Volume 3
Reflections Mar 2014
Reflections
Club No : 03373392 Area 33 Division J District 20 Area 33
Desert Divas’
Issue 1
November 2013
Reflections
Volume 3 1
March 2014
Volume 3
Reflections Mar 2014
From the Editor’s Desk Sowmya Rangarajan
It is celebration time for Desert Divas who are now 6 months and 13 meetings old! Nourished with substantial doses of preventive and curative mentoring and nurtured with the understanding and encouragement of fellow members we are slowly but surely strengthening our skills. This issue of Reflections offers an insight into the journey thus far as some members express their views and share personal experiences. We novices are bravely gearing up for our first ever clash with veterans at the forthcoming area contests to be held later this month. Apprehension, nervousness, hope, and a myriad other emotions are playing havoc on our minds, but rearing its head up from this medley of thoughts is a sense of excitement and anticipation !
Cover Picture : Contributed by Sumathi Hariharan Challenge Contest Answers : 1. The darkest hour is before dawn
2. To wear your heart upon your sleeve Correct Answers given by : Vijaya Sukumar and Anita Sambhus Puzzling Cities Answers : 1. Audacity 2. Authencity 3. atrocity 4. Capacity 5. eccentricity 6. Paucity 7. Scarcity 8. Ferocity 9. Publicity 10. Duplicity Correct Answers given by : Deepa Umashankar Landmark Quiz Answers : 1. Milan Cathedral 2. Maison du Roi (King's House)
Brussels 3. Vipassana Duruk Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 4. The Grand Canyon, USA Click away with your cameras and send in your photographs. The best picture will be selected for the cover of our next issue . Don’t forget to send in your imaginative captions for the Caption Contest. All feedback , answers to contest and photographs may be sent to sowmya100863@yahoo.com
Contact : desertdivastm@gmail.com Website : http://3373392.toastmastersclubs.org/ 2
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Contents President’s Message
MTM Usha Mohan
4
Mentors and Sponsors
5
Excom Members
6
Mentor’s Message And the Teacher Appears
MTM Anupama Parkar
7
Myriad Musings - mixed bag of thoughts. The Joy of being Creative
MTM Anita Sambhus
9
Potpourri - expat/local news Making a Difference
MTM Radha Hari
11
Myriad Musings - mixed bag of thoughts Desert ‘Diva’-lopment
MTM Deepa Umashankar
12
Wanderlust - travel feature Kerala—A Close Encounter with Nature
MTM Usha Mohan
13
Kith and Kin Daughter—Reflection of Me
MTM Vijaya Sukumar
15
Myriad Musings - mixed bag of thoughts A Voyage just Begun
MTM Padma Ramji
16
Caption Contest
10
Kaleidoscope
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President’s Message Usha Mohan Hello Readers, It seems like yesterday that our first newsletter was brought out and here we are on our third issue! 'Reflections' has been highly appreciated in the Dubai Toastmasters community. Our club VP PR Sowmya Rangarajan along with VP Ed Vijaya Sukumar have recently opened our club's website. Please visit our website and give us your valuable opinions. Area 33 Speech Contest are going to be held, later this month. I wish our talented team the very best. I would also like to request all of you to be there on the 28th of March to support and cheer your team. September 2013 to March 2014 has gone very fast, our baby steps have turned into a confident stride. We look forward to the next quarter with enthusiasm and eagerness.
'A Toastmaster's Promise' Being a toastmaster means more than simply making a commitment to self-development. Everyone who joins a Toastmasters club is making a commitment to the club, to its members and to the organization as a whole.
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Mentors and Sponsors
A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside Mallika Ramanathan
yourself -- Oprah
Anupama Parkar
Winfrey
Sumita Narayan
Ranjani Jaidev
Toastmasters International Mission We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.
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EXCOM MEMBERS 2013-2014
CLUB MISSION We provide a Usha Mohan
supportive and positive
Vijaya Sukumar
President
learning experience in
VP Education
which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater selfconfidence and personal growth Sowmya Rangarajan
Radha Hari
VP Public Relations
VP Membership
Shedly Patrick
Anita Sambhus
Padma Ramji
Sergeant At Arms
Treasurer
Secretary
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Mentor’s Message
“And the Teacher Appears” Anupama Parker
Once members are registered, mentors are assigned to guide them through the program.
