eloQuence August edition: issue no 53 by WMC Toastmasters Club

eloQuence AUGUST 2020

ISSUE NO. 53

FRIENDSHIP

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION PAGES 1-2

TOASTMASTERS NEWS

FEATURE

"I AM KARA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AN UNSURE SHARK."

PAGES 29-38

PAGES 3-6

PERSPECTIVE

'MY BEST FRIEND'

PAGES 7-20

REFLECTIONS

RECAP OF MEETINGS 396 & 397 WHAT DID I READ! BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

PAGES 21-28

WMC TOASTMASTERS CHARTERED IN 2003| KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN CLUB NO: 603459| AREA 9 DIVISION D| DISTRICT 20

WMCToastmasters

wmctm

WMCToastmasters

https://603459.toastmastersclubs.org/

The President's Desk We do not take explicit efforts to choose someone as our best friend. Our wavelength matches, we come closer and go on to become best friends. We feel comfortable sharing anything with our best friend and we bank on them for their support when we need them. That’s the essence of friendship!

TM Yashodhan Abhyankar

Dear Friends, We were overwhelmed with your response for the very first publication of 'eloQuence'. More than two third of the members wrote interesting articles. From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and everyone one of you for your contribution and look forward to many more wonderful editions. The theme of this 'eloQuence' is Friendship, a topic close to everyone’s heart. We know many people but we don’t consider everyone a friend. Out of all our friends, our frequency matches best with a select few, making them our best friends.

Greek philosopher Plutarch said, “True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable”. Have you experienced this feeling any time? We do not need thousands of words when we are with our best friend. We enjoy their company just by being with them. The secret of a successful married life is trust and love. And the key to a happy married life is friendship. When your spouse becomes your friend, it adds a different flavour to this beautiful relationship. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “It is not lack of love, but lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages”. In this edition of ‘eloQuence’, you will experience the beautiful ties between our members and their friends. Enjoy reading and find out the various shades of true friendship. Cheers!

A Note from your VP Public Relations Dear Friends, Thank you for the thunderous response to the re-branded eloQuence. Your enthusiasm and excitement lifted us to cloud nine! With great joy, we are presenting eloQuence number 53. As we edited, proofread and designed this edition, it was a special feeling. One of the most celebrated relationships in our lives was taking center-stage and we wanted to make sure that the stage was a befitting one in its grandeur for your performances.

TM Sukumar Swaminathan

In this edition of 'Friendship', we are presenting our members perspectives on a beautiful relationship. We are introducing a 'Reading Corner' where members will share their reading secrets with us. We will recap our 'Recap!'

Our feature in this edition is an article by our founder member- Dr. Suresh Karunakaran where we asked him a few questions and he presented his views with his charismatic grandeur! He discusses all about his rendezvous with WMC Toastmasters Club, his own progress, friendships that he made, his advice to today's Toastmasters and goes on to crown it with an epilouge that we won't forget! Happy Reading!

Charter Member Message Let me begin by congratulating the Executive Committee for the year 2020-2021 in taking up the challenge of publishing twelve issues of eloQuence newsletter- one every month!

TM Ganapathy Narayanan

I truly believe that friendship is a gift that we give ourselves. A good friend shows up no matter what! A true friend supports us, encourages us, tolerates our shortcomings, accepts us unconditionally and cares for us no matter what! Toastmasters as a platform gives us the opportunity to network with likeminded people. We get a lot of support and encouragement from our fellow Toastmasters who give us constructive criticism and help us develop ourselves and in that process we forge new bonds.

WMC Toastmasters Club has always promoted enjoyment and friendship. As our founder Ralph C Smedley said, "We learn best in moments of enjoyment". I started my journey in Toastmastering as a charter member of this wonderful club since 2003. I am still enjoying the friendship of great and like minded people. A friend in need is a friend indeed…!

Education Update

Membership Update

Congratulations! DTM Rekha Utham! For completing Pathways Level: 2 Dynamic Leadership

Congratulations! TM Joe Francis! For completing Pathways Level: 1 Visionary Communication

WMC Toastmasters Club wishes its members TM Apurva Divakaran (Left) & TM Muhammad Nazakat (Right) A Happy Members Day (1st August 2020)

WMC Toastmasters Club takes pride in welcoming its new member: TM Kiran Poithaya

Happy Toastmastering! 2

Feature

2 2

"I am Kara – an unsure shark." Please introduce yourself. It does not matter whether you are a Whale Shark, the largest fish in the ocean or the Paedocypris progenetica - dwarf pygmy goby fish. What matters is how ‘sure’ we are of what we are. For now, let me say: "I am Kara – an unsure shark."

Why did you join Toastmasters? It was the year 2003. A.S. Jose who can rightly be called the ‘Ralph C. Smedley’ of Bahrain Toastmasters (for he has the ubiquitous distinction of fathering many a Toastmasters club, including WMC in Bahrain) initially approached Santosh Abraham, Dr. Babu Ramchandran and myself with the idea of starting a Toastmasters Club. Amongst the three of us, I was the least qualified to be a part of the Toastmasters club for the simple reason that I didn’t believe in it and was very opinionated that I didn’t want to BECOME a Toastmaster. The brief interactions that I had had with some of the Toastmasters in Bahrain had convinced me that this is not my journey. However, A.S. Jose requested me to give it a try (with a firm undertaking) that if after a few months, if I still believed that Toastmasters is not for me, I could quit. So, in that sense I was a reluctant Toastmaster. The good thing about WMC Toastmasters was that apart from Dr. Babu, who was even then a seasoned Toastmaster from the Manama Toastmasters Club and Santosh Abraham who had a brief stint in Kerala Catholic Association (KCA Toastmasters Club), the others, including myself were all freshers.

"It does not matter whether you are a Whale Shark, the largest fish in the ocean or the Paedocypris progenetica - dwarf pygmy goby fish. What matters is how ‘sure’ we are of what we are" This, while it certainly was a challenge, also offered a great opportunity. As the V.P. Education of the club, I was in the blessed position of starting with a clean slate, not succumbing to any influence whatsoever from the hardcore Toastmasters or their concept of cloned Toastmastering and most importantly, not bound by any notional Toastmastering dogmas, that was so prevalent then, amongst the Toastmasters fraternity in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It was then I realized that we had been given a unique opportunity to mould the club to what we wanted it to be. However, there was a challenge in the shape and form of a ‘dyed in the wool’ toastmaster – Dr. Babu Ramachandran, who was set in the ways of ‘rigid’ conventional toastmastering. Apart from the fact that he was the President of the Club, he was also a known and respected physician, with a soft-spoken demeanor, which helped him endear himself to everybody as well as be a popular President, 3 which of course was a great asset.

