Keep Laughing !!!!

Do you all love to laugh? ….
So we are all lovers of laughter.. You know how a lover spend most of his time? Yes..Thinking of the loved one.Being lovers of laughter ,then don’t we need to think about laughter? Homour loving toastmasters and distinguished guests,Good evening.

Before I plunge into discussing why we laugh, for instance hearing a joke,let me remind you something. Laughter also happens when tickled. Also, the deadly disease called Kuru results in uncontrollable laughter. We do not have to account for these cases of physiologically induced laughter, any more than an account of crying would have to explain crying while peeling onions . Hence we will restrict our discussion to homourous laughter.
In heaven there is no laughter,declared Mark Twain.He reasoned “The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow”.He was guided by the thoughts of Plato and Aristotle who believed that laughter is derision or the expression of superiority.
A man spoke frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!"."Is this her first child?" the doctor asked. "No, you fool!" the man shouted. "This is her husband!"
Why did we laugh..? Because we felt superior to those humans who were weaving confusion through the phone.We believe we would have done far better.This thinking though implicit, makes us laugh. Hobbes , a philosopher explained superiority as eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly. This also explains why we are able to laugh at the earlier blunders we committed. We believe we are superior now compared to our earlier state.
All these thinkers from Plato to Aristotle to Mark Twain to Hobbes attributed laughter to superiority theory. But,the theory of laughter that is now appreciated throughout is called incongruity theory.It explains laughter this way. When our minds have suddenly moved from one state to another and if we enjoy this movement , we laugh.There is a classic example used by many thinkers to explain incongruity theory
The bronchial patient is visiting the doctor.A bronchial patient’s talk will be like he is whispering because his voice is affected by the disease.
“Is the doctor at home?” a bronchial patient asked in his bronchial whisper. “No,” the doctor’s young and pretty wife whispered in reply. “Come right in.”

The doctor’s wife is expecting the visit of her illicit lover. She expects the lover to whisper ,well ,for reasons well known.Here, the bronchial patient and the illicit lover are the incongrous states..There is a sudden shift in our mind due to the trasition from the state of ‘brochial patient’ to the state of ‘illicit lover’ through the connecting factor “whispering”. Our mind is incapable of taking such sudden shift and the energy hence created is release as laughter as the shift is a pleasant one..

Don’t feel that these theories have no practical aspects.There are joke machines-i.e automated computer programs based on these theories that can generate jokes.What more, then we can also possibly create jokes and make others laugh based on these principles.Well, overnight you may not become as great as joke machines like Rajdeep Manwani and Chendil Kumar.But its worth a try.

We have now thought of laughter in two modes – the superiority mode and the incongrous mode.And why did we think of laughter? Because we are lovers of laughter. In real life situation the lover girl will get angry if the lover boy forgets to call her as promised.And when she enquires about it , if the the answer she gets from lover boy is like “ I was thinking about you and hence forgot to call you” would make her doubly angry .Simliarly we, the lovers of laughter ,also should not forget to laugh by becoming busy thinking of laughter. It can make laughter angry.Hence lets all laugh , laugh and laugh to make laughter,our lover ,happy.Waste no time.Start laughing. Over to the ever smiling toastmaster..

(Project 5 of CC)

Watch the video at : http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=ErvEEuxDFHQ