When a student is ready, the teacher
Toastmasters International programs and services are devised as community development programs and are NOT intended for commercial gain. They are among the best laid out programs that can enhance the skills that we take for granted namely the “Speaking skills”.
appears!!! Such is the translation of a famous Sanskrit quote. The quote perfectly epitomizes the beliefs and principles of Toastmasters International - an In-
ternational, voluntary non-profit organization that is dedicated to the development and promotion of communication and leadership skills. Being an international body, its governing laws, policies and procedures are standardized and are accepted and followed globally irrespective of whether the club is in India, Saudi Arabia or the UAE. As a voluntary organization Toastmasters believes in the ideology of learning by doing. Members are allowed the liberty of learning at their own pace as long as they show gradual improvement. That does not mean that members are left unguided. 7
Language skills are acquired skills and not innate. Parents and the society that one is born in, teach one how to speak and also the language in which to speak. It can be seen that a small child speaks all the languages he/she is exposed to, but as the child grows, the mother tongue as we call it becomes the predominant language due to greater exposure and usage. Though speaking skills are generally taken for granted, in today’s competitive world proficiency in speaking is a preferred and sought after attribute. Corporates seek employees who are not just academically qualified, but those who can converse, impress and get the job done. This is where Toastmasters steps in to make a big difference. Toastmasters program has a well designed Mentor- Mentee program. Each member is entitled to a mentor who guides and leads one through the program.
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The responsibilities of a mentor include
Mentees have the following Rights:
orienting the mentee with the history of Toastmasters and the Toastmasters program explaining the use of manuals guiding the mentee through the various roles in a Toastmasters meeting offering critical evaluation to enhance the performance of the mentee building a strong rapport to help develop passion for the program Well if this is what a mentor does, what then does a mentee do?? Wait for the Mentor to spoon feed him/her? NO!!
the right to ask for guidance in every aspect of the program. the right to expect the mentor to be knowledgeable in the field the right to expect that the mentor will be professional, will show up on time, and will come ready to mentor. the right to feel safe and comfortable with the mentor. the right to decline to work with any mentor who makes them uncomfortable the right not to be judged or made to feel inadequate. the right to expect confidentiality. If the mentor has a scheduling change, it is his or her responsibility to contact the mentees well in advance and appraise them of the rescheduled meeting time.
A Mentee is expected to be in touch with the Mentor on a regular basis follow the mentoring schedule of the mentor, understand that mentors have other commitments and respect the time and effort they devote. be an active learner. Mentors can guide and assist but cannot do the work for mentees. A mentee needs to be familiar with the objectives and goals of every project and come prepared for every session. Preparation includes bringing appropriate material be on time. contact the mentor well in advance in the event of having to miss a scheduled session due to unforeseen circumstances.
All said and done it’s up to the Mentees to decide and choose their purpose and goal. A mentor can only act as a guiding beacon, a motivating comrade and a reliable resource. It is within the mentees- their commitment and passion that can bring about improvement and make way for awards and accolades. Get ready Divas to take the first step towards your Toastmastering goal. Call on your mentor today and help him/her to help you.
Remember – If you are ready, a mentor will appear !
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The Joy of Being Creative
Myriad Musings Anita Sambhus
In today’s ‘smart ‘world vocabulary is shrinking. Sentences are shredded into bits and pieces for text messaging. It is an alarming situation as far as today’s children are concerned. In my attempt to hold onto the beauty of spoken English language, to revel in the pleasure of listening to complete sentences as well as to learn something new, I joined Desert Divas Toastmasters Club. At the outset let me confess that before my foray into the world of Toastmasters I never ever made serious attempts to write anything at all, much less a speech. Now that we meet every 15 days, I am forced to put my writing skills to test and come up with something that can be presented before an audience. It could be something as small as my views on the theme of the day or something more elaborate as a 5 -7 minute project speech. In short I have to keep my creative hat around and I am pleasantly surprised that I am actually using it more often than not. I am learning that when you write to speak before an audience, as against writing an essay, you can be your real self. You can keep the tone of the speech easygoing and use every day metaphors ensuring that you achieve comfort as a speaker even while making the speech meaningful for the audience that hears you. This makes my task of speech writing less daunting. My vocabulary and ability to think creatively is improving in a big way, thanks to the word master and the round robin sessions. What I enjoy most and really love is the opportunity to listen to 3 to 4 speeches at any given meeting. I hear new ideas, viewpoints and different ways of 9
looking at life. In this electronic age, when it is tough to get even family members together to interact with each other, I feel it is almost a luxury to hear people delivering speeches while standing in the same room as you. Very much in tune with Toastmaster’s mission statement, I find I am acquiring new and effective communication skills since I joined the club. I wonder if it could be a coincidence, but of late my better half is so much more accepting of all my ideas, even those that involve shopping! I am now on a mission to inspire my kids to do a little more than what they are prepared to do and take charge of things so that they develop leadership skills in the process. A novice in the spheres of both speaking and writing, I was unaware of concepts such as having a structured beginning, body and end to a speech, or about the importance of using pauses while speaking. Without even my realizing, efforts in the toastmasters club started having effect at home! Once my son screamed loudly, almost in agony! I rushed to his room worried! Oh mamma, I almost died, I lost all my money, I am bankrupt now,....blah blah blah he went on. Anything and everything about his life is related to the virtual world.