So what I perceived as a challenge, was actually a hidden opportunity. I did not have to convince all the members on the unconventional way forward. I only had to convince Dr. Babu and his ‘likable’ persona would convince everybody else. To this extent, my vision for the future of WMC Toastmasters had found a sincere and committed proponent in the personality of Dr. Babu and thus began the story of WMC Toastmasters brand of Toastmastering.’ During my term as President (2004-2005), Dr. Babu’s unstinted support as Past President was a great motivation and support. I came to realize that our vision for WMC Toastmasters could only be achieved if all Executive Committees (in the future) believed in and shared in the same vision that Dr. Babu and I had. The only way to ensure that was to have the President and Excom on board with our thinking. It is with this idea of carrying forward the vision and mission of a 'different’ WMC Toastmasters Club that I proposed the formation of a Past Presidents Panel (PPP) to ensure continuity and adherence to the vision and mission of WMC Toastmasters. I must say with sincere gratitude and profound humility that all Presidents of WMC have played an immense role, in contributing to the holistic development of WMC as an innovative club. It was not that we did not face any challenges. The challenges were many. But it reflects the sagacity and commitment of the PPP that all challenges were addressed in a mature, responsible and firm manner even though it sometimes called for and led to the resignation of some members, whose actions were not in conformity with the Club guidelines. The uncompromising interests of the club was always paramount.

TM A.S. Jose

In the 17-year life cycle (2003-2020) of WMC Toastmasters, we have achieved significant milestones. The credit for that goes to all the members who believed and unequivocally supported all the endeavours, exploring, experimenting and empowering each other, even though it sometimes meant ‘breaking the wine glass’.

WMC Executive Committee 2004-2005

What were the benefits that you attained from this platform? Before I answer this question, I need to qualify it with this statement: Dr. Ralph C. Smedley and the ‘Toastmasters’ movement he founded is the greatest catalyst to human empowerment. It has successfully empowered millions of individuals all over the world by helping them find their voice and make a difference within their domain and also elsewhere. To me, the most tangible benefits that I attained are that I found a “readymade” platform to explore and experiment my own ideas of communication and leadership. The ‘Pathways’ program that Toastmasters International initiated in the last two years is to me a testament of my own endeavor more than 15 years ago to transform the Toastmasters communication and leadership program to suit individual aptitude and temperament and thus make it more dynamic. Toastmasters Founder Dr. Ralph C. Smedley

I vividly remember when I proposed this to Dr. Babu, his pragmatic response was: “That’s not going to happen. Let’s focus on WMC rather than attempt to change Toastmasters International for that is not possible.” Even though we did not attempt that tall challenge, the satisfaction that Toastmasters International did something similar 15 years later (after we envisioned it) is immensely satisfying. However, what I truly cherish though is that I found unconditional love, respect and friendship from all WMC members as well as a few from the extended Toastmasters fraternity. It is this goodwill that I carry forth forever firm in the knowledge that I have never hesitated to voice my thoughts when I found something that was not right and not in the interests of the club, irrespective of the stature or position of the person or persons. The greatest tragedy every organization faces is when we choose ‘conformity’ over confrontation’ because we lack conviction and courage and we are prisoners of our own self and do not want to offend anybody. “Of what use is a tongue when the eyes have chosen to be blind and the mind is flush in a bind.”

What were the benefits that you attained from this platform? “It never ceases to amaze me, that we all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own.” Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius is a Roman emperor and philosopher whose reign extended from 161 to 180. He is recognized as the last of the ‘five good emperors’ who ruled the republic of Rome and brought about an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. My advice: We are so much caught up trying to live up to what others think, say and expect from us that we forget that we also have a voice that should speak and stand for truth, justice and values. A good leader is one who does not hesitate to take bold and unpopular decisions, when required, accept responsibility for the same and have the courage to carry it through. Be the difference – always. 5

If there is one thing you could change about Toastmasters, what would it be and why? Change is the most used and abused word that individuals, organizations and corporate managements all over the world bandy about as the mantra for all ailments. So I don’t believe in ‘change’ as is so casually professed by most people. Change in my opinion should be a simplified, well-articulated, transformational process that makes the entire journey of “doing what you enjoy and enjoying what you do” more meaningful and lasting. Everything innovative that we did at WMC is from this perspective. Change should never be conceived or even perceived as a destination. Change is the denominator in a differential sequence whereby even though a=b and b=c and therefore a=c, that is not necessarily the preferred outcome. The change-variable ‘X’ is what makes a difference. So understanding change as the 'X’ factor is of primary importance.

So, what is it that I want to change about Toastmasters? The answer very simply is ‘nothing’. What I would like to see is the transformational and empowered ‘X’ in every individual. Defining change without understanding the parameters is simply an exercise in futility. I have always applied the same principle and yardstick, to everything that I do. So while I do know, and am constantly seeking to change the status quo - I know, understand and respect the importance of parameters. I also realize that it is human to be unsure, to be questioning, to be found wanting and expecting, even failing because I cannot change anybody. I am Kara – an unsure shark: Suresh Karunakaran. I can only change myself.

with Dr. Babu Ramachandran & TM Santhosh Abraham

Epilogue: With this I bid adieu to WMC Toastmasters Club. I stopped being a member a few years ago. But I always carried the WMC DNA in spirit. But now it is time for me to define myself differently. It has been a great learning experience. I thank you all for the wonderful moments that I shared with you. I carry with me fond memories of a time long gone by – but that’s what it is – a different time– a different place. Be yourself. Be original – be the difference.

Perspective: My Best Friend

GAVEL CORNER Simran Sreejit, VPPR, WMC Gavels Club

"Someone rightly said, “A true friend is one soul in two bodies”. Being an enthusiastic seventh grader, I am fortunate to have a number of friends but one person who really occupies a special place in my heart is my best friend- Fathima Nehla Nafeesh. She has not only stood by my side as my own cheerleader but also has been a person who helps me during difficulties. She is a true friend in every way- sharing every moment with me in all my sorrows and joy.

Journey towards better Communication

Fathima joined the school when I was in grade two. As she was a new student, my class teacher gave her my books to complete her notes and I did everything I could to help her. That marked the beginning of the most special bond in my life. Within no time we became close friends. We celebrate each other’s victories and stand by each other like a rock when the going gets tough. As luck would have it, we’ve been in the same class over the years and we wouldn’t want it any other way! Fathima is a gifted child who is good in her studies. She has a knack for all things creative and is one of the finest actors I’ve come across. However, what makes her most special are the beautiful qualities she possesses. She is one of the kindest people I know of, caring for all those she comes across and helping each individual shine and become a little more cheerful in her own special way! She truly touches the lives of all those she meets. I love her sense of humour and it’s the perfect medicine that cheers me up whenever I am upset. We have a wonderful time together whenever we go for picnics, to watch movies, to restaurants etc. Fathima is my best friend and will always hold the most special place in my heart. “Friendship is the sweetest form of love. So when I say, I’ll be your friend, ‘till the end, it’s as good as saying, I’ll keep you in my heart’ till it's very last beat”.

