The Curse of Russia

(Speech 7-9 min Project 5 from Storytelling Manual)

Year 1905.Russia was shuddering in the extreme cold snowfalls. So were the people from the cold blooded rule of Tsar Nicholas II and his Empress Tsaritsa Alexandra. Having food once in a day was considered an extravagant luxury. Those who dared to raise a little finger against the Tsar were brutally oppressed and deported to Siberia. While the rebels, handcuffed and chained, were transported to Siberia with hundreds jammed in one truck, they exchanged a name of hope. Clanging their chains in symphony they sang the name aloud—Karl Marx. Inspired by this name, the rebels had given many inflictions to the tyrants, the Tsars. The latest was the assassination of the elder son of Nicholas II. But a more mind shattering news awaited the Tsars--their second child Alexei met with an accident. It was not done by the rebels but the damage was no less. Alexei had very little life left in him. The search for a doctor who could bring him back to life extended to every nook and corner of the country. No one could improve the condition of Alexei.
Fellow Toastmasters and distinguished guests: good evening.
The Russian palace was decorated beautifully. The ways to the palace were red carpeted. Even when their second child is lying ill, Tsars were getting ready to receive the special guest. The royal cart drawn by five horses brought in the guest--an ugly looking man with protruded nose, elongated head and shabbily kept long beard. This man was brought to the palace from the outskirts by the royal army men who believed this man had amazing power to heal Alexei. The man whose fiery eyes gave a glimpse of his talent was Rasputin.

Tsar Nicholas II and his Empress Tsaritsa Alexandra ceremoniously welcomed Rasputin to the palace. He was escorted to the room of Alexei.3 days of undisturbed chanting went by. At the end of third day Rasputin came out trembling with high fever and sweating. Seeing Rasputin, Alexandra asked crying “How is my child” .Rasputin turned to her and said “I defeated death. Alexei will live long”
“O saviour, saviour of my child, saviour of this entire empire” said Alexandra and knelt down before Rasputin. It was the kneeling down of a great empire. The ascent of Rasputin in the Russian palace was rapid. He easily disposed off the officials whom he didn’t like. His control spread to all avenues of power. His prophesy’s was unchallenged even by the Tsar himself. He once said to the Tsar “Your Highness, if you yourself don’t lead the war from the front, the consequences will be catastrophic”. Tsar Nicholas II replied “Saviour, your prophecies will save this nation. I will go and lead the war”. Against the custom, the Tsar went to lead a war. When the Tsar was away, with firm support from his faithful devotee Tsaritsa Alexandra, Rasputin became omnipotent. The palace officials were turned into marionettes, marionettes whose threads had been taken firmly in hand by Rasputin. Even the princely families so close to the palace were neglected. Further worse was the licentious behaviour of Rasputin. He was a mad sex animal. He lured all beautiful women to sleep with him. In families of those who objected, death came as an uninvited visitor. Even the princely women were not spared from the vicious clutches of Rasputin. Unrest grew among the princes and in one their discreet meeting, Prince Yusupov growled “We can hope to regain someday the money and power we lost. But, how about the dignity that is lost? ” Yusupov wanted his pride to be redeemed and his friends were in support of his view. But he knew that he could not do it like the rebels who were inspired by Karl Marx. Born with a silver spoon in mouth, he could not go to the streets and throw a bomb at Rasputin. Further, being in the princely family the support of the browbeaten common man could not be expected. He had to find a way of his own to save the esteem of mothers, sisters and daughters of his community. He feigned as a supporter of Rasputin. Yusupov gradually befriended him. He realized that the real stories of Rasputin were much more dreaded than the stories that he had heard. Rasputin came to Yusupov’s house once. He was enticed to see Mrs. Yusupov beautiful like a wild flower flowing in the Volga River. Rasputin was more than excited when he was invited to a dinner on a later day. Yusupov informed his trusted friends and they came to his house on the D-day when Rasputin will join the Yusupov family for dinner. All of these friends kept waiting in the first floor. Their impatience was growing but finally was relieved to hear the arrival of Rasputin.


The dinner table was full of mouth watering food and wine items. Still, the hungry eyes of Rasputin feasted on Mrs Yusupov. Yusupov had poisoned certain food items which he cleverly avoided eating. Meanwhile, Rasputin ate all food garrulously but he was intact. The mixture of wine and poison inebriated him to a high level—yes the poison that could kill 5 people. Yusupov trembled. He knew his plan was failing. He excused himself for a while, consulted secretly his friends in the first floor and came back with a revolver. He came behind Rasputin and fired a shot at him. Being shot at, Rasputin turned and grabbed Yusupov by his neck. He ominously whispered in Yusupov's ear "you bad boy" and attempted to strangle him. Yusupov screamed as he struggled like a chicken in the hands of eagle. Hearing the noise, his friends rushed from the first floor and fired 3 more gunshots at Rasputin. Yusupov was saved and the devil himself fell to the ground. . As they neared his body, they found that Rasputin was still alive, struggling to get up. They took huge logs, clubbed him into submission and castrated him. After binding his body and wrapping him in a carpet, they threw him into the icy Neva River with a stone attached. He broke out of his bonds and the carpet wrapping him, but drowned in the river. Three days later when his body was found it was confirmed by autopsy that his reason of death was drowning. While Rasputin got ceremonial burial from the Tsars, Prince Yusupov was deported. However, the tides of revolution raised by Yusupov and many others ensured the end of the cruel Tsar rule by the mighty Russian revolution. After the successful February revolution the workers took the cremated body of Rasputin from the palace cemetery and burnt it in the nearby woods.
When power and money accumulates in one individual, it endangers the rest, like Rasputin did. It holds true even today.
Over to you, toastmaster

(The story of Rasputin put here is based on my readings on the matter from various sources.Hence some parts may be inspired.The write up is based on my understanding of history;the veracity of which may be verified from acknowledged history textbooks)

Across Seven Oceans

(Speech 6-8 min. Project 4 from Story Telling Manual)

Happily settled, Rita had a feeling of well being. Her son and daughter were married and settled. A sense of satisfaction gleamed on her face as she brushed back her hair with fingers. Her hair had gone little more grey than expected for a 55 year old, though she had only little worries. The worries she had were that her son with his family was settled in UK and her daughter with her family was away in US. Also Rita’s lovely husband had started getting little senile. However, the growth of her children from a middle class family in Kodaku village to reach the pinnacles of success across seven oceans pleased her.
Good morning fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests.
Her dreams were crammed with her daughter’s four year old baby girl, though she had not seen her. She thought of the bubbly little girl running around, talking without a break and engaged in naughty things. She could imagine the thrill of the little girl to be with her cute new born younger sister, the second child of her daughter. The dream made Rita’s eyes shine like a marble.


“Tring, Tring…..Tring, Tring”—the telephone rings broke her reverie. She was excited to hear her daughter from US on the other end of the phone. A little into the enchanting conversation her daughter asked “Mom, why don’t you come and stay with us”. Stuffed with happiness Rita’s words could rarely escape her throat. Like a young child she played with wire of the telephone. She was happy to go but her husband’s health was of some concern…….The urge for her to be with her grandchildren was so much. Even her husband was so happy for her and did not allow her to worry too much on him. Despite resistance from her dear husband, she forcefully, got a close relative to stay with him and look after him. The preparations for the trip began. She even packed different varieties of pickles for her daughter. Her husband was there on the forefront making all arrangements. She cross checked everything and ensured things were right. She didn’t want to make trouble for her daughter with some mistakes from her side. Her eyes fell upon her luggage. ‘Rita Shinge’ the tag on her luggage read. A small wink blended in gladness escaped her eyes…
She had fears of the first time flight but no hiccups occurred. New York City and her daughter were ready to welcome her. Rita was filled with affection on seeing her daughter, thrilled by the sophistication of the city and chilled by the cold weather. On getting home, her long cherished dreams were getting realized. She saw her dreamy eyed grand daughter running around. With her straight hair, cheesy cheeks and charming smile–the little girl was an angel. She was also so elated to see the sleeping new born baby. Few days went by and the servant of the house was sent off. Rita had to take care of the new born baby. Months flew by. The tasks were getting difficult and difficult. It was so tiresome for her. She could bear no more. She fully understood that she was brought here as a cheap option of a servant—by her own daughter. She wanted to leave. The reminiscence of pride she enjoyed back home hurt her a lot. However, the love for her daughter and the immense need to be with her new generation made her linger on amidst the difficulties.