From Failure To Success

(Speech 5-7 min)
“If you study well, you will get good marks” said one of my teachers during her last class for us before our 12th standard exam. Innocently, one of my friends shouted from behind “That we know, Madam”. Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, the unknown fact is how to study well amidst fear of failures. Generically put the fact unknown is how to fine tune our mind to amuse its engine, the body, to perform the desired tasks when the ghostly eyes of failure stare on.
It was the winter of 1306, and Robert Bruce, newly crowned king of Scotland, sat shivering and hungry in a tiny hut on an Irish island. He had lost six battles against King Edward 1 of England. In the hut Bruce saw a small spider busily at work making her web. He watched as she struggled to attach one of her strands to a wooden rafter. Again and again, a blustery wind would sneak through the cracks of the hut and shake the thread loose. Again and again, she would begin the task of attaching it once more. “You’ve also tried six times and failed, my friend,” Bruce told her. “Why don’t you give up?” But she seemed not to hear. Patiently, a seventh time, she spun a thread, drew it to the rafter, and this time . . . it held! “My most humble apologies,” said Bruce. But when he said his apologies his face beamed with confidence and enthusiasm. The inspired Robert Bruce returned to Scotland, gathered his men and eventually defeated the English.
When the king sat shattered in the hut, can you imagine the situation if somebody would go and tell the king “If you fight well you will win the battle”. The King definitely would have started a battle not with the English, but with the person who told so. In reality, the king had the spider as his model to look upon for encouragement, motivation and inspiration to move from failure to success.
The king was inspired but the inspiration was not build to a beautiful web as the spider did. He scaled up his source of inspiration – the spider-his model and went on to win the war. Modeling need not be in this same fashion .It could be an exact replica – like getting inspired from the elder brother to get first rank in the class .It could even be scaled down version .For instance a person who look upon the former president of USA, Abraham Lincoln .He may eventually be inspired to win the post of Panchayat President. There is no point in saying one mode of modeling is better than the other. If anything that can provide you that instantaneous spark of inspiration that is the best. If that does not happen naturally you need not sit idle waiting for that moment to happen. You can choose an appropriate model and start giving positive suggestion to your mind until you derive that spark.
How the modeling is done also assumes significance. A person trying to be patriotic may opt Bhagat Singh as model. But if the suggestion he gives to the mind is like “he had to suffer a lot and finally had to bear the pain of gallows”; his patriotism may not blossom. But the same case can be paraphrased as” he sacrificed his life for the country and the fruit of that sacrifice is our freedom”. Our mind is more likely to take this suggestion positively and the person would be inspired to be more patriotic.
It is true that some failures can condition your mind to failure. Modeling is a suggestion to the mind which can effectively decondition the state of failure.Lets have a model to admire and our state can change.After some failures you may be thinking “If there ever was a time to give up, this is it.” But like Robert Bruce who modeled the spider let your thought also transform by this modelling. “If there ever was a time to make one more try, this is it!” Now is the time. Over to you toastmaster

(The description of the spider story is inspired)

(Project 4 of CC)

Watch the video at : http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=7CSoHfz63CU

On Creativity

Speech (5-7 min)

During fifteenth century AD about 550 million people were living in this world. Almost 550 years later, in 2008 we still are very familiar with a person who lived during that period and we horripilate on seeing his paintings- the name Leonardo da Vinci. Why? Creativity distinguished him from the rest. Fellow toastmasters and guests, I address you on a unique human ability that can help us endure over and beyond our lifetime— the ability called Creativity.

All creations do not involve creativity. For instance a man digging to create a hole; there is no creativity involved in that. Such mundane tasks do not call the creativity in us into action though they result in creations. Creativity requires thought process. Not all thinking is necessarily creative. If you are trying to solve a mathematical equation like finding the hypotenuse of a triangle you are not involved in creativity. Such thinking is called convergent thinking. Thinking which lead to a sought after solution is referred by this name- that it converges into a solution. These are more methodical. The other form of thinking is divergent thinking-famously called out of the box thinking or as Edward de Bono called it - lateral thinking. Not all divergent thinking is creative thinking. Bored of all the regular colours, when I want to paint my house say I decide to create a new colour by mixing 17% blue 23% red and 60% of green and obtained a new beautiful colour. This is divergent thinking in the sense that we are thinking something other than the normal– but there is no creativity involved. We have just mixed existing things randomly. So when can we say that creativity is involved in thinking? Creativity blossoms only when the creation of elemental ideas happen .Like creating a new primary colour apart from blue ,green and red—something very elemental is created. Of course this creation has to be original to be said as an act of creativity.