I am not an easy person. If I see a breach or any action that brings in a discomfort within me, I have to thrash it out and resolve it. This was something new to her. She accepted it, struggled with what I was saying and tried to understand why it mattered. Over a period of time she has learnt to challenge me and stand her own ground and I feel very proud of her.

Usha & I

DTM Rekha Utham

Two Women, Two cities, Two shops of the same franchise! They walk in on different days, browse the shelves, pick the same kurta as seen here and get back to Bahrain. Then they wear it without the other having a clue, to the same party!! If friendship were to be a frequency, then could there be a more attuned frequency than this? That is Usha and I. In tune with ourselves and our world! She is the type who walks into a room and changes the whole atmosphere into a rock party with psychedelic lights, music and full on vigorous dancing. I am the type who if I walk into a room, people will hardly look up and notice and then only to see me in an intense conversation with some victim who happened by chance to be polite to me.

There are many other reasons to be proud of her. Who has a friend who has walked the red carpet at the Oscars? Who has a friend who has managed movie launches and celebrities? Who has a friend who manages some 15 countries in her work? To top it she is an accomplished Veena player and an exponent of Carnatic music. But her soul is Sufi. Gentle, all encompassing, universal! We started a community called 'Srinkhala' which connects people across borders through art in a search for commonalities than differences. For the past three years we have organized many events and brought together many artists local as well as transiting onto a common platform of the story of their journey in life through art. With a fairly large following it has become a thriving online community as well. Srinkhala in more than one way sums up our friendship. It is a human bond, spiritual in nature and generous in character, spreading in all unknown directions like vines, binding us outward and onward towards this beautiful journey called life.

How did we become friends? My daughter predisposed me to her. She said ‘Ma you will like this lady I met in Bahrain this time. She is funny and intelligent’ a rare commodity on the island of Pearls to which I was coming back. She is mercurial, dynamic and her mind is a bubbling cauldron of ideas. Her profession is brand management and my admiration only grew when I heard the kind of people she had worked with and had met. She can take any dull proposition, or I would say even a mundane sentence and make it appear the most exciting thing on this earth. Her mind was filled with music, movies and melodies. It mirrored mine. There was an inherent yearning for a quest to make some sense out this world we live in and find some higher connections. It echoed mine. There was a genuine gratitude at the opportunities and blessings in life and a desire to reach out to others with help. It reflected mine. That was the foundation of our friendship. Our families became friends too. My daughters became her greatest fans. Her children turned to me for a rationale. What makes her stand out in this friendship is the effort she puts into it to make it sustain. Loyalty, honesty, and unconditional affection are what I give and expect in any relationship. She understood that and strived to keep our friendship honest. I always maintain that this friendship has lasted not because of any effort on my part but because of the persistent nature of Usha. 8

Us ha ’s Re ac tio n to th e ab ov e:

"Re kh a ha s sum me d up so be au tifu lly the sto ry of ou r frie nd shi p. It bro ug ht tea rs to my eye s. We ll, I do fee l ove rw he lm ed at the gen ero us com pli me nts Re kh a ha s sho we red on me . Fo r me , Re kh a ha s be en on e pe rso n wh o ha s on ly en ric he d my life for tw o sol id de cad es in eve r so ma ny wa ys… Th e po etr y gro up , the em be llis hm en t in my mu sic , the me an ing ful mu sic al eve nin gs an d oft en ext rao rdi na rily fun fill the ed Th urs da y mu sic al eve nin gs. … an d no w Sri nk ha la sin ce 20 17 ! Oh ! wh at me mo rie s we ha ve cre ate d tog eth er. Sh e is the sis ter I ne ver ha d an d she fill s up a big pa rt of my life wit h a lov e an d en erg y tha t I dra w up on ". 8

TM Murali Udayakanth

I grew up having different pets at home and at my friends’. I have always been in love with birds, the flying ones, off course and this madness introduced me to many winged varieties of which pigeons are my favorite. Pigeons are of various shapes, sizes, forms, colours and breeds. Flyers, homing pigeons, fancy and show pigeons are some of the different types of pigeons.The deeper you dwell, the more you will be amazed to see a whole different world with fascinating facts. Their ability to be free yet remain captive, fly far and high yet come back to the loft, mesmerized me. When you are a pigeon fancier and hooked to the flyers, you tend to walk most of the time with your head looking up at the sky. One evening after school, I spotted some birds flying and watched them for the next few days. As they circled and hovered over, one particular house narrowed my search. There were some boys playing cricket outside and they were quite wary about my presence. I had my gaze fixed on the birds, watching them flap their majestic wings as they landed on the roof. One of the boys, Edison, in particular knew which pigeon had landed first.

Edison now has homing pigeons or racing pigeons as they are known. Their uncanny ability to come home from far off places has astonished many. We would release them in Mysore, Hyderabad and all the way to Delhi for them to fly back home to Bangalore. I can now say, Edison is better known today for his homing birds than for being an Editor of a leading newspaper, We also have some common grounds - Our dads had worked in the same factory and knew each other. We went to the same college and graduated together. He worked for the Times of India and I worked for an advertising agency so we were in associated fields. I was the best man at his wedding and he stood next to me for mine. Both of us have two boys, we have dog(s) and the best part, he still has pigeons, I had them here too. My friend and I don’t have to pretend or put a false front with each other. We don’t have to call or text regularly. We can start off exactly from where we stopped and still go a long way. Every time I visit India, we meet irrespective of the city we are in and that’s an amazing bond we share even today. Enjoy your friendship, the un-said bond, that special connecting chord which matures with every passing year. Don’t let anything come in its way. Cherish the moment. Champion & me

Delhi Brown returns

“Are those birds yours?” That was the first question I had asked Edison. We exchanged our interests and collections and soon I was invited to the roof to see his pigeons. That’s how Edison and I became best of friends. We would make the birds fly and watch them go higher turning to a speck in the sky. We would focus on that little dot that was dancing among the clouds. Back from lunch, we would try and trace that dot again and watch its descent by evening. We would talk about having our houses next to each other when we grow up and have plenty of pigeons and other pets, a dream we talk about even now. 9

Edison & me

The most expensive

TM Joe Francis

DTM Dr. Babu Ramachandran

During the journey of life, we make friends and acquaintances. Acquaintances may slowly fade away after some time however good friends remain. How do I classify them? Boyfriends, Girlfriends, School friends, College friends, Family friends, Non family friends, the good of the lot, the better of the lot and the best of the lot! Like the Pharmacology book with its list of hundreds of names of medicines which I studied in medical school, I attempt to recall the names and faces of the friends I had and those I have now. A challenging task indeed to categorize them as the good, the better and the best. Who is my best friend? That is the focus of this article as we celebrate 'Friendship day'. My best friend is a lady whom I met during my medical college days. No prizes for guessing - Her name is Mary. The friendship bloomed into a partnership for life and after several years of romance, we tied the wedding knot. The romance still continues. Why is she my best friend? A friend is one who understands you out and out. Mary understands me. There have been roses and thorns on the way but that is the beauty of life. During stressful moments Mary is there to comfort me and when she is down, I support her. Through thick and thin we have traversed the pathway of life.