Almost 2 years of extreme sacrifice of this real motherhood went on. Then one day out of thin air Rita’s daughter came and told her. “Mom, from next week the baby would be sent to preschool. So you won’t be required to look after her. You can go back to India”. A stunned silence was all Rita could manage. Destiny was cruel indeed. The word ‘Mom’ has attained a different meaning. She is no more useful. She has become a cow that could not be milked anymore and is being sold off. The rejection she felt was miserable. She recouped herself and got ready to get back to India. She was ready to get back to India. Then her son called her. It was an invite to visit to his home at UK. His wife was 8 months pregnant. Her son wanted Rita to be with his wife. Anger fired up in her. But the fire died down inside her only. It was her beloved son. All her life, she had done nothing for her; she had gained nothing for her, lived not even a single moment for her. It was all for her husband and children. A life sacrificed in kitchen for others. What she could offer is just the motherly love. Having offered it life long she cannot deny it now. She agreed to go to UK to her son’s place where her help was needed. At least it was good for her as her husband’s health had not deteriorated much. The plan to go back to India changed and the ticket was booked to London instead. She packed the things with a stoic feeling. Her eyes forced upon her to read the tag “Rita Shinge’ in the luggage. Nothing but a cold emotionless stare was all it could it produce. She waved goodbye to her daughter’s family. Her six year grand daughter asked her. “Why are you leaving? You got a better job”.

Over to you, toastmaster.

The Lovely Deer

(Speech 4-6 min.Project 3 from Story Telling Manual.This speech was delivered at Symphony Market Solutions)

There was a lion, a dangerous lion in a forest. He had incessant pain on one of his legs. Hence, he could not go far for hunting .He used to hunt and feed on animals that came through the way of his cave. He survived on poor animals that were ignorant to come through that way .But he was made to survive on animals from other forest as one wise deer from his forest came to know this. He informed to this everyone in the forest and saved lives of many.
Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests: good evening.
Not only that this deer was wise, he was handsome and robust too. Such an iconic figure would easily get a lover from his own forest. Ironically,his lady love was from a different forest.

As with anybody his across the boarder love was a game with fire. The marriage could never happen with everyone’s consent. Consent of people who marry is important and not of others. They decided to get married by their own. He went to the giraffe priest of the temple in the lady deer’s forest. He was lucky enough to get a rare auspicious occasion in the near future only. The time was 5 am in the morning and things would be over before anyone wakes up. The priest agreed to come at 5 am, the bride agreed to come it was comparatively easy as the temple was near to her and the stag was more than happy to be there. But his lady love had a word of caution for him. “Don’t tell this to anybody. If anybody comes to know, things will leak out and my parents will come to know about it. Then, as you can imagine this marriage will never happen. You know that my parents are dead against in getting married off to a different forest. I will be married off to someone other, the instant they come to know of this” Everything was set and the day of marriage came. The deer woke up early and was ready at 2.30 am .In fact it was a long journey as he had to travel for 2 hours. He prayed to the Gods and started but then he realised that he forgot to make the customary nuptial chain which is to be made of gold. He was in trouble .He rushed to his friend goldsmith elephant and woke him up and told him the need. The elephant was so helpful. He tried his best and the mandatory golden chain was ready.It took took 2 hours,though.

There was just half an hour to the marriage and he had to travel for 2 hours to reach the temple. There was no way he could reach there and if he don’t reach there, his lady love's parents will come to know of the plan and then he will never be able to marry his dear one. He could not afford to miss his beloved, his heart, his soul. He knew if he could manage to run through the lane where the lame lion is living he could reach the temple in half an hour. But it’s very dangerous . There is a chance however the lion can be sleeping as well in this early morning hours. Nothing, not even the danger for his own life could make the deer think about separation with his lover. She is his beloved. He took the risk and started running through that dangerous lane. He was puffing and panting, still he ran like a wind when he was near the lion’s cave. He passed the cave and there was a little sigh of relief though his speed of running never reduced. Suddenly a forceful arm hit his neck. The claws went deep into his neck, blood spurted out. As he meekly turned his head he saw the open jaws of the lion. His lover’s lovely face went by flashing and it was pitch black all over.
Friends: if things are not well planned, we may also be forced to take unrealistic risks.
Over to you toastmaster.

Going Home

(Speech 6-8 min.Project 2 from the Story telling Manual.This speech was delivered at the Microsoft Speechweavers Club)

Bangalore is ready for Christmas yet again. Still I vividly remember my home going during last Christmas. Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests: a warm good evening to one and all.

I was excited to go to my home in Kerala. I was more excited in driving my brand new car to home. The shining grey colour of my i10 gave a cooling effect to my eyes. I was raring to go behind the wheel of the lovely vehicle. At around 9 pm, I got in the car and waved good bye to my friends. As my friend’s looked on, a lovely smile adorned my lips and in a synchronized fashion my right leg pressed on the accelerator. Loud music reverberated inside the car resembling the mood of my mind. It’s a long drive of 500 km to my home but I will be in solitude enjoying my car all the way, all throughout the enticing night. The thrill of going for a long distance for the first time spiced things up. My prancing horse sailed through the Bangalore-Coimbatore-Kerala highway. I was proud to have this horse as the first valuable thing I earned for myself in life. After three hours of pleasurable driving with few fun filled over takings, I rightly got the turn I must take for the short cut route to Coimbatore via Mettur.

Ten minutes down the road, I saw a person showing hands to stop. A policeman!! .Confidently I stopped the car and showed him the documents including the temporary registration. “Where is the RC book?”- he asked me in cold tone. “RC book...? Oh, Sir this is a newly registered car. I will get it after 60 days” perplexedly I answered. A much harsh and stern reply came “Don’t you know that vehicles without RC book cannot be driven through highway”. Even till date I don’t know this. There, I could get over my ignorance only because of Gandhiji.A smiling face of Gandhi in a 500 rupees note saved me. I was frustrated and felt cheated .A feeling of helplessness covered my face while I drove on. I was tired and decided to grab a quick cup of coffee to refreshen myself. I parked my car in the side of the first tea shop I saw. I had the coffee, paid the cash and left without bothering to ask the route to the 2 locals I found there. I pulled on the door knob, and it was locked. I inserted my hands into the right and the left pockets of the trouser. Alas, the key was missing!!!. I tried all the four doors and all were tightly locked. I had kept the key inside the car and kept the ignition on. I knew then that it would have got automatically locked. With the spare key also inside the car, I tried in desperation to reach the Hyundai service which went unanswered. I was stuck in a totally strange place, in the middle of the night with nobody I know to come for my help. I remembered the numerous times in which I opened the door of Santro by pushing a scale inside the door along the glass of the window. This used to push a knob and the lock used to open. I wanted to apply the same trick. But I had no scale or thin substance that would go in. I asked the tea shopper and he too did not have it. My eyes closed down in helplessness. I asked the shop keeper whether he had a screwdriver and luckily he had it. Little hope, a very little hope came back to me. I went to the back of the car and unscrewed the plastic number plate. I inserted the number plate through the window and pushed it down in the hope that some knob would be pushed and the door will be unlocked. Much to my disappointment it didn’t happen. My exercise continued with the other doors as well but the result remained the same. I knew if it didn’t work out I will have to break the glass of my lovely i10.Whilst I looked on the mighty posture of the classy car shining in the moonlight, my lower eye lids pushed one drop of water back into my eyes.

I was in no mood to give up. I furiously gave further attempts with the number plate. I heard few shouts at my back and when I turned back I saw the two locals behind me. I could make out that they were saying that I was trying to steal this car. They were there, when I came; but still…. Suddenly the two guys grasped my hands from behind. The number plate fell off my hand.I writhed in their mighty clutch. In a swift surprise motion I pushed them back. I ran to the right side of the car through the back of the car. I gave a strong jab into the back window glass with my clenched right fist. The glass broke down. I inserted my hand inside the car through the broken window,ulocked the door,opened it, entered into the car and locked it. Inside the car, from the back seat I pushed myself into the driver’s seat .With the corner of my eyes I could see one hand coming inside the car through the broken window and my ears were filled with the hooligans’ shouting. Before I really sat in the seat, the key turned, and my right foot jammed the accelerator . With the hand break on, the car almost jumped up as it moved forward. I could sense the rowdy desperately pulling his hand out of the car as it fled from the spot. Flooded in sweat, I realized a thicker blood have covered my fist. But something much thicker covered my heart as I drove on the car with a broken window and a missing number plate. Yes, my brand new shining i10.


Over to you toastmaster.

