Communiqué June 2022

C JUNE -22

OMMUNIQUÉ HAPPY TRAILS

U N B O X I N G M E M O R I E S

Dear Reader

Introducing “Happy Trails”, the 22nd Communique’ Edition, carrying the slogan "UNBOXING MEMORIES". It upholds the brand guidelines since it's inception. Along with that it has the regular features such as the President's message, the milestones reached in the past six months. This newsletter also encases a blend of articles, stories, poems, open letters penned down with such passion that you can not only feel the emotions embedded in them, in fact you can visualize them. Do not miss out the interviews with the most experienced and celebrated member of the club. The fish pond has returned with 2.0 version. Check out the hashtag awards, might be you are the lucky one. This year our performance was appreciated on various fronts, so don’t miss out the Awards section that talks about the legacy we as a club are trying to create. The Never Have I Ever section shows the bucket list of some the members, do check and let us know which of them have you completed.

Our main aim was to share the experience that the members have from there toastmasters’ journey so far and share their learnings with the larger audience. We wanted each one of us to learn and live the paths that other members walked. An editorial team, headed by Bhakti Tiwari, has put in a lot of effort and time to compile this edition of Communique so that you all enjoy reading it.

Happy Reading!

TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club has always been a strong Regiment for all the members, helping them to work for their self-improvement and skill development, whereas the members who have been at the forefront, representing our club at various oldier, have always brought glory to our club. It asure to serve the regiment for the last 1.5 years an officer, and as the 25th President of the Oldest ai and District 98. I am grateful for the trust you all d on me.

knows the way goes the way and shows the way and the motto of # Let'sAchieveTogether, which on for the next 6 months in January 2022, our with many goals in mind, but the one goal which of all, throughout the term, was the sustainability ng with taking the legacy of our prestigious club d, which resulted in our club making it to the Top wide with the 7th position, winning a total of 22 uence 2021-2022 including the glorious Diamond hich we have been winning from its inception in ail.

s packed with many events which made the beautiful. Our first challenge cum opportunity membership before the renewal cycle, considering est times of the year to add members. VPM Utsav, Treasurer Ashwini, organised a membership ch saw more than 80 guests, which was the of meeting attendees in the last 2 years of line membership campaigns and converted more to club members.

hallenge was to groom new members and give contesting experience at club level. We organised his term with our VPE Sankalp at the forefront, he maximum participation and guidance were mbers by their mentors and by the experts in by arranging educational sessions. As a result, the club saw many new members at top 3 positions. We also ensured to give judging opportunities to all members, which resulted in more than 10 members serving as Contest Judge/Chief judges outside the club.

“Every Soldier needs a Regiment and every Regiment needs a soldier”

VPPR Bhakti had our back and made sure to publicise our meetings and programmes on various internal and external platforms.With her creativity, we were able to unlock many meaningful results.

The third major challenge was to make the members feel more connected and homely in this virtual meeting mode, where now not many people have met in person. And what better than the club’s 750th milestone meeting to break the barriers. We all started preparing for the meeting 1 month in advance and by teaming up in pairs among ourselves, we took the department different from our daily routine tasks to get diverse hands-on and brush up on management and planning skills. We also kept the window open for non-Excom members to join the organising team to give them this marvellous event management experience. As a result, the 750th meeting was appreciated not only by club members but also by the TCS Maitree team and District leaders.

On the occasion of the 18th Anniversary of our club, we sent gifts to club members as a token of thanks and to make them feel more connected. Continuing with the idea of improving the connection among members, we arranged the first hybrid meeting after two years, which saw more than 15 members/ex-members at TCS Olympus, Mumbai, and more than 30 members online. This meeting was huge success and a perfect example of collective decision-making and teamwork. Throughout the term, Secretary Anu showed a high level of vigilance and dedication in publishing the minutes, planning for the events, sending MIS Reports. She excelled at managing the administration of the club. Treasurer Ashwini has a team-oriented personality, and she has thrived in the team environment and has risen to the challenge of widely varying responsibilities throughout the term.

Sergeant-at-arms Kamlesh, the proactive techy, managed the meetings and activities before the meetings flawlessly with sheer excellence. He is a great learner and has worked in several capacities. Our VPE Sankalp and VPM Utsav have been great support throughout the term in every challenge. Their ideas and creative thinking helped club to add laurels. Our IPP, Ihsaan was always there by our side throughout the term. His advice "hit the iron when it is hot" has helped us to see many positive impacts and results.

The team of Sankar, Kamlesh, Somani, Ashish and Nirbhaya led by VPPR Bhakti, worked dedicatedly day and night to bring the coverage of the whole term through this Newsletter to us! Hats off to their efforts and sheer dedication. I have always believed in Sir Sam Manekshaw's saying, "If you’re going to be a fool, be one quickly."

And this is what we practised in the last 6 months. Whenever we received feedback about something that we could improve, we dedicatedly worked on doing that. This term has been a term of quality learning, grooming members, applying feedback, celebrating diversity and inclusion, leading from the front, consensus decision making and celebrations. I feel proud and satisfied that the gavel will be passed on to the power-packed new executive committee and I am sure they will keep adding laurels to our club.

EXCOM RESS

Last 6 months has been a great learning phase of my life. I would like to share 3 lessons which I've learned-

1- Keeping reminding yourself "Why"-

Sometimes we tend to get distracted from our goal. However, if we keep reminding us "Why" of what we are doing, we'll surely achieve our desired goal. Keep reminding yourself why you joined Toastmasters, your purpose and you won't require any other motivation to achieve your goal & reach new heights.

