THE STORY OF DTM PGR NAIR

July 01, 2013, the date Toastmasters International awarded me with a plaque, I was a DTM then. The award as I understand is a certification of completion of prescribed projects along the communication and leadership track and appreciation of the efforts put in by the awardee.

I turned respectable, honorable, saab…and…; but were these addresses relevant or else was I close to those addresses? To look for clues, let us travel back in time.

Project 7 of the CC Manual requires one to research his topic from sources like internet, magazine, reports, published papers, newspaper etc and support them by statistics, testimony, examples and visual aids. Having done so, one is required to deliver a speech in front of an audience. There is an evaluator to evaluate the speech. DTM PGR Nair was my speech evaluator. I had heard a lot about him; he is a gem of a person, he is excellence at its best, he is determination at work, he is an ocean of knowledge and so on.

I was enthusiastic but new to Toastmasters, me a surface swimmer and he a deep water diver. The projects material was there but how to deal with it and to what extent was beyond my grasp. He had a trait of working to the finer details of any thing that he puts his hand on. His evaluation was crisp and clear, nothing more to commend but lot more emphasis on the areas of improvement.

Thereafter we sparingly met. I continued to work on completion of my CC and CL projects. Having learned the basic tools of communication and leadership I started taking advance projects of communication and leadership tracks. Leadership is all about connecting with people, listening to them, helping them and marching along with them to reach a goal. In this process I had to visit corporate as well as community clubs. It was during some of these visits that I happened to meet DTM PGR Nair again and again.

I had a couple of chances to work with him as a grammarian, evaluator, workshop presenter, toastmaster of the day, contest judge, chief judge etc. His comments, advice, suggestion and sermons were well judged and well thought off. At times when they are delivered in the presence of your mentees they add up to your responsibility as a mentor. One after the other as I took them serious and worked on it I could feel the confidence level rising in me, I could sense the ease to tackle difficult task. I could see myself shaping up for a larger role.

I have come across instances when a person approaches DTM, he feels to wait and check whether he fits in to the honor, respect and the grandeur that comes with it or is there something left to be done or reworked.

For me it was like “Awake arise and stop not, till the goal is reached”. Personalities like DTM PGR Nair happen to come across by chance and one happens to be a lucky guy if he could make the most out of those associations. No one knows how long an association lasts. Every relation has an expiry date. Currently he is in Qatar and me in India continuing his legacy of grooming youngsters.

THE STORY OF DTM PERI

YLP (Youth Leadership Program) is an actuality of the desire to do something for the school children. The Toastmasters run the show but parent also equally participate and contribute to the best of their ability. Logistics, location, finance and mentors are four important aspects to be taken care of to conduct a successful Youth Leadership Program.

Among the parents during the YLP of Dr. George was a person in the name of Peri. Though not much acquainted with him I saw him fairly engaged during the meetings. The YLP ended well and during the introduction the audience was made to know about his caring and helping nature.

Couple of years later he was made an honorary member of Elite Toastmasters club. Quality is the main concern of any Toastmasters activity, be it delivering a speech or taking up a task. Maintaining quality is a tough task for any club. It was during his presidency that he introduced the concept of QC. QC did not mean quality control but it meant quality circle. There were 6 QC and each QC was headed by a senior member of the club. This was the second phase which earned laurels for Elite.

Never judge a book by its cover and never judge a person by his stature. Peri a man of average height had started unfolding his true mettle. Being the Director (Marketing & Strategic Planning) at Farabi Petrochemicals he was constantly on the move he had very little time at his disposal. With whatever little time he had he utilized it to bring people together either by club meeting or by family get-together.

During one such family get-together amidst a karaoke session, he walked up to me and requested me to sing a song. I told him “I have never done it”. He replied “so do it now” and gave me lyrics of few Bollywood songs. Opportunities often surprise us. If you grab it you make it. I climbed the stage and sung to the best of my ability.

While parting he commented “You sing well, a bit of practice could make it better?” I call these remark “Passing Remark”. I took it seriously and in the next family meet I was once again on the stage. “Chand se parda keejiye”. The song was well received by the audience. Now I am able to understand music and singing better.

Once during his Area Governor Address he put forward the importance of communication with an appropriate example. He said “We put 07 years primary education, 03 years in secondary education, 2 years in higher secondary education, 04 years in graduation and lastly 2 years in post graduation”. Is this enough?

One may be sound at technical knowledge but the interview ordeal requires one to put these 18 years of amassed knowledge in a concise, pleasing and easy to understand way and that to in around 15 to 18 minutes. 18 years to be compressed in 18 minutes. If you click you are in, you don’t you go out. DTM Rose Joseph George says Communication Skill is Survival Skill.

  

We promised each other to meet one on one which never happened but the summation of all our meets gives me a feel of being benefited, being on the positive side.