Like the seed is separated from the chaff we have now separated creativity from rest of the skills. Not that rest of the skills are inferior. But creativity is the mother of all skills. Mother is a mother because she delivers a baby and not just because she bore a baby. Similarly, though creativity is a mental process, creativity is acknowledged as creativity only when it is rendered to the rest of the population. Like the wrap of the chocolate entices people to buy it, the way creativity is rendered make people appreciate it. So the way you present your idea, the way you sing the tune you composed, the way you paint in the canvas the mental image you conceived are all important. These modes of output like singing, drawing, speaking, to name a few, requires practice. Apart from refining the modes of output one needs to supply the information that can aid mental processing. Quite a good reading/seeing/hearing is required for this. But the most crucial step is the processing stage as this is the step where we take the essence of input and give it as output. To aid the processing, i.e. thinking, learn to be happy in solitude, and then engage in solitary dialogue. Because in group people seldom think not to mention the case while that group is chattering.

It is neither face nor physique that makes a person unique-- yeah you guessed it right, it is his creativity. Though the creative ability is innate in all human beings, the creativity that could be derived out of that common creative ability makes us unique in this world- that makes the existence of our individual self, irreplaceable in this world. The world needs you to be creative. Have you experienced the joyous situation of becoming parents? Well, err, I haven’t but I have witnessed the beaming faces of the parents in the maternity ward. So if this, creation without creativity can create such huge happiness, you can imagine the happiness creation with creativity can bring you; you might have already experienced. So not that the world alone needs you to be creative you too want yourself to be creative for being happy. Over to you toastmaster.

(Project 3 of CC)

My Angel !!!

(Story)
After settling down in my cozy room allotted by my company on the foreign trip,I decided to have a shower and go out for a stroll. Bored of the heavily lighted streets I started walking through a dark and deserted lane. Twenty steps of my walk, in the twilight, I witnessed a silhouette, within was an angel.
And then……..

The urge in me to touch the angel was growing exponentially and I was strolling inch by inch towards her as the desire grew. The long white robe was in reach and I touched it ;growing in confidence, I clutched it .Well,possible..Huh!! Is it another woman? Amidst the thought I felt like loosing soil beneath my leg. What on earth…Levitation ! .Holy s**t ,I am ascending along this ‘angel’ clutched to the end of her robe.

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Lonely and dark place--with the dreams of heaven shattered I left the grip on the robe and followed her. Darkness gave way to splendid light. Not one but many angles .Hope revived and happiness sneaked into me just to be overwhelmed by the horrifying fear of getting caught .Among the crowd of angles I waited for the what seemed so inevitable. But,…..is it non-cooperation or are they just not seeing me.? She who rode me to Heavens , turned giving me the first glimpse of the captivating beauty. If at least one were there like this back there…The soft voice of her mellowed something to an angel who stood behind me. Now, for certain I know I am invisible. Fantasy of many a day rushed back and it was no more a fantasy; I could not be seen.


Why men seek for eternity, now I know. The chirruping of the cherubs descended on my ears reminding me that reveries are not removed even in the pinnacles of ecstacy. Oh, did my eyes took the grey shade or are they really worried? Auditory sensory provided the substantiation. Bits and pieces were missing ,but my mind provided the closure. Trouble is brewing in this place destined to be devoid of it; predestined happenings of earth are jeopardized by a missing link- the surreptitious I. Oh God , oh yeah , that’s God; my eyes were almost rendered jobless but ears were unfailing “He sure is here by devil’s design and we by our power and majesty cannot see the culpable humans here. He has to be found ;the way he used against Heavens has to be found. And he having committed the most heinous crime ,like all in the category shall spent thousand years in the hell before he is offered a life on earth as testing ground to gain the Heavens.” Perspiration marked the sole quality of being in me as I stood petrified. “Julie-- angel for him whose valiant efforts for him for his success in earth are now gone futile -- come to Me now” The beautiful face which I saw a while ago was immersed in agony, the beautiful angel who a while ago brought me here ,was drooped and shivering. “He is diabolic and from here he could be found only by a human. Descend to earth and bring the pious man I show you, to find him. I am helpless but for this” Well the God is not the ‘God’ I thought of as omnipotent. He is powerful but not that - “Don’t worry you can go to earth and you have to as you are his angel”. Reassurance-He doesn’t know she was there. Why then she…. “Ask the pious man to clutch your robe and ascend , he too shall be ascended”. The already miserable face of hers became cadaverous now. Yes that’s right, she is just realizing now that I came along with her. “Go. Go on”. The mercury of fear took a horrendous jump in me and He was no more in my vicinity. With unsure steps, the angel – no my angel- straggled across. Insight or intuition I clutched to her robe and she was descending. Heavens was passed over and the booming voice splattered into my ears. “ Stop. He is clinging to your robe. Burn him and send him to hell ”. The zero g pause was pleasureful but the fear of the impending denied its savoury.
The pause was brief and the journey rolled again- in the same direction. The shrilling scream “Julie ..You are cursed , the doors of heaven are closed on you” went neglected.

