eloQuence Issue No 62

eloQuence ISSUE NO. 62

JUNE 2021

VALEDICTION

“THEY MUST OFTEN CHANGE, WHO WOULD BE CONSTANT IN HAPPINESS OR WISDOM.” – CONFUCIUS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 Presidential Address

04 WMC Communication

19 Perspective

73 Celebrations

02 VPPR's Message

09 Feature

32 Reflections

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK Dear Members, In the beginning of the year, we announced that we will publish the eloQuence every month. This then is the last edition of this series in our term.

In the beginning, we got excellent responses from our members which did boost our confidence. However, over the months, it became difficult to get articles and we reached a stage where we started questioning our decision of wanting to encourage people to write every month. Were we expecting too much from them?

We are glad that with the exception of one month, we could manage to release an edition every month and the credit goes to all the members who supported us by sending their articles. I am sure that this little step has contributed to immense learning and has improved our writing skills.

A big thanks goes to the entire editors’ panel led by VP Public Relations Sukumar. For every month, he came up with a unique design and features, which made every edition a delight to read. Editing the articles at the very last moment was a herculean task. Our team of editors DTM Rekha, TM Apurva, TM Kiran, TM Murali, TM Priyanka, DTM Manoj and DTM Thuraya worked tirelessly. These minds and fingers behind the scenes made sure that the quality of write-ups was of high standard.

WMC is known for such unique achievements. I am sure that this will have a long-lasting impact on the upcoming eloQuences, which will raise the bar of WMC further. I also take this opportunity to thank the entire Executive Committee for their support in fulfilling this challenge.

Keep reading. Keep writing.

TM YASHODHAN ABHYANKAR

| PAGE 01

VPPR's MESSAGE Dear WMCians, Here we go! The 11th edition of this term (62nd edition of eloQuence) is on your screen. I am amazed that in one term we were able to produce 18% of all eloQuences made till date. This term represents 6% of all terms completed. We reimagined the eloQuence logo this term, we worked hard on the editions to give them a stylized magazine look, we won many awards and accolade this term for this prized in-house magazine of ours. Of the 5 editions submitted for the district PR awards- 4 of them won. Then we stopped submitting for awards as we wanted the other clubs to feel the jubilation of winning as well. Producing an edition required hard work, time, and there were other deserving newsletters in District 20 too, where an entire team was putting effort. They deserved to get recognized, we had our share…

As your VP Public Relations, I am not being pompous here, I am being sensitive to the fact of the vast amount of time that was required in creating and designing an edition, proofreading the articles, and editing the newsletter. It was a delight to produce the editions when members contributed (after all it was their newsletter) but when the flow trickled, we also had to recalibrate on what was needed to fill the white space.

Did we over-commit as Excom, did we spoil the member experience rather than improving it by constant follow-up? These were some of the thoughts that plagued us for days. I owe a huge thank you to President Yash who followed up multiple times with members, with personal phone calls, messages, to get the article.

When we wanted more, he would push the Executive committee members! The goal was to make members write, to get their creative juices flowing, and use the stories they wrote for eloQuence in their speeches. After all, to speak well, we all needed a strong script!

I would like to thank the following members for their active contribution over the term. Our president- 10 out of 10 editions, TM Abdul Rahim (Our President-elect)- 9 editions, Dr. Babu, TM Norman and TM Pragathi - 8 editions, DTM Rekha- 7 editions and finally Joe and Masood- 5 editions each. Our first edition had the maximum articles (18) and the April fool’s edition had the least (4 articles). eloQuence a month (well, almost 😊) would not been possible if I did not have support from key people: - DTM Rekha Utham who was the contributing editor in 7 out of 11 releases.

- TM Murali Udayakanth- Articles editor for 6 out of 11 releases.

- TM Priyanka Gaikwad- Articles editor for 5 out of 11 releases.

- TM Manoj Pandey - Articles editor for 5 out of 11 releases.

- TM Apurva Divakaran- Articles editor for 4 out of 11 releases.

- DTM Thuraya Juma- Articles editor for 4 out of 11 releases.

- TM Manu Menon- Articles editor for 1 out of 11 releases. | PAGE 02

This team put in so many hours into reading the articles, editing them to make them look better yet retain the original author’s essence. Rekha’s training to the team into looking at the detail, followed by her sharp eye for the elements, the team picking it up with precision, and even when articles came after the edition was finalized the team still did the edits and proof-reading: this team rocked. They made my life as a designer easy. eloQuence would have also not been possible if I did not have the pro edition of Canva which the Excom, Ganapathyji, and founding president Dr. Babu Ramachandran wholeheartedly supported and paid.

As I hand over this role to a very capable TM Prabodha Kumar Sarangi who I am sure will take the role and the club forward in the next term what will remain with me are the moments…the number of calls between me and Yash on article counts, me and Dr. Babu whose passion for writing articles and digging into the WMC black briefcase repository was legendary (we have spoken on eloQuence, articles and PR stuff almost every other day over the last year), me and Rekha on so many occasions on design elements, I and the subcommittee team on Trello board for the article edits, me and myself with the late-night design sessions and, me reliving my advertising days all over again…the moments are many!

I would like to thank each and every one of you for giving me the opportunity for living those moments. They will live with me forever. With much gratitude, I sign off as your VP Public Relations.

Au-revoir!

TM SUKUMAR SWAMINATHAN

| PAGE 03

WMC COMMUNICATION

STATUS

| PAGE 04

Education Achievements

DCPs

| PAGE 05

Membership Achievements

DCPs Three members celebrated their TMI anniversaries

| PAGE 06

SPEECHCRAFT & YLP ACHIEVEMENTS

| PAGE 07

Executive Committee (Nominated) President

TM Abdul Rahim Hasan

Vice-President Education

Vice-President Membership

Vice-President Public Relations

TM Ovin Harsha Kumar Crasta

TM Ponnambalam Thirumalai

TM Prabodha Kumar Sarangi

Treasurer

Secretary

Sergeant-at-arms

TM Raghu Kumar

TM Nidhi Wadke

TM Rajeshwari Chouhan

Immediate Past President

TM Yashodhan Abhyankar

| PAGE 08

Term 2021-2022

FEATURE

WMC PR Studio!

Hosted & Coordinated by TM Prabodha Kumar Sarangi

WMC PR STUDIO

Excerpts from President's interview with TM Prabodha

His experience as the President of WMC Toastmasters:

It is an honor to become president of such a renowned club in Bahrain. I am really grateful and thankful to all the members and club for giving me this opportunity.

Key Achievements of the term:

Some of the major achievements include our grand celebration of the 400th meeting commemorating the success of 400 meetings of WMC Toastmasters, 11 editions of eloQuence in one year, and achieving the President’s Distinguished Club status. We also did 3 speechcraft workshops and 1 YLP session. We are going into next year with 30+ members is a big achievement considering the current scenario.

Key Challenges of the term:

The biggest challenge was in conducting online meetings and maintaining the enthusiasm of members. We tried making the meetings more interesting by introducing different themes, telling a story at the beginning of each meeting, and so on. Still, by the end of the year, we realized

that

the

meetings

were

becoming

a

bit

monotonous.

Future/ Plan Suggestions for the club:

I am very positive about the future of our club. We have good member strength. Most of the members have started their journey in Pathways. Many members will be completing second or third levels and a few of them might complete a whole path as well. New talents are emerging, promising, and exciting year lies ahead.

Message to future Executive Committee:

You are a wonderful mix of people with different aptitudes. Focus on the quality of the meetings by making the sessions entertaining. The last meeting of the year has given us a glimpse of the hidden talents of our members.

Utilize this for making the meetings more appealing. Invite guest speakers and encourage our members to deliver the speeches in other clubs. This will surely excite the members. | PAGE 09

WMC PR STUDIO Excerpts from VP Education's interview with TM Prabodha

His experience as the Vice President Education of WMC Toastmasters:

I took role of VP Education at a time when my business was not going so well. I felt that it was an opportunity to learn and only by doing things we learn. I felt that as VP Education I will be playing a very important role in making sure that people are learning and continuing their education in Toastmasters. As with any role challenges arise and I found myself doing a lot of follow-up with constant encouragement that was required. By taking up this role I feel that I have improved myself as a leader.

Key Achievements of the term:

Being in a club where many have dramatically contributed to the success of the club over the last decade and a half, I am privileged to say that I did not have to do too much work in terms of achievements. this was because every person made sure that they were contributing with maximum effort for the success of this club. With respect to the VP Education, there are 6 DCP points that are required to be achieved, and with the support of all members, we were able to achieve

9

DCP

points,

between

education

and

membership to once again bring the President Distinguished Club status back to the club.

Key Challenges of the term:

One key challenge that which every VP Education probably faced was in asking members to take up roles for the club meetings. At times I had to ask people, encourage people to take up the roles because I truly believe that every role that we take in Toastmasters adds value to us as individuals, as leaders, and as communicators. To that degree, the challenge was to convince people, though I don't see that as a challenge rather a hurdle as I was able to overcome along the way.

| PAGE 10

WMC PR STUDIO Excerpts from VP Education's interview with TM Prabodha

Future/ Plan Suggestions for the club:

I always see WMC Toastmasters scaling heights and being different. One of our veteran Toastmasters and among the founding members of the club Dr. Suresh said 'be different, think outside the box.' At WMC TMC we had achieved so much, we have been the first in doing a film festival, we have done wonders in terms of exploring theater through shows such as Massrahiya. Our founding President, Dr. Babu's has won 1st place at an international level in Toastmasters. I believe this year we can reach another level as a club by going to the District contest levels, if not in all but at least in one of the speech categories. It’s been a while since we have done that.

Message to future Executive Committee:

Always keep your head high. Things are not going to be easy because we are not dealing with sheep, we not dealing with cattle; we are dealing with human beings. And in our relationship with human beings, as leaders, we must combine our IQ and EQ so that we can encourage and empower, It is not just about achieving our goals for the club but also making sure that our members are progressing step by step on the objectives they had while joining WMC Toastmasters. It's going to be tough, it's going to be frustrating at times but never give up because the vision that we should have is always for a brighter future.

Don't think short term, always think long term!

| PAGE 11

WMC PR STUDIO

VP Membership and the office's challenge for the term

Challenges

make

our

life

interesting.

Overcoming them makes our life meaningful.

The key role of the Vice President: Membership (VPM) is to ensure more guests attend our meetings, convert them into prospects and then into

club

members,

and

finally

retain

club

members. The Membership office’s goal is to keep the membership numbers up!

We had set a target at the beginning of the term to bring 12 new/reinstated members to the club. We have achieved 8/12 which is 67% of the target. In turbulent times, considering the Pandemic, we have given the target a good shot!

In this term we came across many-a-situation when it came to current renewals and new member inductions: Few members and prospects lost their jobs and had to relocate to other countries or sometimes even back home.

Many members and prospects faced serious financial crunches and opted out of anything that was not a primary expense.

Few

members

and

prospects

were

not

comfortable with meetings being held over an online

platform.

They

preferred

offline

meetings.

Physical contact restrictions to meet guests and prospective

members

limited

the

office’s

possibilities of going further and achieving more!

| PAGE 12

WMC PR STUDIO

VP Membership and the office's challenge for the term

Yet, WMC Toastmasters has achieved the following awards during 2020-2021: 1. Smedley award (5 new members between Aug 1st to Sep 30th).