See you next time with the story of DTM P G R Nair

COMING TO A HALT

As I write this conclusion few days are left for the journey to come to a halt. Thereafter all passengers on board will be disbanding for another journey to reach their intended destination. It is said that “A friendship born during a journey dies at the station you leave the train” I will have to wait and watch to experience the effectiveness of these words. I do agree that the interaction in future, among the passengers will lessen as compared to the interactions while on board. Distances have their own role to play. Distances dilute relations but memories keep them hooked on. Till now enough stories have been told, let me finish the journey with a last story.

Work brought us together and we became colleagues, he was a colleague who in no way had anything in common to be shared except work on some instances. Any other colleague would think twice before having close friendship with him. Any addiction you name it, he had it. He came to know that I had enrolled myself for the French course  and shift duty would interrupt it. Once he came to me and said “In case you need a shift change, please do not hesitate to ask for it.” At instances I would go to other colleagues asking for a shift change but they would regret under one pretext or the other. Having tried most of them finally I would go to him. He would without any delay agree to give a shift change. He had been constantly supporting me throughout, from Level-1, to the completion of  my Diploma. The understanding and the support were so trustful and so focused that he would turn up on duty even with a short notice of two hours.

Hidden behind the mask of an addict, he was man so different, at times the hidden personality of a man remains unexplored. We are gripped by the fever of being fast. Fast food, fast cars, fast trains, fast planes, fast learning, fast earning and finally fast living. We are more focused on reaching the destination fast rather than enjoying the journey.

Once when the plant was smooth; we sat together sipping tea. I asked him, why are you different from the others? He replied “I know the habits I have, I need to renounce them, but I got them in my teens, it has been decades in a row and now it would be difficult for me to live without them”.

I appreciate one thing. He knew his limit, as well as he knew my limits too. He never invited me to the parties he attended. An addict on one hand was an admirer of education on the other. He was a father of three daughters one Doctor and the other two Post Graduates. Being with him for a certain phase of life has revealed me some hidden aspects of evaluating a person. Such phase teaches one a lot. Every person has some short comings and some plus points. What matters is “On what are we focused? Short comings or plus points” 

My Toastmastering journey was a journey about reaching out and touching hearts. It was a journey about building bridges. It was a journey about connecting with people. As the journey moves towards completion I have nothing much to do; sitting with hand crossed, as my eyes fall on the wrist watch the click of the clock seems sluggish, the movements of the hands seems fatigued and clatter in the mind fading. Towards the end of the journey let me express my sincere and heart-felt thanks to all those who supported me and about whom I haven't written or mentioned. The smooth, safe and timely completion of this journey wouldn't have been so in the absence of the guard, the driver and my Crisis Manager DTM Safare Mohammed.

PRELUDE: FROM A GUEST TO A DTM

At the terminus the train is completely vacant, few moments later before it starts off, it gets sparingly populated, the compartments are almost empty. Slowly and slowly  as the train commences, passes-by station after station, the influx of passengers is on the rise. The vacant seats get occupied; and you have someone sitting beside you, may be a man not relevant to your profession, not in line with your likes, a man not belonging to your state or a man with a different dialect. Every man has something to share and something to say. The journey of the person sitting beside you may end up in between. and then you have someone else occupying the sit beside you. He may have something different to say and share. It is this difference, it is this diversity that adds to your enrichment of knowledge base, experience and storehouse of stories. The suburban trains of Mumbai are breeding grounds of numerous story. It is said Mumbai is a city always on the move. It is also said Mumbai is a city which never sleeps. It is estimated that everyday around twenty five families come to Mumbai in search of livelihood, they settle down, make Mumbai their home and never go back.

Once a person came to Bombay totally unknown to its citizens, unknown to the place and unknown to the pace. A stranger in a strange land. He was on the look for an easy-to-catch job and without any delay he found one. The job of shoe polishing; shoe polishing of train commuters. He was good at multi-tasking. Along with shoe polishing he was focused on building public relations. It is with public relations that he managed to climb the ladder of progression. He knew where he was heading for. He was a man from remote area, an area far away from the city. Having managed a family accommodation, his wife joined him. She was amazed and astonished at first by the traffic, by the rush, by the language the people spoke. She was an alien in this strange world. This world did not relate to her world in any way. As the man managed to climb to the position of a CEO in a paints company his wife too took lessons in Spoken English, she took lesson in driving and completely adapted herself to the city. Position did not matter much, he did not forget to travel in the suburban train. 

The Label “FROM A GUEST TO A DTM” is a similar non-fictional journey starting from a scratch on May 10, 2009 and finishing on June 30, 2013. In particular it is the journey of Toastmastering; a journey which starts from being nobody and culminating into being somebody, a journey which starts from being a guest and finishing into being a Distinguished Toastmasters. The hidden emphasis is on the importance of public relations. The journey kicks off with a story of a story teller and is subsequently followed by stories of few eminent personalities whom I met on this journey. It ends with a conclusion. I hope you will enjoy and enrich from it. The very purpose of putting before you this series “FROM A GUEST TO A DTM” is to raise curiosity, to raise questions, to generate impetus and seek solution. Wishing you all the best on your journey to reach the coveted DTM status.