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Guess what I said to him –“My son, you gave a very short and very emotional speech. It had a very good beginning; you certainly managed to arrest my attention. However, the body of your speech was incoherent, to say the least and you can’t end your speech with a loud wail really”. He almost pushed me out of his room, and I wonder why he slammed his door shut? A couple of days back out of the blue my husband said “Anita, I am thinking of inviting my colleagues at office for dinner this weekend, what do you say?” What do I say? Out of nowhere I remembered the pauses and started practicing their use right away. Studied silence …………….and…. voila, not getting any response from me, he said “on second thoughts, maybe I should take them all out
instead”. Bless him and bless the pauses. An enthusiastic learner, I am enjoying and benefitting from every experience as a toastmaster. I sincerely hope I will be a better writer in the not so distant future and someday realize my dream of writing features that some editor will find worthy of publishing.
Anita is an enthusiastic toastmaster who faces every challenge with a smile.
Caption Contest Send in an imaginative and catchy caption for the picture below.
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Potpourri
Making A Difference Radha Hari “Tiny
drops of individual was powerless……..
water make a mighty ocean’. Literally speaking these tiny drops couldn’t have had greater significance ever before than they have today. Even though nearly 70 % of the world is covered by water only 2.5 % of the world’s water is fresh water. With much of this fresh water trapped in ice caps and glaciers only about 0.007 % is available as usable water for a world population of over 7 billion people. (http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/ environment/freshwater). As with most Mumbaikers, the need to preserve and conserve water has been inculcated in me right from childhood. Having seen and faced the trials and tribulations caused by water shortage problems I can actually understand why water is such a precious resource.
Unable to stand seeing so much good water go to waste, I was desperately looking for a solution when I spotted a police constable. Taking a chance I approached him. When I brought the situation to his notice, he not only guided me but also immediately took me to the Municipal Corporator of the locality. The said official gave me a patient hearing, understood the magnitude of the situation and immediately sent out his team to sort out the problem. The water hydrant that had been leaking since 4 days was repaired in a matter of an hour! The positive attitude and timely action of both the Police
In a first-of-its-kind move for Mumbaikars, a non-profit group called ‘Vandana foundation’ has launched 'AQUATM', a water
vending machine. Residents of During my last vacation to Mumbai, as I was walking down the marketplace in the heart of the city can now buy water from Mulund ( a suburb of Mumbai)I was shocked to see an ATM, at an affordable price water gushing out of a fire hydrant and flowing of Rupee 1 per litre. onto the road. The local vegetable vendors informed me that the water had been continuously flowing since the last 4 days. I was more disturbed Constable and the Municipal Corporator at the nonchalant attitude of the citizens who not only saved further water wastage, but turning a blind eye to the situation, continued to also reinforced in me the belief that even a be busy with their own errands. When I expressed single individual has the power to make a concern the general response difference. was that there was nothing that one individual or even a group of individuals could do. Several opinions, most bordering on the Radha is a devoted mother who defeatist, were voiced corruption was rampant, it was is passionate about energy the responsibility of the conservation. municipal corporation, an 11
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Desert ‘Diva’-lopment
Deepa Umashankar
The mission statement of the toastmaster reads, “to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills which in turn foster selfconfidence and personal growth” – it would not be far-fetched to assume that it holds true more for the Desert Divas than any other club, globally. Formed by a group of resolute, committed, purposeful and motivated women; the Divas are an all women club who have seen a miniscule germ of an idea bear fruition. Inching towards their first anniversary, this club contrary to what others may imagine is not merely a motley crew of housewives looking for yet another diversion. Don’t get me wrong, this in no way demeans homemakers who render such a fabulous service to the society. In fact, women at home are expected to pack their daily schedules with more activities and chores than those who work out of offices and to top it are expected to come up trumps! So ladies, please give yourselves a generous pat in the back. While the Desert Divas’ membership largely comprises of professionals, who have put their callings on hold for a variety of personal reasons, there are also those who continue with their vocations on a part-time basis from the precincts of their homes. Yet others are on a hiatus before plunging head-long into their second innings at work. But what forges them as a club is their quest to learn and accomplish. Toastmaster provides them with such an 12