2. CGD-C5 Lead & Win Sep Award (September renewals for minimum 20 members as of 10th Sep’2020).

3. CGD-C9 Renewals Fast Track Award (Renewal for 20 members by 28th Feb’2021).

4. CGD-C1 Outstanding Motivator Award (20 members retained on 30th Apr’2021).

5. CGD-C4 Golden 30 Award (Minimum 30 active members as of 15th May 2021).

I would like to thank all WMC members, their families Executive committee officers, and well-wishers of our club during this tenure to make the above happen.

| PAGE 13

WMC PR STUDIO

VP Public Relations and the office's challenge for the term

Different folks, different strokes!

While Covid-19 wreaked havoc in our lives- personal, professional, and Toastmasters and our ways of life; certain factions benefitted. Social media, digital branding, online presence, and digital Public Relations thrived. While the Excom president, VP Education, and VP Membership were innovating to find new ways to keep things going, the situation in PR was on a roll. My challenges were many, but they were achievable, fun (except a couple), draining yet

value-adding,

and

some

soul-searching.

I

am

presenting them in a chronology and how I was able to overcome them with help from many quarters.

1) Consolidate the club’s social media accounts and access and link them to WMC Toastmasters: gracious hand was extended by members, senior members, and ex-members.

2) Update designing skills: District PRM TM Maram’s Canva initiative with DTM Cajetan Baretto, DTM Roshan Lewis, TM Bijal Karia, DTM Nada Qambar and TM Leslie Lesderma over 3-4 sessions addressed that gap. What was required was some time and commitment. I must mention TM Bilal’s nudge to get me there in the first place.

3) The eloQuence a month challenge: I have probably mentioned this 100 times and my editorial note is dedicated to that 😊 4) 400th Meeting Coordinator: one of those projects where I had a time of my life. The 400th committee meetings presided by Dr. Babu, Yash, Ganapathyji, and Rekha where I ended up as a co-coordinator. The meeting’s video coordination with Murali and his teammate Joby, the tech set-up, and the running around. That one and half month just passed like a flash!

5) Failed Ph.D. admission interview: it had to happen, I did not dedicate any time to this!

6) Mother-in-law’s passing away: I was never so torn apart.

The kids and I could not go due to the situation in September-2020. Anjana had to travel 25 hours to reach home (which normally took about 8-9 hours including transit) and the fact that I could not spend time consoling her as she traveled alone… | PAGE 14

WMC PR STUDIO VP Public Relations and the office's challenge for the term

7) Youth Leadership Program- 10 meetings/ 10 Fridays of learning. I assisted Rekha on this project and more than imparting, I imbibed knowledge and techniques. Of course, I wonder how does she make time for all that she does in life?

8) PR Awards: 17 awards including the best PR award for Jul-Dec 2020. It was fun to get nominated. The process was a bit long but why should I complain 😊?

9) Contest Committee: Club, Area, two Divisions, and District (Dec 20-May 21): PR and Marketing work devoured my free time. Participation in the contest committee roles is the main reason why Suhaan and Haasya (my stars) hate Toastmasters!

10) Table-Topics Contestant: A treasured couple of months of learning for me and Ovin from guru DTM Rekha, Dr. Babu who swapped between being Guru and Shisya. On the sidelines all those discussions with TM Rahim and Dr. Babu on technology were memorable.

11) Realignment Committee (RAC): nominated as a secretary, this was again a drainer as not only it involved minutes but also coordinating with the division directors on many occasions. This was going fullon until Covid struck me. The timing was bad and the RAC had to function the last leg sans me.

12) Covid-19: Tired, tired, tired (15 days+ another 30 days after that).

13) Becoming a Mentor- I am still puzzled why would someone of Ponnambalam’s stature pick me as a mentor. Sometimes in life, we are chosen!

14) Refusing Excom role (and a few other roles in District 20): I had to get my life back on track and focus on personal goals. I refused Dr. Babu and Ganapathyji. It was difficult and they have been so kind throughout but they were gracious.

In all this, my wife and kids have worked hard, aloof, and sacrificed a little more than me. My friends and I have shared a little less time over the last year. Life is like this...

And that’s why I said Dr. Babu and Ganapathyji were gracious- they understood. Rekha was happy for me.

They all have been on this path before. They all said- give time to your family and your goals…! And I am going to.

| PAGE 15

WMC PR STUDIO Treasurer and the office's challenge the term

You might have been an expert in integration and differentiation, yet being a treasurer will teach you that you haven't learned addition and subtraction properly.

The math just will not add up and credit and debit will not match. On top of it, the WMC treasurer has to contact everyone twice in a year to request for membership fee for the next 6 months. People are busy with their life and WMC Toastmasters' membership may not be on the top of their agenda. So sometimes I have to contact them again. This is part and parcel of the job as a treasurer and I have no complaints about it.

I used to be good at mathematics and used to love solving math problems. I had a strong gut feel when it came to mathematics. Once I sat for 2 and a half hours on a single trigonometry problem and cracked it. I think this was nothing compared to the problem I faced when I was completing my first membership renewal cycle. I received dues from everyone, and I renewed for everyone. However, I seemed to have spent BD 18 more than I have received for membership. Such a simple problem, no 'Sin Θ' or 'Cos Θ' involved, no 'd/dx', just addition and subtraction, that too in excel sheet.

After banging my head for a long time, I realized that I haven't put in my membership fee of BD 18!

Once I

accounted my membership fees into credit, accounts matched. This confusion came because Treasurer will be using his personal account to deal with the money received and paid.

The Pandemic may have played havoc in many a Toastmaster treasurer’s life across the fraternity but at WMC Toastmasters the problem was relatively of a much lesser magnitude.

Thanks to the strong roots of WMC Toastmasters and all the members! | PAGE 16

WMC PR STUDIO

Secretary and the office's challenge the term

“Every

challenge

that

we

face

is

the

opportunity to become better than we have been before.”

It was an amazing experience to be a part of the Executive Committee and unbelievable too.

The most challenging part was my own fear to communicate with people.

The initial documentation and the search for it made me feel like an explorer. It felt a bit daunting!

After the initial jolt, I kept wondering how to make the meeting discussion short and sweet yet covering all the points comprehensively.

After all, the minutes of the meeting were read and approved- I shuddered at that initially. But I did get better and better over time.

In all I must say that I still feel a bit disappointed that the whole term happened online- I was not able to work on improving the real art of communication!

Thank

you

to

encouragement.

| PAGE 17

team

members

for

the

WMC PR STUDIO

Seargeant-at-Arms and the office's challenge the term

I came to Bahrain in 2016 and this was my first experience working outside my home country. I did not have many friends to hang out with or activities to do, hence my wife suggested joining Toastmasters. I started searching for clubs in the kingdom, and after some deliberation, I joined the WMC Toastmasters club.

Initially I was quiet and did not take up many projects; I took time to blend into the new environment. But in time I have realized that WMC functions like a group of friends where we are hanging around, sharing our experiences while learning. I slowly started to come out of my comfort and took roles. In 2020 I got an opportunity to take the leadership role of Sergeant-at-arms ( SAA). Initially, I was not sure if I was ready, but I took this as a challenge for this term.

When I became SAA the pandemic was well in place for all of us and it was a different experience. All our fortnightly and Executive Committee (ExCom) meetings turned virtual. I still find it strange that during this term i.e. all of 20-21 the ExCom met only one time physically.

Furthermore, because all meetings were online my biggest challenge was to start meeting on time on the zoom platform, record meetings on YouTube, creating polls before the meeting started. We actively coordinated over zoom/ WhatsApp… all this rolled into something that gave me great learnings!!!

I thank all my ExCom team, especially our president who was always encouraging and positive in the most challenging of times.

| PAGE 18

PERSPECTIVE "April Fools' Prank"

REFLECTIONS

DTM (Dr.) Babu Ramachandran One more year of Toastmastering is coming to a close. On June 30, 2021 (to be precise-at midnight) the reins of WMC TMC will be handed over to a new set of office-bearers. However, the continuity will continue.

Experiences/ Achievements of the year gone by “. This is what the current Excom especially the ever-vibrant VP PR has requested of us. Quite a good topic - reminiscing the past is what is expected. I wish to approach this from a different angle - My Toastmaster experiences, My Professional challenges, My Personal realizations.

My Professional challenges: From the start of 2020, the medical practice took a different path. Covid 19 had already entrapped humanity in its clutches. Little did we realize that this was just the beginning. Early 2020, we saw the virus spread its spikes in the community. Being part of the medical fraternity, analyzing reports and scientifically looking at the scenario experts predicted that by mid June, Covid 19 would be an entity of the past. Sadly, very sadly, all hopes were shattered.

For those who believe in the power of the Almighty (I do), it seemed as though an unseen virus was sniggering at humanity while the scientific and medical army was in the forefront all guns blazing. U-turns in the management of the disease was a common occurrence in 2020. Trials of medicines yielded some positive results.

However with information technology at our fingertips and with Dr. Google, Dr. Yahoo, and WhatsApp University professors chipping in, confusion reigned while the virus continued to snigger. Healthcare professionals in the forefront of the battle spent sleepless nights imparting tender loving care (I was not a front liner and the risks were relatively less for us in Bahrain compared to facilities such as SMC and BDF where ICUs were slowly filling up). Sadly, I too lost my dear colleague Dr. Solomon who contracted the disease and lost the battle succumbing to the illness in June 2020. Those haunting memories still hang over AMH. May his soul Rest In Peace. | PAGE 19

The battle continues. Vaccination is in full swing. Hats off to the rulers and government of the Kingdom of Bahrain who treat Bahrainis and expatriates alike providing vaccines free of cost and medical care without discrimination. I can vouch for this. Presently the numbers are going up here. The battle is far from over. A piece of advice dear friends (who have read this far) ... Please spread the word to all known to you to get vaccinated. Don’t worry about which vaccine to take. GET YOURSELF VACCINATED. Don’t pay heed to rumors. We talk of wearing our masks, Washing our hands, and Social distancing. Well ... a slight change we need Physical Distancing and Social Connectivity. This is the least we can do to be a part of this battle.

Avoid unnecessary travel and follow the protocols advised. I think that is enough regarding my professional challenges.

My Toastmaster experiences: Even before Yash and the team took over we had gone virtual. The smooth handover from Masood & Co. to the Yash & Co. was also an online affair.

I was and I continue to be happy about the way our club has adapted to the new normal. As I said earlier, the smooth transition from Masood to Yash and the online meetings we had are testimony to the teamwork in our club and the energetic Excom. This may be the only committee that has gone through one full year on the Virtual platform. If predictions hold good, the second half of the next term will (Inshallah) be in the board room of Crowne Plaza. Rekha’s dynamic leadership in the AMH Speechcraft continues to strengthen our treasury.

I have watched the growth of our members. Sadly “Pathways“ is still a challenge to me. I am grappling with Base Camp, Level 1, Uploading evaluations, ... oooh. My head is spinning. I won’t give up.

I realized that the competitive spirit is still in me when I took part at the club and Area level Table Topics contest. My gratitude to Rekha, my mentor for the contest, as well as Ovin and Sukumar my fellow contestants who helped me to “Break and Rebuild “ my technique.

My attempt at my first speech in Pathways I owe to Jefrey who goaded me on to test the waters. I am also not a fan of online speaking but I did it. There are miles to go before I sleep ... and I will continue my path in pathways.

| PAGE 20

I must touch upon my thoughts about the outgoing committee: Yash - the storyteller President who always has a unique tale to tell us.

Jeff- the committed VPEd who has a smooth way of getting us to take up assignments.