(Above is a story partly based on my experience)

Associating Myself to a Brand

If I were to associate myself to a brand,I would choose Britannia 50-50;sweety as well as salty.This has been me too- sweety and salty.For me there is always the passion to be sweety when things around are salty.Also,I have the urge to offer something salty amidst overwhelming sweety things,since I tend to see the other side of the coin as well.It is this zeal for presenting variety- a change, that drives me on.Change alone is unchanging for me and it is this change that I bestow to myself and the world.In doing so,I may be sweety or salty,but I am always crispy.

Perumthachan- The Master Craftsman

(Speech :Project 1 from Storytelling Manual from the Advanced Communication Manual .Time 7-9 min)

Have you ever heard of a father being jealous of his own son? Fellow Toastmasters and distinguished guests good evening…

Perumthachan, the master craftsman was a renowned carpenter. God created mountains, valleys and beaches but He left it to Perumthachan to build marvellous temples, monuments and mighty palaces. All around him were awe-struck by his skills. They praised him aplenty but those praises could never match to the towering majesty of his constructions.

In his native place, the trustees of a temple entrusted him to build a huge lake near the temple. But the trustees could not come to an agreement on the shape of the lake. Some wanted it a square, some as rectangle, some as circle. Hearing the argument Perumthachan said “Don’t fight. I shall make a lake to suit all your ideas about shape: rectangle, square or circle.” So the lake was made; it seemed to have all these shapes when viewed from different directions. People bathing in the lake found it difficult to the directions. At some time after bathing they could not even make it to the lake side where they kept their clothes!

Perumthachan had a very talented son. After the lake was built he asked his father: “Will the people of temple have to cross the river to have a bath in the lake?” This question was so absurd, as the temple and lake was close together and the river was some distance away. Perumthachan scoffed “What madness are you talking? The river is so far away.” The son smiled and replied “Let’s see”. After few days it began raining in cats and dogs. By this heavy rain the river changed direction and began to flow in between the temple and lake. So as predicted by the son the temple stood on one side of the river and the lake on the other side of the river. The people gave up bathing in the lake as they had to cross the river. The seeds of a niggling professional jealousy were planted in the mind of Perumthachan.

Afterwards a bridge was built across the river by Perumthachan to help people cross the river. On one end of the bridge, Perumthachan placed a doll which performed a trick. When the travellers stepped on the other side of the bridge, the doll would go down the river. By the time the travellers reach the middle of the bridge the doll would immerse itself in water. Then it will take a mouthful of water. As the travellers proceed further the doll would start rising up. When the travellers reach near doll it would spit the mouthful of water to the travellers' face. The gullible travellers were dumbstruck and peeved at this. Perumthachan’s son saw what this doll did to the unsuspecting travellers and had an idea. He came up with another doll which he placed at the opposite side of the bridge. This doll also performed a trick. The moment a traveller entered a bridge, this doll would start moving ahead of the traveller. When they reach the other side of the bridge and when his father’s doll is ready to spit water into the face of the traveller, this doll would give a mighty slap to the first doll. By the effect of the slap, the face of the first doll would turn to the other side. So when it spits, the water goes back to the river and the traveller is saved from the spitting from the doll. Not only that it was feast for their eyes like seeing free circus performance. The people praised the son’s skill. This stirred up his jealousy. It aggravated Perumthachan. He felt that the each slap his doll received was on his face. It was like in son beating him in the face.

During one of his journeys, Perumthachan saw some carpenters in the process of building a temple. He went near them, but they did not pay any attention to him or try to include him in their work. When they had gone for lunch, Perumthachan drew a small line on all the rafters and left. The carpenters came back and thinking that the line was drawn by the master carpenter giving them an indication as to where to cut the rafters. They proceeded to work accordingly. When it was time to join the rafters and make the frame for the roof, they found out that all the rafters were shorter than the length needed. They were in a fix and the roof frame was not mounted. They were troubled but they continued with rest of the work. After a few days, Perumthachan came that way with wooden pieces in the shape of musical instruments. His son was with him. During the lunch recess when the other carpenters were not around, Perumthachan lifted the frame up, filled the gaps with the musical instruments shaped wooden pieces and gave it a solid thump. The rafters were joined together, holding the roof frame. Perumthachan was filled with pride. He told his son, “You see, son, how the rafters are held together as a frame.” The son gave a curt reply, “Yes, I did see and have learnt how to do it.” These words acted as oil to the fire of jealousy raging in the heart of Perumthachan. When the world respected him; his own son brought disrespect to him. This disrespect could harm his reputation adversely. The great among the greatest craftsman felt threatened by his son. The pinnacle of glory is so coveted that the fear of replacement from that throne is thorny. Like a politician’s quest , like a corporate rat race, the chase for the crown of grandeur is self defeating—and it shall remain so till lives cease to exist. So, one day while he was working on the roof of this temple with his son doing some work just below him, Perumthachan let a broad chisel slip and fall as though in accident. The chisel fell down and severed son’s neck. The blood that oozed out of his son’s neck might have put out the fire of jealousy in Perumthachan.

Over to you toastmaster.

(This story is depicted as it is in the Ithiyamala by Kottarathil Shankunni.I have also dependend on the translated version of the same )

Work From Home Proposal

(Speech:-5-7 min.This is a proposal made to the board of XYZ company.The audience were asked to taake the role of the board members.Project 3 of Persuasive Speaking from the Advanced Communication Manuals)

Distinguished directors and members of the board: a warm good evening to one and all.

This proposal seeks to reduce the operational costs of the company by work from home option to employees by providing laptops.

With the beginning of the economic recession, this company had taken stringent measures to cut down the operational costs. These measures were successful as the reduced operational cost added much to the company’s profit. But, with the sky still clouded with recession, it’s better to reduce the operational costs to the best possible extent. The time mandates so, even at the expense of considerable initial investment as the world economic crisis shows a lingering tendency. Even otherwise, without the crisis too, it’s a good idea to reduce the operational costs and increase the profit. The already implemented cost saving measures were mostly at the expense of employee satisfaction-like charging the employees for daily commutation. Cutting down further in the employee satisfaction can have drastic effects. Also, drastic can be the long run effects of maintaining the same level of operational costs as it exists now. This proposal, however seeks to cut down the operational costs along with boosting the employee morale.

For the work from home option, as mentioned we need to supply laptops to the employees. Among the 4000 employees of the company, 1000 employees already possess laptop. The rest of the 3000 employees need to be supplied with laptops replacing their desktops. At the current market rate, without considering any form of reduction it will cost the company 9 crore rupees for these 3000 laptops. At this point we need not even consider the possible revenue from the sale of 3000 desktops. It may also be noted that the existing desktops itself may require natural replacement in the due course. This should cause much reduction on the investment amount of 9 crore. Approving this 9 crore budget by this board is the first step in moving towards the work from home option .Then the existing strong management should be easily able to manage the work from home. If the proposal is approved now, then the laptops can be procured and the cost saving work from home can be implemented from the first quarter of 2010.

In the details, the proposal advocates to exercise work from home option for employees on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Effectively, this means employees would come to office only on Mondays and Thursdays. Status updates, meeting and rest of the activities should fall in these days. Clearing spacing of work from home days and work from office days will make easy management. With the monitoring and status updates it is unlikely that the productivity of the employee reduces. On the other hand, with improved work life balance, it can be expected that the performance shoots up. Another attribute that would aid high performance would be the reduced number of meeting which means less interruption in continuous flow of work. Thinking on the time that can be saved from the Bangalore traffic spanning from 2-5 hours a day should make any manager and employee happy. The energy they save would be an extra benefit.

Now let’s see the operational expense per day that can be saved on each work from home day. On the lowest expectations it would be 2 lakhs for the free lunch for 4000 employees with per person lunch rate set at Rs 40. Another 1 lakh for the evening snacks and dinner combined can be saved on the same lines. With a whole of lights, computers, lifts and ACs put to rest, on the electricity front another 12 lakhs can be saved per day. The extra charge required for the individual laptop network connection can be made up the reduced internet usages in the company. That makes a total of 15 lakhs saving per day. In addition the daily commutation expenses would fall into the employee’s pocket. Needless to say, it would make them happy. In a year on average we can expect 144 work from home days- 3 days per week and 4 weeks per month. In the way indicated, the company would save around 21 crore rupees in all year. That means, the end of first year itself can bring the company 12 crores net saving. In the subsequent years the net saving would 21 crores. Also it can be expected that the employee satisfaction too get accumulated over these years.

