Chatter June 2021

CHATTER

June 2021

UNSTOPPABLE AMDAVAD TOASTMASTERS CLUB

Grit Resolve Evolution

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Chatter Team 4 President's message 5 Editor's Address 6

Live A Life of Courageous Resolve

7 A Ray of Hope 8 Club Events 10 F e a t h e r s o f I n s p i r a t i o n 11 L o c k d o w n S t o r i e s 13 G a m e s 14 M e m b e r ' s A c h i e v e m e n t s 16 C l u b ' s A c h i e v e m e n t s 17 A m d a v a d T o a s t m a s t e r s

CHATTER TEAM

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TM YASH RAJAI

TM MILAN HIRPARA

EDITOR

EDITOR

TM PRAGYA LAHOTI

TM GEETA BARAD

DESIGNER

DESIGNER

TM MEGHANA MEHTA

TM VIRAL PAREKH

PROOFREADER

PROOFREADER

TM ADITI IYER VP PUBLIC RELATIONS

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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE We are so consumed by the digital world encircling us that sometimes we forget our realworld - People surrounding us, family, friends and relative. This pandemic has made me realized the importance of family. “How important it is to spend quality time with family and contribute in household chores. COVID-19 made me realized the significance of love in our life. “It taught me to love, to listen, to care, to respect and to help.”

TM DHIREN PRANAMI Dear Members, It has been an immensely challenging year for all of us. Many of us have lost our loved ones and many have suffered from the health consequence due to COVID-19. I would like to salute and appreciate your resilience during these difficult times. During the crisis, you have proved that Ahmedabad Toastmasters Club is one strong family with a deep bonding. It was heart-warming to see how members were willing to help each other in these difficult times.

We have started the year with the receding first wave, and we were full of hope, enthusiasm and excitement about the reopening and physical meetings. We had even a few wonderful hybrid meetings. But as we know now, God had different plans. This pandemic had forced us to learn many things. We know that this year has been a bumpy ride, but some lessons learned during this has changed our lives forever. I would like to share a few of the lessons the COVID-19 has taught me.

Enjoy small things and appreciate others” – Home – Office - Office - Home. Many of us are stuck in our nine to five job and in this hustle, we are not able to appreciate smaller things surrounding us.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

We all have dreams, desires and wishes. And it is not always possible to attain them. I feel we all make mistakes, and sometimes we don’t know everything. But we should not reprimand ourselves. As we appreciate things in other people, we should sit down and appreciate things in ourselves as well. Give yourself time and take care of yourself. One of the most important things I’ve learnt in lockdown is to take care of myself and to devote more time to myself. I know it is not easy, but it is important to live in the moment, without overthinking about the past or future.

“Revitalize the fire within you” It's never too late to start a hobby or do what you like to do. Sometimes in the rat race, we forget to pursue what we love the most. This pandemic has created a new generation of master chefs. Maybe I am one of them.

In the end, I would like to say that we learn the most important lessons during the crisis. As we cannot predict the future, we need to be resilient and be ready for further challenges. Try to stay happy and positive despite the circumstances, and you will become a stronger person.

Toastmaster has been my companion throughout this crisis and has helped me greatly. We have created a community with great values and ethos.

I believe that toastmaster will definitely help you in acquiring the qualities and skills that will help in your career and success.

“Let’s take the learning for this crisis with us in building our better future.”

EDITOR'S ADDRESS

TM MILAN HIRPARA

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TM YASH RAJAI

Pandemic. The word that caught all of us off-guard last year; has had its grip so tight on our lives, that we are yet to loosen from it! Each living being on the planet has been affected by it! But proving its mettle, while sitting atop the food chain; we, the Homo Sapiens have relied on the single virtue of Resilience. This quality has been put to test too, just like other qualities of us humans.

At the dawn of the New Year, all of us were hopeful of a quick recovery from the first strike of the pandemic. Lockdown, limited physical interaction, the fright of the unknown disease, and all other challenges that had us held down mentally in the past year, were put behind like the darkness by a tiny ray of hope. People had hardly started loosening up when the second wave of the pandemic struck us. This time, the infection being stealthier and more infectious than the previous one!