TM Ramesh Chandrasekharan

Friendship has a great meaning and influence in my life. I spent my whole childhood with friends rather than my parents or relatives. There were times when I used to come home only to sleep. My entire world revolved around my friends! It was just not about living with them rather living for them and vice-versa! I almost forgot to share my personal problems with my family as I had the comfort of my friends. I used to rope them in and we presented my problems to my father together. I had completely immersed myself in that comfort zone. With many such friends coming into my life, each of them taught me some valuable lessons of life. Over a period of time many have left our circle for various reasons. But I still consider myself lucky to have retained the circle, although it has shrunken in size with the passing of time and age. Including me, we are five childhood friends- a 5 men army! Even today we share every minuscule detail of our lives in that circle as in the past. We have completed three decades of bonding and are still going strong! There is no detail that my circle does not know; even today when something happens I first approach my circle- my friends- my life!

And today looking back I can say that ...

"For better, for worse, For richer, for poorer, In sickness and in health To love and to cherish, Mary is my best friend."

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, isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it?

TM Anil Kumar

It is not a particular friend! Throughout my life, different friends have influenced various of my decisions in my life. For instance, my friends helped me in selecting the right college program and choosing the suitable career for me. Like many others, I also had or still have different friends with different views and perspectives about life. I always tried to follow their good qualities and at the same time tried to continue with my own vision and way of life. At the same time, we should not lose the values and the qualities which have been inculcated in us by our parents. They are the source to our strength and confidence. My friendship motto is- "If Friendship were flowers, keep spreading the fragrance to everyone and enjoy the fragrance that others emit as well; without getting entangled in the thorns!"

Once while I was on my vacation, I was unable to travel to my home town in Trivandrum and stayed at my wife’s house in another city. The worry of not meeting Hari bothered me the whole time. It was on the last day of my vacation when I was having tea from a roadside shop that I heard the same Hero Honda sound behind me. I was not surprised to see Hari as I knew I cannot leave without meeting him.

TM Thirumalai Ponnambalam

‘Hello Hari…’ ‘Ponnu parayoo…’ (Tell me Ponnu) Whenever I call him after a long gap, even if it’s in the middle of the night, I get the same loving vibe that I had experienced 32 years ago when I was 18. He is that friend whom I look up to, not just because he is 6’2”, but also because he is an excellent sportsman, a music lover, a good orator and has an answer to everything. He was the Google of our times and a good human being. A rare combination in all sense. We both got married the same time and our daughters are of the same age. Now they are best friends just like we were and since they are both single children, I wish they will be there for each other when we are no longer here. I can never forget those long bike rides and late night parties that we used to enjoy. Those days, no questions were asked if I told my parents that I was with Hari. Same went for him. That’s the trust and freedom we enjoyed and at times, exploited as well. His house was always open for our gang ‘Zero Boys’ and food was available for us at all times. Apart from growing up together, I started to realize that there is an unexplainable bond that existed between us. At first I thought that it was just a coincidence, but there were a lot of incidents that proved me wrong. He was always there for me whenever I had to take tough decisions. One evening, when I was sitting in my house in Trivandrum (Kerala), confused about resigning from my job before getting the Bahrain visa in my hand, I heard the sound of Hari’s Hero Honda bike in front of my gate. He made my decision easier as usual.

Now it’s not a coincidence or a surprise anymore. I am sure he has been and will always be there for me when I really need him. After marriage, he continued to work in India while I moved to Bahrain. The geographical distance and some ideological difference created a gap in our communication for some time. But life has taught me to look beyond the ideological differences and to connect with him again. He is one of the few people who connects me to that beautiful phase in life where we grow from teenagers to adults.

‘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!

TM Vijayanivas Ramachandran Saju

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 and revels in moments when they happen. I thoroughly enjoy 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 and I am not a compulsive company seeker. It also does not mean that I am depressed nor I am 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 who 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 who 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 a 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!

TM Asif Sheikh

We meet many along the way, but only some stay with us forever! Those are our real friends and they stay by our side…in good times and the bad! Our real friends will always motivate and cheer for us. They will take us on the right path and save us from any evil! My friendship started when I joined a new school in town, where I met Imran in my fifth grade. He was a topper of the class, and I was quite his opposite. A perfect bond that was destined to go a long way; jokes apart he was the one who always helped me in my studies, and soon we became best friends! We are still best friends to date. We learned so many things about each other; we discovered our taste for music, learnt to dance together. There was never a dull moment… spending time with him was my best moments in life. Over a period of time priorities changed. After we started working and got married we could not spend the same time together yet we are in touch and always there for each other. To me, a sincere and loyal friend is much more than the accumulated wealth in this world. I always thank god for blessing me with a wonderful family and a true and sincere friend like Imran!

TM Pragati Nagendra Kumar

“The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart’’. - Elizabeth Foley ‘Friendship’ - I heard the word first from my dad. His friend’s kids were my friends too, by default. We met during weekend get-together’s, singing, dancing and having food. When I was in grade three, our gurus narrated stories from the epics like Ramayana. In all the folklore, friendship was the core of our discussions. Be it the great friendships that Lord Rama had formed or the friendship that Princess Shakuntala shared with plants and animals! Even the movies that I watched had ‘Friendship’ at its core. One such movie- ‘Three Idiots’ was based on friendship and I loved watching that movie! At school, I made friends with quite a few of my classmates, but we kept losing touch as we kept shuffling sections every year. Apart from school, I also met co-artists at my dance and singing classes but largely confined myself to learning ragas and dance skills. As I grew up, friends made my life more entertaining. Our group Shifa, Vasna, Feba and I, met each other during break time and at school trips like our visits to Adhari Park, Lost paradise, Al Areen Park, our school’s Annual Mega Fair, weekend outings to malls, cinemas, and cine cafe. We made it a point to meet for birthday parties at home. On every friendship day (July 30th), we tie colourful bands on each other hands, exchange gifts and have a great time.