Sukumar- the VP PR who eats, sleeps, and breathes Toastmasters. His passion for bringing out ten issues

of eloquence is indeed an achievement. This was despite the poor contribution from the members (me included).

Anil- the VP Membership, my mentee who has kept on trying to add new members even in difficult times

and has succeeded in his role in flying colors.

Joe- the treasurer who gelled so well with his financial skills holding on to every fils and dinar.

Pragati- the Secretary, the youngest in the team but the way she has grown was an amazing experience.

Asif- the Sergeant at Arms, the no-nonsense person who impressed us with his crisp announcements.

Masood bhai- our lovable Past President who continues to be calm and composed at all times.

In a nutshell, my Toastmasters experience under this committee has been rewarding.

The camaraderie between all the members is indeed notable and this will be the hallmark of our club. I look forward to more exciting meetings in the coming year.

My Personal realisations: In this period of negativity, while we are battling against the positivity of an unseen virus that has chained humankind, what good reflection can I share?

In today’s rat race of survival, the best thing I saw was the way people have forged bonds breaking free from the confines of caste, creed, or religion. As the Vice-Chairman of the Indian Community Relief Fund (ICRF) our team noted the hardships people were going through ... Loss of job, no food at the table, no money for basic necessities, the constant fear of the situation back home where the pandemic was taking its toll of loved ones …

To support the needy, ICRF stepped in. The support from the community was an eye-opener. Individuals, companies, children contributed to the funds needed for the outreach activity. Team ICRF was able to provide dry food ration for hundreds of families, flight support for stranded Indians, medical and financial assistance, COVID 19 awareness campaigns, distribution of facemasks and sanitizers etc. All this was possible because of the voluntary unconditional support from the community. A few children broke their piggy bank and donated their savings to the worthy cause. No amount was considered meagre.

“Little drops of water make the mighty ocean”.

The helpline I manage received many calls from distressed people. It pains me to note that hundreds around us are going through mental turmoil, loss of jobs, visa issues, severe illnesses etc. We indeed are fortunate to hold on while COVID rages around. Each one of us can make a difference. I believe that while mastering communication and leadership skills, let’s brainstorm on how we can make a difference to those who need support..

The best thing I continue to learn today as we focus on the light at the end of the tunnel is that “I HAVE REINFORCED MY FAITH IN HUMANITY“, God Bless all of us and our families. Stay safe dears, Stay Healthy! | PAGE 21

WAS THAT REALLY A YEAR?

DTM Rekha Utham A year in which I did not see my daughters! If someone had said that you will live without seeing them for more than one and half years I would have said, “are you spinning the Snow White story all over again?” Both living just a few hours away and with a world-class airline offering me a joy ride, what are we talking about?

But it did happen. As if I was trapped in one of those Orwellian sci-fi novels, there I was unable to fly out of Bahrain. Short breaks to be with my sisters, long haul flights to meet family across the pond to loll by the side of a lake with swans swimming by (as if an English poem was visually unfolding around me), all felt like marathon plans tainted with ambition.

Trapped on an island about 765sq.km in size with 1.64million people in it I felt the same yearning as Columbus, Captain Cook, Marco Polo, Hsuan Tsang et al must have felt to see the big wide world out there across the seas and the mountains. Have you experienced this feeling, standing on a beach, with the waves gently lapping at your feet, the sea stretching beyond the vision of your eyes, suddenly this urge that grips you that you need to see where this body of water ends? I mean when I see the space photos of earth and it shows up like a giant blue marble...that edge where the water ends, and space begins?

With all the scientific evidence, explanations, photos, coordinates, theories it still has my jaws dropping more than anything that man has conjured up to create these highly technology-dependent comforts that have trapped us in rectangular boxes in tall concrete structures we now call home.

Wasn’t home some millions of years ago the forest where we gathered nuts and fruits from?

Wasn’t home the lakes and the rivers and the seas that we fished from? To endlessly wander around amongst nature, fearing the predatory animals waiting for their prey, honing our skills and instincts to survive we roamed the earth. Our needs were simple, water, food and shelter. One could sit under a canopy of stars in the night sky and wonder as to where did all this come from and who is the one who created all this! | PAGE 22

Now we can barely see a sky drooping down with clusters of stars billions of light-years away due to the electric lights and smog of pollution. We do not have an expanse to stand on but tiny balconies in high rises from which we peer up into a sky vaguely seeing some flicker. We turn back and look inside and see a square box filled with gadgets for living…every kind of activity that we call living. Cooking, bathing, washing, cleaning, learning, entertainment!

To have time for leisure and entertainment we have invented all these gadgets around us, handheld, remote-controlled, voice-activated devices that give us physical rest and our brains a true holiday.

Algorithms decide what we should think! Of course, depending upon the patterns, we exhibited. We became prisoners of our own patterns.

So, at the time when a tiny virus with gigantic power to spread and mutate arrived on the scene, we had lost all our survival instincts, free will, grit, and determination. We were so addicted to our comforts of instant gratification that we had forgotten what it is to be a community under the stars. Where else would you see a species that kills its own not for food, but for greed and power, for lines drawn across glacierfilled mountains and quick-changing slithery sand?

That was the challenge of the year. To try to be human again. To step out and stop and stare as the poets said. To see beauty in a flower that blooms from a bud. It was difficult because I had no patience, used as I was to time-lapse photographs of flowers blooming! To stand still, so that the stray cats felt confident enough to approach me cautiously. I was always rushing around in a flurry that they always scattered away when they saw me coming. To sit still and savor the beauty of a moment in silence without a smartphone.

Fighting against that addictive urge to post the scene on social media. To be... Just to be!!

That was the challenge of the year! To patiently wait in your own home for the virus to stop its war dance and retreat into the depths of depravity from where it came. To really value the things that you had and feel grateful. To realize how little, you actually needed to be happy. To feel the need of others and reach out because of that realization. To savor every moment and create memories and not a barrage of posts and photos on Facebook. To feel blessed in the home that you are in and learn to nurture every corner of it lovingly, rolling up your sleeves to cook and clean. To realize that it is people and your connections with them that makes you whole. To focus on the essential things like food, water, and shelter by nurturing and sustaining their sources. That was the challenge of the year!

To be human again. | PAGE 23

THE YEAR THAT WAS..

The last couple of years, some senior Toastmasters had asked me to join the executive committee, but I could not do so because of work pressure. Although the situation this year was not different, I decided to take up the challenge of balancing

work

becoming

the

and

social

‘President’

life of

by

WMC

TM Yashodhan Abhyankar

Toastmasters Club.

The biggest advantage in taking up this role was that I got a chance to talk a lot, probably more than any other person in the club. And that improved my communication skills. I have now reached a stage where I am able to identify my own grammatical mistakes as I talk. During my year as a president, I came up with an idea of telling a story in each meeting. This helped me in exploring a different angle of communication each time. I also got an opportunity to give presidential addresses at Speechcraft programs, which gave me tremendous exposure. Few years back, I was the chief coordinator of YLP and I had to address the crowd. I wrote my speech, got it corrected by Mugdha and read the speech in front of the audience. During this year, however, I did not write a single script. I used to gather my thoughts; prepared mini one-minute speeches while driving and spoke instead of reading during the meeting.

For me, this is a huge achievement. Writing an article for each and every eloquence was wonderful learning.

Prior to this, I used to write a bit in Marathi, but penning my thoughts down in English on a different topic every month improved my writing skills and language skills at a surprising rate.

I chose “Engaging Humor” as my pathway, thinking that I was good at it. After delivering a couple of so-called humorous speeches I realized that having humor in the speech and delivering a humorous speech are two totally different things. I got to know the difference between stand-up comedy and a humorous speech. Due to my interest in learning continuously about humor, I reached the division level in the Humorous Speech category. It’s an interesting pathway and I am learning a lot.

I took the role of chairperson for the second COT and I must admit that I failed in fulfilling the responsibilities.

It taught me a lesson that we do not take responsibility if we don't have sufficient time at our disposal to do justice in the role.

One aspect of public speaking that I am still afraid of is extempore speech. This year I hardly got any chance to participate in Table Topics. Well, it was not my fault. None of the Table Topic Masters called me to speak.

Probably everyone was bored of listening to me. Next year I want to challenge myself by participating in Table Topics.

Apart from toastmasters, one more positive change happened in my personal life. For quite some time, I wanted to get rid of the Dunlop tire around my belly. I have now started working towards my goal and I am confident that this year I will have to alter my pants.

It was a year of learning and unlearning. Looking forward to another new year where I want to further improve my communication skills and become a fit and healthy person. | PAGE 24

DEAR PAST, THANKS,

DEAR FUTURE, I AM READY…!

TM Abdulrahim Hasan

In retrospection, this Toastmaster year of 2020-2021 has been a watershed year for me.

As they say, “experience is one thing that you can’t get for nothing”. My experience was quite varied during the year.

Personally one of the most satisfying experience was overcoming my Table Topics jitters. Table Topics was one thing that always had me running for covers all these years. But this year I made a decision that I don’t need to defeat other Table Topics contestants, what I need to do, is defeat my own phobia of Table Topics.That was probably the best decision I made in this year. Now I feel that “deciding” is so important in life. Many people wither in life without ever blooming just because they have not decided to bloom.

I sat down, read about Table Topics, studied various topics, watched youtube videos and practiced hard. I practiced in front of the mirror, my walls, to the cows, and to everyone I came across.

I was the Table Topics master and I was the commentator.

Finally, I could see the result of my practice. I won 2nd place in Division this year. But for me personally, I was second to none…!

Now I firmly believe in the saying, whatever your mind can conceive, you can achieve. I also managed to complete my level1 and get into level-2 whilst taking up other assignments in the club meeting. I missed only one meeting in the whole year (due to a division contest).

I also made lots of quality friends in the year and strengthened my

current

friendship

through

constant

and

friendly

communication. I have realized that communication is the oxygen of any relationship, without it, relationships tend to wither down. This was also a lesson for me during this year. | PAGE 25

I have also made a few mistakes along the way. But I believe if you do not make mistakes, you are not moving forward. Taking risks, committing mistakes, and moving forward is the only way I think we can progress in life.

In my personal life, I have not been able to go to India since August 2019 due to the pandemic situation.

This has also given me a lot of time for reflection and retrospection.

I feel we would do ourselves a great favor if we could learn from each and every situation that we come across in our lives. We surely cannot design or compose the situations according to our whims and fancies but surely we can customize our reaction to the situations.

I also feel that I have developed a slight distance between me and my children due to the long distance and my prolonged stay farther from them. Sometimes, in life physical proximity is also important which cannot be substituted by any other means.

I am in the process of looking ahead in life towards a greater year as the past is a place of reference, not a place of residence.

I also had the opportunity to win a prestigious speech contest in Kannada (non-Toastmasters) which fetched me an honorary membership in Karnataka Club Toastmasters for a year.

So currently I am a member of two clubs.

My major objectives of the coming year are to improve my communication skills further, complete as many projects as possible, contribute to our club, read a lot and overall become a conscious and mindful person.

| PAGE 26

A YEAR OF

TOASTMASTERING! TM Kiran Poithaya I started my Toastmasters journey with WMC in July ’20.

Strangely

it

coincided

with

Toastmasters

functional year. So, every year it will be a good practice

for

me

to

retrospect

on

last

year’s

achievements and at the same time to set goals for the upcoming year. Then if I turn back and look into my previous year’s activities from a quantitative point of view will be as below: Delivered 3 speeches, including 1 speech outside of WMC. Taken up all 3 roles of TAG during club meetings including, being the Timer for Area Contest.