However, the quality of resilience ensured that the people put up with a fortress of mental strength.

This was complemented with technology that helped not only get back to normalcy but also grow immunity against the infection.

This edition of Chatter is compiled during the same period while humanity displayed this remarkable virtue of Resilience. This edition of Chatter takes you through the stories and incidents of our members, that display how this indomitable value of Resilience has helped them grow in the toughest of the times that humanity has witnessed. This edition of Chatter is a tribute to each person who has stood tall in these testing times; being a living testament of this virtue.

Balancing the scales of professional and personal life, many of us took a back seat from various activities which were part of a normal routine sans pandemic. As the editor, I being one such person.

While the scales were somehow balanced, it was not without the help of fellow teammates. Each member of this team has moved from pillar to post, silently putting efforts to provide the readers, an enriching experience. This edition itself is a result of the Resilience of team Chatter! The motivator that she has been, Toastmaster Aditi, also serving as the Vice-President Public Relations, has been the extraordinary leader to ensure that this edition sees the light of the day. I am indebted to her for her patience and persistence throughout this duration. On behalf of Team Chatter, I would like to thank each member of the club, who has helped secure the RISE values; the values that each Toastmaster abides by.

Happy Reading!

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ARTICLES

Live A Life of Courageous Resolve I took a long breath and closed my eyes. The first thing which sparked my mind was a newsletter of Toastmasters that I read a few days back. It was mentioned in it that if you are not applying the learnings of Toastmasters in your personal, professional or most importantly in your social life then you are simply wasting your time, money and energy in Toastmasters. The whole idea sparked my spirit and I realized that a smooth sea never makes a skilled sailor.

I took a plunge to give my best shot and most importantly, a golden chance to showcase all the learning from Toastmasters. I resolved not to let down my indomitable, invincible and infallible spirit.

TM AMIT NANDAN A strange sensation travelled through my spine when my boss told me “you have to compere the farewell function of two outgoing officers of my section”. I nodded with a smile, but my eyes were gazing at a floor as if the concrete lying under my feet was laughing at me “how will it be possible Amit?”

After clearing my throat, I asked my boss “when is the program, sir?” He was busy with some stuff on his laptop. So, without looking at me, he replied “it’ll be tomorrow only”. My eyes popped out and my jaw dropped down. Panic spread on my face. I stood up out of restlessness and then immediately went out to find some relaxation. As I was about to leave the room, my boss told me that prepare well, as some key executives are also coming and we want to show them that we are developing young talent. I nodded positively “Ok sir”. I left the room and reached for my desk. I was enveloped in hollowness, emptiness and loneliness.

Time was 6 pm and with every second passing my hands were started shaking, my legs shivering and my body sweating. My mouth was dried up and I drank one litre of water within few seconds only, to be precise within 5 seconds.

The time for the preparation was little more than table topics and much less than prepared speech. I also decided not to let the time factor become an impediment for the most important day of my life. It was 7 pm and I was all alone at my office. With a positive attitude, I started thinking laterally for the program and till 11 pm I framed the basic script for tomorrow’s farewell function.

The next day, fifteen minutes prior to the function, I reached the venue. My heart started pounding over. As I was climbing the stairs of the stage, my mind started reeling and millions of butterflies started to spread their wings in my stomach. However, I affirmed to myself, “Easy champion, easy. This heartbeat is normal, this fear is normal and this sensation is normal.

Toastmasters had already given you enough experience to overcome all this.”

After 1 hour, three officers got a standing ovation from the crowd of 200 people. Two outgoing officers, for their dedication and service of more than 35 years, and one for me who spellbound the audience throughout the event of an hour. I was on cloud nine when one of the key executives told me that you can now permanently host all upcoming events for official functions. When everyone was praising me for this marvellous, miraculous and stupendous performance, my heart was brimming with thankfulness for all fellow toastmasters and mentor of my Ahmedabad Toastmasters Club.