Myriad Musings
opportunity and platform. Relishing their shared experiences and valuing their learning processes, the Divas encourage and feed off each other’s enthusiasm; sharing not merely those moments of success but also those occasional slips and slides that are so integral to the learning trajectory. Much akin to saving the last piece of cake for someone dear, these Toastmasters support and sustain each other. Acknowledging their strengths and working on their shortcomings, they trudge along shoulder to shoulder like soldiers on a mission. Interestingly, the Divas meet in the morning unlike other clubs, and it sounds most fitting when the ‘Toastmaster of the DAY’ is introduced. This not only utilizes the productive part of their day but also frees up their evening to interact with other Toastmaster clubs on invitation. And kudos also to their mentors who accommodate these sessions into their busy calendar!
Mutual respect, support and Mutual respect, support and understanding have become understanding have become thethe byby- words of this club may they
words of this club, may they continue continue to ‘diva’lop their
to communication ‘diva’lop their communication and leadership and skills with the with Toastmaster. leadership skills the Toastmaster.
Deepa is a committed homemaker and an enthusiastic toastmaster
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Kerala….A Close Encounter With Nature. Usha Mohan
Wanderlust
We landed in Cochin on Onam day. The hotel lobby was decorated with a huge ‘pookolam’(floral rangoli) and antique brass lamps. There were flowers everywhere. After a scrumptious ‘Onam Sadhya’, we left to explore the beautiful port city of Cochin. It has a diverse international history. Jewish settlers arrived here nearly 2000 years ago. Their descendants have preserved a beautiful synagogue. Dutch and
over the water, evidence of the lasting legacy of Kublai Khan. The backwaters of Kerala are beautiful. They are easily accessible in Alleppey, the ‘Venice of The East’. Large networks of inland canals provide Alleppey its lifeline. The lovely rice boats chug along through palm fringed Vembanad Lake with its lagoons and narrow canals of water. There are many villages strewn here and there along the water’s edge. Families live on
Portuguese colonizers also left their mark, fro ornate houses lining the harbor’s edge to the sixteenth century St. Francis Church. Our most memorable Cochin experience was the sight of fishermen casting off at dusk from Cochin’s harbor. As dusk falls, the sky turns a delicate pinkish hue, silhouetting hundreds of Chinese fishing nets curving gracefully 13
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thin strips of land, cultivating vegetables and raising cattle. Every family owns a canoe made from coconut or jackfruit tree trunks. We saw children commuting to school and vendors selling their wares in these canoes. You can actually stay on a rice boat. Some of these boats have all the amenities of a luxury hotel. We left the beautiful plains behind us to visit Munnar, which is located in the Iddiki district of Kerala. The name Munnar literally means ‘moondru-aar’ or the ‘Three Mountain Streams’. The four hour drive from Cochin is lovely. The hillside is thick with foliage in all shades of green, gurgling streams and beautiful waterfalls.
dred years old. They make the hills look like they have been covered by a carpet of green. 6000 feet above sea level, this hill station was once the summer resort of the British Government in South India. Sprawling tea The air is laden with the sweet scent of wild plantations, picture book towns, windflowers and fragrant spice. There are about ing lanes and a cool climate makes this thirty tea plantations in and around Munnar. a popular holiday destination. We were very sad when our vacation in The Hills are adorned by tea plants, resembling bonsai shrubs and many are over a hun- Munnar got over. We will never forget the tranquility and serenity of this beautiful place. It was indeed a close encounter with Nature!
Usha is a fun loving person with a zest for visiting and exploring new places.
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Daughter- Reflection of me!