Friends have always made my life easier, more fun and with them I have not faced any tension of studying or getting judged. Though we are all separated by geographical boundaries now as we went for higher studies still we are connected through social media. Despite the distance we have assured each other that we will meet every year during December holidays. At the same time I am also making many new friends after joining in WMC Toastmasters Club. 15

TM Norman Dass

For me a best friend is someone with whom you enjoy spending time no matter which part of earth you are in or which situation you are in. A best friend is someone who is always there to help you at any point in time; someone whom you can trust and feel comfortable in sharing your secrets. I had my share of best friends at school, college, society etc. and we had close contact for a period of time. A few days back when I got sick unfortunately no one was aware. Today, after years, when I was asked to write a few lines on ‘my best friend’ only one face appeared first in my mind. The one whom I have known for the last 8 years and who I expect, pray and believe that our friendship will sail far by the grace of God. I am fortunate to say, my best friend is my Wife!

TM Abdul Rahim

“When I first met Suraj, I had no idea that he would be so important in my life...! It was a mid-summer evening. The sun was setting. The tantalizing rays reminded us that ours is going to be a special friendship...! Well, it’s been more than 3 years now. In all these years, I can’t remember a single day when we did not see each other...! We have dined together, played together and have gone for long walks together. Our friendship is pure. We have no expectations whatsoever from each other. Suraj loves me even when I am not lovable. Sometimes I feel we create our own heart break by expecting too much from others. Because of Suraj I laugh a little harder, cry a little less and smile a lot more. I don’t know how to thank him but I am lucky to have him in my life. And it breaks my heart to think that he might die ahead of me, because usually a Dog’s life span is 10 to 13 years!

TM Yashodhan Abhyankar

During the beautiful journey of life, we halt at different stations. At every junction, some new passengers board the train. Few passengers get down even before we get acquainted with them, while some co-passengers accompany us through the journey. I was fortunate to find one such co-passenger named Parag. We met in college and within no time we became close friends. Being from the same locality, we started going together to college. We never bunked college yet we never attended any lectures! We used to spend hours together in the canteen, sharing a cup of tea and a smoke. Both of us were famous in our group for hounding others. We spent many weekends wandering in the Sahyadri mountain range; visited many forts and explored the beauty of nature. Wherever we went, whatever we did, we used to be together.

Marriages are made in heaven and I would like to add our friendship to that phrase.

Both of us share many common traits. We are people of few words, get along with everyone, try not to hurt anybody's emotions and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get angry (although my wife does not agree with most of what I said above).

We not only shared drops of water but other solubles as well! Though our philosophical thinking was convoluted enough to confuse the simple minded, we synced!! We knew what was going on in each other's mind.

After completing our studies, I boarded a different train and landed in Bahrain. When I went to India on my first vacation, he was there at the airport to receive me. Every time I go to India, he visits my place on the very first day and he is the last person to bid goodbye when I leave for Bahrain.

We roamed the city on one scooter. You rested your hands on my shoulder and always told me not to worry saying, "You mind the traffic and I'll see the greenery. Whenever I'll spot a few good trees I will tell you!â&#x20AC;?

The journey of life will continue; stations will come and go; I will meet many new passengers; but this beloved co-passenger will be with me till the journey gets over! Amen!

PS: I had sent my message to Parag and here is his response to me

The geographical distance between us has never been an obstacle to our friendship. This is the kind of friendship that lasts long yet carries on with a youthful energy!

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!

TM Bilal M Hussain

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 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 leaking 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 into 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 comeback 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 as close friends! Despite of our growing social networks and interactions, surprisingly a huge majority of us are diagnosed with loneliness! Which is also known as the number 1 health issue of our time, because our so called friendships lack the SYNERGY!

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 Jefrey Abraham

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 A+ was not wise. This painful experience continued for several years until my mom found a tutor for me. I was literally dragged to my tutor's house but a pleasant surprise in the form of my classmate Shyam awaited me. Thank goodness I didn't have to suffer alone. Nonetheless I was determined to tell my mom that I was not going for tuitions again. An hour into our session my tutor disappeared into the kitchen and soon the fragrance of something frying filled the air. It kept me wondering what it could be and I was soon greeted with crispy onion pakodas. It was my first time tasting these bite size sweet and savoury delicacy. I gorged down the first plate in a matter of minutes. Luckily there were seconds. Those crispy pakodas made learning Hindi a real treat. Soon Shyam and I developed a deep bond as we overcame our fear of Hindi. We even saw our first Hindi movie together- the surreal Jurassic Park (dubbed)! There is no better feeling than when we face our greatest challenges in life with a friend. They make the journey crunchy, savory and sweet, just like those crispy pakodas.

TM Sukumar Swaminathan

Friendship, a selfless phenomenon, is no short of a wonder and can be found all around us and within us. We have all experienced friendship in many stages of our lives and stand enriched today because of them. I sat thinking about whom to crown as ‘my best friend’ as I simply could not conjure up a single person. That would have let me down in front of my own eyes! Until I was two, it was my Mother. Till eight, it was my Father who was my best friend. My toddler best friend was Chaitu with whom I spent most of my time playing. My high school best friend was Jai who helped me settle in my new school in Chennai. My senior school gave me many more best friends - my swashbuckling cousin Chamy, the ever smiling Jayki and the ever patient Gowri. My undergraduate college best friend was Nana who was so mature that he helped me see life and its true meaning at seventeen. My job gave me another best friend Vinay. Oh boy, we were naughty! My PG program best friends were Babu, Lalita and Sarita. They taught me some of life’s important lessons. My work in ITC gave me the opportunity to find more best friends - Kumar the Guru, Dhana and Chandra the students and Ganesh the companion. In Almarai, I made special bonds with Seshadri, Sajan and Santhosh, whose values I adopted and Sathish the comedian. My MBA days were made fun by a new best friend Cliff Hull. Bahrain gave me a life-long best friend Ulhas and life in its glory handed me Anjana and her brother Ajay! With each passing stage of life, I have selfishly amassed best friends or was fortunate enough for them to have crossed my path. This is the only selfishness that I am proud to flaunt and will continue to hoard! Because I sincerely believe that to be happy in life, we need to be selfish and gather knowledge, empathy, experience, perspective, profoundness, emotional balance and reliance. All of the above is possible when we have friends or rather, best friends! Many of my best friends and I have ensured that we are in regular touch. When we get talking, we reminisce of our days together, update each other of what’s happening with us now and have fun albeit life keeping us distant for various reasons. I take pride in having so many best friends who are the source of my wealth. Yes, I am rich! I want to get so rich that I can no longer count my wealth. I may have started life’s journey fulfilling my parent’s purpose but when I near my destination and when I am about to say goodbye to this beautiful journey of mine, my purpose is to bid adieu in style, wealthy with all my life’s best friends, re-living our glorious days and having comprehended the fact that we lived life to the fullest- TOGETHER!