2- Feel free to fail hereToastmasters is one such platform where you can feel free to make mistakes.

VP EDUCATION

Deliver speeches every 2nd or 3rd Saturday, take up roles. You'll receive constructive feedbacks, which certainly will transform you into a better version of yourself each time.

3- Stay ProactiveToastmasters isn't just a public speaking platform. Proactively connect with your mentor & evaluator post meeting. Discuss your area of improvements, how you can strengthen your weaknesses & implment the feedbacks.

The VP-Membership role has taught me a lot and has been a memorable ride so far. I was able to polish my skill of striking up spontaneous conversations to the edge as this role requires you to be the face of the club when introducing new members to Toastmasters. Every guest has a story behind their interest and certain apprehensions, so it was my responsibility to hear every single one of them and provide them with solutions. I got to interact with TCSers having years of experience ranging from just a few months to people who started working in this industry even before I was born, which only goes to show the diversity of ideas and experiences you are exposed to when taking up this role. We got to conduct a membership drive which saw a turnout of 108 guests and a net addition of 25 new members till date. The best part about this role is that it helps inculcate in one the ability to handle rejections. I have approached 100+ guests and faced rejections over 75% of the times. Sometimes people would lead me on for months, and some would just say no to my face, yet these rejections only emboldened me to keep on going. I thank the members of this club for giving me this opportunity and I shall continue to cherish all the experiences we have gained and the accolades we have won so far.

Sankalp

A picture is worth thousands of words.

EXCOM RESS Bhakti

Well as VPPR we have to live by this idea. Always trying to convey everything from posters so that they don’t need lot of words to explain. My term as VPPR taught me allot, from being creative when needed, thinking of ways to make posters engaging and how to work as team. Even though there were certain challenges while imparting my duties, each of which I noted as a lesson. It is true Toastmasters is not limited to public speaking it is way beyond and I was able to appreciate this from my learnings throughout my term. I am very thankful to get a chance to explore Leadership through this platform while working with the newsletter team. This has been a great experience and will be awaiting lot more experiences that would come in my journey.

VP PUBLIC RELATIONS

SECREATRY

ecretary a few hours As this term comes cision. The office of n all meetings, this ely listened to every ise it later. Secondly s, in my mind I was ell show myself and of speaking in every writing the essence ster to the fullest. I I committed to my closely observed the anize the 750th club meeting. These my life. How teams sion are made, how how moving parts ether in the end. I well each and every . ple 1to1 than I had in portunity to look at heir office. The skills I would say that the s incomplete if you adds so much more

EXCOM RESS

I joined the toastmasters to improve my communication skills and i am doing well to achieve my goal because being part of excom. It elevated my journey and yes I transformed from introvert to extrovert. I learned how to work within team and to handle different situation. I am really happy to be part of excom.

Kamlesh

Just after joining Toastmasters a month before, I got an opportunity to serve the club as Sergeant-At-Arms(SAA), that moment was indeed pleasure for me. The role of SAA was a surprise guest in my life. The responsibilities of SAA teach me lessons discipline and punctuality. While serving club as SAA I come along with dynamic team members of executive committee. Being part of ex-com, one can know a ot about how club operates. Apart from the responsibilities of SAA, I also got an opportunity to work in organising committee for various club events, which was really a true glimpse of teamwork.

SEARGENT AT ARMS

The Executive Committee of January-June 2022 was super energetic, highly motivated, and self-driven. They were a dream team. As the Immediate Past President, it was amazing grooming the new set of leaders and in the process - learning from them. Their efforts made us one of the highest ranked clubs in the world. As our club turns 18 this year, I am confident that we shall continue to learn and grow as leaders. I wish all the club members the very best!

Ashwini

TREASURER

WE ARE IN THE WE ARE IN THE TOP

10!! TOP 10!!

Collective Effort of all the members in renewing membership,

Collective Effort of all the members in renewing membership, achieving 10DCP points, completing pathway levels, adding new achieving 10DCP points, completing pathway levels, adding new members, and achieving numerous goals, has helped the club to members, and achieving numerous goals, has helped the club to achieve 7th position in the world. achieve 7th position in the world.

NEW MEMBERS

Nirbhaya Sawe

DeeptiSingh

Samruddhi Manekar

VivekHande

Sagnik Chakraborty

AnjaliGohel

SukritiShalini

KamleshBhadane

SimranLodhi

KedarGoraksha

FrijoPaulThekkudan

NEW MEMBERS

Tejas Bhandbe

Mercy

Dsouza MayankShukla

Ondopu-Venkata

ArpitaAwasthi

Reddy

VinayakaPrudhvi

SnehalMahadik

SubathraP

MahekSengar

VidhiAwasthi

AshishSharma

NikhilGosavi

Let us fly , fly like a dove, In the sky , sky of love, Hand in hand, With no aim to land, Until our soul gets free from cage of sand,

Let us fly to the heaven of heavens, Where LED bulb like stars twinkle, Which gives rise to the dimples, On moon’s face which is full of wrinkles , Where no one has reason to cry,

Let us dive into the blue of happiness, Where no one breathes to die, Where there is no place for loneliness. Like a bird, Let us fly, far from this world. So just spread your wings,

Get wet in the happiness which wavy wind brings. Play hide and seek with grey clouds, Don’t hide, just speak, Let your heart sing loud, Let your heart Smile! Dispatch all your tears in the Nile, Become selfish , Forget everything for a while.