Next time see you with “STORY OF A STORY TELLER” 

THE STORY OF DTM JAGADEESAN KUMAR

Movies are an integral part of an individual’s life. Movie is a media of expressing thought, talent and creativity. This may be true for people who form the caste in a movie but what about the other side of it? Movie goers, I mean people who watch movies. One is either a watcher or being watched, especially when you are a fresher or an amateur. This happens everywhere. Schools, colleges, offices, homes, playgrounds etc.

Year 2009 marked my debut in Toastmasters. I was totally engaged into it, leisure hours were for Toastmasters only. Announcement of any event would raise my curiosity.  I would think about new faces I would be meeting at the event. Come year 2010 and there was the announcement of Division conference. In other parts of the Toastmastering Fraternity the Division conference happens to be a simple one day event whereas here in Jubail it is otherwise. It is a glamorous affair lasting for two days. The world champion of public speaking would be present, eye catching venue, sumptuous food, education workshop and array of trophies glitteringly decorated. Luckily I was a team members of the stage management team headed by Toastmaster Surendra Chari. The recipient of the trophies may feel proud of their achievement but managing such big a number ranging over eight to nine category was an equally challenging job. I learned a lot, handling them. Why is it said? “A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step” Is it to initiate walking? Is to motivate a person to start working? May be, because, with action accumulates experience and experience is all that matters.

Laminar flow of river in the plains goes unnoticed but the turbulent flow in the rocky terrain catches attention. Likewise a breaking news  makes one realizes the gravity of time passed. The chairman for the division conference 2011 was announced. He was DTM Jagadeesan Kumar. I had seen him on stage and at a few gatherings but was never very close to him. Few days later I received a mail from him asking me if I can shoulder the responsibility of Chairman of Awards and Certificate Committee?

Having accepted the assignment, after attending two to three preparatory meeting I started sensing the level of commitment required. Collecting the information (category and numbers) about the awardees from the chairman of twelve committees, selecting the trophies and plaques, preparing a budget getting its approval from the Finance Committee chairman as well as the Division Conference chairman, placing the order, making the payment, receiving the consignment, engraving them flawlessly, shifting to the  venue, arranging them appealingly and producing them when the awardee’s name is announced. A high level of teamwork would only cater to such conditions. My team had to stretch beyond its boundaries of comfort. “All is well that ends well”, the team was happy for all expectations were met.

Few days later after the conference, I gave DTM Jagadeesan Kumar a call, asking him what made him offer me the assignment?

He replied “I was watchful about your activities and assignments”. His watchfulness has helped me raise my bar, discover my potential and feel confident about myself. I consider myself lucky enough to be watched and spotted by him.

That year he had sponsored the "Petrokemya Toastmasters Club", fortunately it belonged to my area. I happened to be the Assistant Area-17 Governor (Education and Training). I never missed a meeting. Visiting his club brought us more closer and redefined our relations. Next year when I ran for the Area Governor election I was elected uncontested. We did not have any exchange of words, but behind the silent scene was his strong presence and over powering personality. Working with him has been a memorable experience and has helped me inculcate the trait of being watchful and offering the right role to the rightful person. Next time I will be there with the concluding part of the sequel.

THE STORY OF WAHEED LATEEF

When a child is small. The parents care much. The caretaker and relatives also drop in to inquire about the health of the child. The same thing happens at all places and a new toastmasters club is no exception to it. 2009 was the year of infancy for Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club. There were some dignitaries who often visited our club. Some of them were our club mentors and sponsors. TM Waheed Lateef was one of them. His presence was graceful and enjoyable. He spoke less and preferred to be simple.

Simplicity is not simple and life too, is not easily understood. It is something beyond earning bucks and feeding one’s stomach. For that reasons thousands of years of Indian culture is full of stories of wise people in the search of a Guru (a mentor, a guide or a leader).

Once a person in search of a Guru, travelled long distances; At one point of time he came to know about a guru who lived in a monastery. Monastery is a place or a premise where a group of people live by the nature to achieve salvation. This person arrived at the monastery with a high hope. From day one he would never miss an opportunity to serve any unit of the mastery. One month passed by, two months passed by, the third month also passed by. The guru went on with his daily chores. Having felt unattended, questioned started rising in his mind. Why am I here? Am I gaining anything? Worries and doubts escalated, patience and hope dwindled. He asked the guru “Why don’t you teach? Why don’t you speak?”. The guru said that is the way I am.

Waheed Lateef, I have never seen him speaking at length, giving long discourses. But he has constantly been drawing my attention. Passing of time has brought me closer to him, made me more friendly but proximity has revealed me one of his weaknesses. He lacks in the trait of getting angry. Many a times I am amazed to see how he manages to be mentor of DTM Khalid Matlagaitu, a friend of mine and an empathizer of a budding toastmaster, all bundled up in a single personality called Waheed Lateef.