DTM Manoj Kumar Pandey

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 sakha etc. By and large friendship among women has received more attention and often portrayed as intimate, reliable, lasting and less conscious than those between men. But history has proved that gender cannot determine lasting friendships. Friendship is one of the sweetest emotion one has experienced 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 as- metaphysical level and social level. At the metaphysical level, we ask what should be the proper human orientation, disposition and our attitude towards the rest of the universe in contrast to the anthropocentric and theocentric that 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 and 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

Reflection

Recap: Meeting 396: "New Beginning" Good Day fellow Toastmasters, I have been given this baton from the past for a wonderful opportunity to re kindle this long-lost tradition of summarizing our opulent meeting in a short and light-hearted manner. Hopefully, this will initiate the process with a momentum that will re-launch this tradition to greater heights in the coming years. PS: Forgive my constant apparition during the session. Staying safe and calm is the true need of the hour. Virtual meetings are a blessing during

by TM Apurva Divakaran

these

pandemic times, but unfortunately, network has not been my

friend that day. I have managed to jot down the max I could, whilst moving around frantically in search of WIFI range, like a hen trying to find a good spot to lay her eggs. So, chop-chop and happy reading!

Cheers, Apurva

What a memorable and enthralling meeting it was! This episode marked the beginning of the new Ex-Com for the year 2020-2021 and it was witnessed by a large number of members and guests. The meeting began with our Sergeant-at-Arms, TM Asif Sheikh at exactly 4:03 pm, with a warm note – ‘To give people another chance’. He then invited our beloved President to action. Our new President, TM Yashodhan Abhyankar walked in with his charming smile, trim and cheerful. He called the meeting to order and set tone to the evening by graciously inviting everyone to a new beginning. He appreciated TM Ponnambalam for introducing a concept where atleast one Gavelier would attend our Toastmasters Meetings and one of our members would attend the Gavels Club Meetings. There were no apologies for the agenda, except for TM Bilal. The agenda was proposed by TM Masood, and it was seconded by TM Anil Kumar. The President then invited our Grammarian for the evening, who is none other than the youngest Toastmaster of our Club & the new Secretary for the upcoming year, TM Pragati. The word of the day was Opulent’. Next, the Ah-Counter for the day was called upon. This role was taken up by the very softspoken artist and ex-VPPR, TM Murali Udayakanth. He highlighted the importance of listening patiently and pointing out any interjections that may slip from the Speaker unknowingly. The Timer for the evening was played by our Sergeant-at-Arms, TM Asif Sheikh. He explained the timing criteria for all the speeches and wished good luck to the speakers.

Recap: Meeting 396: "New Beginning" We had an interesting session where our President narrated a short but hilarious story of Mullah Nasrudheen with his wits and signature voice modulation. The moral of the story was ‘Our joy and happiness can be found within ourselves.’ Next, the President introduced the Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD), who was our very own vibrant and energetic ‘Humor King’, TM Abdul Rahim. TMOD wished good luck to the new Ex-Com for the upcoming year and congratulated the former team for a glorious odyssey undertaken. He took us through a journey highlighting the accolades of our club and how far we have come. TM Ponnambalam was appreciated one again here, for his relentless efforts towards mentoring the Gavels Club for years and calling him ‘Our unsung hero’.

The third and final speaker was DTM Rekha Utham, who attempted her Pathways Level-2 Speech titled ‘The Hope Within’. This Iron Lady delivered a beautiful and inspirational speech where she took us through her life experience and showed the strong relationship with her mentor, who has had such an influence on her. ‘Mentoring is all about caring’, said DTM Rekha. She emphasized that everything is taken care of, if you take care of your services and your relationship with people. ‘Anyone who throws crap at you is not always bad’, she quoted. The speech was evaluated by DTM Dr. Babu Ramachandran. The speeches were well enjoyed by all. We broke for a few seconds break thereafter, where we all cheered up for a quick snap/photo on virtual media, in the comforts of our home. Table Topics Session

Education Session The first speaker for the evening was Gavelier Tanmay Rajesh with the Speech titled ‘What Why When’. This young and energetic 8th grad student impressed us with his wonderful speech. He spoke of how important it is to ask questions and how it raises awareness and changes perspective for many. ‘You should always judge a man by his questions, not by his answers’, said our young speaker. The speech was evaluated by DTM Manoj Pandey. The second speaker was TM Joe Francis, who attempted his Pathways Level-1 Speech titled ‘Happy Retirement’. This Mechanical Engineer turned Finance Advisor spoke on the significance of savings, stocks and bonds, and how it can determine a happy retirement life. ‘It doesn’t matter if you are right or wrong. What matters is how much you lose or gain during the same’, said Joe. The speech was a true natural for this investment veteran. He ended on a fun note by saying that he would be our financial advisor when we retire. His speech was evaluated by TM Jeffrey Abraham.

Table Topics was conducted by the super dynamic Toastmaster with a penchant for music. It was none other than TM Ganapathy Narayanan. TT Master may seem like the Evil Man/Show Horror but he eased us into the session with a marvelous song, sung in zeal and enthusiasm. Everyone kept smiling on the surface, whilst doing a silent prayer and trying to not meet the TT Master’s eye/attention. Following were the questions shot: 'Every new beginning comes from some o therbeginning’s end’– This one went to our veteran TT commentator, DTM Dr. Babu Ramachandran. ‘Take the first step. You don’t have to see the whole stairs’ – Was the topic shot to our Iron Lady, DTM Rekha Utham. ‘Even if you can’t make a new beginning, you can make a brand new ending’ – To our VPPR, TM Sukumar. 'Tell us a new beginning that failed miserably’ – To our immediate Past President, TM Masood Shah. 'Narrate an event in your life that changed your life’ – To our favorite person, TM Dr. Suresh Karunakaran.