With all these aspects of operational cost saving and employee satisfaction, I call upon the board to approve this proposal.

Onto The Battlefield

(Speech 6-8 min.Project 5 from Persuasive Speaking ,Advanced Communication Manual)

“The Brahmastra mantra you learnt from me will not be useful to you when you need it”—Parushuram cursed Karna .He did so when he understood that Karna of the Kshetriya clan deceived him by saying he is a Brahmin.Parashuram knew that learning is of no use if one can’t apply it, even if it be the Brahmastra mantra. Same is the case with communication skills and leadership skills.

Fellow toastmaster and distinguished guests, good evening.

We gain communication and leadership skills from toastmasters. But there is no point in gaining higher and better skills if they are not to be applied. Of course in daily life situations, these skills will definitely help us. However, we should look beyond these to contribute to the word in all the ways we feel we can. I urge the inspirational speaker in you to go and inspire the world. I urge the motivational leader in you to lead the masses. I envision that the toastmasters go to every sphere of life and put their stamp there .We will then have toastmasters conjecturing new ideas changing the face of the world. We will have toastmasters leading social activites. We will have toastmasters making people laugh and feel better. Toastmasters is the practice ground. After the practice, where are the real matches played? Are you playing any real matches? Our mission should be “to go out of this 4 walled shell onto the outside world and contribute in every possible way through the skills we gained in toastmasters,”

The movement of toastmaster have inspired me tremendously. It inspired me to act on the passion I have on cinema. With friends I had spent hours discussing on movies. The leadership skills I attained in toastmasters helped me to form a film society called Lumiere Celebrations in Bangalore along with my friends. We are closely associated with Bangalore Film Society and working our way through. It’s not that everything we did there was successful. But the fire of passion rekindled in the furnace of toastmasters never died out. The determination persisted in me to apply the learnt skills amidst several failures.

The unending desire to apply the learnt skills in the battlefield of life has helped human kind attain remarkable feats. In the 1950s, few students from the Quarry Bank High school at Liverpool decided to learn guitar. They soon decided the learning was quite enough. They went for real action .They formed a band called The Quarrymen. They rehearsed their songs at the house of Shotton, one of the group members. They were shoed away by Shotton’s mother. She asked them to move somewhere to the back of the garden because she was irritated by the noise. Their music was all noise for her. On attempt to get a chance they sent several flyers to theatres and ballrooms and put up posters. What they could manage was just few intermission concerts. Even there, they were outshone by other bands. However, it was a beginning - a beginning of a journey to fame, glory and adoration. Adding few other friends, the founder of the Quarrymen band, John Lennon renamed the band as Beatles. The others in the gang were Paul McCartney, Ringo Star and George Harrison. The extent of idolizing them was of the kind unheard before and remains unrealized ever after. These gods of rock music were never satisfied by just learning music. They went ahead using the skills developed. And all the crowns of music cherished to adorn their heads.

Toastmasters itself provides us an opportunity in going to the outside world to apply our skills. We can go to different areas and spread this movement. One toastmaster took this opportunity to his heart and went on to conquer the hearts of people around him. In just 3 years he started 12 clubs among which 7 clubs he mentored. He started a mission to educate the facility staff of his company. He formed an association called ‘Joy of Giving’ * to help the underprivileged and the malnourished. His leadership skills helped it to expand like a banyan tree. In a short span of time there are 210 people actively involved in this mission. He went to 30 colleges and motivated the youth into action. He is associated with 2 rehabilitation centres where he inspires the drug addicts to fly free of all their addictions. The man who did all this is from our own fraternity, Sreekanthan Kumaraswamy.Yes, the same Sreekanthan whose lips were shivering like little leaves in a storm, whose heart was pounding like the beats of the Beatles, whose knees were jolting like a vibrating strings of a guitar , when he stood at this same lectern, 3 years ago to give his first ever words to a gathering. He could achieve all this through toastmasters; then we can also. We must. The skills we attain here are not meant to be put below the pillow for cosiness. Sword unused is no sword. The power of vision and words is the sword we possess. Lets us belligerently go onto the battlefield armed with this sword. Many battlefields beckon us. Our swords shall not remain useless. It shall script the renaissance of the people around us.

Over to you toastmaster.

(*Joy of Giving- www.meetup.com/joyofgiving )

Reservation in Private Firms

(This speech was given at the Microsoft Speechweavers Club.7-9 min speech followed by 2-3 min discussion)
Men are made equal but they are born unequal. And as they grow the inequality grows along with them. In India to cut down on this cancerous growth, we need to introduce reservation in private firms for backward class people.

Fellow Toastmasters, a warm good evening.


A 30% reservation should be introduced to the backward class population representing 40% of the population. Currently it has to go along with the existing caste system based reservation till a point in time when the economic state can be rightly determined. Then this can act as the criterion for reservation.

We, who works in private company, would be dead against reservation as we are proud that we got through by sheer merit. Once reservation comes we feel threatened.
Let’s consider this. There are 50 job opportunities and 100 students are vying for it. Assume among this, 30 are very poor people and hence their educational standards tend to be low. Now for the regular students it’s easy as they would easily edge out those 30 poor people in the job contention .Effectively 70 students are trying for 50 seats which give disproportionate advantage to the regular students. What I suggest is let’s divide the seats and students into 2.groups i.e 70 regular students vie for 35 job seats and 30 reservation eligible vie for 15 seats. The ratio is the same as the original 50 seats and 100 students .The undeserved advantage regular students get levelled out in the process. When we play football it should not be like one team’s players have boot and the other players play with bare foot. Let the teams with boots play against each other and the let the teams playing on bare foots be pitted against each other.

There is a general notion that not the eligible one gets the reservation. Till the economic survey is conducted and proper segregation is done based on the economic status the caste based reservation has to go on. But as an immediate remedy we can set an upper limit for wealth like say 2 lakhs per year. Understandably it’s quite difficult to get this working perfectly but striking contrasts can be obviously be screened--- like the son of the chief secretary though he belongs to scheduled caste it can be denied. With the existing background verification of the company it wouldn’t be a big headache to verify the economic claims of the applicant. The provision also helps companies to completely shed the caste based reservation and depend purely on economic status based reservation.

Another prejudice held is that reservation would make the eligible lazy. This argument does not hold since there will be competition within the group eligible for the reservation. The people below the poverty line (BPL) make about 40% of the Indian population and if someone says there wouldn’t be any competition within 45 crores people its hard to comprehend.

People already get reservation during their studies .Then why again reservation for job is a seemingly genuine concern. Given its prior low performance on account of poor opportunities, the backward class will be easily edged out by the regulars. So if the reservation is not given in job hiring the reservation given for study will be rendered a waste As such the country will be successful in creating lots of engineers who don’t have a job.

One of the other vehement opposition raised is that the quality of the organization would go down. And the less eligible people will push the company into loss. Companies involve themselves in charitable activities like raising poor children and age old home. In a way it covers up the Shakespearean Shylock who wanted a pound of flesh from the heart of the person who wouldn’t get his money. The companies should dare to go beyond these social facelifts. If the company is genuine in their verbal exercise let them dare to induct the people who may be little less effective from the rest .This difference will be very less only practically. Think of anyone in your college who passed the course. Won’t they be also able to do the same job as you do given the same step of trainings in this company? I am not denying the uniqueness of each individual and slight performance slack may be expected in the initial years – at the max 2 years and not beyond. I don’t think the same course will produce intellectual elephants and intellectual ants. Difference would be there but that is minute .Only thing is the difference appear magnified for us because of the fierce competition. The margin of selection is very small like in a 100m race. The runner who comes last is not a bad runner by any means.

Examples of people who already have made it big from poor background are often sited. Even without reservation they made it big then why others can’t is the logic. We may want to talk about Abdul Kalam who emerged into the echelons of power from his poverty ridden days in childhood. Anyone would be easily able to give few more examples. But it must be remembered that these are not examples – but exceptions. Because some exceptional people fought their heart out to emerge successful should not be the reason to deny opportunities for backward people. How can we even think of the hard fought struggle of Abdul Kalam and the like as pitfall for the poor and the aggrieved?

Reducing the gap between rich and the poor which is getting widened day by day is mandatory. Reservation is a way to do it. We need to make sure that the each section of the society is carried along with the bandwagon of progress. It will reduce the unrest among the common population and also reduce the antagonistic feeling they have towards rich .It will generate a feeling among them that they too have a chance to make it.