Kith and Kin
Vijaya Sukumar
You came into my world
To day you are a girl all of nineteen,
Fulfilling a long cherished dream
Tumultuous and uneasy have the past years been,
From the first moment you were put in my arms,
Though we may seem to have little in common
You had enslaved me with your charms,
There’s a secret that today I would like to unburden
A deep and profound love flew through me,
Boring, serious, stern though today I may seem to be
As in you my dear daughter I could see a completion of me.
In you my dear daughter I see As you toddled along each day
The reflection of the girl that was once me.
My love for you grew with each endearing day,
You and I may seem to be poles apart, With me not understanding the feelings in your heart
Your every little move, smile and tear,
But believe me dear child all that I wish for and want
Became a part of my memory that is ever so dear.
Is that your every dream and wish I could grant I have no desire to impose my dreams on you
We grew together learning each day,
All I desire is for your every dream to come true Unfettered I wish for you to soar!
You to live and me to be a better mother with more love to give For you my dear daughter reflected the mother in me.
Vijaya is a proud mother of two teenagers who cherishes every moment spent with them.
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Myriad Musings
A Voyage Just Begun ... Padma Ramji I wonder, Toastmasters – I knew broadly that this was an organization whose mission was to improve the communication skills of its members, but I had no inkling about the true nature of a toastmasters club until I joined Desert Divas Toastmasters Club. I was always conscious of the fact that I needed help with my communication skills, but what I never realized was that this skill could actually be cultivated with a conscientious effort from my side.
how can a few minutes seem so lo------ng? why is the green light not switching on in the timer device? does the timer know how to operate the timing device? how do I give a good speaker suggestions for improvement.
The role of a TMOD required so much preparation in coordination with the other role-players. That After being in its fold for six months all I can say was the day I envied each and every role player is - What an enriching and exhilarating learning who got to sit as soon as they were done with experience it has been! Every single role that I have played had something different and valuable their roles. to teach me. When assigned the role of a grammarian, I found When I presented my first speech, the icebreaker, I did think that to give a prepared speech in front of an audience had to be the most difficult part of being a toastmaster. I remember vividly what I went through - my face turned hot, my heart was pounding against my chest and above all else I wondered what I had got myself into.
myself hoping and praying that at least a few members would make some grammatical errors and that too of the kind that could be easily noticed by me. As a fine timer I enjoyed looking for trivia that I felt would be overlooked by the audience.
The timer’s role required a lot of attentiveness and vigilance. My concentration on the stopwatch and Very soon I got to realize that I was so very alertness in operating the timing device was wrong when I was called in to evaluate another member’s speech. For the icebreaker, I had taken imperative for the successful progress of the session. almost two weeks of preparatory time, but here I was evaluating a speech minutes after it was The feeling experienced presented. It was a true test of observation, by a clueless student understanding and diplomacy. going for an exam is I recall those early morning panic situations when 15 minutes flew past with lightning speed when I had to get my little ones ready for school. Now in total contrast I find that when I have to SPEAK for even a couple of minutes, time seems to come to a standstill. Niggling doubts crowd my mind as 16
how I felt when made the general evaluator. But the most nerve racking yet exhilarating of all were the occasions when I was
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summoned as a table topic speaker, to give an extempore speech with no preparation time! On a serious note, “Toastmasters”, is a unique learning experience. One has to be in it to enjoy the experiences and emotions - the rush of adrenaline, swift thinking, taking cues from a previous speaker, the skills of managing time, the sculpting of your brain cells, does give that high that you can look forward to.
I believe that the greatest source of energy comes from the pride that we take in what we are doing.
Stepping out of my comfort zone is so much of an invigorating experience that I look forward to it every fortnight. Knowing that there are other members with the same anxiety levels enhances my sense of belonging to this club. Some lack confidence while others lack the proficiency in the language, but we are all in it together for the fun of it and to benefit from the forum.
We are all in a mission to improve our communication and leadership skills. The journey has just begun and there are miles to go before we sleep.
I get to learn a lot that I can implement in my life, aspects like critical analysis and diplomacy. Perfectly apt in this context is Pandit Jawaharlal Lal Nehru’s quote - “Frankness hurts often enough, but it is always desirable especially between those who have to work together”.
Padma is a teacher by profession and a full time homemaker by choice. Besides pursuing her new found interest in public speaking she is also honing her skills in art and crafts.
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