Participated in club debate, which was my first formal debate session in life.

From my qualitative point of view, after joining WMC TMC, I started investigating my communication skills, especially professional ones. I could find many flaws like numerous ‘Ahs’ I use while communicating. In the past year, I firmly believe I made improvements which in turn boosted my confidence. At the same time, I have a long journey to go before I call myself a “Confident speaker”. For achieving the same, below are my objectives for next year: Complete Level 2 of pathways before the contest season.

Participate in Club-level contests with a vision of moving to Area level & beyond.

Hone the impromptu speaking skills, especially by participating in Table Topics and taking up ‘Evaluation’ roles.

Beyond Toastmasters, I have included one personal/professional goal - to learn the language of the region ‘Arabic’. It is in line with my recent change in work this will be something I would like to take back home. I am looking forward to developing myself personally and professionally in the upcoming year.

| PAGE 27

WHAT A

YEAR!

Two things changed my life last year:

TM Pragati Kumar WMC Toastmaster Club. I never thought I will get an opportunity to learn so many new concepts. In the beginning, I was really scared to speak to an audience but over time I have improved myself and gained the confidence to speak in public.

I learned about Dogs in kindergarten and then saw them in photos or in my friend's house or movies. My life changed when in December 2020, last vacation, my brother bought home a German Shepard puppy…we called him ‘Sheru’!

In my mind, I was thinking this puppy is so little and it may take a while for him to learn anything, but I was completely wrong. One day he was howling, and I asked Sheru why are you howling like this (as if he understood the language, we humans speak)? To my surprise, Sheru kind of pointed at his food bowl while indicating to me… “I am Hungry, can you please take the bowl and give me something to eat?” It was just a matter of time and he started recognizing me, soon he began to sleep on my lap- only on my lap. Even before I could realize it he and I are so attached and close…

It was really funny when my elder cousin came in and got so scared of Sheru. He is a puppy to me, to others he may be Sheru! Overall, it was a great year for me. | PAGE 28

DIVE INTO YOUR

DREAMS! TM Norman Dass Covid 19 made bad days worse, businesses were down and just like a “cherry on the cake” I was tested positive. It took a month for me to recover and with that, my plans to go on vacation was dropped in 2020.

The dullest year ever of my Life!

March 2021, I managed to go on a months’ vacation. I made sure to literally live those 31 days. The highlights were a long ride on a bike with my wife & daughter, water sports with my family, and three nights stay in a resort. The best thing I ever did, fulfilling one of my dreams was “Bungee Jumping”.

My favorite quote is “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”.

I did Bungee jumping, something that I had always dreamt of. What dreams do you have? Go ahead, dive into your dreams, and make memorable moments. Cheers!!

| PAGE 29

EXPERIENCES DURING

THE YEAR! TM Raghu Kumar “Can we uninstall 2020, this version has a virus in it”? Pretty sure all of you saw memes like this swarming

in Social media. With countries and cities in lockdown and lives pushed to a standstill, Coronavirus has made communities alienated for its own survival. The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has fundamentally changed many things in our lives in the last year.

Here I would like to add my own experience, when people are losing their loved ones, I lost my mother (but not with Covid) a very sad and irreparable loss to us. However, for every low, there’s a high and it’s true in my case as well. After a breakdown there followed a great breakthrough, we were blessed with a son after many years of marriage.

The icing on the cake was that I got an opportunity to participate in a Leadership Development Program called ILP (Imerys Leadership Program) sponsored by my company IMERYS. This program was intensive 16 months training program conducted by Korn Ferry, a USA-based Management consulting firm that has a global footprint.

The training program was designed to improve leadership skills through various training sessions by leadership experts, intersession assignments, external coaching sessions by certified personnel coach, Micro lessons, Peer coaching sessions, and collaborative assignments with fellow participants, etc.

The original format was classroom training over 2 Modules (“Committed to Lead” and “Committed to Succeed”). The first module was planned in Paris and the second module was in Greece. But due to Covid 19 Situation, at the last minute, it was changed from classroom to virtual training sessions. | PAGE 30

The list of the topics was non-exhaustive but few important topics covered were “Stepping up to leadership”, Foundations for leadership, Coaching the team in transformation, Driving change for the team, Building commitment through communication,

Realising

talent

in

others, Leading across boundaries and so on..

In addition to virtual training sessions, the important and useful sessions I fund was the “One to one personnel coaching sessions” by an ICF (International Coach

Federation) certified coach. My coach Feryal was from Spain.

The coaching sessions were very informative and they helped me to gain very good insights on leadership in general and to “Lead oneself” in particular which becomes the first step to lead others.

The books recommended by my Coach and the institute such as “Hostage at the table” by George Kohlrieser and “Coaching for Performance “ by Sir John Whitmore helped a lot in gaining very

good insights. In this period, I have been reading about 15 books recommended by Korn Ferry - various bestselling books by prominent authors. I have completed reading some and I am in process of reading the remaining ones.

I completed my ILP program in the month of May 2021 and achieved my certificate.

This training program has helped me develop my leadership skills and become a better version of myself both personally and professionally. My learning journey continues as there is no end to learning.

As Steve Jobs rightly pointed out “ Learn continually, there’s always ‘one more thing’ to learn”.

Stay Safe and Healthy.

| PAGE 31

PANIC ATTACKS

TO POSITIVITY TM Nidhi Wadke Anxiety has followed me like a shadow since childhood. It has followed me wherever I went to. School, tuitions, out with friends, basically everywhere. When I came to 12th-grade things started getting better but it was short-lived! Once the pandemic began, I went back to square one.

Being a person who loved going out, whether alone or with someone, it was frustrating to be relegated to a room! Waking up every day became hard and I didn't want to face another boring day. Panic attacks had peaked up yet again, only this time they became so frequent that the pain numbed. The darkroom became my best friend and I felt that I knew this friend for ages. I recall once when my mom came in and said "This is not the Nidhi I know"...I didn't know what to say!

Just when it seemed overwhelming...college started. I started getting busy with college work, I also doubled it up by helping my mother with the home chores. That's when I realized that keeping myself busy is the best thing to do and that will help me! As time passed, I started getting better and as I got better I felt that it was important for me to reach out, try and help people like me. I went online, soon enough I started talking to people who were going through similar issues like me and I tried my best to support and help. When I did this, without me realizing it, I was also helping myself by being positive and by spreading positivity.

I still get panic attacks. It feels horrible but I tell myself that "This too shall pass. I will be fine. Good days are coming. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day!" I have learned to stay positive.

| PAGE 32

REFLECTIONS

The Journey

| PAGE 33

TM Murali Udayakanth

WHY TOASTMASTERS? “What you put into Toastmasters is what you get

To sum up, for me, Toastmasters is a platform to

out of Toastmasters”-I heard TM Khalid Al Quod

improve my presentation and speaking skills. It has

quote this. I strongly believe in it.

enabled me in adding those pauses, controlling my pace, ending with clarity, meeting people, and

TM David Lloyd, my client from Alba, had

networking. I am not a member of any social

persuaded me to join Toastmasters. He often said,

club and I don’t want to be a part of any rat race

‘Toastmasters

either. I run a Design Agency and I absolutely love

will

help

you

structure

your

presentation, reduce the speed in which you talk

to meet new people from different walks of life.

and it would be a great place to network’. That was years ago and though I had the intention to

WMC offers a cultural cocktail that anyone would

join Toastmasters, my work schedule didn't let me

undoubtedly enjoy.

then.

In 2006, TM Achath Kumar from EK Kanoo invited me to NSS Toastmasters Club. I participated in the Club Table Topics Contest, got my first ribbon and from then on, represented my club in many Area Contests. I enjoyed meeting people from God's Own Country and from various other walks of life.

I had enrolled with NSS Toastmasters right after my first visit. History usually repeats itself, and the same happened at WMC Toastmasters, where I signed up the very same evening. I was pre-sold to the idea of joining WMC as two of my ex-club mates were here and I missed being part of this movement where discussions were diverse and where thoughts, ideas, stories, and the latest information were shared.

8

| PAGE 34

TM Asif Shaikh

TM Thirumalai Ponnambalam

Before joining Toastmasters, I was not aware of

"Oh God, please, please, please; Not me! As a

it. But later, someone told me it is a club

student that was always my inner talk. I sat in the

where all Toastmasters meet every month to

class always with a fear of being called out by the

grow their public speaking and leadership

teacher to speak as part of a discussion or debate.

skills.

Due to that fear, I couldn't enjoy the discussions in the class or process the topics that were being

I don't have any problem while speaking with

discussed.

friends or family. But while speaking with an unknown person or with any senior authority, I

Things were not different when I started working

feel very nervous and can't talk with them for

also. I worked hard to compile data and make

more than one minute without any topic. Such

reports but always delegated the presentation part

clubs where one grows one's public speaking

to someone else and hence someone else took the

and leadership skills are very important. WMC

credit for all the work done. When this was

Toastmasters is a very active club, different

repeated quite a few times I decided that it is time

from

for me to do something about it.

all

the

other

Toastmasters

clubs

in

Bahrain. So I decided to take on this challenge to join WMC Toastmasters and develop my

Around the same time, a dear friend of mine

skills.

invited me to attend a WMC Toastmasters meeting. I felt very comfortable and saw that it was a platform where you can fail multiple times and learn. So I decided to join this wonderful group of Toastmasters. It has helped me to choose my current job as a Teacher which I could have never imagined to before. I chose to be the counselor for WMC Gavel Club to guide those youngsters to overcome their fear of speaking which I didn't have access to in my young age.

Even though the fear is still there, now I know how to manage it and still speak in front of a gathering.

"Oh, Thank God; It’s me!"

| PAGE 35

The Journey

| PAGE 36

TM Anil Kumar

TM Jefrey Abraham

MY BEST FRIEND Friendship always reminds me of "crispy pakodas", as it was over a plate of onion pakodas that I had met my best friend.

Hindi was a subject that I always found excruciatingly painful as it was not my mother tongue. In my youth, I had a habit of striving to excel at difficult things and that meant mugging up three Hindi compositions in the hope that one of them would be asked in the exam. In hindsight, spending more time on the subject I hated the most, just so I could get an It is not a particular friend!

A+ was not wise. This painful experience continued for several years until my mom found a tutor for me. I was

Throughout my life, different friends have

literally dragged to my tutor's house but a pleasant surprise

influenced various of my decisions in my life. For

in the form of my classmate Shyam awaited me. Thank

instance, my friends helped me in selecting the

goodness I didn't have to suffer alone. Nonetheless I was

right college program and choosing the suitable

determined to tell my mom that I was not going for tuitions

career for me.

again.

An hour into our session my tutor disappeared into the

Like many others, I also had or still have different

kitchen and soon the fragrance of something frying filled the

friends with different views and perspectives

air. It kept me wondering what it could be and I was soon

about life. I always tried to follow their good

greeted with crispy onion pakodas. It was my first time

qualities and at the same time tried to continue

tasting these bite size sweet and savoury delicacy. I gorged

with my own vision and way of life. At the same

down the first plate in a matter of minutes. Luckily there

time, we should not lose the values and the

were seconds.

qualities which have been inculcated in us by our parents. They are the source to our strength

Those crispy pakodas made learning Hindi a real treat. Soon

and confidence.