Recap: Meeting 396: "New Beginning" ‘Stand there and enjoy. Do not be here to win’ – said our beloved TT Master finally. He ended this wonderful session with yet another beautiful song, as everyone gave a sigh of immense relief at having dodged the topics and marked the end of yet another fun but terrifying- over-theyears-for-no-reason session. Business Session The President conducted an informative business session. All the new members of the Ex-Com shared their respective report for the day and year. It was a detailed and elaborate session, panning out every aspect of the Club, from Pathways Education by VP Education, TM Jeffrey Abraham, media and marketing by our VP Public Relations, TM Sukumar, financial matters by our Treasurer, TM Joe Francis, membership plans by our VP Membership, TM Anil Kumar and Minutes of the Meeting by our Secretary, TM Pragati. The highlight of the session was the release of the first issue of eloQuence for this year, titled 'New Beginning’. It was a beautiful edition, with article inputs from all the members on ‘Why did I join Toastmasters’. The VPPR, the PR Sub-Committee Members (DTM Thuraya Juma, DTM Manoj Pandey and TM Apurva) and the Contributing editor DTM Rekha Utham efforts were appreciated. General Evaluation TMOD then called upon our dear General Evaluator, DTM Thuraya Juma, who gave crisp evaluation of the meeting. She highlighted the plus points and suggested areas for improvement. She welcomed the new Ex-Com with best wishes and also congratulated the former members for their valuable achievements. Our persistent efforts for a crisp Business Session, Moments of Truth (MOT), Annual General Meeting (AGM) and our newsletter, Eloquence, is unlike any other Toastmasters Club in Bahrain, and she commended our hard work and perseverance behind the same. She also suggested that we improve our agenda presentation, with details on our meeting frequency, which can come in handy for our guests (‘We meet once a month’ or ‘We meet every alternate Fridays’) and to clearly mention the Pathways and Level undertaken by the speakers for the day.

She suggested the TMOD or the Timer to remind the Speaker to pin the Timer, considering the meetings are conducted virtually. She implored the Table Topics Master to give chance for people who do not have a role during the meeting. Grammarian of the day should not just suggest the Word of the Day, but also check the grammar of the speakers. Lastly, she requested the President to highlight the achievements and accolades of the Club during his presidential speech, for the benefit of the guests and new members. Distribution of Awards to Winners Best Speaker – Gavelier Tanmay Rajesh (It was a unanimous decision of all members to vote our youngest speaker to be the Best Speaker of the Day). Best Table Topics Commentator – TM Sukumar Best Evaluator– TM Jeffrey Abraham Best of TAG – TM Murali Udayakanth Best of 3 (TMOD/TT/GE) – DTM Dr. Thuraya Juma

Closing of Meeting Our TMOD, TM Abdul Rahim thanked each one of us present in the meeting profusely and handed control back to the President. He urged everyone to give a small write-up on your best friend for the upcoming eloQuence Magazine, themed ‘Friendship’. TM Suresh Karunakaran gave a few words of wisdom. He spoke on how we can best package WMC Toastmasters to a larger audience and highlighted the importance of marketing ourselves. Going live on Facebook with our meeting, especially during the speeches was another suggestion that he gave. He congratulated the speakers and role players and conveyed his best wishes to all. The guests shared their experience of the meeting and thanked the members for enlightening them. Finally, at long last, our President TM Yashodhan made closing remarks and adjourned the meeting with a good note, by taking a leaf out of DTM Rekha’s speech (where all is well when the boss takes good care of his people) by saying ‘Your President will come for the next meeting with a wonderful story’. PS: A friendly reminder for everyone present during the meeting‘Do not turn off your video during Table Topics 23 Session"

Recap: Meeting 397: "Friendship" There is a wonder about Zooming. You click a button and it is all dark…. until suddenly a bright spot appears, and your world is illuminated. This Friday it was the President in his red cap with his beaming smile who shined on us. I wondered whether he had had a selfie haircut and hence had to hide his crowning glory under a cap! Then I saw many other “cappies” and my brain being rather sharp figured out that these were the role players!! Good move guys!

by DTM Rekha Utham

Asif the Sgt at Arms was not “capped”, but he anyway always stands out with an affirming presence and a smile. When he says switch off the mobile I do it because I do not want to upset this gentle being. He also like the President donned two caps…Sgt at Arms and Ah Counter. True to his nature there were less Ahs counted, not as ruthlessly as some others. (everyone becomes ruthless if they point out my Ahs….that is the measure). President Yash wore two caps -TMOD and President. We had few guests. Simran the chirpy gavelier, Rajeshwari the beautiful hopefully future member, Sreejith a veteran TM of the wonderful smile and our ex member Shoaib the powerhouse of talent from Pakistan. Yash combined his role of being in control and being the catalyst of the meeting well. His stories always fascinate and there is always a residual thought he leaves behind which we can mull over till the next meeting. FRIENDSHIP was the theme of the meeting. Apt as world friendship day is coming up, I believe. I am dismissive of one day celebrations of these so called days for father, mother ,pets, flowers etc etc which is a trend these days!! Everyday we celebrate aspects of all this in our life anyway. And if we do not then that is what we should be doing is my two penny worth of thought. BUT this meeting had another recurring theme. That of Dr. Babu’s enigmatic ear pods! The ear pods and Dr. Babu were so anxious about some impending and important zoom session the next day that we had to keep reassuring them throughout the meeting “ yes we can hear you, yes you are audible, yes you are clear” I think this ear pod should be given a WMC TMC membership! It attended a full meeting after all! 24

Recap: Meeting 397: "Friendship" Grammarian Abdulrahim introduced a simple word with a profound impact – SYNERGY – quite familiar to WMC as it had conducted the film festival Cinergy taking inspiration from it. However, when he presented the Grammarian’s report he astounded us with the correct, timely and valuable pointers that he gave as to where we went wrong with our grammar and how we can correct it. All the speakers appreciated this valuable feedback. Abdulrahim has created a NEW NORM to the role of Grammarian! The speeches enthralled us. Simran grabbed The Day (Crape Diem) with her powerful speech on not letting go of opportunities. Her smile ,her confidence and her language inspired! Ram her evaluator gave her some more tips to make her speech better. Anil wafted the FRAGRANCE of our childhood, our quirks, our passions, our excesses in his speech and evoked memories of sleeping off in boring physics classes of yester years! I look at Anil and marvel at the way he is steadily improving in his speech delivery. A true learner indeed! But he taught us a poignant lesson to give out the fragrance of our virtues and skills to the world. I was impressed by Joe’s evaluation of Anil’s speech. It was incisive and a worthy feedback. Good job Joe! Then came the club Billy aka Bilal with WHY ME. Isn’t that a question we all love to ask of life? His speech fitted our theme of friendship. A Jaya Amitabh type of friendship ,a 6 footer and our Billy, the giant and the midget and their friendship which made Billy who he is today. It brought back memories of friends who have stood by us in our own lives. When the meeting ended, I zoomed a friend and told her how much I value her handholding in my life. Jeffery evaluated this speech with a flair and crispness that it became like a ‘face off’ of two champions. SYNERGY was all around us. First time ever I felt a word of the day enveloping us!