There are brilliant people who provided an opportunity can make it really big. Many talents in India are wasted on lack of opportunities. Many more Abdul Kalams are there in the corners of India carrying big boulders on their shoulders. We should help them realize their dreams as India’s dreams will never be fulfilled with their dreams unrealized. I don’t think anybody is sadistic to see more people as poor in the country which already homes one-third of the global poor.

As a point to ponder over, I want you to think whether you would have made into this company if you were born into an impoverished family.

Microsoft has shown many ways in their commitment to society and you are the leaders in it. I call upon all the Microsoft employees to put this case before the management to achieve this glorious milestone .Lets hope a new beginning will dawn upon this country.

____________________________________________________
(The below snippet was delivered after the 2-3 min open house discussion)
The urge and the idea of equality shall remain forever. Let’s help India become a country that offers equal opportunities to its children. Let’s agree to give a helping to those people who are denied all fortunes in life by giving them reservation in private companies.
Over to you toastmaster.

Clues to Cool Deals of Higher Magnitude

(3-4 min Speech.Project 2 of Persuasive Speaking-Making a Cold Call .This 3-4 min speech was followed by 5-6 min role wherein I made a cold call to the President of the Bangalore Toastmasters club to sell a projector to the club)

I still remember the cold stare on my friend’ face when he got a job as a salesperson. He was afraid to make cold calls. A cold chill went down his spine when he thought of instances in which he himself shoed away salespersons. In current circumstances, it’s potentially dangerous to make a cold call. However today I shall suggest a method to make cold calls become cool calls in perspective of making a deal of higher magnitude.Toastmasters and distinguised guests a warm good evening to you.

It’s not rocket science but a simple 3 step approach – Rapport Building, Trust Building, and Value Building.

1) Rapport Building-The first is to be sensitive to the customer. Like barging into the customer room asking for an appointment when he is the middle of something can frustrate the customer. The best to building rapport during an appointment is to start off with a smile and exchanging pleasantries. We must be cautious to keep the time in accordance to the level of the customer and the circumstance we are in. We cannot spend much time exchanging pleasantries with a company CEO. May be for them just a smile is required for rapport building as they are not too much concerned on this aspect.

2) Trust Building-Being open and being knowledgeable are the tools of trust building. These tools of trust building should be used to solve the problem of the customer. Analyze the problem of the customer objectively and never try to fit in your solution to the customer’s problem. The objective analysis of the problem will gain us the customer’s trust and then he start considering you as resource whom he can fall upon to solve his problem. In such a scenario if you product solves the customer’s problem he will definitely trust your product.

3) Value Building- Tell the customer in detail the benefits our product will bring the customer. We should explain in details the specification of the product how it functions and the like. All the facts that are need by the customer should be given to him in this stage.


If we follow this simple 3 step it is highly likely that the deal will be successful. Even if you are unable to sell the product ensure that you sell yourself to the customer.

Over to you toastmaster.

After Effects of Lunch.

I remember one of those days in which I had a very heavy lunch .Oops , I forgot that I had it even today.Heavy lunch can have problems.For instance , our attention span is reduced after that.I vividly remember those after lunch times when my teachers shouted at me as I mumbled irregular syllables when surprise questions were thrown at me.However , this reduced attention span as an after effect of lunch is not all that bad.I used to get promises for my parker pen,cricket bat and the like from my papa when he was in such a state.

Its not that its reduced attention span alone which is caused by heavy lunch.I had numerous instances when my architect shook me awake while dozing off in office chair.Nowadays I even feel proud that my architect wake me up from sleep just to hide to myself the embarrassment caused.Inspite of all these hiccups, I see a positive side for this dozing off after heavy lunch.Give your spouse a heavy lunch and see her sleep.It would be the only time when you would be able to see the innonce in her face.It may noted that night sleep does not provide this spectacular vision.

All in all,lunch is a necessary evil.Having lunch is like having children.We should have children , but we should not have too many.

Involve Yourself

{ Below is the text of the initial few minutes of the speech as Master of Ceremonies in Bangalore Toastmaster Club.The text may vary from the actual speech given :) }
Centuries ago, a bow and arrow session was going on.A model of bird was made and kept on top a tree .As each disciple took aim to shoot down the bird, the master asked “What do you see?”.The answers were like, the bird, the tree, the sky beyond...But for Arjuna, the answer was “The eye of the bird only”.Needless to say, he was the only one to hit the target.Arjuna was focused; he had no consternation, only concentration.This is the way we too ought to involve ourselves.

Having come into this room in Brigade road surpassing theatres, coffee days and pubs, I would consider us as involved.But is such bare minimum involvement sufficient so as to just reach our aims? In 1924 in Santa Anna California, in the basement of YMCA, Ralph C Smedely started toastmasters movement.His aim was to make his fellow members in YMCA raise toast better.But as the wheel of time around, this movement spread across 110 countries and millions of people benefit from it.Ralph would not have, even in his wildest dream , hoped so. But as he was fully involved in the activity it took an amazing growth.Same case applies here for us in Bangalore Toastmasters.Our slogan may be to improve our comunication and leadership skills.But we should involve to the highest degree as possible so that we can attain even unprecedented results.Cant we become the powerhouse of idea generation which this country badly needs.This is the prefect place where the intelligentsia of the city should get groomed. This should be the place where the rest of the people should look for inspiration and innovation to flow from.Yes, we should be the powerhouse of idea generation.Its not that such a thing is tangible.Almost all radical changes the world have witnessed happened through committed people who met and exchanged their ideas. In the 1960s, the French cinema was rotten by the cliched movies.Then a group of men met together- their initial intention was just to see movies and pass critcisim.But this group evolved to bring about the most radical change that ever happenend to the field of movies.They gave rise to the French New Wave cinema.Our case too is not much different.We have the platform of toastmasters.We can and should become the powerhouse of inspiration and innovation which our countrymen need.

The first step in attaining any noble aim is to get the basics right.Let me tell you how this toastmaster meeting would be so that you can be fully involve.First would be the prepared speech session, where you would get the inspiration and innovation we all need.Next would be the table topics sessions in which we have to think on our feet and speak im promptu.Finally we will have the evaluation session when each participant in the meeting would be given constructive feedback.Today to lead the evaluation session we have a gentleman,who mesmerizes us with his overwhelming presence.A man with dove’s heart but today he shall be around here with hawkish eyes.Lets put our hands together for Arun John Mathias.

Clues to Cool Deals of Lesser Magnitude

(Project 1 from Persuasive Speaking,Advanced Communication Manual--Selling a low cost product to a customer in a store.This 3-4 min speech was by 3-5 min roleplay wherein I tried to sell a book to a customer in a bookstore)

We have two ears and one mouth because we are supposed to listen twice as we speak. Let it be known that God made no mistake in the case of salespersons, too.
Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, good evening.

I shall bring here today a 3 step approach that can be successful in a store selling not so expensive products.
1:Building rapport with customer
2.Understanding customer needs
3.Radiating credibility

Building rapport: The clichéd golden rule in rapport building, a warm smile, remains omnipotent till date. The effect is enormous and you should welcome the customer with a customary smile. In rapport building, another essential thing is matching the customer in behavior. For instance, you should not speak loudly to a customer who speaks softly. You can even engage in small talk. Of course it should not look plastic-Like you should not straightaway ask a customer who comes into a bookstore “Hey, how is the weather”

Once the rapport is created you should focus on understanding the customer need. Surely, you need to ask questions. Here too brevity is a must.Nobody would want to tell their entire family history and office stories just to buy a book. Ask relevant question and value the customer’s time. The questions asked should elicit detailed answers and not in monosyllables. Questions formed by what, why, how are ideal to get detailed answers.

Having understood the buyer’s need, focus should be in solving buyer’s problem. This where your knowledge on the multitude of products available and the special features of each product come into picture. More or less you are making a decision for you customer. It’s a challenge for a salesperson to live up to the ethical standards. If you feel that, a product does not suit a customer don’t try to convince him otherwise. You may lose a sale but you will win your buyer’s trust, confidence and who knows may be his daughter as well. You would be able to radiate your credibility only if you have thorough knowledge of the product and its counterpart. Also the communication skills you hone at toastmasters also come into play. If the customer is agreeable to your suggestion you should not hesitate to push the deal. If you don’t ask for a commitment, you may not get it. Once the deal is done you can reinforce your credibility and customer’s belief by assuring him that he made a good choice.