Shyam and I developed a deep bond as we overcame our fear of Hindi. We even saw our first Hindi movie together- the

My friendship motto is- "If Friendship were

surreal Jurassic Park (dubbed)! There is no better feeling than

flowers,

to

when we face our greatest challenges in life with a friend.

everyone and enjoy the fragrance that others

They make the journey crunchy, savory and sweet, just like

emit as well; without getting entangled in the

those crispy pakodas.

thorns!"

8

keep

spreading

the

fragrance

| PAGE 37

I believe that our tradition plays an important role in shaping our values in friendship hence I want to explore the idea of friendship. A friend has many names such as mate, friend, soulmate, dost, jigarjaan dost, mitra, sahridya, sakha, param

TM Manoj Pandey

sakha etc.

By and large friendship among women has received more attention and often portrayed as intimate, reliable, lasting, and less conspicious than those between men. But history has proved that gender cannot determine lasting friendships. Friendship is one of the sweetest emotions one can experience with fellow human beings.

The bonds and promises we make with each other allows us to connect at different stages of our life. The reference to friendship in Indian culture is made in Rigveda, one of the oldest scriptures of human society, which uses three terms to describe friendship. Sakha, meaning one who plays and eats. Mitra meaning ‘that which causes’–tra and ‘to bind’-mi; hence Mitra means "covenant, contract, oath”. Sahridya means having the same heart and compassion. Neither of this is the exact counterpart of the modern conception of friendship, nor is wholly dissimilar either!

In our tradition friendship takes place at two levels, for the sake of simplicity, I will name the two levels asthe metaphysical and the social level. At the metaphysical level, we ask what should be the proper human orientation and disposition? What should be our attitude towards the rest of the universe in contrast to the anthropocentric and theocentric which takes a cosmocentric view of it? A remarkable prayer in Sukla Yajurveda reads “Mitrasvaham chaksusa sarvani bhutani samikse” which translates into “I look upon all living beings with the eyes of a friend”. In Taittiriya Samhita, the author wishes peace to earth, trees, waters and to all sentient beings and prays that he may not unwittingly injure even the root of a plant.

I read in the world’s greatest epic Mahabharata that he who verily knows the substance of Dharma is always the friend of all. Friendship to all living beings leads to non-violence (ahimsa) meaning not only abstention from harming them but also the absence of a wish to harm them. It is “Sarvatha sarvada sarvabhutnam anabhi droha”, by which one completely holds onto peace with absence of hostility to all beings in every way, irrespective of the situation.

While being oriented to human beings and the rest of the universe in a spirit of friendliness, the individual also stands in a relationship of friendship with each and every creation of the creator, enjoying the diversity.

This state of friendliness is whole and complete; “Purana madha and purnmidam”-no discrimination of good and best friend. If you are reading this write-up, remember that I am an external version and you are my internal. How can I choose the best from you and ignore the rest of your existence? Every single thing is the creator’s blessings in my life. Everyone and everything is for me as I am for all. So my dear friend, the one with no name and all created identities you think you have even when you are completely nothing, I have faith in you. You are my best friend, contributing to every aspect of what you can in my evolution, so you are very special in my journey of life in this moment and in every moment forever.

Vishwa-Mitra – The Universal Friend

| PAGE 38

Do you have someone in your life with whom you can not only share your insecurities and your shames, but also talk about what’s working great, your success and risk bragging!

A fifteen-year-old boy super passionate about racing, bought a mountain bike and participated in a race, couldn’t recover a steep turn and ended up crashing the bike. Left arm in a plaster for almost two months! Can you even imagine! How it must have felt to be unable to ride a bike; such a let-down it must have been for not being able to

TM Bilal M Hussain

perform even the basic daily activities? Yes! The frustration made me feel as if I do not have an arm! And the only question in my mind was WHY ME?

When I was seventeen, the death of one of the most important person in my life left me emotionally broken! I was living all the emotional, physical, and social symptoms of grief! As a consequence, I could not appear for my exams and had lost a year! Again, the only question pestering me was WHY ME? To work in the Aviation industry had always been my dream, I applied, passed all exams, and later got rejected. A rejection that too for being under 21 was absolutely unacceptable! Why did they even accept the application in the first place! I was amongst another 100 applicants and I could see so many of them successfully winning their wings! Yet again, WHY ME? I reached a point where I started believing that perhaps I am star-crossed! I was in a tunnel with no end! Let alone the light!

But as they say “every cloud has a silver lining”, so did my dark clouds. I had heard that miracles happen, I got blessed to have a miracle with me, whose words always opened the door of courage in me, whose strong sense and acts of goodness always picked me back up and motivated me to fight my fears!

Opposites attract, we proved the science right! He is 6 feet 4 GIANT whereas I am 5 feet 4 hobbit! He is a walking example of the word “introvert” while I’m known as a conversation starter chatterbox! I always want to indulge in activities, while he is happy sitting with his cup of coffee all day long! Every other day I would think that I found true love! And he would say,“Naah! Not a perfect match!”

Yes! If I am to give the credit of my well-being today, along with my family, hands-down, it goes to my best friend Moosa! During all the challenging phases of my life, he ensured that I don’t feel alone! He invested his time and efforts to build our friendship, where both of us felt valued. He constantly fed our friendship with positivity and most importantly, he shared his stories with me, which in return made me feel safe and I too opened up. This synergy resulted in a drastic change in my attitude towards myself, it helped me recover and come back stronger than ever. He is the reason today Bilal is no more “WHY ME” and instead is “TRY ME”.

Dear readers, In this digital world, we all have 100s and 1000s of virtual friends, yet most of us will have to think hard as to who among them can be called close friends! Despite our growing social networks and interactions, surprisingly a huge majority of us are diagnosed with loneliness! This is also known as the number 1 health issue of our time because our so-called friendships lack SYNERGY!

| PAGE 39

Thankfully I have a friend! A genuine friend with whom you consistently interact, share your stories, someone whom you can trust, who when required can provide the necessary emotional first aid is the most important thing in life today! In fact, friendship is the cornerstone of any successful relationship! So instead of wasting our energy in adding thousands of virtual friends, with whom we only interact when FB reminds us of their birthday, let us identify, consistently invest our time and build the valuable friendships that matter!

Dedicated to Mooseee❣

TM Priyanka Gaikwad For over a decade, from the very first text in the morning, complaints start about my son not doing his homework and about the house help breaking a glass jar. From chilling out together over a cup of coffee after a long and stressful day, gossiping about office, laughing together till our tummies hurt on silly jokes, teasing each other and fighting over small things, to all the good and bad days, happy and difficult times in life - my best friend has not just been there for me but has lived every moment and every experience with me. He believes in me more than I do, knows me and what I want more than I do and most importantly, listens to me more than I do.

Having a best friend in life leaves no place for loneliness or fear. He is always there for you, right next to you when you need a helping hand, right behind you when you need support and right ahead of you to protect you from falling over.

It is said that after a few years of marriage, love fades away. I believe that love does not fade away but blossoms into a beautiful long-standing friendship for life. That is how I found my best friend.

A true promise that I will have a friend forever - my beloved HUSBAND (Best Friends Forever)!

Happiness is being married to your best friend, isn’t it?

| PAGE 40

‘My Best Friend’, a term almost all of us use to refer to the friend closest to us, someone to whom we can open up to, confide our innermost secrets and place our trust in completely. This request to write about my best friend got me thinking. And the conclusion is that in all honesty I do not have a best friend! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not socially awkward or anything like that but I really do not have a best friend!

I think it is to do with my personality. I am happy to be left alone, I am happy if I am not spoken to or happier if I don’t need to speak for months together. I am not the type who craves for company

TM Saju Ramachandran

and revels in moments when they happen.

I thoroughly enjoy it when I am amongst like-minded friends or colleagues but I am perfectly fine if they are not there either! It’s not that I struggle to strike or hold a conversation or feel uncomfortable. In fact, I can very well mingle in a crowd ranging in different age or interests, but it evidently does not come naturally to me. I have to kick myself into it when I need to as I am not a compulsive company seeker.

It also does not mean that I am depressed nor am I an ‘anti-social’; in fact, far from it! I have several friends and acquaintances. In my case, I have an outer ring and an inner ring of friends. The outer ring consists of people whom I don’t talk to that much, but I do see them and interact with them quite often- at work or at the gym for instance. They are not mere acquaintances, but they are not that close either. Then there are my friends in my inner ring. These are the people whom I can confide the finer details of my life if a conversation leads to it. However, even with them, I am not the one who initiates it. We are close but we are not on the speed dial either, if you know what I am referring to!

There are a variety of factors that determine who are and who are not part of your inner ring. In my case, it is my interest. 90% of the people in the inner ring are people with whom I have conversed with directly or virtually for 10 years or more. I have friends around the world whom I have met and have had a good time with when we were together. However, I am not one who will connect on Facebook to retain that friendship and this is true even with college friends! The only contradiction to this is a bunch of people I met on Twitter. They were complete strangers when we followed each other in days of Twitter naissance. I have met them in person and we are now good friends who can discuss anything under the sun. Again, even with these friends, I can get into hibernation for months together without a conversation and the relationship can bounce back from where we had left it when we reconnect. Guess that is the kind of friendship I am comfortable with!

Given a choice, I would not want to disturb a friend for anything, though I am quite delighted to help a friend who seeks out for my help and I feel honored to have been the chosen one. Thinking about it, I sometimes find my reluctance to fully trust and be friends with anyone a bit strange! However, I am glad to see that my children have not inherited my ‘hesitation’ genes and have many thick friends of their own.

When I see their camaraderie, I secretly feel happy that they are so not me in that regard.

It could be generational or for that matter a circumstantial thing! I grew up in a different era and circumstances where being circumspect was needed for survival. Generation Z sees no such threat. God bless them!

8

| PAGE 41

The Journey

| PAGE 42

TM Ganapathy Narayanan

WMC & ME

TM Nidhi Wadke

WMC Toastmasters and I share a bond that has

For quite sometime now I have heard about

been unbreakable ever since my first meeting as

Toastmasters and

a guest. I always wanted to be a confident

platform was to help people to improve their

speaker…in English, but sometimes I found it

public speaking skills, confidence etc. Yet, I did not

difficult as the fluency of language was not there

take a keen interest to join the movement until I

yet. WMC Toastmasters provided me with the

noticed that my stage fear was increasing. I finally

right opportunity to improve and explore my skills

made up my mind and joined WMC Toastmasters

as a speaker and as a leader.

Club.

In WMC Toastmasters we have the right mixture

In today’s world, communication and decision

of people with a focused approach. Nobody is

making

superior or inferior to one another, all of them are

leadership attributes. I believe that Toastmasters

sailing in the same boat with a helping and

can bring out the best in me and help me become

supporting attitude.

a better person not only in my professional but

skills

had a general idea that this

are

essential

for

developing

also in my personal life. The tool which I find most In WMC Toastmasters, the turnout of members is

helpful

and

significant

in

Toastmasters

is

high. Also, the vision and mission of the club

mentoring. Apart from it being an effective tool for

stands out as a symbol of unity in diversity.

shaping an individual and help them grow, the knowledge and skills of the mentor are like a

WMC Toastmasters took a risk of venturing into a

treasure chest to source from! Mentoring provides

few mega events, which later turned out to be a

professional networking and personal support

huge success. Each mega event was a unique

facilitating success in life. WMC TMC has really

experience of its own.

good mentors who are really helpful in bringing out the best in me.