Missed the table Topics by Pragati. She was not in a cap? The topics were: Memorable day with your best friend- Sukumar I am sure must have smashed it like a Federer with his perfect diction and command of the language. Do you have your school friend as a best friend till now-Kiran is from near my hometown, so I will clap for his first attempt at anything in this club If you want to repeat a grade or class which one you want to – Ponnambalam always strives to be genuine and truthful in his attempts to speak. I think the gaveliers are training him well! Do you remember your KG friend or teacher Masood our dashing ex-President never fails to impress. Making plans for a get together – Rajeshwari has come to right place if she is looking for friends and a good time. In WMC there is never a dearth of that. Business Session is when I usually go for my tea or doze off a little bit. That is Dr. Babu’s forte, and I always watch him straighten himself up, push the ear pods further up his ear on Zoom or lean forward in real meetings! I know the club is safe in his hands. So, I play truant a bit usually. If they do ask me what you think TM Rekha I always agree. Then later I go and argue with Dr.Babu and he treats me like one of his patients…patiently. This Friday out of guilt of missing the TT, I sat and listened to the full business session and was impressed with the meticulousness and planning Secretary read out minutes. Pragati is the kid amongst us goats, but she holds her own! I would like to see her smile more. VP membership has formed a subcommittee, VPED gave us a mini workshop on Pathways. VP PR gave statistics of likes on social media(any dislikes I wonder?) Treasurer has a Benefit account now.Sgt At Arms looked happy.

I had to go off Zoom as Boss called. After all Bread and Butter comes first right? 25

Recap: Meeting 397: "Friendship" The General Evaluator Priyanka set up a bar for GE which is quite high and something we all can strive to reach. Her suggestion of unmuting and clapping for a speaker or a role player is a valid point and we should implement it. It is the smiles; it is the resounding claps before and after, that catapults a speaker from being mediocre to great. We have been missing Priyanka in action last year mostly except when she popped up to ask for money, so this was a welcome change. One advantage of ZOOM is that there is a parallel meeting going on in the chat! Privately and to Everyone. I thrilled at this power of mine to give ‘gyan’ to all and sundry. Some of the responses came later to me on what app,but I felt this is a good way of communicating and correcting or enhancing something as it is going on. From all the responses and the lingering of people on Zoom much after the meeting had been officially ended proves the fact that we all enjoyed the meeting and were synergized enough to hold on as a group. As it does always, a WMC meeting leaves you invigorated, rejuvenated, and energized! Perhaps SYNERGISED to face the world with a smile of confidence in the knowledge that there is a bunch of people in this world who genuinely value and sincerely appreciate you!

What did I read! Yayati (Malayalam Translation) – V.S Khandekar

DTM Rekha Utham

First read of July was a re-read. July is the month when my mother fills my every breath because on July 12th, I lost her. I feel there is a gaping hole in me which I try to fill with memories. Yayati though first published in Marathi in 1959 was translated into Malayalam in 1980,as a serial in a Malayalam weekly. It is a re telling of the story of Yayati from the Indian epic Mahabharata, which has a resonance to our lives today. Reading it in 1980 I had felt how contemporary it felt in ideas thoughts and language. Re reading it in 2020 confined to home during COVID-19 it still felt fresh, contemporary, and relatable. In fact, more relatable. It is the story of a King who asks his son to give up his youth because the King was afraid of aging and death. He wanted to be immersed in the material pleasures of life. Khandekar juxtaposes modern consumerism and greed into the narrative and shows how empty our lives can be if we do not have the right values. When you think that it was written in 1959,the boldness of the theme, language, and narrative impresses you all over again. It has been translated into literarily most languages of the world.

Return of A King - William Dalrymple I have been an avid reader of Dalrymple since his first book on Delhi – ‘City of Djinns’ and am trying to get my hands on his latest one ‘The Anarchy’. In Return of A King Dalrymple chronicles the First Afghan war (1839-1842) through personal diaries, British records, Russian historians and Afghan poets and draws parallels to the current situation in Afghanistan. British or rather the East India Company invaded Afghanistan in a hurry believing that Tsarist Russia had designs on the region (sounds familiar? That is the quirk of history being repeated). As any army General would tell you that you cannot invade a country without first having a plan or a route to get out. But politicians do not know that do they? The occupying British troops encountered hostility as they went about publicly disrespecting local culture and customs. The king of the book's title – Shah Shuja – was a British appointment and gratifyingly pliable. However, his ties with the infidel British make him unpopular; creates fractures in the tribal alliances and violence erupts in Kabul as anti-Shuja protesters take up arms. Throughout, Dalrymple draws "clear and relevant parallels" (as he calls them) with Afghanistan today. In American eyes, all of Afghanistan was a target after the twin towers assault: there could be no innocent people in a "guilty" nation. The US forces had intended to liberate Kabul from the Taliban, but military strategy was no defence against Islamic fundamentalism. It makes for a fascinating and contemplative read.

Milkman - Anna Burns Winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2018 for fiction Milkman not only stands out for its story of tribalism and hope but also for its craft. Rarely do we see innovation in the technique of writing that merits compliment these days. Anna Burns charts a new way in her narrative. Characters have no names; each are called as per their relationship to the protagonist. So sisters become first sister, second sister, boyfriend becomes first second and third and the curious things is that one doesn’t miss the names at all. Set in turbulent Ireland the story is through the eyes of an 18year old girl for whom violence is just a landscape. She is an avid reader; reads even while walking to and fro from school or anywhere. The only time she doesn’t read is when she jogs. She attracts the attention of a paramilitary personnel – ‘Milkman’ and the gossip that ensues and how it impacts her life is core of the novel. The novel is about the oppressiveness of tribalism, of conformism, of religion, of patriarchy, of living with widespread distrust and permanent fear. In this novel Anna Burns holds up a mirror to show us the dangers of the “communal policing” that takes place among “a whole community and even a whole nation. The below quote from this book haunts me into an awareness especially after the Me Too campaigns and the marginalisation of women:“Having been brought up in a hair-trigger society where the ground rules were – if no physically violent touch was being laid upon you, and no outright verbal insults were being levelled at you, and no taunting looks in the vicinity either, then nothing was happening, so how could you be under attack by something that wasn’t there?” 27

Birthday Celebrations

20th August 2020

Toastmasters News

Club Growth Director Awards 2020-2021 Member & Club Levels

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Program Quality Director Educational Awards 2020-2021 Member Level

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Public Relations Awards 2020-2021 Member Level

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Public Relations Awards 2020-2021 Open for all

Smedley Award 01-08-2020 to 30-09-2020

Our Star in the News

Editor: TM Sukumar Swaminathan Contributing Editor : DTM Rekha Utham Editorial Panel (PR Sub-Committee) DTM Dr. Thuraya Juma Abdulla DTM Manoj Kumar Pandey TM Apurva Divakaran Feature Contributors Dr. Suresh Karunakaran: Article & Photos

Stock photos: Unsplash.com Designer: TM Sukumar Swaminathan

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