ARTICLES

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A Ray of Hope

TM HARIKRISHNA PANSURIYA The pandemic has set the world aback. It hit so hard that the only employed member of the family lost his job, daily wage workers were laid off and kids lost their parents. So how do people come out of this shock?

It is rightly said that this world itself is energy, whether we feel it or not. Every moment we emit positive, negative or neutral energy. Whatever we do and think, adds to the energy pool of this world. Currently, it looks like negative energy on this beautiful planet is dominating against the positive ones.

So, now efforts need to be put to neutralize the energy on this planet. And to do so, meditation can be a reliable source of positive energy. Meditation relaxes the body, makes the mind feel calm and more importantly, it helps to focus on our thoughts.

Mediation will help to throw positive vibrations, and once it resonates with other people, the energy can be doubled.

The only way out of this toughest darkness is to spare time for yourself to meditate. It is not impossible but we need to be more conscious about the world more than our selfish and materialistic objectives.

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CLUB EVENTS

SYNERGY

WINNERS International Speech Contest Winner: TM Preeti Pathak 1st Runner Up: TM Karuna Pathak 2nd Runner Up: TM Paras Shah

Table Topics Contest

Winner: TM Preeti Pathak 1st Runner Up: TM Amit Nandan 2nd Runner Up: TM Parva Shah

CLUB EVENTS

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Offline Meetings

Joint Meetings

Area A1•Dubai Greens toastmasters club•Diamond City Toastmasters Club

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ARTICLES

Feathers of Inspiration

TM AJEESH NAIR I am inspired when I don’t need external validation, to recognize my worth.

I am inspired when I enjoy the process, rather than thinking about the results.

I am inspired when I enjoy solitude, rather than being with toxic people.

I am inspired when I understand that, a mistake can be the catalyst for the most interesting outcome.

I am inspired when I understand that, uniqueness is priceless in this crazy world that's trying to develop you like everyone else.

I am inspired when I understand that, people who said bad to me does not define me, but it defines them.

I am inspired when I am more concerned about, achieving intrinsic rewards rather than extrinsic rewards.

I am inspired when I do not be seduced, by the absurd idea that there is danger in having too much hope.

I am inspired when I smile and walk away, rather than fighting for the uncalled questions asked to me.

LOCKDOWN STORIES

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Lockdown for a lot of people brings out a variety of different emotions. Every plan we had made and every reality we had known of was shattered. We at ATM went from meeting people, hugging people, and enjoying an environment created for safe learning to meeting online, not seeing anything beyond our 13-inch laptop screen and not interacting the way we did. Yet through curio online meetings, numerous Zoom calls, and a whole lot of WhatsApp groups later we triumphed. Now, the lockdown has almost become synonymous to our current lifestyle. So, we asked our members how they faced lockdown.

TM Harikrishna This lockdown made me believe that "Out of adversity comes opportunity".

Since the lockdown, my work life came to a standstill and all the projects were halted. I was left with no work for straight 2 months like every other person.

Did I get discouraged?

No, it became an opportunity for me to manage my finances. I started learning about the stock market and eventually built interest in it. This dragged me to invest my savings in the stock market. Since then, I have started managing my savings smartly.

TM Kalpesh Most of India was under lockdown to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but being at home for such a long period of time, people discovered unusual things. We also did lots of unusual things which I never did before.

I made a TikTok video with my daughter and shared it on social media, which got a lot of likes and comments.

I got enough extra time to spend with family and explore other areas of life, such as reading and trying to write.

Diwali was special in 2020. We were all in lockdown, so there wouldn’t be a family gathering at all for the Diwali celebration.

We arranged a zoom gathering with all distant families, including 12 members who live in another state. I was the first to check into our zoom gathering. What a thrill it was to see each family member.

That was truly a unique experience for each of us.

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LOCKDOWN STORIES

TM Mrunal I was so exhausted in lockdown that my productivity rate was almost zero, and I wasn't able to decide what to do further in life to grow over. But then out of the blue, I got a thought to join Toastmasters, and then there is no looking backwards since then. I know it’s still a long way to go, and toastmasters is not an ultimate destination, but it's surely helping me in shaping my life. At the end of the day, I am happy that I took the first step towards a successful life.