People like him are many times alone with everyone around. There were few weeks for the SATAC 2013 to roll out. I had been to his office to purchase a ticket for my annual vacation. I inquired, how is the preparation going on for the SATAC 2013? He replied “With 12 committee chairmen still I am a lonely man” 

It reminded me of the famous song “कहता है जोकर सारा ज़माना आधी हक़ीकत, आधा फ़साना” where in is a beautiful sentence “धक्के पे धक्का, रेले पे रेला है भीड़ इतनी पर दिल अकेला”. It means in this overcrowded world a person still is a loner.

I agreed to be his assistant. I was instructed to be mainly focused on quality and consistency, it gave me an opportunity to be a script writer, to be an assistant, to be a facilitator and to be the result announcer. Being his friend has really rewarded me.

During the SATAC 2013 event seldom was he seen or noticeable. “He was found to be acting nowhere, he was found to be leading nowhere” but with the successful accomplishment of the event I would like to say “He was found to be acting everywhere, he was found to be leading everywhere” Waheed Lateed is a person who carries simplicity and leadership together. Next time I will be there with another story. A story about DTM Jagadeesan Kumar.

THE STORY OF DR. JAVED ANSARI

2009 was the year Saudi Kayan club was trying to be supportive and strengthen relation with the sister clubs in the vicinity. Kamarudeen then vice president education would take us to different club in the vicinity. Sabic Technology Centre was one of them. STC club was a club of elite people, a club of highly qualified people. Any person you come across would be a doctor (doctorate in philosophy), a scientist or an assistant scientist. At that club was a person in the name of Dr. Javed Ansari.

It has been years I have been going there taking up different assignments, taking along with me members of Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club. With time passing by we came closer to each other, the bond between us grew more stronger. We loved working for each other. It was the year 2011-2012. Dr. Javed Ansari contested for the office of Area-17 Governor and created an upset. He was not in the kingdom. When he came after 4 weeks, it was expected of him to form his team but there was a silence in the air. Everybody kept guessing. Who would be his team members. The suspense continued for a long time. It was a situation that resembled a love scene. In a love scene there are two characters, the air is filled with expectancy, the minds are filled with curiosity and the hearts are filled with connectivity. In love sometimes a person takes time to open up. Love is a feeling of belongingness and the ripening of this feeling happens with the first verbal acceptance of the fact. This verbal acceptance is not easy to come by. Such situations builds up at times because of unilateral involvement and sometime due to bilateral involvement.

The silence broke when he gave me a call and said “Now I am the Area-17 Governor and your friend too, why are you silent? Why don’t you ask a post in the area team?” I had no answer. The reason being I didn’t expect anything from him. I just wanted to be his friend. I told him I didn’t expect any post. He insisted “I want you to be the Assistant Area Governor (Education and Training), I have kept it reserved for you only”. That gave me an opportunity to work more closely with him. This event made my belief (Giving is getting, my CC-06 project) more strong. He always had me in mind, and was always on the search for a role or an assignment for me. We worked together not only in our clubs and area but other areas too. The following year he became the Division L Governor and I became the Area-17 Governor. It brought many more opportunities of working together. At times I would think him  to be a path maker for me and he believes me to be his mentor.

When I write a story which many a times has a lady character. He questions me “Is this  a real story or a fictional one?” When I say it’s real. His next question would be “How do you gel well with ladies?” However he appreciates my efforts to open a Ladies Toastmasters Club for teachers at the International Jubail School and has agreed to support it. 

    

What brings us closer is, we are forced bachelors, we have the intention to serve, we have all the time on the world at our disposal, we are very open and have nothing to hide. He is a humble person; he with a smile accepts his short comings and desire to overcome it. He would express to overcome them with my help. Where would I get such a person and such a friend to be connected with? True friend are real treasure and he is one of them. Next time I will be there with another story. A story about CTM Waheed Lateef. 

THE STORY OF HAREESH SUMATHY BHARGAVAN

Manoj Renadive and few others had just started their Toastmastering Career, they had just started moving and were trying to catch up the speed required before take-off.  There were no meetings conducted. Four meeting didn’t happen because of the absence of the club officers who had left Kayan. These budding toastmasters approached me and asked “Would the club open again? Would the meeting be conducted?”

I was requested by the former president TM Shabib Al-Sudairi to take the charge and move things. I started regrouping people. It was hard time. I was looking for someone who would really assist me in my efforts to reinstate the club. I approached Hareesh I asked him “I want you to help me.” He was quick but polite in replying “I will think over it”. I expected him to understand me but now the situation was reverse. I had to understand him. I went on approaching others slowly and slowly I was able to gather members. We started conducting meeting, it would be thinly attended. Sometimes I would redo my speeches and sometimes it would be Jamaan Al-Ghamdi. Sometimes it would entirely comprise of table topics. Few weeks later Manohar Rao went on exit. There was a void to be filled in soon. I requested Hareesh this is the time I need you badly. There is no time to think I want you to act, come and join me.