Hence, a successful deal is a result of a 3-step approach:
1:Building rapport with customer
2.Understanding customer needs
3.Radiating credibility

In all these steps, we should not be so talkative like an overzealous football player dribbling with the ball. We should be intensively listening. Remember, God has made no mistake in the case of salespersons too in giving two ears and one mouth.

[In this project, this speech is followed by a 3-5-role play (spontaneous) in which I play a salesperson selling Roget’s Thesaurus and prospective buyer is called from the audience. This role-play is followed by a 2-3 minutes discussion with audience on how the role-play went]

So, salespersons, if you follow this simple 3-step approach, your customer will say weeping to you “Its such a great deal. I don’t think I am worthy of it”.

Over to you toastmaster.

Missing and Messing Inspirations

(Humorous Speech 5-7 min)

“Come out of your comfort zone. Break free from the chains that shackle you.” These were the inspirational words of a Toastmaster one Friday evening. What a coincidence.I had heard those words before.In fact I heard them every morning when my roommates were begging me to come quickly out of the washroom.Out of comfort zone to wash room.Far, far away.

Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, good evening.
I bring before you 2 major aspects by which you can miss and mess an inspirational speech. 1) While the speech is being delivered-our thoughts can misguide us away. 2) The superficial energy we derive immediately after listening to an inspirational speech can make us muddle headed.

Let’s see what can happen while a speech is being delivered. I was listening to a very motivational speech urging us to realize our dreams. But all the while, I was pulling at my hair searching for ways on how not realize the dream I had that morning. A ferocious street dog was biting me.

My thoughts took me away from the inspirational message.
Once a speaker said that we should be bold enough to say “so what” in the face of adversity. He boomed “You may fail if you try; so what. People may laugh if you fail; so what. My defensive system boosted me to think, “Oh, this speaker is speaking so well; SO WHAT”.
My thoughts deceived me away from the inspirational message.

There was a speech titled “Treasure Hunt”. As the speaker went on, my thoughts were on a ring I had lost that morning. I was hopeful of finding it. Suddenly the speaker revealed the secret—the treasure is within you. I had a strange feeling that I had swallowed my ring. I felt a bit reassured. My ring might come out tomorrow morning.
My thoughts fooled me away from the inspirational message.

Let’s move onto the time period immediately after an inspirational speech is delivered. This is the time where you will be itching for action and can potentially jump into trouble.

One day I gave a talk to my roommate and impressed upon him the need to be more responsible in life. The next day, he was the first to reach home and he found that only our house was without electricity. He swung into action, found that the electricity bill for the last month was unpaid; traveled 10 kms; paid the bill and got a lineman to restore the connection, after paying him a bribe for good measure. They reached home and when they came to the main switch box, the lineman gave a sarcastic laugh showing all his yellow teeth and two brown ones. As my friend looked on in disbelief he casually switched on the main switch .Our house was flooded with light but my friend’s face was gloomy. Seconds later it also lit up, when he saw me coming from the provision shop carrying 2 mosquito coils, a match box and 4 candles.
At the recent judges training, I was inspired to finish off my speeches quickly and get my DTM. When I went home my mind was on speech topics, opening, body, conclusion, content and delivery. My friends were noisily chatting away and I was getting distracted. Out of habit, I yelled at them “Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, why don’t you keep quite”.
The superficial energy defeated me.

So, we must listen to speeches attentively and should give some time for the inspiration to sink into the bottom of our heart to bear fruits. At least if you do so, immediately after an inspirational session to be courageous, you may not go propose to any strange lady and get beaten by her husband. Or when I ask you to be straight as an arrow, you may not think “Arrow? He looks more like a bullet.”

Let’s Expand Our Horizon

(Speech )

There was a tennis coach in my school. An amazing tennis player, his name was Lovligen. One fine day he sprang a surprise on all of us. An article on him along with his photograph appeared in all the leading dailies. This tennis coach had found a formula concerning planetary motion. There was also a session in which he explained the students his findings. I couldn’t understand anything he told. I asked my physics teacher what it was all about and her face went red. Then for sure I knew the findings were complex. This tennis coach decided to expand his horizon beyond his constrained job path and in the process contributed to the complex field of physics.

Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, good evening…
Most of us stop learning after we exit out of college. For us the only focus would be that small segment in which we got our job. The rest of the fields will be beckoning us, our aptitude will want us to go and explore that. But still we are tied; tied by our own reasons. The reasons are aplenty; the major one being time and the consequent worry of not meeting the current job and family expectations. Sir John Lubbock a banker, politician, naturalist and an archaeologist said “In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking.” Well, of course time flies is a bad news but the good news is you are the pilot.
The second reason which prompts the people to think in the negative is a thought like “If I mange to have more time, then I should spent more time with my friends, family and for leisure activities” .There isn't any need to be sticking around with them all the time to gain their love. Do we love our parents because they are with us all the 24 hours? We should think and do things useful for the advancement for the humanity and make the near and dear ones of us proud. And for the leisure activities they surely will rejuvenate us .But there is no point in continuous fuelling of a car which is never driven.
The third reason which may hold us back is the belief that knowing outside the work profile will never help me us in our career. But, we could always associate whatever things we have learnt to our work. Multidisciplinary areas are the need for the hour. Even the areas of study which we think are totally unrelated may find extraordinary utility in our domain .Those bank officials who studied computer during the nineties are the major officials in the software giants which are offering banking solutions.

After working for several years in the computer field a question struck me -“Do I know any other work if I lose this job”? The answer ‘NO’ was powerful enough to send a shivering down my spine. In that scenario I could imagine myself in a rehabilitation camp with several other techies where other jobs like rubber tapping, hair dressing, are taught. I was certain my worries were not unfound. There were instances in history where an entire class of workers was eliminated. The recent example is the class of workers called typewriters which have become a rarity these days. The cycle of recession that circles over our head can add to this fear. Even if we don’t lose our job we can engage in dual career which has become very popular in the west. The versatile Jennifer Lopez says “On my dual careers in music and film, I don’t feel frightened; I feel challenged.” She was quite successful in her music career but she challenged herself to the new task and discovered herself completely. We may also be challenged by the impending retirement. Once people retire they feel as if they have shed their wings. All of sudden we feel worthless and nothing to do. Why do politicians live longer and healthier? They are always fully engaged. We must also discover the dreams in us and give wings to them; and on retirement we will never find us wingless.But more than the symptoms and signposts that looks threatening isn't there a call from inside for all of us to know and learn about things we never came across. There is a whole lot of knowledge in this world and we don’t even bother to turn our head towards it. This ignorance is cancerous and in the process will engulf us and thwart our learning capabilities. I believe the childhood days were the best for many of us because each day we were able to know about a new thing in this world. And by this knowing a world of opportunities is opened for our progress. But now we learn nothing new apart from our work, we remain monomaniacs and our life has turned monotonous. Learning and expanding our horizon gives us that impetus to unearth a whole lot of possibilities and to be a complete human being.

Michelangelo a painter, a sculptor, an architect, a poet, and an engineer declared at the age of 80’s “I am still learning”.The dire need is staring in front us. And we will decide whether we will be able to cope to the challenges and become successful beings. The steps are to find our aptitudes, find what we can do for that and finally doing it. I went through the introspective approach to recognize my aptitude and it was human behaviour that attracted my interest. As the second step I found what all I could do and decided to get a masters' degree in psychology. I enrolled for the M.Sc in Applied psychology from Bharathiyar university in correspondence mode. Now I have completed this 2 year course and have specific goals in this field to be pursued along. The idea of expanding the horizon had unsettled me. Yet I realized its better to be a sad Aristotle than a happy mud slinging pig.I got the degree.I got the pleasant realization that I am still able to study with the same focus and agility as my college days. Moreover, I got back that wonderful unique thrill that we will have due to the tension on exam days.


Toastmasters, thousands of reasons can rain down and stop us from knowing more of this world .But to leave a legacy of our own to the mankind and to know what we have within us, we always need to sail through the darkest of the valleys and then we will reach the green pastures of self actualization. Let no talent bestowed lay latent. Let’s look inside us and find the treasures of gems that lay within, polish it, and give it to the world which has given us all. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. So, let’s be resolved to know more and no field of study shall be untouchable to us if our mind wants to make love with that stream of knowledge. Over to you toastmaster!!

(Project 10 of CC)

School Education In English Medium A Must

(Speech)
Born in a remote village, born in an average family, born with average intelligence, I stand here now with a respectable social status. There were no godfathers, there were no cheatings, there were no miracles. The only reason which makes me stand here is that I got the advantage of English- I was lucky to be sent to an English medium school as my father thought that is the best. Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, good evening.