TM Dhiren Keeping aside all the negatives of the COVID-19 pandemic, I would say it has brought me closer to my family. Before COVID-19, I was not able to or not willing to spend more time with family. But now, I realized the vital role of family members in our overall wellbeing and health. To my surprise, I am not only capable of making Maggi, but I can even learn to make different dishes on my own by working from home! Now I’m an enthusiastic cook and can survive on my own from now onwards.

TM Tarun The lockdown, as it started, brought lots of fear and uncertainties. But as it progressed more, I found it very interesting. I was able to have more time with family, I was able to spend more time on Yoga, and I got connected with more family members and friends. I focused a little more on quality against quantity. Overall, it was a good break from “mechanical life”. However, I do share the pain of people on the ground who lost their jobs or family. But it made everyone realized one thing “Life is beyond your control, so stop trying to pretend that you can control everything and start living with what you have”, kya pata kal ho na ho.

1) Impromptu 2) Roles 3) Synergy 4) Offline 5) Leaders 6) Yellow 7) Red 8) Green 9) Online Speech 11) Pathways 12) GE

Answers

CROSSWORD GAMES

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MEMBERS ACHIEVEMENTS

Level Completion Level 4

TM KP Jani

TM Amit Nandan

Level 2 Motivational Strategies

TM Harikrishna Pansuriya

TM Aditi Iyer

Innovative Planning

Level 1 Presentation Mastery

Level 2 Motivational Strategies

MEMBERS ACHIEVEMENTS

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Level Completion TM Hiren Dholakia

TM Parva Shah

Level 2 Motivational Strategies

TM Sanket Kanabar

TM Tarun Agarwal

Level 4 Innovative Planning

Level 1 Presentation Mastery

Level 2 Motivational Strategies

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CLUB'S ACHIEVEMENTS President's Distinguished Club It is with great pride that we share that ATM has once again, achieved the title of President's Distinguished Club Status.

This award is based on 10 criteria’s that need to be full filled.

Out of Which Amdavad Toastmasters Club fulfilled 9.

Thank you to every member who participated in various club activities, took roles and delivered speeches.

Torch-bearer Award We are also extremely elated to receive the Torch Bearer Award.

This award is presented to a club if a minimum of 10 members renew their membership for an entire year.

Thank you to the immense contributions by our VP Memberships TM Varun Bhargava and TM Mrunal Hathi, for their hardwork and relentless contribution for the club.

AMDAVAD TOASTMASTERS

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ABOUT THE CLUB Amdavad Toastmasters Club is a non-profit community club in Ahmedabad, that was founded 8 years ago by Kujad Kumar Jani, Biswajit Adhikari, Varsha, Rashmi, Sambit, Bibhu, Ravi and few others. It is the first Toastmasters International Club in Ahmedabad and the first community Toastmasters International Club in Gujarat. It helps its members to hone their communication and leadership skills. The club environment is open, inviting and free from any form of judgement.

The mission of a Toastmasters Club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TM DHIREN PRANAMI

TM HARIKRISHNA

PRESIDENT

VP EDUCATION

TM MRUNAL HATHI

TM ADITI IYER

VP MEMBERSHIP

VP PUBLIC RELATIONS

TM MILAN HIRPARA

TM PARAS SHAH

SECRETARY

TREASURER

TM RADHIKA SHAH

TM ABHISHA THAKER

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS

PAST PRESIDENT

ABOUT CHATTER

Chatter, Amdavad Toastmasters Club’s bi-annual newsletter was started in 2013.

Being the mouthpiece of the club, Chatter has witnessed some amazing work by the members across different professions, age groups and ideologies. The newsletter is a prominent platform for the members to share their skills, talents, avocations and much more.

Every six months, a new magazine team with fresh faces comes together with a theme that signifies the progress of the club through thick and thin. This time, the theme is called ‘Unstoppable’ to showcase the resilience of the people in the club in these trying times.