No matter what you go through, On yourself , never feel pity, Just fly like drops of dew, Far from all calamity.

Such that no power can pull you downwards, Not even the gravity, Fly so high , like a bird, For a moment , forget your identity. Forget this world, And just fly , fly like a bird!

CREATE TIME BONDS

Living in this modern era can be a risky business. With an increasing number of options and possibilities, we can easily get distracted , demotivated, or stressed out. The simple to-do method of creating a to-do list is just not enough when you have a lot of tasks in hand.

New York's best-selling author, Nir Eyal, in his book says, "Instead of creating a to-do list, ask yourself: Did I do it for as long as I decided to do it?" For example, if you want to do exercise daily, then instead of setting a daily goal, allocate the time for it. Let's see an example: "I will exercise daily for 30 minutes." It doesn't matter if you do only 2 or 3 exercises. If 30 minutes are over, stop it. You have done your task.

When done properly and regularly, this approach can shift your focus from a goal to consistency. I personally call this approach "creating a TIME BOND with ourselves."

When you evaluate yourself in terms of how many time bonds you completed instead of how many tasks (to-do) you completed, you slowly transition your self image to being INDISTRACTABLE. One of my few time-bonds is "I will exercise for 30 minutes daily, first thing in the morning" and I just crossed the 32nd day of the streak:).

- Ashish Sharma

A glance at the flawless darkness

Beauty strikes, earning a gasp.

So magical to be true

Engulfing the mighty fairytale

I strode along in the zephyr of cloudless night.

Agony of moon spread across Rays of it glistening the sky. Scintillating stars did nothing but added glory to the ethereal world

Casting of dark energy revealed my empathy within.

Blows of wind held back the warmth

Yet breeze froze the open palms.

Chills of night embraces the summer night

As I walked through the edge of paradise

To hold back and strike back at the new dawn, With ease.

Just do it....Not for them

For YOU

Just leave it.... Not for them

For YOU

Just love it.....Not for them

For YOU

Just believe.... Not for them For YOU

But care... Not for you For THEM...

JUST DO IT FOR THE FAMILY SIMRAN

MY COMEBACK MY COMEBACK

On 13th May-22, as I saw the advertisement for articles, poems, and stories, I exclaimed with delight, for I had been looking forward to submitting a story in the forthcoming ToastMastersClub Magazine. In the morning, my boss called me for a meeting and entrusted a new task to be performed by me along with the one already being performed by me. I was happy to have been given a new responsibility. The new responsibility was pretty time-consuming, so I basically forgot about penning down any articles. On the 23rd, I received a message from Somani seeking an answer if I wished to write an article for the ToastMasters Club Magazine. I woke up from my sleep with a jolt. Oh! No, I was so deeply engrossed in my work that I had forgotten about writing my story. I promised her that I would definitely do so. Promises are easy to make but often difficult to keep. I gave it a thought. What was the article or story going to be about? A lot of ideas started pouring in. It could be about any event related to my childhood. Why not about my current experience in the PG where I stay? It could also be about how I spent my time in Nashik. Oh! My God, so many suggestions! Which one should I choose? I was totally confused. The situation became such that I had one or the other idea coming to me when I took a walk at night or returned from my office. But the major issue was that after a whole day’s office work, I had some or other reason to skip writing for that day and to do it later on. The joke here is that already two stories have been written in my mind but not on paper. I understood one thing, if I keep on thinking about taking out time to write a wonderful article with no errors, full of examples or humour, perhaps that day will never come. So I just picked up my mobile and started typing whatever was going on in my mind and decided to submit it. To make a comeback, a person needs to start. It does not matter if that article is good or bad, liked by others or not. What matters is that you gave it a try, a genuine try. You did not run away. With this article, I wish to start making a comeback in the speech world of toastmasters. This is a new beginning for me. I have got to slowly learn to take out time to pursue my hobby of giving speeches.

- Saral Mehrotra

CTRL + ALT + DEL

The three keys which we use daily during our encounters with computers are CTRL + ALT + DEL. These three keys come to our rescue before we call out to our system administrator. We fiddle with the process, checking where our resources are used up by the application. We decide to close some of the applications and the one which has made our machine vulnerable to frequent break ups. We just end the process. And then there we are, with some relief, and the work process starts smoothly again.

In the same manner, at times, there comes problems in our lives which we find it difficult to resolve. Our lives get miserable due to the pressures in life. The best solution again lies with CTR + ALT + DEL keys to resolve it. First we should keep track of the problems which come our way and keep a control (CTRL) on our activity so that it does not affect our life. If this does not work, Use the ALT key i.e. find an alternate way or a solution to tackle the problem, and if the problem still persists, then delete (DEL) the problem, i.e., delete the root cause of the problem.

Finally, CTRL + ALT + DEL is what we need to apply to our daily life.

B Y S A G N I K

On My Journey to Overcome Glossophobia On My Journey to Overcome Glossophobia

Just like products and services, which are known through their brands, in today’s world it is very important that people also have their own individual brand identity. One of the most important factors in creating this self-brand is being able to communicate the viewpoints to the outside world. Though there are many platforms through which this can be done, none can create an impact as great as that of speaking upfront to the public. Though we knew this from the beginning, public speaking is something that people are extremely afraid of. This is exactly where Toastmasters comes to our rescue.