His gentle nod not only relieved me of my worries but also provided relief. Soon he was on to his job as the Vice president membership. Apart from membership he actively started assisting me on all fronts. In each and every meeting in whatever role I wanted him, he was there. Apart from being actively engaged in meeting roles. He was active in communication with Toastmasters International. Whether it was paying the club does, inquires about the non-receipt of manuals or dealing with the area committee.

He was quick on his communication and leadership track too. He was a man of planning, patience and perseverance. I still remember his speech on OIL SEAL DIAGRAM which sent the audience in to bouts of laughter. Having set the club on the track he preferred to give chance to the others. However he did not relax on his communication track. He continued his journey. Within a given target he completed his Advance Communication Bronze and helped the club get the President’s Distinguished Awards.

The club decided to conduct a Toastmasters Day to showcase Toastmastering to the Senior Management in Saudi Kayan. The ex-com chose Hareesh to take the lead, he was the Master of Ceremonies. DTM Khaled Matlagaitu’s speech was all and all about Hareesh. Like Jamaan he too added to the beauty of the program, which went on to be the talk of the town. He remains one of the strong pillars of Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club who contributed in laying the foundation and in bringing success. Unknowingly I became his mentor and he, my mentee.

Only when one is lucky enough, he comes across a friend and colleague like Hareesh. I always say, I am lucky. Next time see you with another story. The story of Dr. Javed Ansari.

THE STORY OF JAMAAN AL-GHAMDI

The first time he appeared was, as my supervisor, working with him revealed me that he was a person who had a professional way of going about things. He was a person who worked with the end in mind and who would care about the needs and wants of his subordinates. A person who never preferred to beat about the bush but was clear and crisp in whatever he wanted to say. 

I had just been back form my annual vacation. Manoj and Ranedive came up to me and asked, would the club never run? I came to know that the V P education Kamaruddin had left on exit and the President of the club was transferred to another Sabic location. Before taking any action I preferred to be thoughtful and watchful. It was a week later I received a mail from the then president TM Shabibi Al-Sudairi asking me to take the charge of the club as the Vice President Education and there came to join me Jamaan Al-Ghamdi as the President of the club.

We two were not that much experienced in Toastmasters. But we both had the intention of working for the club and being sincere and serious in whatever we would do. I would go to other clubs watch the proceeding and implement it in Kayan. I would mend it the way that suited Kayan the best. Jamaan was always open to whatever I had to say. Once taken a decision he whole heartedly would support me. There were times we did not have any speakers however we would give demo speeches, do table topics only but we would not allow any meeting to be cancelled. He would cater to the needs and support of the club and I would focus on the education and learning needs of the club. Breaking the inertia took some time but finally we gained momentum. “Slow and steady wins the race” goes the famous saying. Towards the end of the year SAUDI KAYAN TOASTMASTERS CLUB was a President’s Distinguished Club. Jamaan always was a humble and open person. Any mail form the Toastmasters International would be forwarded to me with a note FYA (For your action). He continued informing and I continued acting.

It was time to choose the new executive committee. I told him let us have a Saudi guy as the president and I will support him with the vice-president-education task. He was a person who could sense the soundness of the person. He was clear, he replied “I don’t want the club to die, you are the next President”. Being in the president’s office was a unique experience.

He was a generous person. While in the area council meeting we were discussing about the monetary aspect. The area governor DTM Sushil Agrawal expressed his concern regarding revenue generation. Jamaan humbly asked how much do you need? He without hesitation agreed to contribute 5000 Riyals to the Area. This is a quality seldom seen.      

I am here, I am here, I am here, I am here was the way he made his presence on the stage of Saudi Kayan Auditorium. It was 13.12.2011, the day the first every Toastmasters Day conducted by Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club. Never before had I seen him the way he appeared as a speaker, he stole the show and brought fame to Toastmasters Day inside and outside Kayan.

Jamaan though having left Saudi Kayan his memories are still alive and very much Fresh. Next time see you with another story. The story of Hareesh Sumathy Bhargawan.

THE STORY OF DTM SAFARE MOHAMMED

A pleasing personality doesn’t guarantee a pleasing relationship, perhaps like-mindedness  brings people closer and builds sound relationship. The matter doesn’t end there, a doubt rises in the mind, like-mindedness to what extent? On how many counts? I have experienced that a single count suffices the need to give birth to a sound relationship.

My relation with DTM Mohammed Safare is one such relation that I cherish the most but what makes us good friends is a matter for me to research. He is far younger than me. He has a different mother tongue, he hails from a different state. We have never gone together on an outing.

It was 2010. I just knew him by name. He gave me a call requesting me to be a target speaker for Area-63 contest, an event to go live in less than 24 hrs. I accepted it and the next day I delivered a speech which invited trouble for the evaluators on stage. From then on I became his Crisis Manger. Time went on and our Toastmastering needs brought us closer to each other. Sometimes on Friday he would call me for a cup of Kerala Tea and morning breakfast, we would discuss over matters related to career in Toastmasters. He was one year senior to me. I learned a lot from him.  

