafts, practiced in the remaining days of the week with my parents & participated in the contests. Secretary

Wow! My first Contests were just amazing learning experiences..! I could get to see many of my fellow toastmasters performing with meticulously drafted speeches, expressions & movements, I enjoyed every bit of it. Since I had no expectations to get prizes, perhaps, I think, I was the only one sitting in the Hall with zero tension. Announcement made by the contest chairs that I had secured prizes in all 4 categories was another surprise Life had given me! Hmm. Not Bad – Aathira, you made it! I learnt my lesson that day, that dedication & alertness will definitely yield good harvest, smiles & fond memories! But from there, a twist came to this story. Since I received prizes, I thought the further journey is just a cakewalk for me, with zero practice, paying no attention to my parent’s words, I walked onto the stage of Area Contest. I didn’t notice the Timer blinks or rather I thought it’s not going to affect my performance. At the end, the Contest master said, there is one time disqualification & obviously it was me…Once again life taught me the lesson that one needs to be vigilant not in one occasion but every single occasion, or else we will lose golden opportunities! Lack of alertness will give us tears & bad memories! Now, I will share the climax of this learning journey! Quite unexpectedly, while I was engrossed in my gloomy moments, I received a call from Division D Contest Team to join their Team as MC. This time, I was very alert, I remembered my good & bad lessons & I didn’t leave any stone unturned in my path to perform as a seasoned MC. I was regularly attending all grooming sessions & practicing with the very supportive Team. After the Contest, When I was receiving laurels of appreciation from all corners and was even chosen further to be the 2-days District 20 MC, once again I learnt my lesson that if you want to have a happy ending to your story you need to shed your laziness and apply the 5 Golden Principles in life : Focus, Strength, Success, Wisdom & Responsibility….then laurels will be awaiting you.

My journey as TM

TM KARTHIKEYAN Sergeant at Arms

joined Palakkad Toastmasters in September 2018 to

develop my communication skills. I was very much scared to speak in English even in my office. DTM Krishnadas Nair motivated and encouraged me to join this Club. Even after joining, initially I struggled a lot when I was doing roles Iike ah counter and timer.

After few months, I got the opportunity to serve as the Sgt at Arms of our club for the term July 2019 – June 2020 Still, stage fright did not leave me. For about four meetings, I struggled and stammered while opening the meeting and inviting the President. Slowly, I made some improvement. My mentor TM Sunitha Raghu has been guiding and supporting me to do the roles like TMOD, Timer, Table Topic Master & to prepare and present my speech project in Pathways. I gave my Ice Breaker speech at the 200th meeting of PTM. After completing two to three speeches, I have realized that if we practice more, we can improve and become more confident. I have also learned how to communicate with people better.

Now I am eagerly waiting to give more speeches.

My world of Art

TM AMMU RAMESH

Oil pastel and colour pencils sketch of two traditional dancer and singer

I Wonder ...

Do you all remember your New Year party? I cer-

TM CHITRA RAMESH, CC ALB IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

tainly do. It was the happiest I had in recent times. But 2019 is a year I will keep close to my heart for, my daughter got married and my son got his first job. Although I'm missing out on their 'firsts', I'm glad they are happy where they are. The year 2020 rolled out as usual. The academic year was coming to an end in my school and I got busy with it….. Until we hit March and tables turned.

Summer came with a new visitor to our entire planet. An unwelcome and disturbing visitor. A virus that shut down the whole world and ordered humans to stay indoors. A virus that had the capability to either knock you dead or make you a dangerous carrier. A virus that made different species of animals and reptiles come out of its safe homes to our roads and office buildings. Are they missing humans? I wonder……… Never did I imagine… I would be teaching my cute little students through a computer screen for an indefinite period. Never did I pray for making notes and lesson plans for my students digitally, over pen and paper. And the worst for the last, learning to socially distance myself from my social gatherings for their own good! Oh my God, it indeed was a lot to process. Almost three months have passed and as much as everyone is trying to cope up with the 'new normal' globally and locally, I wonder how long will it take to comfortably and fearlessly hug someone or catch a flight and meet my children overseas. Or something as easy yet taken for granted as spend a day with my students in my classroom instead of doing it virtually. My daughter is already sending me face mask that matches my clothes, she says it's the new fashion trend! My son is sending pictures of chicken biryani that he cooked all by himself, for himself. Meanwhile my husband and I have been adapting to social distancing and conducting our office meetings virtually. How things have changed over the last few months! I wonder……but I know this too shall pass.

Receiving President’s Distinguished Club award 2018-19

CLUB CONTEST 2020

CLUB CONTEST 2020 CHAMPIONS

“Winning means You’re willing to go Longer, Work harder and give more” Vince Lombardi

My 2020 TM Memory Book A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever”. TM Year 2019-20 was a year of unexpected life turning situations & unanticipated moments!

But as you all know, human beings have this unique skill of adapting & adopting & yes, we are still surviving & progressing in all fields despite the setbacks & blows! Our Division D’s Annual Contest date arrived in such a period when the whole world has been struggling with Covid-19, But it turned out to be an event that saw unique fusion of IT skills & Teambuilding skills into Toast mastering, an outstanding example of how we can survive even in adverse conditions & how we can transform the challenges into opportunities.