As a charter member of this wonderful club I can confidently declare myself to be a proud WMC

To sum up, I am really grateful to WMC TMC where

TMCian…..

I can mould myself into a confident person and a be a leader of tomorrow. I am sure there are other factors as well which will help me to grow into a better version of my own self.

8

| PAGE 43

Pin drop silence and darkness like a winter night...my body was frozen with fright and emotionlessness. I was unable to say a word!

This was me, standing under the dazzling light of the elegantly decorated Meeting Hall of Crowne Plaza Hotel during the WMC Toastmasters Meeting. I was fully prepared to deliver my Ice Breaker speech but after the few initial words of gratitude, I felt numb and was lost for words. I had lost the sense of time, place and purpose. There was an ugly ringing sound in my ears and I was struggling to see through

TM Masood Shah

my wide open eyes. It was sheer darkness all around me.

I never hid in a crowd or stopped from expressing my thoughts in front of people. In fact, I had been teaching at a nursing college and had other opportunities of speaking to known crowds. But this time, the experience was different. After quite a few moments, it started dawning on me and I could faintly see two faces with beautiful and compassionate smiles looking at me as if saying ‘C’mon, you can do this’. The next moment I was able to see every one waiting patiently for me to speak. I picked up my lines and delivered my speech completely. I was awarded the “Best Speaker” for the herculean task that I did.

That was my first fight amidst the fear and vulnerability of fading and falling. My pride, happiness and sense of achievement touched the seventh sky. Later, in a few months I realized why I was awarded the Best Speaker that day, when I was voted the Best Speaker for a new Toastmaster. Besides those two beautiful smiles, there were a number of other people who affected me in the most positive way to educate and support me through my public speaking goals.

‘Masood ji, never say NO to any Toastmasters’ role!!!’ This was the proud VPED of the club. Who made me go through almost all the roles starting from TMOD to General Evaluator.

‘Masood ji, how’s your family back in your country? What happened to your daughter’s admission?’ This was one of the most senior and compassionate chartered members.

‘Masood, bring back your Ice Breaker (the end part).’ ‘Why sir?’ ‘I feel you can expand it to prepare a humorous speech for the upcoming speech contest.’ This was the President of the Club who along with another Toastmasters friend eventually made me a humorous champion.

‘TM Masood, I have observed that your critical thinking is exceptional! Why don’t you try to evaluate speeches?’. This was the VPED in the next year who made me a good evaluator and winner of Evaluation contests, although he had unknowingly engraved on me his own habit of going overtime.

The members of this club are so very bound with each other that they are ready to help everyone every time. Besides learning public speaking, I have made some really good friends here who are now friends beyond the boundaries of the club. I meet them at coffee shops and go to the movies. We visit each other’s homes and enjoy different cuisines.

| PAGE 44

My Toastmasters’ journey is ongoing with WMC Toastmasters Club and so is my goal of becoming a fine speaker because I believe there are no perfect speakers and there is always room for improvement. This platform has changed my life beautifully. I have worked and enjoyed in some very respectable positions like Vice President Public Relation and President of this esteemed club. WMC Toastmasters Club is a very supportive, convenient, and unbiased club that supports its members unconditionally. It is because of the great vision of its chartered members who have resolved to keep it intact. I had come to know that this club used to be a part of the World Malayalee Council and was dedicated to the same ethnic group only but the chartered members of the club were brave enough to make it accessible ‘to all.

And yes! Those two beautiful and compassionate smiles of hope were cast by DTM Rekha and TM Roshni sitting side by side. I will never forget that picture that got captured in my mind that day…

Long Live WMC Toastmasters Club!

WMC & ME

TM Rajeshwari Chouhan As a club member, it gives me great pleasure to write about " "WMC Toastmasters and Me".

I have always worked upon setting goals for various aspects of my life. I work on personal goals that are both short and long term. My communication goals and the Toastmasters way of achieving those goals made me contemplate for several days, and finally, I joined WMC Toastmasters Club .

I look forward to achieving my goals with Toastmasters movement and WMC Toastmasters Club.Thank you 😊

| PAGE 45

TM KIran Poithaya

TM Norman Dass

The Fight-or-Flight response is a physiological

Did I join Toastmasters so that I improve my leadership

reaction that occurs in response to a perceived

skill? The answer is NO. Did I join Toastmasters so that I get

harmful event, attack or threat to survival. I am

rid of Stage Fear? The answer is NO. Did I join Toastmasters

belong to the group who perceives public speaking

because I wanted to learn Public Speaking!? Hmm, NO not

as a harmful, threatening event. All my life, I had opted the strategy of ‘flight response’ to avoid public speaking. However, this approach was conflicting with my ambition of becoming a business leader.

That’s how I decided to switch my strategy to ‘fight response’.

My decision to join a Toastmasters Club was easy since the basic objective of this organization is to develop effective speakers. But the tough part in this process was joining the right club. One of my excolleague

and

a

good

friend

had

strongly

even that!!

My Life’s big day 14th November 2015, my relationship status in Facebook got changed from Single to Married. A year prior to that in October 2014, one day there was an email from my Manager stating “you are invited for Toastmasters meeting. Meeting begins at 7 pm. Below is the location”. I attended the meeting and saw people giving speeches.

In 2012, I had attended one of my friend’s wedding, in which the groom i.e my friend gave a speech on how the bride- groom met and how they got closer in relationship.

recommended WMC Toastmasters Club. I went on to

People were clapping in the hall and the scene was really a

attend couple of sessions as a guest. I had the

memorable one. That night I dreamt that on my wedding

privilege of attending The Annual General Meeting

day I too will give a wonderful speech. And when I

(AGM) as a guest and could witness the zeal of both

attended the Toastmasters first meeting, I felt YES this is

former and current members. I was really impressed

the platform which I was looking for. This platform will

with the people from whom I will learn immensely to

help me in gaining confidence in giving a beautiful speech

stride ahead with confidence. In the month of July

on my Wedding Day. And yes I did give a speech on my

2020, I joined WMC Toastmasters Club.

Wedding Day.

My dream was fulfilled. Many people

praised me for that speech. Whether they really liked my

WM Toastmasters Meeting No. 399 was my 3rd meeting as a member. I was formally inducted into the club in the very same meeting. In my short journey of 3 meetings with the club, I succeeded in completing my Ice Breaker Speech and also took up a role. This clearly reinforces how encouraging the club is in welcoming a new member to learn. I am confident that this journey will be a life changing one, both for my professional and personal life.

Although my heart says that I should have joined WMC Toastmasters Club much earlier, my mind consoles me with the adage ‘Better late than never’.

| PAGE 46

speech or they just said to make me feel happy that’s a mystery. Whatever it was, my heart was happy! Later I realized Toastmasters meeting is a good platform, where you can improve your communication skills, leadership skills, learn public speaking; which will not only help me in my professional life but also in my personal Life too, so I continued.

A journey of Thousand miles had begun with a single step of

“Toastmastering” in 2014 to fulfil one dream –One

Speech for just one day. Expecting it to help me in fulfilling many more dreams, in Life in the coming days.

The Journey

| PAGE 47

IT'S CONFIRMED! We have it in our ROOTS to agree to disagree!!!

10

1

9

2

8

3

7

4

5

| PAGE 48

6

The project that I enjoyed the most at WMC TMC

TM Ganapathy Narayanan

WMC JOURNEY Most memorable acting role in WMC TMC

Most remembered and respected faces in WMC TMC

| PAGE 49

DTM Rekha Utham

TAKE-A-BREAK

In 2019, I took many breaks and I am grateful to Providence for that intuition, instinct, insight or sixth sense whatever you may want to call it...

Apart from the innumerable Dubai and Amman trips to spend time with the daughters vacationed in

I

Mauritius with the daughters; a

most delightful week of food fun and laughter.

Then in December after attending an opulent Kerala wedding we rested and rejuvenated for three

days

at

an

amazing

riverside

resort

Cranganore Riverside Cafe with my sister and family as well as Utham's niece and family. This resort by the river is close to the recently excavated site of Musiris, the legendary port in Kerala mentioned in Greek and Roman historical

and trade records.

But my most memorable vacation is 2011 Onam when for the last time we 5 siblings spent an Onam together with my mom. A year after that vacation we became just 4 sisters.

| PAGE 50

TM Sathish Mudalayil

TM Sathish Mudalayil

with HE Dr. George Joseph - Ambassador of India to Kingdom of Bahrain.

Memorable moments in Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines...

With Jagathy /Sreekumar & Kanippayoor

| PAGE 51

My daughter's Dream came true...!

The Journey

| PAGE 52

MY FAVORITE MOVIE

TM Prabodha Kumar Sarangi

I love to watch movies as I am a movie addict. One of my favorite movie is “Taare Zameen Par”. It is an emotional movie in which the relationship between a child and his mother is portrayed. In this movie, the child suffers from a disability called 'Dyslexia' due to which he is unable to excel in academics and even in sports. However, he is a great painter. The child actor Tanay Chheda and actor Amir Khan took the movie to great heights.

In the movie, the child gets expelled from school due to his poor performance in studies and for being indisciplined in school like bunking classes, not doing homework etc. His parents send him to a new school where he is put in the hostel. There, the child slowly gets motivated in the school environment. At the end, he gets selected as the school topper in the Art competition.

The morals we imbibe from this movie: 1. Every child is special; we must give them free hand to explore themselves.

2. Healthy relationship with the children must be maintained by the teachers and parents.

3. Our schooling system should change and teachers should create an environment where learning is fun.

8

| PAGE 53

TM Ovin Crasta 1992 became an epochal year for Hindi Cinema when a novice sports theme movie “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992)” was made. I consider the movie as a fabulous predecessor, in many

ways, to the current trend of inspiring sports theme movies. It showcased cycling as a major sport and made BSA SLR bicycles very popular to the extent that I, an owner of that bicycle brand, felt like the proud owner of a Harley Davidson bike. The Film had a beautiful soundtrack, thanks to the mesmerizing yet soothing music provided by Jatin-Lalit, along with perfectly picturized songs, brilliant acting, direction and a great story.

The second song of the movie, “Pehla Nasha” went on to boost the movie and made the song as one of the greatest songs of all time in Hindi cinema. Choreographed by Farah Khan and shot amongst the lush tea valleys of Ooty it remains a cult classic. The song was also the first to be shot in slow motion, setting the template for a million music videos that were to follow in the '90s. The sight of Aamir Khan in a red sweater remains as the most iconic moment of the film in my opinion. Add a Pooja Bedi having a 'Marilyn Monroe' moment it is understandable why teenagers like me went ga-ga over the movie!!

The crux of the movie was a coming of age tale of an underdog who goes on to win against all odds, a story of grit and determination. Aamir and Mansoor refused to give up on Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, which went on to become a 1990s classic, and my all-time favorite movie.

For those of you who haven’t watched the movie, I urge you please do so and for those who are a fan of the movie, have another go and reminisce those moments down the memory lane…

| PAGE 54

TM Muthu Valarmathi '96 is a 2018 Tamil-language Indian romantic drama film written and directed by C. Premkumar, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha in lead roles.

The movie starts with an underwater scenic scuba diving sequence with a song in the background and the lyrics sets up the tone for the movie.

Watching the scenes would make you feel as if you are capturing nature's wonders in a photograph or going on a road trip and drift driving

in the

sand with your SUV. The song Kadhale...Kadhale’s flute and violin combo music mesmerizes you and is all heart! Govind Vasantha’s music is a melodious treat for the ears and offers warmth to the soul.