One day he gave me a call saying “Note down the date April 22, 2011, it is the Area-63 Contest and I want you as a judge”. I agreed to it. He was the assistant area governor education and training then for Area-63. There were enough days left and I was easing out.

Two to three day later he gave me a call. “Bhaskar do your remember April 22, 2011”? I told him, Yes I am the judge for your area contest. He said “Let me correct you, you are not a judge, You are the chief judge, best of luck and switched off the phone.” I trusted him and I very well knew he was a person who would never ditch me. I had never been a Chief Judge before but I never gave it a second thought. The next minute I started sending requests to seniors in Toastmastering, one by one I started receiving responses. Having fixed the judges I asked Safare the details of the contest chair persons, he said “they are yet to be groomed, Can you do it? I am too busy. One of them is TM Sameena Mazar”

She was a busy lady. When I gave her a call she was in Damaam, we met at 09.00 in the evening. I handed over the soft copies, explained everything that was required to be taken care of. Next day everything went smooth and all ended well.

Apart from that we have met and worked for each other in few divison conferences. And area contests. He is now a DTM shortly I would also be completing my Toastmastering career. There is a time in life when two person come together and contribute towards each other’s progress. He is still concerned about my Toastmastering career and keeps me asking about it. He is a constant source of encouragement. When in crisis “we are made for each other” Next time I will be there with another story. A story about TM Jaman Al-Ghamdi

THE STORY OF DTM SUSHIL AGRAWAL

Seasons change and so changes the weather. In line with the weather changes the adaptability of the society. Hobbies, sports, attire and outing also change.  Rajeev’s term as a president of the Elite club had come to an end. With New Year, there was the new executive committee and new faces in charge of different offices. I was in my Advance Communication Silver. To have a feel of different audience I had started visiting Saudi Kayan Toastmasters Club. I used to take up different roles during the meeting. It was just a matter of time, within few weeks I was able to win his (V P Education, Kamarudden’s) trust. I used to be ready for any role that could be assigned to me. Once I happened to be the contest chair for International Speech and Table Topics contest.

During the international speech and table topics contest there were some dignitaries. I don’t remember all of them but few of them were TM Ramakant Bhala, DTM Shahul Hamid, TM Waheed Lateef, DTM PGR Nair and a young, handsome looking person. I came to know that he was Assistant Area Governor Education and Training. He was called Sushil Agrawal.

Few weeks later he was on the other end of the line asking me if I could take up the same assignment at the area level. I could sense what he was looking for? and what his expectations were? I accepted the assignment and did my best. A job well done is like a feather in one’s cap. It makes the cap more colorful, more attractive; attractive enough to catch somebody’s attention. Popularity starts growing and opportunities start rushing in.

Commit a crime and one is always under police scan. Accomplish an assignment well and one is always sought after. Next year he succeeded to be the Area-17 governor. He was a focused disciplinarian. He did not spare me. He came up with an offer asking me to be the master of ceremonies for Area-17 for the international speech and table topics contest. Having agreed to it, he expressed his desire of commencing publication of Area-17 Newsletter. I was like a clean slate with no experience of publication and only 14 days to go for the area contest. I took up the challenge. When I stood there on the stage for the inauguration of the newsletter with him besides me. I had set a bench mark for myself. I started believing things do happen.

Few in number are people who could see the potential in other people and tap them. It is all a matter of chance to have come across such a person who never misses an opportunity to assign and unlease the hidden talents of his assignee. DTM Sushil Kumar is a man apart from the crowd. He is a man of action and admires people in action. Next time I will be there with another story. A story about DTM Safare Mohammed

THE STORY OF DTM ROSE JOSEPH GEORGE

“तमसोमा ज्योतिर् गमया।” "Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya" is a line of the Shanti Mantra from the “बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्” Brhadāranyaka Upanishad. It means "From darkness, lead me to light".

The journey from darkness to light cannot be accomplished without the help of a stick. The journey from ignorance to wisdom can only be accomplished with the help of knowledge. But how to get knowledge?

Let us travel back to my childhood. In the village on the terrace of my house, my mother by my side, the vast black umbrella studded with stars accompanied by the moon.

She as usual narrated a story of Eklavya. A student deprived of schooling, who learned archery by the inspiration he received from the idol he created of his ideal teacher Dronacharya.  As a child I enjoyed the emotion in the story, and felt connected to Eklavya.

Light and heat are associated with each other like two side of a coin. Knowledge like Heat travel from one destination to the other almost similarly.

• Conduction (Physical contest) Knowledge is imparted by the Teacher Student togetherness.
• Convection (Through a media) Knowledge is imparted with the help of books and e-books.
• Radiation. (Without a media) Knowledge is imparted the way the light from the sun reaches the earth.

During my assignments I have always addressed DTM Rose Joseph George as a person designed to receive adjectives by default. People call him as walking dictionary, talking dictionary etc. It would not be exaggeration if I say; he is a person who radiates knowledge.