Though I was familiar with the concept of Toastmasters earlier, I never explored it properly. And once I did, I repented. Why didn’t I engage with this "paradise" before, TMTC to be specific? Just two days before Christmas last year (2021), I found the gate to enter this. That was through a post on our internal collaboration platform where our VP of membership shared the contacts. And so my journey began.

If I must associate a few words with my journey till now in TMTC, those will be extremely collaborative, fun-filled, challenging, innovative, enriching, and lastly, extremely entertaining. I never thought that getting over one of my greatest fears would be so enjoyable. From the very beginning, the different position holders at our club ensured that I had a very smooth onboarding to this club. I can’t remember a single instance when the club members didn’t help me with getting over a challenge, be it encouraging me to take up new roles in the meetings or briefing me of the actual expectations and modus operandi of the same. Not to mention the help which I received, even during conducting the roles and individual messages of encouragement after conducting the same.

I understand that this is just the beginning of what I expect to be a wonderful journey in the coming days, and I am looking forward to being part of it forever.

Special thanks to: Sankalp, Simran, Utsav, Bhakti, Ashwini, Nirbhaya for their continued support and motivation! (Very sorry if I have missed someone).

World Environment Day!

Annually, on the 5th of June, the UN has marked this day as World Environment Day. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has been chalked out to create awareness and to protect our environment. The theme for 2022 is "Only One Earth" and will be hosted by the Government of Sweden. It will focus on the need to live sustainably in harmony with Nature. The theme highlights the motto that Earth is our only planet, whose finite resources it is a must to safeguard.

Annually on the 5th of June, the UN has marked this day as World Environment Day. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has been chalked out to create awareness and to protect our environment. The theme for 2022 is “Only one Earth” and will be hosted by the Government of Sweden. It will focus on the need to live sustainably in harmony with Nature. The theme highlights the motto that Earth is our only planet, whose finite resources is a must to safeguard.

World Environment Day is one of the biggest international days celebrated globally for the environment. Transformative changes need to be brought about through different policies and choices, and we need to work towards cleaner and greener lifestyles. It’s important to know the current state of our environment and campaign to bring about awareness at an individual level.

Key facts and figures:

The World Environment Day is one of the biggest international days celebrated globally for the environment. Transformative changes need to be brought about through different policies and choices and we need to work towards cleaner and greener lifestyles. It’s important to know the current state of our environment and campaign and bring about awareness at an individual level.

Usage of 1.6 Earths' equivalent to maintain our current way of life. Every year, one in every nine premature deaths is caused by air pollution. Annual plastic waste entering the aquatic ecosystem will triple to 23-37 million tonnes by 2040.

1/3rd of the world’s farmland is degraded & 87% of inland wetlands have disappeared worldwide.

Key facts & figures:

At this point in time, the song that keeps ringing in my mind is Michael Jackson’s Earth:

Did you ever stop to notice?

All the blood we’ve shed before?

Usage of 1.6 Earths equivalent to maintain our current way of life. Air pollution is causing one in nine of all premature deaths ~ 7M every year

Did you ever stop to notice?

This crying Earth, these weeping shores?

Annual plastic waste entering the aquatic ecosystem will triple to 23-37M tons by 2040

It’s time to change our lifestyle and make sustainable living our default option.

1/3rd of the world’s farmland is degraded & 87% inland wetlands have disappeared worldwide

The UNEP has listed out some of the practical and actionable changes we can work on an individual level.

At this point of time, the song that keeps ringing on my mind is Michael Jackson’s Earth:

Raise your voice.

Did you ever stop to notice

All the blood we’ve shed before?

Did you ever stop to notice

This crying Earth, these weeping shores?

It’s time to change our lifestyle and make sustainable living our default option.

Spread Knowledge: Talk about the issues that concern you and raise awareness about them with your family, colleagues, friends, and the rest of your community, as well as on social media. Campaign: for sustainable options in urban areas – to include green spaces in new housing projects and improve strong public transportation networks. Get involved: By joining local organizations that support sustainability and help restore nature,

Make sustainable choices:

Money

Conserve Energy

Try your best to conserve energy whenever possible. Switch-off lights when not in use. Use energy-savings rated appliances to reduce emissions and save money.

Ethical investment

Invest in renewable energy start-up firms, sustainable banks, and stocks issued by manufacturers of green products, etc.

Food:

Grow your own food

Start growing your own greens and veggies and nurture plants. It will save on transportation and food wastage. It is also a good activity for mental wellbeing.

Use all your food

Stock up only on the food you require.Avoid wasting food, it’s equivalent to wasting money. Store food and use it before it decomposes.

Annually on the 5th of June, the UN has marked this day as World Environment Day. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has been chalked out to create awareness and to protect our environment. The theme for 2022 is “Only one Earth” and will be hosted by the Government of Sweden. It will focus on the need to live sustainably in harmony with Nature. The theme highlights the motto that Earth is our only planet, whose finite resources is a must to safeguard.

Stuff

Ditch Disposables

Pledge to use a sustainable alternative instead of plastics, batteries, and nonbiodegradable articles.

Choose natural

Buy products that are natural and sustainable and that support the environment.

The World Environment Day is one of the biggest international days celebrated globally for the environment. Transformative changes need to be brought about through different policies and choices and we need to work towards cleaner and greener lifestyles. It’s important to know the current state of our environment and campaign and bring about awareness at an individual level.