The movie is so immersive that we could relate it to many of our own life incidents. ’96 is a movie to rekindle memories and emotions. It is a throwback of one’s younger self.

Ram and Janu make us feel as if we have known them for ages. Their acting is very casual yet indepth.

Live Love Forever! #96TheMovie

| PAGE 55

The Journey

| PAGE 56

An ode to Bahrain!

With hope in our hearts, we departed, Not broken, but we left heavy hearted.

The only home where we grew being misparted, We wish the new land is not ramparted.

With hope in our hearts, we departed!

The wind has a fragrance here, The soil holds my feet firm here.

The sweat on my temple tastes salty here, People walk with a spring in their steps here.

My hopes are becoming more dear here!

The two seas adorned a chain of lslands, Pearls and corals shimmered on its wetlands!

The traders and craftsmen thrived at its helm, Indeed the ships of Dilmun moved beyond the realm!

The culture is of tolerance here, Acceptance is a value here.

The wise rule the land here, Their people thrive in here.

Its been a while for me now here, I feel so humane here!

TM Sukumar Swaminathan

| PAGE 57

The Journey

| PAGE 58

Your body might be sabotaging your career. Not on purpose; your heart’s in the right place. In fact, you’ve mastered the basics. As a Toastmaster, you’re way past avoiding eye contact, wussy handshakes and the proverbial fig leaf arms. Beware of three more subtle nonverbal cues that can seriously damage your credibility as a leader.

Making Yourself Small When it comes to confidence, I’m in agreement with social psychologist Amy Cuddy: “Don’t fake it until you make it. Fake it until you BECOME it.” Her well-known TED talk provides important evidence that our body language shapes our own confidence, not just our credibility. Her research shows that closed arms, slouched postures, neck-rubbing and other self-protecting poses actually impact our hormones, making us feel less confident. Those feelings then further shape our non-verbal behavior, and the cycle continues.

YOUR BODY LANGUAGE COULD BE SAYING IT ALL.

KARIN HURT IS A KEYNOTE SPEAKER, LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT AND MBA PROFESSOR. HER BOOK WINNING WELL: A MANAGER'S GUIDE TO GETTING RESULTS—WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON. READ MORE LEADERSHIP ADVICE AT LETSGROWLEADERS.COM

If you want to become more confident, open up your arms and stance and take up more space in the room.

Being more aware and deliberate about your body language will not only help you look strong; it will actually help you feel more confident.

When you’re in a meeting, check your posture every 15 minutes. Notice what your body does when you’re not paying attention to it. Do you have a tendency to make yourself larger, or smaller? Try doing yoga, and take note of how poses like the Warrior and the back bend make you feel.

| PAGE 59

Choosing the Wrong Seat I’m not talking about the power dynamics of working your way to the head of the table. It’s about choosing to sit on the sidelines rather than pulling a chair to the table. If you don’t belong at the table, you shouldn’t be in the room. If you’re running a meeting and there aren’t enough chairs at the table for everyone, get a bigger room or find a different approach. You won’t build confidence or create engagement by casting people to the sidelines.

Letting Your Stress Show This takes many forms, from coming in late and disheveled, to fidgety impatient behavior or chronic multitasking in meetings. “You look stressed” is not a compliment or a badge of honor for how hard you’re working, or how much you’re taking on. Calm and collected breeds confidence.

As celebrated dancer and choreographer Martha Graham says, “the body never lies.” Paying close attention to what your body is telling you and others will go a long way in bolstering your credibility.

| PAGE 60

The Journey

| PAGE 61

1984- A STORY DTM Babu Ramachandran

A beige coloured, KRV 2612 registered Ambassador

The beautiful lady medico is still beautiful and is now

car slowly eased forward through the roads of

a spiritual leader. Yes my own Teddy Mary and I have

Trivandrum. At the wheel was a young handsome

traversed this colourful journey of life this far. The

medico. The back seat driver was a beautiful young

years gone by have had its fair share of very happy

lady medico, a heart throb with a vast fan following at

moments and events and of course a few quarrels

the Trivandrum Medical College. Little did the driver

and depressing moments too. Life after all is not

realize that this back seat driver for the journey from

always a bed of roses; thorns too are an integral part.

the hostel premises to Hotel Luciya would slowly become the front seat driver of his life. Our first

The first official lunch at Hotel Luciya is still fresh in

journey, which started 36 years back on February 11,

my mind's eye. Mustering the courage to ask her out

1984, continues even to this day.

was not easy. However it was then or never. In

Reliving memories are always refreshing and as I look

Shakespearean language "To be or not to be... that is

back, the handsome driver who is none other than

the question"

the writer of these meandering thoughts scribes his feelings on this note pad for posterity.

| PAGE 62

"Can we go for an outing? "The word date was not in vogue then. Had I realized that Valentine's Day was just three days later, maybe I would have waited...

She readily agreed to the outing as though she was waiting to be asked (you should bear in mind that I was flying high after a successful conduct of the 9th Kerala inter-medical youth festival as the General Secretary of the college union and I had a good female fan following). Hurdle one successful. Yay !!!

I picked Mary outside the boundary of the ladies hostel as she didn't want others to see her getting into my car. She was the hostel secretary and was strict with the hostelites as she was a guardian. The strict practice continues to this day but the hostelites have been replaced by the family members and the church congregation. Sigh!!😩😩 Mary refused to sit in the front seat of my car (moral values!!!) and with her in the back seat I showed off my driving skills. The dress I wore was a blue stretch full sleeve shirt and bell bottom pants. Mary's dress I don't recall but she had a large red round bindi on her forehead. She looked really beautiful and the bindi was her hall mark for years. With the passage of time the size of the bindi became smaller and smaller and now when she has become the woman of God the bindi has disappeared. (Occasionally I do harbour hopes of seeing the bindi back on her forehead at least for some time... we all live on hopes).

| PAGE 63

Over Fried rice and some other dishes (the money

At times I feel that I am Romantic and Mary is a

was borrowed from my father- no pocket money

Realist. I treasure little events, value sweet moments,

then) I said "Mary... I really want to marry you!!! Why

relish

and how the "really " came in, I am not sure! .........She

multitasking) interspersed with nagging episodes, in

looked at me, stood up, paused and said "Babu, you

short a curry pot with all ingredients - sweet, sour,

are like my brother. I have not thought of you

spicy and salty. The bottom line is " I love her and she

otherwise. Let's be friends"...

loves me - nothing else matters."

Well this last part was what I had imagined would

Back to the present - My beloved Teddy has taken on

happen (my pessimistic nature). Just think of it...if that

the roles of a dutiful wife to me, a great mum to our

had been the answer there would have been no

four children, a loving daughter to my parents and a

sweet Deepu and sweet Gautham today.

pillar of support to many many souls. I have seen her

face

to

face

conversations

(not

while

spiritual growth from My Mary to Deacon Mary to But the Almighty and Mary had other plans… she

Pastor Dr. Mary. The spiritual gap between us is large

looked at me paused for what seemed like an eternity

and I will never be able to bridge that gap in this life

and said "Yes Babu, I am willing... but your parents,

time. But that does not worry me.

will they accept me???? Even at that point of time she expressed concern about them-so thoughtful.

An ocean of memories cross my mind, gigantic waves of sweet ones and some small bitter ones as well pass

"Leave that to me" I said.

through my grey matter. The endless voyage on my ship of life continues. Mary was destined to be mine.

Exit Luciya - Again the driver's role and showing off

Our close knit family with two wonderful sons and

my driving skills I dropped her at the hostel, outside

more wonderful daughters along with a good circle of

the boundary of course!!!

teenagers who call us aunty and uncle are all a part of this journey.

12 Feb 1984 - I invited Mary home and introduced her to my parents. Almost all my girl friends had visited

With the blessings of her spiritual parents (Miji and

my house but my dad noted that there was some

Jose Pastor) who are her role models my own Teddy

hidden agenda when I introduced Mary... He didn't

extends her reach saving souls and touching lives.

ask anything.

I am indeed blessed to have her as my better half.

Rephrasing the words of William Wordsworth...

The visits by Mary became frequent and in no time she walked into the hearts of my parents. That same

"For oft when on my couch I lie

endearing quality continues to this day.

In vacant or in pensive mood...

29

June

1988

-

Sri

Mulam

Club,

Trivandrum,

I wonder how my life would have been if 36 years

reverberated to the traditional fanfare of Hindu

back Mary had responded "You are like my brother,

weddings and in the presence of family friends and

let's continue to be friends."

well wishers we tied the wedding knot at the auspicious time between 9:10 AM and 9:30 AM.

I consider myself very fortunate to get a partner like her around whom, then and now my life revolves. God

Life with its trials and tribulations took us through

Bless her and our family and friends.

thick and thin. There may have been times when Mary might have wished she had never married me and vice versa - life is a roller coaster.

| PAGE 64

Praise the Lord!!!

The Journey

| PAGE 65

A BOOK FOR ALL SEASONS

MAHABHARATHA DTM Rekha Utham Reading has been like breathing so ingrained in me that it feels like a reflex. Whatever crosses the vision is read indiscriminately, a kind of devouring of words in greed and hastened by an unknown frenzy for an invisible, mysterious need. As a child I have stood in front of library shelves and wondered if I would ever be able to read all the books in this world before I die. The loss in this has been that many books were not savored, enjoyed, its beauty dwelled upon. Yet even amongst this assembly line reading, one book has always stood out existing in my periphery vision as thoughts, examples, morals, experiences almost as ingrained as reading has been. This book which lives with me is the Mahabharatha.

I read abridged version of earlier abridged versions as a child, Rajagopalachari’s version as an adolescent,

Malayalam translation of Kunhikuttan Thamburan as a teenager, Irawati Karve’s

Yugantha a study on

Mahabharatha as an adult and M.T Vasudevan Nair’s reinterpretation of it as a story from Bhima’s perspective called Randamuzham. The original and Randamuzham matched in imagination but varied in perspectives and showed me how the vantage points create a story.. More importantly, it’s the number of times I have heard the story during poojas and festivals in my ancestral homes, the religious discourses on Bhagavad Gita, the Sapthahams(seven-day renderings of stories of Lord Krishna), and the visually powerful characterizations of the heroes of Mahabharatha through Kathakali which has left a lasting impression in the annals of my brain. I still remember dozing off into the late hours of the night on the drone of the Chenda(drums) as a lullaby to be shaken out of that comforting cradle of my mother’s lap, startlingly awake when Bheema lets out his triumphant war cry after killing Keechaka. So Mahabharatha is the only book that has in one way or the other pervaded all my senses and not just the intellect which is what other books usually do.

Mahabharatha does not claim to be a book that one should follow, it is more of a narrative of stories intertwined together of people and times with rich descriptions of flora, fauna, cuisine, herbs, nature, tactics of war, rules of governance, etc. It says aptly: What is found here regarding the aims of human life – righteousness, wealth, pleasure, and release – may be found elsewhere, O Bull of the Bharatas.

But what is not here, is found nowhere.

| PAGE 66

There are related legends, interpolations and interpretations in Mahabharatha. It does not preach to you. It lays open slices of life for you to mull over, interpret and arrive at conclusions. Especially in life when one is confused or going through difficult times this epic offers a story, a parallel which allows you to ponder and work your own way through your problems. It is like a living document which people can add their insights to. The epic itself foretells: Some poets told this epic before.

Others are telling it now.

Different narrators will tell it in the future.