He was assigned as my formal mentor but learning never happened to me through one on one discussion (Conduction). It happened by observation (Radiation). Hardly have we communicated for one or two speeches. But I used to watch him keenly and listen to him attentively. His focus on the topic, his choice of appropriate words, his tone, sense of humor and empathy for the addressee are some areas which have benefited me a lot. My communication track in the Toastmasters has finished but I still can continue to learn by observing him. I believe learning is a life-long, never ending process.

As a man of 57 I have understood the essence of the story of Eklavya and the intention of the storyteller “My mother”

See you next time with another story; A story of DTM Sushil Kumar Agrawal.

THE STORY OF RAJEEV PILLAI

Few meetings later at Al-Jude I was busy watching a speaker. He was in his Advance Communication doing, a project titled “Accepting an Award” from the Special Occasion manual. Throughout the speech the whole audience kept busting into bouts of laughter. I was a junior then not knowing much about Advance Communication but would certainly say I laughed to my heart’s content. For once I thought that Advance communication was an interesting area to venture in.

The impression so far formed about Advance Communication toppled upside down when TM Vasudhar Gopal appeared on stage to evaluated Rajeev Pillai’s speech. He took Rajeev to task for not seriously considering the objectives of the project. This was Rajeev and he continues to be so. He prefers to be what he wants to be.

He was the V. P. Education then, having finished writing my speech I would give him a call for rehearsal. Visiting Malls did not charm me. Morning cricket on week ends, at times music in the afternoon and writing speeches were my pass time. I tried to fill time gaps by doing something meaningful and worthwhile.

Addition of more reactants takes the chemical reaction to a higher level of equilibrium. The same thing happened to us, completion of every project raised us to a higher level of commitment and understanding. On completion of my fifth project when I told him that the script of my Tenth project was ready, he sensed the heat in me, he didn’t want that heat to subside. He immediately started looking for speech slots in other clubs. Within no time my ninth project was done.

Now lay the biggest hurdle. Completion of my tenth project, our involvement was heading to its peak. Completion of my tenth project bothered him more than it bothered me. I was going to break a record of a Lady Toastmaster “Raji Krishnan”. He very much knew her grace, her flair, her confidence and the speaker in her. For him breaking the record was appreciable but equally appreciable would be to reach somewhere near those quality of her. 

      

Every other day he would take me to a senior toastmaster for rehearsal, get those recommendations incorporated in my speech and rehearse it again. I wrote and rewrote the speech 6 times from 1450 words to 1040 words. He wanted it to be unique in all aspect. In my speech was an audience engaging act. He was worried about overshooting of time but when I handed over the stage to the Toastmaster of the day in 10 minutes and 26 seconds, his joy knew no bounds. It was a proud moment for me too.

Infancy is the most beautiful phase of life gracing both the mother and the child, generating never dying memories. Memories those we all relish in the future. The phase of my life with Rajeev was a similar one. See you next time with another story; A story of Dr George.

THE STORY OF SANTOSH JOHN

May 24, 2009, Venue Al-Jude village time 07.00 pm, my heart pounding fast. There I stood on the stage and in front of me were people sitting, men and women, young and old, some of them wearing a smile, few among of them  appeared eager and the remaining patiently curious. Within few seconds I was in action delivering my maiden speech “A long span of life finished in a short span of time”. With the completion of the last sentence, I was relaxed man.

At about 09.15 pm the meeting was adjourned. TM Santosh John the president came up to me and said “If you really want to learn, if you really want to grow, do not complete all of your speeches in your home club, go to other clubs, deliver in front of different audience”. I don’t know what made him make that remark. Neither did I understand its significance then.

A spark is enough to generate a wild fire and a word of wisdom is enough to change your life. A word of wisdom has ample motive force to set you in motion. Once in motion, day in and day out you strive to be a different man, you strive to think differently, you strive to do things differently. I am reminded of Shiv Khera’s words “CHAMPIONS DON’T DO DIFFERENT THINGS BUT THEY DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY”. God has blessed all men with 24 hours a day. Me, a rich man and a pauper all are equally rewarded. All of us have an inborn quest to rise in life. But how does this happen. From the depth of my consciousness rises a voice “UTILISATION OF TIME”

I used to play cricket till 2009, I like that game a lot. In cricket it is said “CATCHES WIN MATCHES”. It is all about grabbing the ball before its falls on the ground. The same holds true with opportunities. I grabbed any opportunity that came my way, I never used to say no. It was just a matter of time. I could be seen at all functions and forums of Toastmasters. Meeting, greeting and treating people brought me a name and a place in the Toastmaster’s Fraternity. At the time of writing this article I feel myself rich, rich in terms of experience, rich in terms of knowledge, rich in terms of public relation, rich in term of confidence, rich in terms of thinking ability rich in terms of public dealing.