Moving

Key facts & figures:

Share your ride

Prefer to share a ride with fellow co-workers and help lower the carbon footprint.

Usage of 1.6 Earths equivalent to maintain our current way of life. Air pollution is causing one in nine of all premature deaths ~ 7M every year

Go cleaner

Annual plastic waste entering the aquatic ecosystem will triple to 23-37M tons by 2040

Use environment friendly options to travel short distances, like bicycles, which will keep you fresh, fit and active Switch to electric vehicles and holiday close to home to avoid air travel.

Fun

1/3rd of the world’s farmland is degraded & 87% inland wetlands have disappeared worldwide

At this point of time, the song that keeps ringing on my mind is Michael Jackson’s Earth:

Choose your experience

Spend more time and energy on experiences that will add more value to your life; learn a new skill or volunteer for an environmental clean-up drive.

Did you ever stop to notice

All the blood we’ve shed before?

Did you ever stop to notice

Learn how to heal nature

This crying Earth, these weeping shores?

Enjoy your time learning at organic farms and consider joining an ecosystem restoration camp. It will refresh you and also heal nature.

It’s time to change our lifestyle and make sustainable living our default option.

Happy World Environment Day!!

- Mercy D’Souza

~References from UNEP

ON THE JOURNEY

A journey got unlocked A journey got unlocked

Like a fresh sapling in soil, Like a fresh sapling in soil, A timid drop in ocean

A timid drop in ocean

Waiting for the sun to boil. Waiting for the sun to boil.

The drop believes and aspires

The drop believes and aspires

To reach the plants it desires, To reach the plants it desires, For a long time, the drop will travel Will its For a long time, the drop will travel Will its aspirations unravel? aspirations unravel?

The drop is determined The drop is determined

Sun; Vapor, Cloud and then Rain Sun; Vapor, Cloud and then Rain

The journey is a process The journey is a process

No sapling goes in vain! No sapling goes in vain!

The drop dares to dream

The drop dares to dream

Plants don't grow in a day, Plants don't grow in a day,

The drop has chosen to face The drop has chosen to face

A journey with challenges on its way… A journey with challenges on its

- Nirbhaya Sawe - Nirbhaya Sawe

Educational Session on Tall Tale Contest

TMTC was going to conduct a Tall Tale Contest. An educational session called ‘Believe it or not’ was conducted by DTM Lancy before that.

Lancy emphasised bringing out the inner child who is capable of coming up with tall tales. Members volunteer themselves and come up with a tiny tall tale on the spot on various topics. Lancy appreciated the volunteers and encouraged them to add some more aspects of the tall tale, like how it should be full of twists and have a humorous tone, use of figures of speech, and simple and descriptive language. The members not only enjoyed the session but were glad to receive the tips as they try to apply them in the tall tale contest

Tall Tale Contest

A few days back, Boy visited a jungle, and a lion became his friend Do you think it is possible?

Well, No! Was that an example of a tall tale? A tall tale? A tall tale is a story in a believable environment but a highly exaggerated one. The Club held a Tall Tale Contest and contestants delivered their tall tales, they were taller than mountains If you witnessed the Tall Tale Contest, you might have heard some fascinating stories. All the stories were exceptional in the true sense, presenting you with the winners of the tall tale contest

Winner: TM Sankalp

Runner ups: TM Somani and TM Snehal.

Debate Contest

Debating is the most versatile form of communication that enhances mutual respect and the power of perspective It makes us good speakers and even better listeners TMTC organised a debate contest in which two teams Proposing and Opposing were formed to debate on the topic ‘Should Children Use Smartphones' Spectators witnessed great enthusiasm in both the teams, they were trying to make spectators agree on their views The opposing team, who ultimately convinced the audience to vote in their favor.

Winner: Opposing Team- TM Pushpendra, TM Ashwini, TM Sukriti, TM Prashant & TM Anjali.

Runner up: Proposing Team- The Cogent Debaters- TM Bhakti, TM Ashish, TM Snehal, TM Somani & TM Simran L.

The educational session on table topics was held to provide members with the proper method of delivering a table topic speech by TM Achala. She emphasised the three parts of a table topic speech as Content, Delivery and Structure

The best takeaway for members was: there are always two parts to a speech, your view and the reason you hold that view. Evidence or justification is just as important as the view itself Achala evaluated some table topics presented by members and commented on them to follow her tips given in the session

Table topics? Meaning you have to speak while standing at a table? Well, NO! It means impromptu speaking, and Table topics help us improve our listening, thinking, organizing and delivering aspects, i.e., targeting all the aspects of a speech

In the club-level Table Topic Contest (TTC), Contest Chair TM Ashwini and Chief Judge TM Ravi grouped contestants in breakout rooms and called upon one by one to speak on a topic "Keep calm and carry on". During the Table Topics Contests, we saw great enthusiasm from our club members But there is one person who outshines others, TM Sankalp, and the grabbed the 1st position in TTC.

Runner ups: TM Bhakti and TM Somani.

Reverse Meeting is one of its kind where everything takes place in reverse gear. It feels like joining the dots in reverse.