I attribute my success to English medium education in school because I am aware of many individuals who are wonderfully gifted who could not even make it to my level. They could not put across their idea in English effectively. We cannot disagree that India could successfully savor the fruits of globalization as we are better educated in English. But even now the progress is hindered by the teaching of subjects in the vernacular especially the science subjects in schools. Imagine a student is taught in the vernacular. He will be taught the word ‘thricon ‘for triangle in the vernacular. Later, on college education when the medium of instruction becomes English, he will be introduced to the word triangle. Hence now he has to associate with the idea of triangle, the word in the vernacular for triangle and the word triangle itself. Things are simply complicated here. There is no point in learning that specific scientific word in the vernacular. There is huge waste of effort. And from there the children educated in English gets jobs easily and they get the global exposure. Moreover the language of English provides a genuine advantage to the Indians as a common language. As we know, people hate when some other languages are forced on them. But as English has an economic eye this aspect wouldn’t come into play. It really acts as the unifying force in the diversified culture of India.

We know about these advantage English offers.That’s why most of us send our children to English medium schools. But with the adamancy to teach in the vernacular in the state run schools the governments across India is determined to make it difficult for the poor children. But some governments are also determined to make it equally difficult to the rich as well by moving the court to ban English medium schools. How retrograde the thinking is. Local history and local art forms and the like should be taught in the vernacular only but all the subjects with global perspective should be taught in English medium. The major argument the proponents of the vernacular medium raises is that we are getting westernized. If something is good there in the west, what is the problem in imbibing it .Every civilizations have grown in that way. Let me ask those people whether they will avoid a bypass surgery as it was not part of Harappan and Indus valley civilization. We should not be diminutive in thinking like the tribal people who are still hesitant to wear clothes fearing cultural disintegration.

Don’t you want to see people from my economic background and lower to come up to you on equal footing? My father sacrificed many pleasures in life to get me that English medium education. If the government schools taught in English medium, couldn’t that situation be avoided? Well, I do agree that sacrifices make success, but is there a need to make some unreasonable hardships? If we want to see the people around us in good living conditions, we need to put our voice to our governments to impart education in English. Moreover, being the members of the ‘Toastmasters’ which aims to promote speaking abilities particularly in English, we need to be the apostles of this idea to impart education in English. Let’s evangelize this idea by using the best talents we have ,speaking and writing, with all might to open the eyes of the people and hence the governement. Lets us go back to Bengal, let’s go back to Tamil Nad, let’s go back to Bihar or wherever we are from and spread this message. Let the world be known, that the apostles of progress are coming to transform this nation into greater heights.Over to you toastmaster!!

(Project 9 of CC)

Ordinary To Extraordinary

(Master of Ceremonies-- Toastmaster Meeting on Theme 'Ordinary To Extraordinary')
There happened on Oct 2, 1869 a very very ordinary moment. A kid was born that day—a very very ordinary happening in India. But as the wheel of time turned around that same ordinary moment became extraordinary.That kid born on that day, yeah,our won Gandhiji made that moment extraordinary by his life long efforts .Yes that moment which could have gone down as yet another ordinary moment is now written in golden letters in the annals of history. In April 2003, our club witnessed an ordinary moment. A person came as a guest in our club meeting. But today as he walks in, to give a speech that will make him the first ever DTM of this club, he will make that ordinary moment in April 2003 an extraordinary moment, a historic moment. What made this dramatic change? It did not happen on one fine day when sun rose in the east. It happened by the persistent efforts of this TM over the years. Toastmasters and guests today will have this wonderful opportunity to witness this glorious occasion. But not before this ordinary guy, currently ordinary, introduces you yet another ordinary moment which became extraordinary later. Ralph C Smedely, a great visionary in 1924 in the basement of YMCA Santa Anna California made an ordinary gesture. He along with his friends started toastmasters club. Now through his efforts and efforts of lot many, toastmaster’s movement is spread across 110 countries benefiting millions of people. That moment in 1924 which could have gone down as an ordinary moment is now symbolic of success. Our future action determines whether our present step is made historic. Our Guests, you might have made an ordinary step by stepping into this room but we have extraordinary plans for you in this session like any other toastmaster session.

The Eternal Bliss

(Speech)
Exxon Valdez oil spill in which 10.8 million U.S.gallons of oil were spilled, Chernobyl accident which caused 56 direct deaths and 4,000 extra cancer deaths, Three Mile Island tragedy and the Challenger shuttle explosion – BBC Science—attributes sleep disorder as an important causation factor .

Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, good evening.
Haven’t many of us felt drowsy and sleepy even after having slept for more than 10 hours? Haven’t many of us have felt we have slept so little and still not able to sleep..? Haven’t many of us dedicated weekends exclusively to catch up lost sleep?

My dear friends, what matters is not the quantity of our sleep but the quality of our sleep. I shall bring to your notice 3 things that we need to do to improve the quality of our sleep and why it will improve the quality of sleep. Thereby you will be able to reduce the sleeping hours and still feel so rejuvenated after the sleep.

The first point is that sleep happens in five cycles. The first two stage makes up the initial phase, three and four make up the deep and the last stage is the Rapid eye movement stage – the stage when see dreams. For a sleep to be called successful we should have maximum deep sleep as this is the stage where the entire body gets energized. You might have even observed some illness vanishing over sleep—deep sleep is responsible for that. But before sleep if take heavy food, most of the energy will used for digestion—there will be nothing to be distributed and the deep sleep will not prolong. And if we don’t drink enough water the body will be dehydrated and the energy supply during the deep sleep will not reach the entire body. Hence to improve deep sleep we must drink a lot of water and avoid taking food that takes long to digest.

The second point is the sleep distribution through the different stages happens through cycles. As you can see in the picture, it happens in cycles. And this cycle though it will vary from individual to individual it tend remain the same for an individual until something drastic happens. What is the take home from this? Sometimes you would have felt so energetic and ready to go after you woke up. That’s because you woke during the REM stage close to the awakened state. So try to get up in the REM cycle probably during the stage after 5 hours; because the rest of the sleep doesn’t offer much value as there is hardly any deep sleep after that. By trial and error we should find the right time to wake up.

The third and last important point is our sleep is regulated by the circadian rhythm—that’s our body temperature variation. Unlike the popular belief our body temperature is not constant. When the body temperature is low we sleep. For this while we are awake we should have sunlight and when asleep it should be dark. Another aspect apart from the body temperature which determines sleep is Melatonin, the hormone which synthesized in the pineal gland and, to a lesser extent, in the retina. Melatonin is responsible for putting you to sleep. While we get sunlight, the production of melatonin is inhibited and in darkness in its production improves. So it’s quite important to get enough sunlight while we are awake and enough darkness while we sleep – because of the body temperature factor and the melatonin factor.
To conclude we must attempt three steps to improve the quality of our sleep.
1.drinking lot of water and having food easily digesteable before sleep.
2.getting up during the REM cycle.
3.getting enough sunlight while awake and sleeping in darkness.

By following these steps we can ensure that the eternal bliss we are blessed with is used for our benefit and never under used and over used.

Over to you toastmaster.

(Figures ans matter adapated from various textbooks on sleep)

(Project 8 of CC)

We Can Preach

(Speech)

“First you practice, and then you preach”. This is one of the most misused statement in the entire history of humanity.

Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, good evening.

Even when I am opposing this adage, I agree that this principle is applicable to the practice of existing laws. Like we cannot go and ask everyone to pay tax without ourselves paying the tax. But the concept that we ought to understand is that the principle of “First you practice, and then you preach” is applicable only to such existing laws. Nevertheless we extend it to all walks of life as a suppressing tool.If we don’t extend the usage to any other areas I see two immediate advantages: 1) It will help idea evolution 2) It can aid people to improve.

Attacking an established age old adage is not easy. My first contention is: on restricting its usage we will help idea evolution. Lets consider this.In my company, lunch is provided free of cost. But now as you know, because of the economic crisis, the company is inviting ideas from employees for cost cutting. My suggestion was to charge for the lunch. One of my colleagues who particularly likes the lunch didn’t like the idea. He said, “First you practice what you preach; pay for your lunch”. I was shell shocked. One must understand that I am ready to pay for the lunch when the company introduces it as a policy. If we are adamant on rebuking by the practice first principle, people will not dare to throw up new ideas .To appreciate better,imagine we have formed an idea totally against coco-cola. We are preaching never to have it. Now, we are in a hot desert with no water but coco-cola. What would we do? If somebody drinks coco-cola in that situation lets not question their integrity saying he doesn’t practice what he preach. Let’s not get that tough on life; let’s not get that tough on people; let’s not get that tough on ideas.