Angel ,my angel……

The fear in her face waded away showing the resolute features that underlay not hindering the original beauty but adding to it. She might have protected me from the bloopers ,I thought went undiscovered; she might have ,no , she have given me the reaps all the while when I were lazy to struggle for it, she have protected me from the aftermath wretchedness when my temperament deceived me, she .. she laid me in the lap of luxury. I am what I am by her….The same good old dark and deserted lane welcomed me back on earth. I left my clutch from the robe. With the ever solemn and graceful look in her face she gently touched my face and was about to turn when I mustered the courage to ask her why she turned up here earlier. Her reply made the fact that all the tricks she could do from heaven were not enough to save me that time and she had to covertly break the law to save me from the danger I was in. She just said danger and I asked no more of it but I knew it could have been the worst on the stretch of my imagination. Clarity dawned on me why she opted hell by saving me. As if knowing all by telepathy she replied – ‘this save is not a save of permanence and we will have to spend the thousand years in hell no matter how you live here now on; and remember I am not there to help you .’
‘All this years I never prayed to God; but now I shall pray, not to avert that thousand years in hell but to make you and me live here in this earth together after those years. And what else can I ask Him , rather than you, who forsook heaven and chose hell for me , to be my mother.’ A lovely smile split across her lips bequeathing the brilliance of thousand full moons to my mind.

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The End
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Inside Out!!!

(Speech 4-6 min)
The much sought after south west monsoon of India onsets in Kerala on June 1.In the year 1983 , 9 days before that ,the coolness the monsoon brings was served to a middle class family in the form of a baby boy.

Hello fellow beings….

The baby boy grew up and had his education in his hometown in Ernakulam,Kerala.
He was guided by his sister elder to him by six years.His father an officer in spices board had outsourced the worries and tensions of him; and the warnings and punishments for him , to his mother –the home maker.Of course,care love and affection were not on the list of outsorced items.


14 years of initial education in a single institution!!! Yes, he survived……..Christened as the engineering entrance,the exit from childhood to youth left him with everlasting nostalgic memories of those long hours of baths in canal,the little fishing done,the lingering taste of neighbours’ raw mangoes eaten after the local games, the sweet taste of the black coffees during the late night carols,the fights made for the flowers during the onam festivites,the dry smile managed when made to stand on the bench in the class,the happiness on the successful launch of paper rockets from the back benches and the sadness in seeing the paper boats sinking in the channels of water rain created ignoring his own drenched state.


In the engineering college under cochin university where he did the course in computer science and engineering he went through nominal ragging and other fun actiities.There he served 2 years as arts club secretary where he started to appreciate art and see the artists with adoration.--- the positive side of politics.
On finishing the course,he decided not to join NIT Kozhikode for further studies instead joined iGATE.He had reasons..His sister who passed out MCA in the year 2000 had faced the burnts of the economic slowdown of the period and her father’s unwillingness to sent her to distant place in search for job.The urge to be safe was overwhelming.Afterall, now his sister is a happy lecture of a professional college,is a happy wife of a dentist and a happy mother of 4 year old baby boy is another part of the story.

On joining iGATE he was put for 6months in support and maintenance for ING Vysya bank depository participants.(ok..through depository accounts people sell and buy shares )There he came in face with the real life.Fully tensed bank employees,stock market actions—in addition to the new state and language Bangalore offered—oh…full mess but finally he was moved to the development project for ING Vysya Financial Services.There his life was cool.After 26 months of professional journey with iGATE Corporation heI joined SAP Labs where till now he has served for 22 months –well, ‘experience’ in software parlance is always expressed in months—especially in India.

And he continues in Bangalore as a bachelor with a typical software engineer life .


If anyone speaks of a person who have not done anything spectacular to the ears of the audience,and that too for a considerable time ,then on the highest probablity ,he is speaking of himself.The situaton here is no different .The subject of scrutiny is myself – Jindow Joseph.ya that’s my name.. and perplexed at life and posing many questions ….But,despite all intriguing questions LIFE MUST GO ON—Let the time unfolds and I am ready for all the surprises and challenges it has in store.

Over to you !!!!

(Project 1 of CC - Ice Breaker)

The Great Indian Economic Divide

(Speech 5-7 min)
It’s with a big smile that we say that four Indians appear in the Forbes ten richest people in the world………
Hello fellow beings…. Its shame and not smile that we should have while reading this news. We should be shameful on the fact that a very small percentage of people occupy the lion share of wealth of India .In precise terms the bottom 50% of the people occupy just 8% of the nation’s wealth.

In a video game, which is a simulated version of life, the levels get tougher as we move on. In contrast, in real life it’s so difficult to start with but when you have some substantial riches it’s quite easy to further it. If the design of video games keeps the gamers addicted, the real life breeds frustration.
I suggest two modes of efforts of getting over this faulty design of real life gradually. One - governmental efforts; two- efforts on personal front.

On the governmental front, education- of same quality should be provided to all. Otherwise, the result will be decided even before the game starts. Analyzing the educational aspect, I stumble upon another point. In all the examinations students are set a maximum mark that they can achieve say 100 out 100.But when it comes to wealth accumulation there is no such upper limit. As a second step government should enforce an upper limit on the wealth accumulation to get over the defaulted system of capitalism. In fact, capitalism is a funny concept. Let’s imagine that Somesh comes up with an invention of a car that runs on water –no petrol, no diesel. I have nothing against Somesh getting richer as he gets his idea patented but I am troubled at the fate of an average man who would have spent his life’s earning to buy the existing petrol car. Innovator should be rewarded appropriately only. The government can reduce the period of patent towards this.

In the personal front, we should resist ourselves from extravagant consumer behaviourism and also we should withhold from promoting it in others. For instance, when we say the tie of Naveen looks great, it create a temptation in him to buy more thus aiding unscrupulous spending. I understand that it takes out a big topic from the small talk but it reduces unreasonable spending. Moving from resistive to proactive actions we should promote entrepreneurial urges among ourselves. We need enterprises of maximum 10 employees and not companies of 1 lakh employees for even distribution of wealth.

These measures of providing equal education, having an upper limit on wealth accumulation, patent controlling from the government side and individual restrain from promoting consumer behaviourism and actively indulging in entrepreneurial efforts can help us refrain rich getting richer and poor getting poorer. This is absolutely necessary in a country where some does not have the income for even a day’s meal when the Forbes’ kings celebrate their wife’s birthday by presenting an aircraft. This huge economic divide if not controlled will lead to unrest and agitation from the aggrieved section. This huge economic divide if not controlled will not allow us to eat even an ice cream in brigade road-there will be people to snatch it away from us. This huge economic divide if not controlled will make us witness blasts,blasts and more blasts.Hence,it's our responsiblity ,our government's responsiblity to see that this huge economic divide is effectively controlled.

Over to you !!!!!! ……………..

(Project 2 of CC)