MOM releases first, then agenda, followed by poster release at last, post meeting

The role players' reports & evaluations are delivered first prior to the speeches which certainly test one's creativity & adds humor in the meeting. And for the very first time, you may find Table Topics Master more nervous than TT speakers, as speakers get the liberty to speak on any topic they wish for & TTM need to guess the topic name for the speeches delivered in TT round. Overall, Reverse meeting brings lots of fun, thrill, humor & attracts out of the box thinking which is thoroughly enjoyed by the members

"Moments of Truth" shows the standards necessary to create positive impressions about club service and provides a club evaluation exercise This session was hosted by Ihsaan, who explained various Moments of Truth points and the rating process to members The final rating received was 2683 out of 30 "Moments of Truth" was followed by educational session called "It's Your Story" on the International Speech Contest conducted by Dr Brillian SK

He explained the process of selecting a perfect topic for the speech with the help of a Venn-diagram and also suggested that the speech’s topic and content should have a universal appeal, so the maximum number of people could relate to it Dr Brillian interacted with club members by taking their questions, in which he emphasised the use of humor, vocal variety, pauses, and hand gestures for making speech appealing

Winning an International Speech Contest (ISC) is a dream of most speakers As it is the dream of so many, we can assume the quality of speech TMTC organised ISC at club level and had Contest Chair TM Anu and Chief Judge TM Deepak The bar was high! Every year the bar gets higher and higher with more enthusiastic members participating Though the contest was held at club level, speakers prepared their speeches as if they were going to deliver them to the international audience

The contest was well incorporated by the winner of the ISC TM Sankalp, who next represented the club at Area Level ISC Runners ups: TM Prashant and TM Saikumar

The Membership Drive was scheduled on January 29th, and being the first major event of the term, preparations were underway weeks before the D-Day Two weeks prior, the entire Executive Committee brainstormed on ideas for campaign posts and posters, the platforms to target and the D-day role players and theme In addition to running full-scale promotional campaigns with witty slogans, eye-catching posters, and engaging teaser videos on all the social media platforms available to us, namely WhatsApp, Instagram, TCS Knowme, and Mailers, we also reached out to our members, the primary stakeholders of the club to propagate the message to their colleagues and accounts

On the meeting day we had our Area Director, Snehal Barve in attendance and saw a record turnout of around 108-110 members Post the meeting we had our bi-annual meet with the Area Director where we were applauded for our efforts towards the campaign and congratulated as we successfully onboarded 18 new members post the campaign

SOMANI DASH SANKALP SINGH VIVEK HANDE SUKRITI SHALINI

SAGNIK SIMRAN LODHI KAMLESH NIRBHAYA

PRUDHVI REDDY ASHISH SHARMA MAHEK SENGAR NIKHIL GOSAVI

SANKALP SINGH

LEVEL 4

ASHWINI VAIDYA

PRASHANT KARKERA

LEVEL 5

SANKALP SINGH

PRASHANT KARKERA

SIMRAN CHAUHAN

ASHWINI VAIDYA

B u c k e t l i s t

NEVER HAVE I EVER

Your Personal Adventure Checklist :)

I HAVE I HAVEN'T

Crashed a Stranger's Wedding

Scuba Diving

Ran an Ultra Marathon

Travelled to places tagged as heaven on earth

Solo travelled to different states

Bunjee Jumping

Painted a tower wall

Trek to Everest base camp

Skydiving

B u c k e t l i s t

I really appreciate the way you speak, prepare and present. your are fabulous, keep it up. All the best.

Dear Nirbhaya, You're just awesome . The way you're contributing (like making videos, taking roles, hosting events and supporting others behind the scenes) to this club is inspiring . I have been here in this club for few months and I can definitely say you're the most enthusiastic person here . I must appreciate your influence you have here. Great to know you and thanks for always pushing me to join meetings ��. I wish you all the success and the love you deserve.

You're a very proactive and vigilant member of the club. I can see a great leader and communicator in you in the coming years. She is the sweetest one. I love her delivering speeches and the way she plays various roles in the meetings. Your dedication is unparalleled. Her presence in the meeting lifts up the spirit of everyone. I can see future club president in you.

You're one of a kind! A gem of a person! Absolutely no amount of words is enough to define your giving nature, your smart brain, and your proactive attitude! May you achieve all your ambitions in life.

A very calm & composed person and always ready to take an initiative. He does the job of VP Education very well! He’s an all-rounder! Keep up the good work!

I saw you always prepared, confident and hardworking.

Thanks for your motivation and advise. I always appreciate your way of describing events and the tone of your speeches. The way you not only deliver your speech, but also the entire setup with the backdrop and everything is admirable!

He is the Captain America of TMTC. He is always so energetic and active.

You're an awesome person! You always know what to say and how to express yourself! If you decide to invest some time, you can be a great influencer/guide some day.

I have seen you grow and improve over the last 2 years! Keep it up! You're a very good person.

Your evaluation and writing skills are exceptional. Your article in the previous year's newsletter was really insightful and intriguing. I am awaiting your speech. Our club's Executive Committee will miss you.

I am really very thankful to you for introducing me to Toastmasters Membership and the way you presented it. I did not have a second thought.

You're a true catalyst by bringing more members to our club. I'm looking forward to witnessing your speech.

You're doing excellent work as VP Membership.

Thank you for teaching calmness and patience! You're a true trend-setter, living by example and a genuine person.

Your contributions to the club have been valuable.

A calm and composed person. You are a living example of patience!

Great Job Kamlesh, for taking role of SAA as Ex-com Officer. You have done awesome.

She is always calm and smiling. I wonder how her angry face will look like. A person with a lots of creativity.