DTM SAJITHA SATHEESH

It was kind of sudden attack of Covid-19 & Toastmasters all over the world had to switch to online meetings & contests from 1 March 2020. When I was invited to be part of our Division D’s Annual Contest Organizing Team, I joined with lots of inhibitions, fears & uncertainties. How can we conduct Contests online? With this question, our Team started our journey. Our first step was to observe a normal online Toastmaster meeting & understand the technicalities that we need & the important manpower we need in the organizing team. Fortunately enough, before our division contest, there were other divisions who did the contests online. I was lucky enough to be invited as a judge for 3 Divisions & that too for almost all contests. Long hours were spent to watch the contests, but it helped myself along with others, to understand the glitches that may pop up any time during our event also. This helped us to plan meticulously & go for prevention techniques. Therefore, the end product, Division D annual Virtual contest turned out to be a huge success with maximum participation & viewers rating. Those busy moments are over but I am pretty sure that its memories will live forever with each Team member - the days & nights of virtual meetings, Corrections after corrections & yet forced to make changes in the 11th Hour to the whole program. While attending virtual meetings with small & big teams of the contest participants & role players, one thing really struck me. TEAM spirit & Unity begins by building Trust”. If we, Leaders, trust our Team members, behave calmly & meticulously, then, we face the least challenges & we all can enjoy moments of success together & it tastes even better! "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." I trust, my Home club members will also emerge as efficient Team Leaders & conduct such big events even more better !

Area 10 Contestants of Palakkad Toastmasters

AREA 10 CONTEST

Creative Outlook Vital In Developement "Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it." -

Great leaders and achievers are human beings like you and me. What makes an individual to be called as a great leader or to be called as an achiever?

TM SHIVDAS NAIR, ACG ALB

The world has come to a standstill with the outbreak of dreaded disease COVID-19. Everyone is scared and we all felt, is it going to be “THE END”? As days passed by, slowly we all started to think differently. Sharpening or rehearsing the skill set which was left behind with busy schedules, learning new things, being with the family are some. In simple terms, we all became creative in utilizing the time benefiting to grow. Interaction online and communication is playing a predominant role. We share, care and in times get transpired from the information shared. Every individual is capable and has the potential to grow. The only difference is how an individual sees the world which is full of opportunities to excel in any situation. Human beings have the inbuilt capability to become what they want if they dedicate, work hard in the area of interest with creativity. People frequently ask how we can excel and be called as a master in the area of interest. It’s not unusual for people to compare themselves with others around them, and to feel superior or inferior towards them based on their strengths and their weaknesses. The thing is every individual is different, and we all function differently based on our personalities. It is important to know yourself and your capacities. Your strengths are things you can leverage on, things you can use to push yourself further. On the other hand, your weaknesses are not your downfall. These are areas you need to improve on. It is not something you lack. It is something you need to develop and build. Focusing on your strengths is about seeking opportunities instead of problems. Instead of focusing on the negatives, focus your energy on the things you are good at. Having said that, when you have something you are not good at, improving it even slightly can make huge change in your overall performance. Just months back it was assumed that we cannot conduct any meeting, contest in virtual world to its perfection. But as of day, all are working in the virtual world. Perfection, innovation and participation are getting better and better. As an individual, each one is learning to act, react and improve in the virtual world with creativity. When Palakkad Toastmasters came into the toastmaster’s fraternity, it was yet another club. But as the years passed by, the participation of enthusiastic members who work with an aim to achieve added with creativity in presentation acclaimed a place for the club in the fraternity to be proud of. Opportunities to excel are there in all walks of the life. It is the approach and the creative way to hold it that matters. Always believe I am, I can, I will be an achiever. Understanding, observing and working differently with creativity at its best will surely add the individual’s name in the list of great leaders or to be called as an achiever.

Believe it or not, Creative Outlook is Vital In Development. 21

Complain OR Rejoice?

The world has been gripped by the Covid 19 pandemic, a situation that has never before happened in my lifetime. Fear, panic and uncertainty looms in the air. Staying indoors for days together could take a toll on TM SAJITHA MADAN MOHAN one’s mental and physical health. But the posts and messages on various social media during the past few weeks is very reassuring…... people’s skill in the art of adapting to emergencies is truly amazing. Suddenly everything in life seems to be happening “Online” - Teaching and Learning, working from home, shopping for grocery and essentials, keeping in touch with friends and family. I see happy images of fathers spending time with kids which seldom happened otherwise due to their busy schedule, a thrilled mother trying out those hobbies that she had kept buried for want of free time. I saw videos of elderly people enjoying lighter moments with their loved ones, as if this was the time that they had been longing for. Songs, dances, magic, tips and tricks, creative ideas are being shared with the world. While we are all engaged in a mad race to gather fortune and success in life, this pandemic has taught us that life is not just about money and power but about family and relationships that have to be nurtured with love and care. So, rather than complaining about an invisible virus for bringing misery, why don’t we look at the brighter side of today’s situation? As Abraham Lincoln has wisely said “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses”. Fellow toastmasters, the choice is yours….. Stay safe and stay healthy

Things to do in Lockdown

After almost 12 weeks of partial lockdown, I think I have

TM MEENAKSHI KAUL

found some really useful ways to keep myself busy and not let my mind wander and start worrying too much about everything that’s going on! I would like to share the same with you all.

Before I start the list, I would like to thank the key workers in Bahrain, be it in healthcare, sanitation, courier, transportation, supermarkets etc. who have been tirelessly providing uninterrupted services and putting their own lives at risk! Things to do1. Read- This is the best time to build a habit of reading. As they say, “Reading is to mind, what exercise is to body”. 2. Start a new hobby such as video games, dancing, singing, cooking, baking, crochet, painting… the list goes on! Try to really dedicate this time to getting into a new hobby. 3. Puzzles are a great way to keep your mind occupied for hours on end. I recommend jigsaws but also puzzle books of crosswords or word searches etc. would definitely keep you busy too! 4. Volunteering - If you can, you could try volunteering for organizations such as ICRF, MWPS or other local community groups in Bahrain! 5. Stay active and exercise- For mind body balance, Yoga is highly recommended. You can also walk, run or workout to keep your body active. Set self challenges for yourself on a daily or weekly basis. 6. Raise money for charity - You could simply set up a fundraiser on Facebook or a fundraising website or start your own sponsored event such as a sponsored silence or a sponsored runs! There are plenty of ways you could raise money for charities that really need the money just now. Socialize digitally with family and friends - It’s so tough not being able to meet the people we care about during lockdown. Socializing digitally can really help you feel connected and helps your mental health. Remember to always wear your face mask when outdoors, maintain social distance and most importantly keep washing your hands or use a sanitizer at regular intervals.

STAY SAFE AND STAY HEALTHY !

The Rays behind the Dark clouds December 2019, the beginning was from Eastern side. The thick dark clouds started forming over there! Earlier no one paid much attention to the news as it did not disturb them. But gradually the situation started changing. The channels got headline space. Within a month or two the invisible and unwelcomed guest travelled from continent to continent, cities to towns and villages. People started disappearing TM RAMESH KUMAR from common spots and went into self-exile in their own homes. School classrooms become a haunted place. Beaches, malls and movie houses became deserted. No take offs, flights are on `breaks on’ position at ground. No more Overfly Permits and Landing Permits!! No whistles from the trains and no sirens from the factories. Fully loaded ships anchored at ports. No more traffic jams at signals and busy streets. No goals from the football grounds and empty galleries at stadiums. Knee high grass growing in playgrounds. No sixes and boundaries, the score board become stand still!! No record breaking at Olympics. Spiders started making their webs in office rooms, star hotels and food joints! Hollywood and Bollywood stars started spending value time at home. Handshakes has become unacceptable and `Namaste’ has got recognition all over! The seconds needle moved clockwise as usual, restlessly! Sanitizer, face mask, social distancing, quarantine, isolation, video conferencing, virtual meetings and virtual classes have become commonly used words even among children. ‘COVID – 19’ is the culprit behind all such untoward happenings and creating such a scenario in the world. Clear skies, fearless fly for birds and pollution free atmosphere are the visible changes but at the cost of million deaths due to respiratory failure, shortage of oxygen cylinders and ventilators. Maybe it is God’s decision to give a warning signal to the human beings with a reminder that the universe is not meant only for them! Things may change hereinafter…. A new lifestyle will take place. Face mask may become an unavoidable stuff while stepping out and it may come out in matching colours and shapes! Workers uniforms will consist of face masks as well. Sanitizers will find place in each pocket or handbag. Let us avoid the fear. We have successfully chased out similar dreaded ones like, Nipah, Ebola, MERS, Spanish flue, Smallpox, AIDS (up to an extend). No worries, we will overcome from the state of this life. Once again school bells will ring, office canteens will serve sandwiches and milkshakes. We will have to wait to get the traffic blocks clear. Parks will be filled with children, balls will roll at play grounds, galleries will be filled with fans, huge sixes will come out from the bats, wickets will fall, score boards will start flickering, Ace serves will happen at clay and grass courts, Olympic and World records will break, race cars will be back at F-1 tracks ….. ….. the dark clouds will move away. The sun rays are ahead. It is a matter of time for the antidotes or the vaccine. Yes, let’s await the hope of rays, the blue skies.

Living through a Pandemic

From Stone age to Digital age…..we are the only living

TM MOHAMMED SHAFI

thing that has consciously evolved. Unfortunately, now we are challenged by Covid19. But why do we panic so much about this virus? The answer is very simple - we are so fascinated to life.

I am sure in the nearest future we will find a remedy for this virus but presently it is a bad state of affairs. Normal life has collapsed globally. If we have to remain alive, we need to understand the precious opportunities that we have. Please remember, we are blessed with choosing freedom of personal and social activities and freedom to stand strong with goodness. People are always impatient to achieve their greedy needs. They are in a hurry to gather materialistic comforts and positions which they are always attracted to. Even powerful personalities in the society and many organizations are continuously exploiting common people’s efforts without any mercy. The plight of the farmers and labour communities and their living standards can be taken as an example. Before the pandemic situation, we believed that busy work schedules are part of life, but now we got accustomed to the work from home culture. We are aware that the Chinese meat market was the source of this dreadful virus. So, in the light of mutation of the corona virus, it is imperative to take steps to set up sterilization protocols like surgical tools and other appropriate sterilization methods. Otherwise an attack by the mutated virus is going to have catastrophic effect and will ruin mankind forever. While such unforeseen challenges are beyond our control, as self motivated, enthusiastic and responsible humans, how can we tackle this challenging time for the goodness of all? Recently I attended a short course provided by WHO about COVID19. It has given me a better understanding of the activities and responsibilities of the Health Care sector and now, I am able to respect and recognize the health workers more sincerely. Fellow Toastmasters, being aware of the threat that surrounds us, dealing with it sensibly and appreciating those committed frontline risk takers who protect us……that is the need of the hour. A short course like the one I attended could be an eye opener for you. It will add meaning to our lives and that too, free of cost.

Think before you ... There is a famous quote from Buddha – “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates.”

TM DIVIYA RAMESH

Is it True? Is it necessary? Is it kind? We are also familiar with another phrase – “Before you speak, THINK.”

Here each letter of the word THINK represents different gates: T- is it True? H- is it Helpful? I – is it Inspiring? N- is it Necessary? K- is it Kind? But nowadays, the phrase THINK before you speak is not relevant. In reality, we speak very less. In today’s digital world, all our communication is through social media. So the words of Buddha must be slightly changed. THINK before you FORWARD. We always listen to respond, not to understand. This is the common thing happening in social media. Suppose you read the title of a post as “A true friendship between deer and tiger. Tiger saved the deer from a hunter. ” The moment we see it, we think of the kind-hearted tiger. We will post the comments like… All friends must be like that tiger. Good friends will save us from any problems we face. A friend in need is a friend indeed. But if you take a few seconds to realize, if you take a few seconds to understand … then you will know that the tiger actually killed the deer but it was portrayed in a beautiful way. We always try to react to everything, we don’t take time to understand when it is in social media. This is how fake news happens in social media. Even if unintentional, it is affecting many people. So, let us take a few seconds to understand before we respond in social media. Make sure you are listening to understand, not to respond. Fellow Toastmasters, before you like, comment or share any post on social media, First UNDERSTAND and then THINK

PTM Meetings in Posters

Executive Committee ON

An Experience to Cherish Forever Year 2019, an eventful year in my life. The experiences I had in this year were all memorable. However, I will cherish one of the mind-blowing experiences of the year throughout my life – coordinating the YLP program of the club We started our program on 1 Nov 2019 with 25 participants. For the first time we had a multicultural, multinational group of participants. Very vibrant, energetic, enthusiastic children with lots of creativity and variant skills. That was a new journey, not only for the participants, but also for my team and me. I had a great mentor, advisor of the program TM Sajitha Madan who helped us to understand the full workings of the program and support that was needed to make it a great success.

TM DR. BINDHU NAIR

We set our goals before the start of the program. We aimed at delivering themed sessions based on our event theme- Explore Experience Excel, more interaction with parents, which will enhance parent’s awareness of the program, focus on participant performances, and good time management with more innovative approaches enriching participant experience. How we prepared ourselves?

We started our planning a month in advance with initial meeting with coordinators TM Supriya, TM Sunitha and advisor TM Sajitha Madan. That meeting itself we were able to allocate tasks among ourselves and that gave us ample time to prepare. We had several meetings and telephonic conversations before start. We also prepared a tracker template to track participants’ progress. This was done to ensure that all participants completed the requirements. Tasks were divided among ourselves to ensure that all coordinators engage equally throughout the program. Change is inevitable and doing things differently,trying different approaches always yielded better results. We tried to approach things differently and ended up with amazing results.

We made our registration fully online, which eased the traffic of registering on the first day. A brochure was distributed to the parents for providing extra information of the program. We had regular meetings including virtual YLP poster release by Club mentor and Club sponsor, meetings. The use of standardized templates in the presence of PTM President, YLP advisor and YLP coordinators for all handouts and presentations, a wellexecuted mentoring program were among the highlights. Finale witnessed the video journal of the program Odyssey. Unlike previous years, we handed over print and electronic copies of the materials we used for the program to the club EXCOM. The aim of the 8-week program was to teach participants to be better thinkers, listeners and speakers. Every week we had the immense pleasure of seeing the young leaders grow from strength to strength.

Other key factors contributed to the success of the program: Staunch support from the EXCOM throughout the program. 29

Thorough preparation and planning before and during the 8-week session. We benefited enormously from the support of experienced toastmasters and our advisor. Most importantly, having a group of young students who were willing to engage enthusiastically with the program and take a lead in the weekly planning and delivery of the sessions. Videographed all speeches and sent to the participants that helped them to improve their delivery of speech. Mock session before finale and regular motivational message / calls to participants. Some tips out of experience: Invite participants from previous years to share their experience on the first day. Assign typical toastmaster role for example TMOD; Topic Master; Grammarian etc. Coordinator would act as General Evaluator at the end of the meeting and give each participant feedback on their roles. Be creative with the sessions and plan the themes around the current seasons or topical subjects at that time. Look at some famous great speeches, for example, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream……” and encourage a class discussion on why this speech is powerful. Invite a professional public speaker to come into your YLP to talk to your group. I believe that YLP program gives the participants a very valuable speaking experience that will set them for career and life. Not just the communication and leadership, but other talents also were appreciated by utilizing them in the video journal. The name, cover page etc were participant’s creations. One parent showed her gratitude when she commented, “I was amazed to see my son standing on the stage and delivering a speech. You have done an excellent job with him. Thank You.” There were showers of gratitude from parents on the confidence they have witnessed during the finale. The program had changed my perception that I cannot successfully interact with young minds. It gave me the confidence to speak, to organise and to lead. The self esteem and confidence bar is raised to a greater height after the successful completion of the program, I owe my gratitude to the EXCOM 201920, DTM Madan Mohan Ambat, DTM Krishnadas Nair, DTM Sajitha Satheesh, TM Shivdas Nair, TM Divya Ramesh, TM Chitra Ramesh, TM Sajitha Madan, TM Shafi, TM Jaykumar, TM Ramesh Kumar, TM Meenakshi, TM Sreejith and all my fellow toastmasters who contributed to the program. Special mention to the Gavaliers for the support from beginning until Finale. Last but not the least, my team of coordinators. TM Supriya and TM Sunitha. A big salute for the hardwork and dedication that you have put in for the success of the program.

YLP 2019 Team hands over the report 30

Women & Toastmasters You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation - Brigham Young 1973 was the year when a woman was officially permitted to become a Toastmaster. From that time onwards and as TM BINDHU SHIVDAS of today there are 54% women in toastmaster’s fraternity worldwide. The presence & participation of women in education and self-development programs is steadily increasing, day by day. In the true sense, a woman is the very existence of nature. She is “shakthi” and the very embodiment of supreme energy. A woman is the personification of ageless beauty, selfless love, grace, dignity and great inner strength. In Toastmasters, self paced program and accessible network of clubs have helped countless women to find their voices by helping them to become more confident leaders. As a result, they have assumed leadership roles in their careers, community and have improved their quality of life. In Palakkad Toastmasters, we have 51% women members. The presence of women in the club has brought in innovation in conducting versatile meetings, to be a name to reckon with on social media, creating a bonding, influencing the growth of club along with taking active roles and responsibilities at all levels in Toastmasters. As we behold the toastmasters core values of INTEGRITY, RESPECT, SERVICE, EXCELLENCE, the growth of members without gender bias is rest assured. Believe in yourself, I am.., I can.., I will… Move forward with your dreams, this is your time.

Mini make up COT presentation

The Life Long Transformation

When my son asked when is our next travel for vacation ?

started to realize that its been few months since we travelled anywhere. I used to travel frequently and the last was in Feb’20.

The past 4 months has provided an opportunity to study once in a lifetime moment, the transformation that has happened to Individuals and Organizations during the unprecedented global pandemic. One thing common to all was the accelerated change to digital operations and improving the skill set they have. Even we at Toastmasters have now changed the meeting platform to Virtual media and have tried novel ideas to improve the skills.

TM SAJEEV MENON IP 1

Leveraged digital technologies so that we don’t stop our desire to become better leaders Developed new process and practices Redefined models for collaboration and teamwork These developments are changing even at the organizations that we work in, and new methods of being in business are being tried out.

Companies are becoming more transparent in their approach on decision making. Higher level of transparency and information sharing is a norm to go forward. It is interesting to note that Video meetings is gaining acceptance across the world and will be a medium of communication and will be accepted as a new norm. This is now being believed as more efficient, direct, goal oriented and brief than in person meetings. But at the same time, we need to acknowledge that it reduced opportunities for personal conversations and small talk which was traditionally saved to strengthen relationship bonds. With the new digital environment in the work front, lifelong learning will become a norm and growth mindset will be crucial for all to survive in the future. With many of the employees working remotely, Leaders in work environment are NOT confined to address the immediate middle management level and now has to take the role of change managers within the organization. They will have to actively engage in developing talent and technical skills to align all employees with the organization. Top Management is now able to see which leaders can adapt to the new work environment with boarder leadership competencies. This is where the relevance of being a Toastmaster gains significance. To develop boarder Leadership competencies, be effective communicator to larger audience, actively engaging them in conversation and help them to achieve their ambition. There is no better time to become a TOASTMASTER.

Read… reflect … react “I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a book”- J K Rowling

From the moment we start our schooling, our educators emphasize on the fundamentals of reading. We learn from the alphabets to the unique sound each letter makes, then words to complete sentences. We are taught to read to comprehend better and communicate. However, the benefits of reading go far beyond that. The more we read, the more we understand the world around us and discover life beyond what we already know. Here are some more reasons that highlight the importance of reading a book. 1) For better communication Books not just improves our communication skills but also our vocabulary. It helps in developing language skills and fluency, allowing us to express our thoughts and ideas better. 2) Providing education Books quench our thirst for knowledge. The right books are full of information that helps us to become smarter, more skilled and open to ideas. 3) Maintaining brain health Books play an important role in stimulating our mind. This keeps the blood flowing to the brains, preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Healthy brain helps to focus more and develop analytical skills. 4) Reduce stress Books help us to be immersed in another world or involve us in a topic we find compelling, thus reducing stress and anxiety. 5) To motivate us Books have the power to inspire and motivate us with stories of people who made something of themselves despite all the odds. They encourage us to never give up, keep moving and remain positive. 6) Stimulate creativity The right book can ignite our creativity by inspiring new dimensions and adventure, and we can open our minds to new possibilities. There are definitely much more benefits of reading a book than mentioned above, which cannot be contained in an article. Books and libraries are treasures. With the advance in technology our favorite books could be found in just a click’s reach. Its never too late to crack open a book and replenish your soul.

TM DR. ATHIRA MENON

“UBUNTU” A very nice story from Africa, the motivation behind the Ubuntu culture in Africa….

Once TM JAYAKUMAR

an anthropologist proposed a game to the African

tribal children. He placed a basket of sweets near a tree and made the children stand 100 meters away. Then announced that whoever reaches first would get all the

sweets in the basket. When he said ‘ready, steady, go!’…. Do you know what these children did? They all held each other’s hands, ran together towards the tree, divided the sweets equally among themselves, ate the sweets and enjoyed it. When the anthropologist asked them why they did so, they answered “Ubuntu” which meant – “How can one be happy when the others are sad? Ubuntu in their language means “I am because we are” A strong message for all generations Let all of us always have this attitude and spread happiness wherever we go. Let’s have an “Ubuntu” life…………. For me, I felt toastmasters are also like “Ubuntu”

have joined Palakkad Toastmasters Club (PTM) in the year 2019. During this period, I

had an opportunity to learn and upgrade my skills. My mentor and fellow toastmasters are very cooperative and motivate to do club role activities. Giving a gentle push myself, I delivered Ice breaker speech “Gentle Push”. In 2020, another milestone was that of taking role of Toastmaster of the Day and elected the same day as Sergeant Arms (SAA) of PTM for the Year 2020-21. I have accepted the position as a challenge. Now I am preparing to give the best service as SAA to the club. I am happy to be part of new excom. I am sure that with the support of all members we can take PTM to greater heights. Thanks to Palakkad Toastmasters for providing an excellent platform for everyone to showcase and develop their communication skills. 34

The Controversialists

Friends, have you ever been a part of a debating team? How was your experience?

TM SREEJITH RAJA, MS 1

I had a few opportunities at various points of my life. Let me present those learnings that I received the hard way during these experiences. Initially, when I attempted the debates in my school, my sister used to guide me to formulate a strategy.

Firstly, even before I decided to oppose or support the motion, I used to document all the points with facts on two sides of a paper. Then I used to feed them into my mind. By the time the debate started, I had all the points ready in my mind. I used to wait for the moderator to assign my stand on whether to oppose the motion or support it. Never was I ever worried about winning or losing. So my suggestion, ladies and gentlemen, is research your topic both ways and be ready do either of the roles. Leave the rest.

The Ditty Girl When I met her first, She was a baby in my arms Her bubbie then Kept her on my lap.

As she grew up, She learnt music And sang well, Enthralling the audience.

“How cute”, my first words to the baby Eyes closed and a toothless smile Was the response

The voice was mesmerising And captivating She lent her voice to many poems In her mother’s diction.

When she was two years old, My wife met her for the first time, With a gift of a toy parrot And the angel held it tight n happy.

The Czarina is a good paint-dancer Painting many sketches Aah my angel, They are beautiful.

She was a cute doll In a yellow dress All set for her uncle’s wedding And was the star of the day.

Cutie loves pets, Birds, dogs and cats, Feeding them before she Has her share of food.

When we met her after many years We gave her a bunch of Deep Browns, We saw her eyes filled with tears of joy For it was a first time for her to be gifted that way.

My nephew, the smart boy, Always charges that She is being pampered And he gets the chides. By Sreejith Raja 35

Bright Cool Moon

On 26

TM SUNITHA RAGHU, CC 4

February 2020, my children had already hit the bed

and it was around 10 P.M. Before retiring to bed, I casually checked my messages and noticed the strangely happy news. The educational institutions were closed down for 14 days as a preventive measure to contain the spread of Corona virus. My husband’s company also had decided to operate for less, flexible hours.

OOOph. Such a great relief, no need to get up early in the morning at 4 am …can sleep for more hours, relax and chill. Much awaited break from the boring routine, I felt that it was a blessing in disguise. I could spend more quality time with my beloved kids and with my very loving husband (really, I mean it!!!). The first two to three days were very peaceful and after that, my husband’s walking and talking on phone for hours together, his watching TV till midnight, children’s endless discussions on animation and spaces, having brunch, staying awake till 2 or 3 am like nocturnal birds…….these were making me crazy. Soon we started getting on one another’s nerve… To my horror, an otherwise workaholic husband who never found time to come home for lunch, began coming home for lunch, also forwarding food and different recipe videos from Youtube with a note “for your kind Information and action please.” Finally, I ended up spending more time in the kitchen, teaching and playing with my kids, entertaining them. To get some break from them, I used to go to the terrace but within minutes, they would follow. I wished that we could have the earlier so called boring routine life, wherein, I had my personal time to think, write, exercise, relax…I wanted that that “ME TIME”. One month, two months, 100 days…School never seem to open. Here emotions are running high for all of us. Varied mood swings… Some time I yell at them, “Do not follow me everywhere, Give me a break…”. One day, I wanted to be away from the maddening trio and went up to the terrace. To my pleasant surprise, I saw the spectacular Triangular formation of Moon, Saturn and Jupiter on the southern end of the Sky. I ran down to call my kids and showed to them, we were elated to see the spectacular scene. Suddenly all our trivial issues vanished… After two days, when we again went up to

Level 1 Pathways

Level 2 Pathways

Level 3 Pathways

Level 4 Pathways

DISTINGUISHED TOASTMASTERS of 2019-2020

Congratulations!

DTM Sajitha Satheesh

DTM Madan Mohan Ambat

PTM in Zoom world! “Where there is a will, there’s a way”

Palakkad Toastmasters Accolades

The ENRON Debacle

Dec.

TM VIKAS MENON

3, 2001. Black Monday. The day that Enron declared

bankruptcy. Founder, CEO and Chairman of Enron Kenneth Lay had left a voice mail on the phones of all Enron employees asking they come into the office regardless. Nearly 5,000 were called to a massive meeting and told that the paychecks that they had recently received would be their last. Three weeks before Christmas.

After the company’s demise, the investigating U.S. Congress discovered an Enron vice president, Sherron Watkins’ memos to Lay and other top executives. Watkins was soon lauded as an “internal whistle-blower,” brought before Congressional and Senate hearings to testify against her former bosses, and heralded by TIME magazine as a “Person of the Year,” with WorldCom’s Cynthia Cooper and the FBI’s Coleen Rowley. The Enron debacle was anything but simple, but what were a few of the reasons why it happened? Had management lost its way or was it a ticking time bomb from the beginning? Many experts summarize “what happened” at Enron using two words, greed and arrogance. An accurate summary, but it fails to help others learn from Enron’s demise. How did greed and arrogance run amok at Enron? How did a company’s culture breed not only corruption from its own employees but also disreputable behavior from the outside auditors, lawyers, consultants, and lenders? Enron was at one time the seventh largest company in the United States, based on Total Revenues. It collapsed into bankruptcy without ever reporting a losing quarter. More than $60 billion of shareholder investments became worthless; Enron owed $67 billion to its creditors, 20,000 of them who will or have received on average, 14 to 25 cents on the dollar. Nearly 5,000 employees lost their jobs with no severance pay or medical insurance, and far too many of Enron’s employees also had all their retirement monies invested in Enron, losing not only their jobs but also their retirement savings. What happened? It was a complete breakdown in moral values. But the scary part is that the breakdown was not done by outright intention but more by small steps in the wrong direction. Certainly, Enron was not a ticking time bomb from its beginning; in fact, the company started life in 1985 as a merger of two large U.S. regulated gas pipeline companies that had been in existence for decades. One of Enron’s early mission statements was “to become the premier natural gas pipeline company in North America,” a laudable, non-arrogant goal. However, by the mid-90s, Enron had changed that mission statement, first, “to become the world’s first natural gas major” and then in 1995, “to become the world’s leading energy company.” Pay attention to the words a company uses to define itself and its goals. A great deal of arrogance can be seen in the 1995 mission statement. Enron was a large company, but primarily it was still a natural gas company and nowhere near the size of the Exxons and Shells of the energy world. [In 2001, Enron’s mission statement was “to become the world’s leading company.”] By 1995, the company had been very successful. It had transformed itself from a stodgy regulated pipeline business to a state-of-the art energy trading shop, which eventually handled more than 25 percent of the country’s gas and power transactions. The natural gas market had deregulated and Enron came out on top of the newly created energy trading industry. Folks were fairly cocky at Enron. The company was the top 42

dog in energy trading; competing companies either moved to Houston or at least moved their trading operations to Houston. Enron made the city of Houston the Wall Street of energy trading. Enron’s ability to evolve and shape the energy markets in the United States earned the company accolades from many sources. Harvard University did a case study; Business Week, Forbes and Fortune routinely covered the company in a favorable light. In fact, Fortune named Enron the most innovative company in America for six years in row, beginning in 1996. Unfortunately, the dark side of innovation is fraud. Enron’s leaders set the wrong tone, so did Arthur Andersen’s leaders. [Arthur Andersen was Enron’s external auditor.] In the end, both companies put revenues and earnings above all else -- the means by which those earnings were generated did not matter. Ken Lay was well known for his charitable giving and his verbal commitment to Enron’s four core values - respect, integrity, communication, and excellence -- but he was not quite walking the walk. He always had us use his sister’s travel agency. Trouble was that it was neither low cost nor good service. Domestically, you could manage, but when it came to international travel -- that agency was very nearly incompetent. Ken Lay was setting the wrong tone. He was in effect letting his managers know that once you get to the executive suite, the company’s assets are there for you to move around to yourself or your family. The CEO of a company must have pristine ethics if there is to be any hope of ethical behavior from the employees. In some perverse way, Andy Fastow [Enron’s CFO who was originally indicted on 98 criminal counts], could justify his behavior, saying to himself, “Well, my creative off-balance-sheet deals are helping Enron meet its financial statement goals. Why can’t I just take a million here and there for myself as a ‘structuring fee,’ just like Lay has been taking a little Enron money and transferring it to his sister for all these years?” CFO Andy Fastow operated (and partly owned an investment partnership) LJM partnerships. He used these partnerships to mask hundreds of millions of dollars of losses on Enron investments. How was Fastow able to construct such complicated deceits with the tacit approval of top executives plus accountants and attorneys inside and outside Enron? Enron had allowed Andy Fastow to enter into an unprecedented conflict of interest. Because he was CFO, his fiduciary duties included looking out for the best interests of the company while also becoming the general partner of this investment partnership, LJM, where he raised $500 million of limited partner monies and was charged with maximizing returns for limited partners. The major point to stress is how and why company leaders must have a zero-tolerance policy for ethically challenged employees. It is probably the hardest role of a CEO, but when he or she discovers that an employee has violated the company’s value system, that person must go. That’s a tough one for most. Often, we feel it’s compassionate to forgive and forget and give them a second chance. And if the violator is a star, a superstar, who is great with the customers, or great generating revenues then you really want to forgive and forget. Trouble is that once you do that, you’ve sent the message throughout the organization that the value system is second to producing the numbers, second to being great with customers. Go ahead, push the edge of the envelope; if you get caught, you’ll get a second chance. So

what’s

the

moral

the

story?

Being an ethical person is more than knowing right from wrong. It is having the fortitude to do right even when there is much at stake.

Humor Express

In ancient days, nations settled their conflicts only through wars. In modern days, man tries to settle differences through the more civilized ways of diplomacy and dialogues.

TM SUPRIYA PRADEEP CC CL

“Laughter is the best medicine” as is the saying, studies have shown that a sense of humor makes life much easier, just like how healthy food and exercise are important for our body a daily dose of humor can improve our mental and physical health. Sense of humor is an important quality in leadership. People who impart sense of humor in their lifestyle showed improved self-esteem, greater confidence, better performance, positivity, social bonding and overall become a successful leader. Fellow toastmasters let us walk through some great men and women who possessed humor in abundance. In this article I have adapted and compiled some humor of great personalities who have encountered in their lives from various sources. You will enjoy reading them just as I did. Winston Churchill, who successfully led England throughout 2 world wars, was an exceptionally witty man. Once a society lady insulted him saying if he was her husband, she would poison him. He coolly quipped (witty remark) that if she were his wife, he would drink it. When Gandhiji was visiting King George in London, he made no change in his sparse attire, with no shirt on his back. A palace officer commented, “Mr. Gandhi do you think you are sufficiently dressed for the occasion?”. That instantaneous reply from Gandhi was “His majesty has enough clothes for both of us.” The most recorded humour is perhaps from the worlds of literature, journalism, cinema and theatre. Samuel Johnson the compiler of the first dictionary proposed to a lady who helped him in his life. She responded, “You should know that I am poor and have no connections. To make it worse, an uncle of mine is hanged.” Johnson replied to her, “I am poor too, have no connections either. No relative of mine has been hanged until now but have many who deserve to be hanged”. Later Jhonson married that lady and it was one of the happiest marriages in the world of literature. Among Indian writers, Kushwant Singh is the one most associated with humour through his personality and writing. When actress Nargis requested the use of his Shimla cottage for a holiday, K S said, “Sure, provided I can brag to everyone that you slept on my bed”. Nargis guffawed. Later, both became members of Rajya Sabha and someone introduced Nargis to KS. Nargis said, “I know him quiet well, in fact I have slept on his bed.” The politicians around were shocked, but KS and Nargis roared with laughter. In 1930 there was a controversial politician in Britain name Johnston. He was asked the difference between a tragedy and a calamity. He said, “If Johnston were to be drowned in The Thames, that 44

would be a tragedy”. But if he were to come out alive, then it would be a calamity”. Once Johnston made an unpleasant remark about government. Entire media was against him and devastating attacks on him, but he did not respond. A journalist asked him about this and Johnston replied, “Just imagine the amount of free publicity I got all last week!”. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was another politician known for his humorous remarks. During election meeting, PM Indira Gandhi told the gathering that she was a daughter of UP and daughter in law of Gujarat and was seeking votes on that basis. Vajpayee later said: Mrs. Gandhi had forgotten to say she was also the Mother in law of Italy. This humorous remark of Vajpayee had brought the BJP a lot of votes. A legendary Kannada dramatist is known as one and only Kailasam for Kannada. One such humorous dialogue between Father and son was written in “The Hotel Ayyari and his son.” Ayyari: Hey, have you performed well at least in this exam? Or did you do worse than that Thiagalayya? Son: This time that Thiagalayya did not come. I have answered all the questions. Father: What did they ask and what did you write? Tell me. Son: How does a moon look? From ammavasya to pournami, how moon changes and look like. All that I have written. Father: What did you write?

Son: The moon on ammavasai night looks like one painted black…. On the 2nd and 3rd nights he looks like kajur(dates), then he becomes like poli…. Then he looks like a fried pappad. During pournami day he looks like a dosa. The stars look like a burning cracker… the clouds look like vadas floating in blue water. They even asked how sunset looks like,I have answered that one also. Father: I have my own doubts…. When they have asked questions, you took hotel after hotel and put them on your answer sheets….. all right… how did you describe the sunset? Son: I wrote that sunset looks like a kesaribath ball floating in yellow sambaar. So, fellow toastmasters we had some humor reads from some famous people around the world. Similarly, every one of us possess humor known or unknown in us. Let us nurture it to build a weaponless world. Written and Compiled from the internet.

EDUCATIONAL AND LEADERSHIP ACHIEVEMENTS

PTM Virtual Social Meet

“RADIANCE”

GEMS of Palakkad Toastmasters Area to District contest

“A winner is a dreamer who never give up” - Nelson Mandela

U turn

DTM Sajitha Satheesh honoured by The Indian Club Toastmasters

- Master SGT. Roger Sparks

“When you go beyond yourself , magical things can happen”

Hard Work Paid Off

Who is the Current President of Toastmasters International? DTM Mohammed Murad DTM Lark Doley DTM Richard M Peck DTM Deepak Menon Who is the Current CEO of Toastmasters International? DTM George Yen DTM Balaraj Arunasalam DTM Daniel Rex DTM Deepak Menon What is the ratio of Male & female presence in Toastmasters worldwide? 46%- 54% 58%- 42% 62%- 38% 55%- 45% When was the first unofficial Toastmasters meeting held? 22nd Oct,1924 24th March,1905 18th April,1902 21st Sept.1923 In which year was the website of Toastmasters International launched? 1980 1984 1995 1974 Which age group has highest presence in Toastmasters worldwide? 18-24 yrs 25-33 yrs 35-44 yrs 45-54 yrs Who is Toastmasters International President Elect, 2020-21? Matt Kinsey Radhi spear Donald Bittick Margaret Page Where is Toastmasters International Headquarters located currently? California Colorado Arizona Birmingham How many Districts are there in Toastmasters as of TODAY? 114 103 130 120 How many Regions are there in Toastmasters as on TODAY? 11 15 13 10

How many PATHS are there in PATHWAYS? 11 10 12 14 How many LEVELS are there in PATHWAYS? 5 3 4 6 Name of the Lady who was the first female member in Toastmasters and the First Lady President of Toastmasters International? Joanna McWilliams Jana Barnhill Pat Johnson Helen M. Blancard Name the Region 11 Advisor (District 20) Elect, 2020-21. DTM Ali Shahbaz Ali DTM James Taruc DTM Sunil kottarathil DTM Philp Varona Name 2019 world champion in Public speaking. Lucia Montalvo Aaron Beverly Ramona Smith Manoj Vasudevan

In which year was Toastmasters magazine first printed? 1924 1949 1933 1973 In which year did Toastmasters International celebrated its 50thanniversary? 1984 1974 1970 1954 In how many countries Toastmasters presence is spread as of now? 143 123 130 128 In which Year did the Newsletter of Palakkad Toastmasters became a reality 2014 2017 2018 2013 In which year was Palakkad Toastmasters YLP started? 2012 2014 2011 2013 Name the TOASTMASTER OF THE YEAR 2018-19 in Palakkad Toastmasters. TM SAJITHA MADAN TM CHITHRA RAMESH TM RAMESH KUMAR TM SUNITHA RAGHU 52

Name the DISTRICT 20 DIRECTOR 2020-21. DTM WAFA SALMAN DTM ALKA KUMRA DTM ALIFYA LAKDWALA DTM MOHAMMED SALEEM How many Division will be there in Bahrain in 2020-21? 4 5 3 6 Name the newly formed Division in Bahrain. E X G I Name the Divisions in Bahrain from 2020 June onwards. A,B,F,U,G,J,K A,S,D,G,H,I A,B,C,D,I,F,G A,B,C,D,E,F In which year were women officially permitted in Toastmasters? 1924 1973 1970 1984 During the time of chartering, what was the member strength of Palakkad Toastmasters? 39 44 35 38

ANSWERS 1. DTM DEEPAK MENON 2. DTM DANIEL REX 3. 46%- 54% 4. 24th March 1905 5. 1995 6. 35 - 44 yrs 7. Margaret Page 8. Colorado 9. 120 10. 15 11. 11 12.5 13. Helen M. Blancard 14. DTM James Taruc

15. Aaron Beverly 16. 1933 17. 1974 18. 143 19. 2013 20. 2012 21. TM SUNITHA RAGHU 22. DTM MOHAMMED SALEEM 23. 5 24. I 25. A, B, C, D, I 26. 1973 27. 35

EXCOM 2019-20 “A successful team is a group of MANY HANDS & ONE MIND” - Bill Bethel

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you 54

We are ONE

“Team Work is the fuel of our Success” We meet on 4.30pm to 6.30pm At Al Namal building, Salmaniya Kingdom of Bahrain

Website : www.ptm.toastmastersclub.org Facebook page: Palakkad Toastmasters

Instagram : @toastmasterspalakkad 55