Historians say that Mahabharatha began as a simple Kavya (prose – poem) called Jaya celebrating the victory of the Pandavas in a war with their cousins Kauravas. It was in the hands of the Sutas (traveling bards) who narrated this story at festivals and other occasions or even on cold winter nights when travelers gathered around a fire to keep them awake and safe from marauding robbers and animals. The priestly class (Brahmins) took over the work and interpolated it with texts, sub stories, reasoning to make sense out of the whole story.

The beauty of Mahabharatha is that in spite of these rationalizations it still retains the essence of powerful human drama that is played out again and again even in our current times. There is no perfect hero here. Only men and women anguished by where life has taken them, facing dilemmas, trying to unknot the seemingly incongruous bonds they are tied in. Yearning to do what is right, yet not knowing what exactly that right is they make choices which laid out for the reader to interpret it at their will. In that mulling over comes the strength to introspect one’s own life situations and choices and compare it to what the characters in the Mahabharatha did and what were the consequences of their actions. Some say that it is the war between good and evil. Yet who is to say what is good and bad? The good side most often use tactics of deceit, subversion and betrayal, while the ones on the bad side strive to remain ethical and fair. The whole futility of the war, for that matter any war, is open and laid bare like a festering wound here when you work out the truth that both sides did not have any legitimate rights to the very throne they were fighting for! But as often happens in life, we take stances from which we are unable to extricate ourselves sometimes due to our own ego, other times due to our relatedness to others and most times because events just spiral out of our control.

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You can see characters from the Mahabharatha around you in your personal sphere as well as out there in the wider world day in and day out. It is as if the story is being played out eternally in an unending cycle of lifetimes.

While most epics treat women as innate objects who either adorn the story with their beauty and piousness or are the cause of great wars. Like Helen of Troy who caused ‘thousand ships to be launched’ or a Seetha whose abduction brought the destruction of Ravana. They are passive beings who subjugate themselves to what the men decide or what fate has thrown at them. But the women in Mahabharatha inexorably cause the calamitous end driven by their ambitions and emotions. They are not a marginalized presence as in other tales but add new dimensions and meanings to the events as they unfold.

There are controversies galore surrounding the Mahabharatha as to when it was written, whether it is fact or fiction, whether things were interpolated into the original at a later stage and so on so forth. The one thing that no one will deny is that it was written way before Newtonian science or Galileo’s astronomy defined our worldly views. Whoever wrote these things by hearsay or experience, added in things, whoever they were it is definite that they possessed infinite creative imagination. Even if you treat it as a fiction you can see that the epic is way ahead in fact far far ahead of its times. It speaks of technologies, war strategies, biochemical weapons, missiles, flights and air crafts which we take it as part and parcel of our lives but did not exist in those times. The human mind has such a vivid collective consciousness and is powerful to imagine in an infinitesimal, explosive burst of energy. Every invention has its genesis in imagination and creativity.

Mahabharatha as a book is like a treasure chest to me from which I keep discovering new insights, new wisdom, new understanding, new challenges, new calibrations at every stage of my life. It is not a book that I can say is close to my heart but it is a book that oversees every single beat of my heart.

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പാ

ു

ായുെട ആട്

(PATHUMMA’S GOAT)

TM Abdul Rahim I read this Malayalam novel when I was studying for my degree. Instantly I was hooked by the simplicity and unvarnished style of prose and the stinging assault on our

existential

issues

through

simple

humour and satire.

Through

Pathummayude

(Pathumma’s

goat),

the

writer,

aadu Mohd

Basheer bears open his own life with his family members playing all the characters in the storyline.

The goat however, the

protagonist of the novel, belongs to the writer’s sister, Pathumma.

By the way, this is no ordinary goat, and is characterized appetite,

by

gobbling

an up

unquenchable anything

and

everything on its way.

Basheer describes this in his characteristic wry humour, how the goat once dined on his lunch, along with the banana leaf it was served on…!

And finally when it starts

devouring his blanket after polishing off two of his novels, Basheer says: "dear goat, please eat all the novels you want, I can get another copy printed; but please spare my blanket...for it costs money and I don’t have much of it!

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Once Basheer's nephew comes crying to him, because the goat has eaten his trouser pocket along with the 25-paise coin inside it; his father will beat him up if he comes to know of it. The kind-hearted writer gives him the money from his strongbox, then catches and ties up the gobbler goat and patiently waits for it to defecate, so that he can get his 25-paise back!

The goat here actually serves as a metaphor for the all-consuming hunger of a family living in poverty. There are no plastic situations or dialogues in the narrative. Simple language with natural slang was the trademark and hallmark of Basher.

Considered one of the greatest novels in Malayalam Literature, Basheer’s characters, like Anton Chekov’s, are endearing, even if few of them are a little malicious or spiteful.

Throughout the narrative, the author presents his own point of view on the dynamics of his family, the animals in his house, and how the ecosystem is just a mirror of the universe. There is constant ridicule of the complexity of life and celebration of the simplicity and the author achieves this spectacularly by keenly observing the co-existence of chaos and beauty around him.

This is also a beautiful study on women, the sacrifices women have made that they themselves take for granted. There are brilliant observations on what each gender and age group get to eat across the day and how their time is spent and valued and the relationship dynamics between the adults, kids, and the animals in the house.

This is Basheer at his best…! Never expected this to move me the way it did..simply sublime..!

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The Journey

| PAGE 71

MY MANGO GODDESS

TM Joe Francis I was introduced to the April fool pranks by my elder sister. I was 10 or 12 years old when she heard about it from her friends and together, we decided to prank some more innocent victims from my village. We had so much fun that I forgot all my childhood pains on that day, which was obviously nothing serious!

The prank I want to write about though is the one I did, not on April fools day but in May of 1996. It was the Mango season. We had a Mango tree in front of our house which flaunted a panoramic view. To be honest, during the months of April and May, that tree was a pride for us and a pain for many. Seeing a tree with more mangoes than it could support, had its way with many passersby on the road.

Up until 1995, my summer plans were tidier.

School closed in March and with the final exam done, everything I learned during the year was conveniently forgotten. My focus would be on only one thing- how many mango souls (seeds) could I save from their prison term i.e. being locked up in a big jar as mango pulp. My vision was for them to transcend into a mango sapling and then a giant tree (simply put: eat the mangoes before they are gone!)

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From 1995 onwards I was in college. The burden of a career now largely loomed on me. I had to act and look like a thoughtful grown-up. The worst part was that the exams were usually delayed till June which means I had to multi-task; study for exams and eat mangoes. “Do you realize how hard it is to study with a tummy full of mangoes?!”

The summer of 96 was crazier. Apart from the regular exam, I had to study for my engineering entrance exam. For the purpose of clarity and context- the entrance exam to me an 18-year-old was a once-in-alifetime chance to become a member of the crème da le crème aka focused and intelligent kids. Good in mathematics, I was damn sure that I am destined to be an engineer. Being human, I wanted to take a shortcut, what if my father bought an engineering seat for me? That means I can fully concentrate on eating Mangoes for me. I tried to convince my 'ignorant' father on how ‘buying’ an engineering seat is an investment but my father categorically said NO. After some failed persuasion and typical teenage tantrums, I realized I had no other choice but to earn my seat by working hard!

My tryst with the engineering seat began and most of the days, I was either holding a book or peeling a mango. After working hard for many many days, my brain decided it needed some fun. That is when I decided to play a prank on those who would be walking by the road with a freshly fallen, deliciously looking Mango except that it would have been half-eaten by a bird or a squirrel mango! I gently placed the Mango on the roadside with the clean side up and the devil’s side down. I still remember that I did not have to wait for a long time! My first victim- a gentleman, his eyes lit up when he saw the mango and he bent down with a smile. I briefly lost him due to the height of our boundary wall. But within seconds he stood straight with an angry face and left. AAAAh. What pleasure!

I ran back and placed the coveted mango in position (victims are not decent enough to place the mango back as eloquently as they found it). I waited again. Here came another gentleman on a bicycle. His eyes twinkled and he jumped from the bicycle as if he didn't want anyone to know about the mango- not even his bicycle. He disappeared into my blind spot besides the wall. Within seconds, he stood up with a frown face, muttered something, and left. I repeated this 2 more times and each time I had an elevating rush of adrenalin as the victim bent to pick the mango. wonderful time. With a content mind, fresh brain, filled tummy, and a peeled mango in hand; I went back to my studies...

With the blessing of the Mango goddess and Dinkan god, I managed to crack the exam. As a bribe for future blessings from the Mango goddess, I planted 2 Mango trees-one each for clearing entrance and clearing pre-degree exams(12th class). Clearing pre-degree was tougher because of English paper which I managed to pass by the skin of my teeth…

Even today, I eat Mangoes from all of those trees when I go back home! Yummy!!!

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Before writing about my experience, I thought I will check on the internet why 1st April is called April Fool’s day. I found many different stories and theories. I do not want to mention those stories here because you can google it yourself. The most interesting theory I found was that the first marriage on this planet took place on 1st April. That is why it is called April Fool’s day. LOL.

FRIENDS AND

FOOLS...

TM Yashodhan Abhyankar Well, this theory has got nothing to do with my story. During our college days, one of my friends invited us for dinner at his place. He said that his parents were not at home and we could enjoy some drinks and have fun. Getting such an opportunity in those days was a rarest of a rate thing. We reached his home only to realize that it was 1st April and we were the fools…Tch! We were so excited about the thought of enjoying the evening that we forgot to check the date. His home was locked, and he was watching us from his neighbor’s window. It goes without saying that the 2nd of April was the worst day in his life as he had to face five angry fools.

Another incident that I remember happened on our computer lab day. Our dear friend sat in front of a computer and started typing his code. To his dismay, nothing appeared on his screen. Confused, he started fiddling with the switches and aloha! some ghost photos started appearing on his screen!!! He was totally exasperated and could not understand what was happening. Finally, he tried to switch off his computer and yet again nothing changed!!!

All of a sudden a message appeared on the screen, “2nd April is also called April Fool’s day”. It took some time for him to realize that we had swapped the monitor cables and the person sitting next to him was controlling his monitor.

Everyone burst out laughing at him…

Even today, whenever we meet over drinks at my friend’s place (yeah the first one who fooled us), we cherish those funny moments and have a good laugh!!!

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CELEBRATIONS

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS

May 11th

May 31st

June 9th

June 12th

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Partners for Life

| PAGE 76

Apurva & Nimal

Team eloQuence Editor and Designer

TM Sukumar Swaminathan

Contributing Editor

DTM Rekha Utham

PR Sub Commitee

DTM (Dr.) Thuraya Juma Issues 52-55

TM Murali Udayakanth Issues 57-62

TM Apurva Divakaran Issues 52-55

TM Manu Philip Issue 59

DTM Manoj Pandey Issues 52-56

TM Priyanka Gaikwad Issues 56-60

Editor: TM Sukumar Swaminathan Contributing Editor : DTM Rekha Utham Editorial Panel (PR Sub-Committee) TM Murali Udayakanth

Disclaimer: eloQuence is a club newsletter meant for stimulating learning and education for WMC Toastmasters club members only. This is not a commercial newsletter and is not published for mass circulation. We respect all trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property rights of the brands, logos and content used within the newsletter. We would like to reiterate that any content is solely used for stimulating a learning environment for the club's members.

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eloQuence logo and the design are trademarks and copyright of WMC Toastmasters Club. All rights reserved.

Stock photos: Canva.com Designer: TM Sukumar Swaminathan