Sweetness in her voice... Genuine and kind at heart... She seems like an angle... Super innocent yet smart!

I love your speeches, starting from your icebreaker to your reflection speech, your content is unmatched!

Your voice is unique. Keep it up during speeches especially.

You are doing great as Toastmaster. Best wishes as Club Officer!

Awaiting for your icebreaker speech since 3 years.

You are a kind gentleman! May you keep achieving all your goals in life!

We miss your presence in the Club meetings

I see your growth from a shy girl to a very professional and confident person. I really appreciate your growth and effort for yourself. Your speeches are always unique and full of energy! May you achieve all your dreams in life.

You are adorable champ! May all your wishes come true!

We miss you in club meets. #WhereAreYouSaral?

Love your way of engaging members in the club and thanks for sharing those wildlife pictures with us. They are all fabulous. Your support to the club over the years is unmatched! Keep guiding and correcting us.

You are a unique personality... no amount of words will do any justice to explain about you...I am not sure how many would agree to this but "YOU ARE A TRUE GEM"! :) Had this not been anonymous, I still would have said the same thing (PS : I hadn't said this to you so far and in case you find any grammatical errors here please don't get irritated by them :D )

You are an amazing evaluator and why do I mention this here? Not only because I have not yet seen you giving speeches (I have joined club recently)... but also because your evaluation speeches are very insightful! May all of our speeches get a chance to be evaluated by you at least once in life. :) We miss listening to you.

Sweet and confident...you are one of the most adorable people I have ever met! May you keep shining! :)

You are such a humble, down-to-earth personality... Interactions with you always teach me a lot!

It's my dream to get evaluated by Kalpak

You are sweet and calm person. You teach me ultimate serenity!

As new to club, you are doing great. Keep It up!

Your personality is so effervescent that one can consider you as a beacon light for his/her path to success . TMTC will always miss you, sir.

SHARING - ELOQUENCE 22 SHARING - ELOQUENCE 22

If you are wondering what eloquence is, then here is the description: It is the annual District conference of Toastmasters International District 98. It has various teams that plan and organise the mega event, which include the Program Quality Team, Finance Team, PR Team, Awards Team, Sponsor Team, and Entertainment Team in online mode. The key facets of this conference are Contests (Table Topics, Evaluation, International Speech, and Humorous Speech Contests), where the best speakers fight for the championship, there is Entertainment and fun activities to showcase talents, and Keynote Speeches, where Eminent speakers address the audience and inspire them.

I was a member of the Program Quality Team at Eloquence 2022. The Program Quality (PQ) team is basically responsible for conducting the 4 Mega Contests of the district (both semi-finals and finals) to the best of their quality and making it a seamless experience for participants, audiences, and performers. It is also responsible for preparing a highlevel agenda, minute-to-minute agenda, and brainstorming on the types of workshops/keynotes that can be conducted to actually decide and invite the speakers.

The PQ team also conducts dry-runs, coordinates with the huge pool of role players, conducts their briefing, and prepares a checklist for all role players to ensure a quality and flawless experience. It was an amazing experience to be part of this team where one can learn many aspects of event planning and management skills. This year, one of the keynote speakers was Surabhi Shah, who was the Past President of our Club, and she recently grabbed a deal of Rs 50 Lakh from 2 Sharks at Shark Tank India. One of the senior members of our club helped us with her contact and we were able to convince her for a Q & A session at Eloquence, which was one of the most talked-about segments of Eloquence and was a huge success.

Events like these help you broaden your network, make you more socially active, make you discover your own traits, and help you manage conflicts. I would highly recommend club members to nominate themselves for any Event that comes by at the Area or District level and make the most out of it if you get the chance.

-Simran Chauhan

How did you find out about TMTC?

One of the managers, Mr. Jayesh Anandpara, came to meet my boss, Nikhil Kapadia, where he told us about the Toastmasters club. I had many team members who were of low confidence and were from vernacular medium...That drove us to start this club in Malad.

What do you feel is unique about our club?

Our club is unique in many sense. It has always got enthusiastic active ex-com. We are very tech-savvy compared to many clubs The unity among members with diverse backgrounds has its own charm.

What has been your experience with the club?

Experience is great and it has not stopped... Even now, I am learning something new in the club I get to interact with a variety of people and their experiences.

I have also attended many Toastmasters' conferences right from DISTRICT- 82 to 41 and now 98.

I have attended conferences in Mumbai, Mysore, twice in Pune, Indore, and Goa. I have made so many life-time friends.

How do you feel the club has evolved since you joined?

It was very difficult to conduct meetings in the initial days as not more than 7-8 members used to attend Slowly, we worked on the quality and discipline of the meeting. When I left as President, the club had 86 members, and 45-50 used to attend meetings at Malad Subsequently, the quality of meetings has further gone up TCS has a floating population, so maintaining membership to 86 members is a challenge.

So many new members have joined recently and are giving their icebreaker speeches. Do you remember your icebreaker speech?

My favourite topic has been railways I gave my speech at the Railway Fan Club.

Any specific memorable incidents or meetings from your time at TMTC?

There have been speeches on various topics. One girl, Vibhu Vatsala, gave a speech entitled "In the Colours of the Pills," which was beyond imagination Nayan recently mentioned the Honey Bees movement.A toastmaster can think beyond that.

According to you, what are the positives and negatives of the club?