My second contention is : if we restrict from using this adage it can help improve our performance. We at the toastmasters club are the living example for this. For instance, when a trembling table topics master urges the speakers to be confident, nobody jumps up from the audience and blurts out “Hey, why don’t you first feel confident and then advice us”. Toastmasters never do that. We just take the message in its spirit and try to improve ourselves. Interestingly when the message to be confident gets accepted by the benevolent toastmasters, it gives the table topics master a positive energy to subdue fear and he will gradually improve as he feel that it is his idea not to fear behind the lectern. See the advantage we have reaped for ourselves by restricting the use of practice first before preaching principle. Apart from this I had a personal experience of this sort. A friend of mine had advised me when I lost 1 paper during engineering. I wanted to retort to her “Hey you lost six papers and you are advising me”. But as I was down and out, I hadn’t had the energy for it and kept quite. Interestingly when the next semester’s result came she came and told me “Hey Jindow, I cleared all the papers. When I advised you that day and when you accepted despite I having lost six papers, it gave me the confidence and I myself really understood the need to study well”. I was so happy and also so thankful that on the day when she advised me, I kept my ever wagging tongue under control. I still carry that joy in my heart in the same measure though it reduced a little when she introduced another guy as her boyfriend.

Remember for those people who are preaching without practice, their mind is willing but their body doesn’t permit or their circumstances constrain them. And we speak continuously on the will of our mind our body and the rest of the circumstances will succumb. Lets us not be the ones to down trod, character assassinate and throw others out of their lives. Lets keep inviting ideas and lets keep improving.Over to you toastmaster!!

Watch the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOUxcmLT05E

The Science Of Life

(Speech)
I was deeply troubled by the problem of burping. I went to a doctor. He suggested me not to worry. “There is intake of air and it needs to be released. There are only two ways for that- one is through the mouth.” The other words of the doctor fell deaf into my ear. I had no solution for my problem.

Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests, a form of complementary and alternative medicine called Ayurveda came to my rescue.

I shall today talk about the important influences in ayurveda, the general principle of ayurveda which states that our body constitutes of vata, pitta and kabha and finally the day to day usability of ayurveda – the science of life.

Ayurveda traces its origins to the Atharvaveda .But the methodical organization and the central concepts evolution happened under the Buddhists philosophers, especially Nagarjuna.The middle path (madhyamika) of the Buddhists led to the Ayurvedic emphasizes on moderation in food intake, sleep, sexual intercourse, and the intake of medicine

Three forces known as the three doshas or simply tridosha regulates every physiological and psychological process in a living organism. A harmonious state of the three doshas creates balance and health; an imbalance, which might be an excess or deficiency manifests as a sign or symptom of disease.

Let’s discuss more on these doshas.
1) Vata -- It is responsible for all movements in the mind and body: the movement of air in and out of the lungs, the flow of blood through the circulatory system, nutrients through the alimentary tract, and thoughts through the mind.

2) Pitta--It carries the meaning of "that which digests" and is associated with the idea of being yellow-tinged or bilious. Charaka Samhita, an ancient Ayurvedic text, teaches that pitta functions in digestion, heat production, providing color to the blood, vision, and skin luster.

3) Kabha-- derives from the Sanskrit word "shlish" which means "that which holds things together.” It governs immunity and resistance against disease.

Restoring these doshas into a balance is the technique of ayurvedic treatment Now, I shall point out certain instances where Ayurveda came to my rescue or where I personally witnessed the fruitfulness of it. I already mentioned the gastritis associated burping which I had. Black pepper, long pepper and ginger were mixed to get ‘trikatu’ which cured my gastric disorder. Four years ago when I was new to Bangalore, I was affected by jaundice. And as you know there is no effective medicine for jaundice in allopathy. The root of shoe-flower plant was grounded and mixed with butter milk. I drank this for 1 week and my bilirubin count subsided considerably. To add one more of the many instances, my mother was affected by chronic back pain for a while. She drank coffee mixed with grounded fenugreek for few months continually and she claimed remarkable improvement. Of course ayurvedic massage is also an option for this.

Hearing stuffs of this sort,people often wonder on the scientific basis of ayurveda.I have heard about my grandmother talk about her grandmother’s uncontrollable cough.She recovered from that when she drank a glass of milk for few days with a teaspoon of turmeric powder mixed in it.But the university of Mississippi Medical centre applied for patent on the use of turmeric for healing in December 1993.And of course the patent was granted.The allopathy division , infact after sometime may discover the presence of some ‘chloro fluro carbo methyl octane’ chemical in all medicinal herbs which attribute to their medicinal value.We need not wait for such a dsicovery. We have proven track record spanning centuries on the effectiveness of Ayurveda.The point is not to approach ayurveda when we require a bypass surgery but there are instances where ayurveda have proved itself like the ones I cited previously.In these cases you can fall back to the the soothing arms of ayurveda to find solace.
Over to you toastmaster.
(Reference: Various texts/scripts on Ayurveda)
(Project 7 of CC)
Watch the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ8CvC4jj64

Our Approach To Life

(Speech)
Mahatma Gandhi , an iconic figure of the 20th century, is not an example for an Indian but an exceptional Indian . Why ? Fellow Toastmasters and distinguished guests good evening.

The approach to life made him exceptional.What is our approach to life.Lets rewind our life and check out. Remember that afternoon after school when we were waiting for our father to return with a bicycle.Hours seemed like days.Otherwise we never bothered when he used to come.And finally we heard the voice of the rick coming.Eyes widened and the face lit up on seeing the cycle.But ,its a ladies cycle.Our life had always been this , like a donkey chasing a carrot.The faster we approach the faster it moves away.When we went to the ground for playing cricket,before being aware of the situation we dropped the catch and were chased away. “ I will show you” we said to them. I will study and prove myself and prove these people wrong. We study very hard and also help a very foolish friend of ours.When the result came, ya our own foolish friend had score 2 marks more than us. No this whole examination system isn’t fair.He didn’t know anything.On moving to college,we find the love of our life.On the day we decide to propose her we see our best friend eloping with her. No this isn’t life.In the young age itself we realize that life is a like bull but then we are so bold and decide to fight hard with it. And the result - the bull ran over us. Some of us married that bull only. And we will say “ bulbul , get me a coffee”. This is what makes us to say life is like a wife with a knife. At final ages we decide to buy a secluded farm house and enjoy the beauty of life but a sense of loss somehow overcomes us.Even just before the death we will be saying “ This isn’t life”.Why this dissatisfaction? Because we live in the future- palnning about the future, worrying about the future , hoping for the future and when the future comes it doesn’t match our expectation. We have to live in the present— right now right here.

Let us move to our second fundamental issue- lack of owning responsibility.Let me illustrate this in the highlight of the recent terror strike in Mumbai.When kerala CM visited Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s house ;Sandeep’s father said “ I don’t want to see any dogs”.Kerala Cm went back to his state and retorted “ No dog would have gone there but not for Sandeep’s house”.Ironically , all these dialogues happened in Malayalam which is incidentally fighting for the classical language status.Opposition leader urged CM to resign on this dog issue.God’s own country became dog’s country.Everybody is in the blame business.The media lashed out at the politicians.The NSG came out against media in not behaving in a restrained manner.The common man wanted an immediate war with Pakistan.Some people went to the kitchen and drew out their knife ready to be part of the war.Its heard that their wives were really excited to see them in the kitchen atleast for this.Nobody wants to own the responsibility. India is sitting like fat duck before the hunter ; now the duck is lame too.Unless the responsibility is owned by each and everyone, for any situations for that matter,things wont improve.The technique for owning responsibility is to avoid reasoning.For instance if we are late for an occasion let’s give up reasoning like heavy traffic, dog came to bite us,wife burnt all our clothes, etc. Whatever happens in life we should be able to say that it happened in our life because we chose for that.

The solutions offered here belongs to one of the many successful way of approaching life—Ontology – the science of being. Its upto to an individual to decide whether this ontology will help them to actualize their fullest potential. But one thing is sure;we need to attain our fullest potential.Mahatma Gandhi got his revelation when he was thrown out of the train . Bangaloreans – what are you waiting for—for the metro rail to come is it ?
Over to you toastmaster.
(Some of the ideas in the speech are inspired)
(Project 6 of CC)

Watch the speech video at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo3F_gSaU7c