A person’s life has a continuous inflow and outflow of people, many disappear and few reappear and some stay there forever. They continue to stay forever in your minds. I call them beautiful people. The learning that came through and continues  to date, I owe it to these beautiful  people whom I met on this ever rewarding journey of Toastmastering. Santosh John is one of them. See you next time with another story; A story of Rajeev Pillai.

THE STORY OF ARVIND SRIVASTAV

The building block of certainty is uncertainty, one cannot pin point things accurately, one cannot say something with certainty. Orbital is defined as that region in space where electron is found for 80 % of the time. Newton’s laws of motion (S=ut+gt²/2) cannot defined the location of electron at a particular point of time. Life too seems to be a game of probability. Nothing is certain what will happen when and what will be our course after any event.

Out of the many hobbies in my life. Music and songs are my friends in solitude. They work equally well in solitude or  in a company. During the weekend I would visit Arvind Srivastav my colleague at the office. He was a greater fan of music as compared to me. We would spend quality time. He would explain me the nuance, the beauty and the charismatic touch of music. It was the best thing that could happen in Jubail during the weekend.

It was the first week of May 2009, I asked him “What is Toastmasters?”. I receive mails regarding Toastmasters. He told me that he already was a member of a club and requested me to be his guest for the upcoming meeting at the Elite Toastmasters Club. On the meeting date the eagerness to be there at the meeting was tiding.  To see something new, to watch new faces, to make new friends and to build bridges of friendship were the things I was looking forward to. 

At the venue I was a stranger lost into the meeting activities. I borrowed a piece of paper and started taking notes. I could still remember TM Makarand delivering his prepared speech, a speech about a tragic incident. During the club members’ installation ceremony Arvind Srivastav stood proudly displaying the Membership pin. Few face I became familiar with were TM Makarand, TM Varesh Patel, TM Rajeev Pillai and TM Santosh John. The meeting really impressed me. My inner voice was constantly seeking my attention. It said let the creativity in me, bloom. Like a child pleading for a chocolate, it questioned me “What better place could you offer me other than his TMI stage”. I had only one option left. “To agree”. I expressed my desire to break the ice and deliver my first speech. The Toastmasters in technical terms denote it as CC-01. It is wisely said “The journey of thousand miles begins with a single step” I had decided to take the first step; I had decided to deliver my first speech, more specifically in my journey towards being a DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster).

While travelling by a train, new passengers join us at every station and at every station few passengers leave us. Likewise I met TM Arvind on my Toastmastering journey for some time. After that meeting Arvind never came to the meeting and I never missed a meeting. At every station I have met new faces, these new face have made my Toastmastering journey memorable. Next time when we meet  I will tell you a new story. A story of TM Santosh John.

THE STORY OF A STORY TELLER

Childhood memories last forever. I still remember the days of my childhood when my mother after dinner, would take me to the terrace. With no one to disturb us, the moon would be stealthily traversing the sky as if to reach somewhere in a hurry whereas the stars preferred to be stationary and silent listeners, setting right, the mood for story-telling, enhancing it was the pleasant breeze from the meadows.

Having settled down in bed my mother would start a story.

Once there were two villages on the opposite side of a big jungle. The connecting road between these two villages passed through this jungle. In this jungle lived a cruel and ruthless person. His name was Valiyo. He would not only rob the pedestrian of their belonging but also kill them. He was a merciless person. He had killed many and his killing spree continued unabated. One day he happened to meet Narad. Narad had nothing to offer. The anger of Valiyo knew no bounds, he raised his hand to kill Narad. Narad said I don’t mind getting killed but can you answer me a question or two. Narad asked why do you rob people? Valiyo replied “To feed my family” Narad asked another question “Would your family members be willing to accept the consequences of the robbing that you do for them?” Valiyo had never come across such a person. He tied up Narad to a tree and went back home to ask. Having heard “No” from his family members; dejected and dispirited he came back and released Narad. Narad gave him some more advice and went on his way. Valio was a changed person from then on. In the beginning I was consciously involved in the story but later on, my unconscious involvement in the story subsided and the birds’ clutter in the sky disturbed me. I looked around. My mother was gone and busy with her kitchen chores. As I raised my eyes towards the crimson sky the stars were nowhere to be found but the moon who still there. I asked him why, what happened, why are you left behind? He didn’t reply. I left for the morning tea, thinking he might have got interested in the story at the last moment and was hoping the story would continue……

Come night, and an urge for story listening would get stronger and stronger. I would finish my dinner soon. Having finished my dinner I would help my mother finish her kitchen chores so that I could take her to the terrace. She too would be willing to tell one. Every night it was the same venue and the same ambience except for the waxing and waning mood of the moon. I use to think about his abnormal behavior. At times being late, at times being totally absent and at times fully shining. Of course every night it was time for a new story, new characters and a new plot.

Rivers have to flow, seasons have to go, time has to change and I have to grow. The story listener is here but the story teller is no more. She has left for her heavenly abode. Though alone, the treasure handed over by her, keeps me going. Now it is my turn to tell stories. See you next time with my own story and stories within my story. To start with the story of Arvind Srivastav.