There are many positives when one joins the club with intention of giving service. L I G H T I N G T H E W A Y F O R W A R D L I G H T I N G T H E W A Y F O R W A R D

Apart from leadership and communication skills, you become a good organizer , planner, learn how to tackle unforeseen circumstances, improve your English, and how to create your network. (Many of these things you don’t even realize when you learn and are very important in the execution of a project)

The negative part is that despite so much pursuance, follow-up, and promotion from our organization, very few take advantage of it in TCS. In community clubs, people pay handsome money to join because they have to meet other expenses like venue, mic, and many more things.

Do you think we have put ourselves in a mould, be it in terms of speeches or membership campaigns, guest speeches or what could we do to improve our club?

We need to showcase someone who has done well for others to encourage people to go beyond their strengths. TMTC helps people in their personal and professional transformation, and that transformation needs to be projected and showcased to everyone.

We should also encourage people to participate more actively.

If you could describe TMTC in five adjectives, what would they be?

Firstly, a very energetic club. The level of speech is always very high and extremely organised, though there is scope for improvement, but we are very organized. The friendships that we develop here are lifelong I still keep interacting with people who have moved out of the club Recently, Anushree from Denmark called me up. She was with us in 2010, and it's 2022 and we are still in touch with so many of them, like tuba and chinmay

We learn many skills along with communication and leadership, such as negotiation skills , conflict resolution skills , planning and organizing. We also learn how to manage situations when things go wrong All these are extremely important in every project.

Suggestions for the club for the coming years

Today I was listening to one Tata group leadership talk , there they were talking about leadership with diversity and how good leaders adopt to various cultures very fast , learn languages very fast , network very fast and those are the people who become successful and I see every such opportunity in our toastmasters club to develop such leadership styles we should make this our focus and try to grow.

Anurag Sir has contributed to the club at lots of different levels, be it through leadership, membership campaigns and by being a member of the club. He has revived the club when it was at its lowest and has been the strongest pillar that the club could rely on for so many years. So, on the occasion of the club's 18th anniversary, who better to interview than someone who has given his heart and soul to the club Thank you, sir!

ANURAG SINHA INTERVIEWER : SOMANI DASH

INTERVIEWEE:

TURNING 18

It was 18 years ago, a new seed was planted with new aspirations and thoughts to bring them all together under one roof. TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai's first corporate club, was chartered 18 years ago to help employees hone their Communication and Leadership Skills. I personally feel that TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club is the best Corporate Club in Mumbai. The meeting quality and environment are simply awesome. TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club has received many accolades and recognition from Toastmasters across different districts. Every year, I wear the President Distinguished Club cap. A Great club to learn new things and express our ideas and thoughts. Today TMTC turns 18, and I personally Thank each and every club member for being part of this journey. I hope the legacy of producing new leaders and mentors in TMTC continues forever.

Thank you dear Members of TMTC for your Kind Support and Cooperation.

- Sai Kumar Iyer

ANNIVERSARY ANNIVERSARY

Not everyday a person turns 18 nor any Club. But WE DID IT. Thanks to all the members previous Executive Committee Members, you guys raised this club with all you love, care, affection and efforts. Bit-by-bit, drop-by-drop nurturing this Club to make it what it has become today. No amount of gratitude can be sufficient to describe what we all feel deep down in our hearts. We tried to cherish and celebrated everyone’s efforts throughout these 18 years. We might have never met few of them but we are connected with a special bond. And on our 18th Anniversary we celebrated this special bond. Toastmaster Mercy and Toastmaster Vivek left no stone unturned in making this an eventful day. We celebrated this day in a hybrid meeting format and nothing could have been better. Open Mic and Games, Memes and Challenges, Awards and Recognition all these added stars to the occasion. How could we celebrate this day without celebrating the contribution of Anurag Sir. His constant support and guidance throughout these years with always gave us the assurance that he will always have our backs. We laughed with happy tears and raised the toast for much more eventful years ahead.

750 MEETINGS 750 MEETINGS CELEBRATIONS CELEBRATIONS

This year we achieved a big milestone of completing 750 meetings of TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club. What an eventful day it was. After years patience, dedication and consistency, the excitement of this minute can not be expressed in words. The smile on the faces of the members, the satisfaction in the eyes of the Executive Members and Organizers were all that was needed to feel the pride of this Golden Moment. A month of preparation, and it all paid off as we saw the members having fun and the best time of their lives (P.S. based on feedback ��). Blessed by the presence of Dr. Supriya Kumarvelan and her Keynote speech on Positive Psychology was just what was needed to brighten the already bright day. Toastmaster Nirbhaya and Toastmaster Arman did not leave any space to add to the fun with there TMTC Premier League Challenges. As much as interesting the tasks were they only made everyone feel the inclusiveness as well as uniqueness within the Club. Relieving each moment to charge for the future is all what we wish for the Club. Congratulations to us for reaching this milestone.

750th and beyond.. we are together and forever

C L U B ' S G A L L E R Y J A NJ U L Y 2 0 2 2

C L U B ' S G A

L L E R Y J A NJ U L Y 2 0 2 2

SANKALP SINGH

PRESIDENT

NIRBHAYA SAWE

VP EDUCATION

ASHWINI VAIDYA

VP MEMBERSHIP

SIMRAN LODHI

VP PUBLIC RELATIONS

SOMANI DASH

SECREATRY

SOUZA

TREASURER

ASHISH SHARMA

SEARGENT AT ARMS

SIMRAN CHAUHAN

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT