1
I
Editorial Dear Readers, TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai started in 2004 with few enthusiastic Toastmasters and within a blink of an eye will complete a decade on 02nd June, 2014. These past 10 years have been glorious and rewarding for the club. Achieving milestones year after year, the club has pinned up awards
nside this issue
English Semantics…. …………………...3 Facing the demons within……..……… 4 Veteran Corner…………...…………… 5 The ‘small’ experience ……..…...………7 Best Practices….…. .....…..……...…….8 People Speak….…. .....…..…………….9
in every area and desires to reach the zenith of success.
Shades Of Art….…. .....…..……...…….11
Post winning the ‘District 41 Best Newsletter award’, we are
Ignited Minds….…. .....…..……..…….12
back with a Bang! In this power packed edition we have some
Toastmaster's Day out ..…...……...…...13
really inspiring write-ups from our very talented Toastmas-
Rendezvous….…. .....…..………..……15
ters, who have displayed their prowess in writing.
Speech Marathon Session……….....….17
Welcome to the fourth edition of Communiqué!
Every Dream has its price …...…….…18 Eloquence 2014 ………………….....….19
We would like to thank each and every member of our club
Dream.. Dare.. Do ...... …………...…….20
for their enthusiasm and efforts in helping our club scale
President’s corner ..... …………...….….21
newer heights.
The Glittering Gold .... ….…………..….23
Looking forward to your suggestions.
Triple Crowns…………………………..24
From all of us in the Editorial team - Happy Reading!
Achievements………………………….25 Know Your Ex-Com …...…………….....27
Editorial Team Surabhi Kinariwala, Nilufer Dmello, Surabhi Shrivastava, Ashutosh Chaturvedi Please send your feedback, comments and creative ideas for future issues to: mumbai.toastmasters@tcs.com
2
E
nglish Semantics
As I was go throughing my Indian Ex-
She told me about the various bene-
press paper during the last London
fits of joining Toastmasters. As they
Olympics, I came across this news
say “A journey of a thousand miles
item which debates what is correct
begins with a single step”. In Febru-
grammatically. Grammar does have a
ary 2004, with the support of Ms. Ni-
record, as the Oxford English Diction-
na
ary
verb
Ramadorai, who were a part of the
'medalling' as something that existed
TCS Maitree team, we set up the first
from 1822 as written by Lord Byron
TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club in
who, incidentally not only wrote a
Mumbai. We were delighted to have
memorable poem on the Prisoner of
Ms. Screwvalla and Mrs. Ramadorai
Chillon; but also engraved his signa-
in the inaugural session to share their
ture on a pillar at the Castle of Chillon
views on importance of communica-
members of TCS Maitree
which I had seen on my trip to Lau-
tion and leadership skills.
Toastmasters Club in Mum-
sanne, Switzerland.
The Toastmasters method of im-
bai. For the past decade he
I believe that communication in Eng-
provement
has been a part of Delivery
lish is a challenge that has to be regu-
speeches, impromptu Q&A based on
larly addressed. The mistake that was
the theme of the session, evaluation
deliberately made at the start of this
of speeches by a peer, special role
piece was originally from a project
players like timer, grammarian and ah-
leader who would keep saying ,he is
counter. The intention of these peer
P Suresh Parthasarathi Suresh is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology -Bombay. He was one of the founding
Excellence Group and currently heads it in the Component Engineering Group.
recognition
of
the
Screwvalla
and
includes
Mrs.
Mala
structured
go throughing the documents instead of 'going through the docu-
reviews is to non-threateningly coach
ments'. There are many instances when project teams cannot com-
peers to improve themselves based
municate in appropriate language with their customers; both oral and
on a plan. After a defined number of
written. In some cases, lack of confidence keeps them silent during
speeches which have been made and
meetings. This problem kept recurring when I was in a Financial Ser-
evaluated, the speaker receives the
vices relationship, and when I mentioned it to my Quality Assurance
designation Competent Communica-
Facilitator (QAF) Nagaraj Bhat. He told me about an organization called
tor award. Toastmasters is a place
Toastmasters which helps people improve their communication skills in
where you are showered with oppor-
a structured manner. He introduced me to Toastmaster Saswati Mitra.
tunities to keep on learning.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. 3
F
acing the Demons within
It all started when I created my email id and named it after one of the world’s finest orator till date – Adolf Hitler. I’ve always been an admirer of the way in which he persuaded people by his words. Steve Jobs is another epitome of a great orator. The way in which he conducted his keynote conferences was simply mind-blowing. There are many such examples which have time and again shown us the power of Public Speaking. I had never mustered enough courage to display my oratory skills in public. Stage fear was the result of this hesitation. Nothing in the world
Harshit Shah An avid fitness freak, he likes to stay updated with the latest happenings in the field of technology. Exploring differ-
scared me but facing the came
audience. a
Then
day
that
changed it all. After working in TCS Mum-
ent places whenever given a
bai for a couple of
chance is his hobby. He as-
months, I received a
pires to become a great ora-
mail from my HR re-
tor one day.
garding TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club session. The What? When? questions started popping in my head. My curious mind urged me to contact Toastmaster Indrajit – President of the club at that time. He gave me all the details of the upcoming club meeting. For me it was no different than love at first sight. I was in awe of the way meetings were conducted and the format followed. I decided to become a lifetime member of the Toastmasters Club.
Ever since I joined the club, I have been constantly learning something or the other through every Toastmasters session. By regularly attending these sessions I have improved a lot in my public speaking skills. Apart from acquiring
public speaking skills, I have made a lot of friends who are like a family. The mentoring program at Toastmasters amazes me .The time and effort invested by mentors to help their mentee is commendable. This club has opened a Pandora’s Box of talent that was hidden within me. I never knew that I could dance with a group of people and in synchronization with the beats. My dancing potential was unveiled when we performed a flash mob during the Division Level Contest. It was truly a wonderful experience. Toastmasters Club has helped me fight my demons and provided the faith that I can become what I desire to be. Toastmasters Club delivers what it promises, its mission statement being : “We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.” 4
Veteran Corner
“
I was always passionate about public speaking and guiding my colleagues with their
time on stage. It was by a sheer chance that I came across TCS Maitree TM club in 2008. The club was new and so was I. It was the perfect platform to enhance my speaking skills with great orators and leaders like Jayesh Anandpara and Ajay Bijoor. I always had the Ex-Com team to help me organize sessions, especially Tenny Jose ,the then VP Education . TCS hosted almost all major events in the Division. It would get crazy at times, putting together things during such big events, but the support and learning was immense. It was all this experience that helped me become the Division Governor for Division D and achieve the President's Distinguished Division award.
“
”
— Adit Paul , DTM, President, 2009-2010
Toastmasters International helps TCSers in orbit shifting leadership. I was introduced to
Toastmasters by Jayesh Anandpara in Aug 2009. I arranged a demo session for my team which turned out to be successful. We had our first session in the presence of Arvind, Juzer, Shaheen and Yasha. I would like to thank Shabbir, Adit, Fadhel for providing their continuous guidance to the club. The club flourished with the help of Mohit, Namrata, Atrayee, Rajiv Perumal, Anushree, Sreejith, Surabhi and many other enthusiastic Toastmasters. The club has moved from being frivolous to winning the Golden Gavel twice since 2009. It feels
nice to see so many TCSers participating in our sessions. I am sure Toastmasters will play a major role in taking TCS to the next level.
”
— Anurag Sinha, President, 2011-2012
“
Art Buchward rightly said “The best things in life aren’t things”, and Toastmasters just reinforced that quote by giving me what I’d call the best intangible gift I could ever ask
for. I still remember my first day with TCS Toastmasters at the Malad Conference Room and TM Aditya (one of the best host/speakers I’ve come across) gave a speech to get
things started. Little did I know then, that this conference room would be my Thursday morning home! I grew in confidence with my speeches, made friends with fellow toastmasters and harnessed my need to compete at the division/district level competitions .Toastmasters made sure that I always looked at a bad situation as a potential topic for my next speech.
”
— Rajiv Perumal, CC,CL, VPE 2011-2012
5
“
15th May, 2010 - I attended a TM session on a Saturday morning for the first time and
then what followed was an ineluctable odyssey of more than two years on every alternate Thursday. The journey from being an audience, member and then an Ex-Com to eventually being a CC and CL was rewarding and fulfilling. I realized my potential, ameliorated my oratory and leadership skills, made amazing friends, heard innumerable stupendous speeches, attended informative sessions and contests in these couple of years. There are a lot of things I owe to this club. I always believe that a part of me is in TCSTM and a part of TCSTM is in me.
”
— Namrata Srivastava, CC,CL, VPM 2011-2012
“
11 speeches, 3.14 leadership roles, friendship with wonderful people, 100% confidence
(wait its 125%) and close to 5 years. From a hesitant new member to a careless inactive generous donor moving on to become "Mr. President" (still gives me a high) and fulfilling the dream of achieving coveted Golden Gavel for the 1st time in our club’s history, Toastmasters has brought me closer to my dream of becoming a person I always wanted to be and I am sure this wonderful journey will always have lots to offer. I just need to be active, keep my mind open and embrace the amazing learning with open arms.
”President 2012-2013
— Mohit Chhabra, CC, ALB,
“
While penning down my Toastmasters memories, I remember my first session in
which Kriti Telang delivered her P1. I was spellbound by the way the session was conducted. This journey of Toastmasters, which began somewhere in Sept 2011, has been filled with fun, emotions, and lots of learning. It’s a platform where I not only learnt but also shared my own experiences in the form of speeches. I got rid of stage fright, learnt to be punctual ,an effective team member and a leader. I am looking forward to capture many such memories at Toastmasters. I want to thank all who have been a part of this wonderful journey.
” “
— Rashmi Singh, CC, CL, VPM 2012-2013
In April 2012, I received a mail from the HR with the subject line “Let’s talk about Fash-
ion”. I was confused at that time ,why so many people want to meet in a room and discuss about fashion? Vanshika Shrivastava clarified my confusion and encouraged me to join Toastmasters. My Toastmasters journey has been a roller coaster ride. I enjoyed various club officer roles but being the club newsletter editor was a tough task for me. I was lucky to have Vanshika, Ankit, Parakh, Surabhi, Ashutosh and Nitin as part of Ex-Com team. Collaboratively we dedicated an astronomical amount of efforts to achieve multiple accolades for the club. My involvement with TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club is the one of the greatest experience that has enriched and supplemented my public speaking skills.
”
— Indrajit Suryawanshi, ACB, ALB, President 2013
6
T
he ‘small’ experience
2nd January, 2014 , I wanted to start the new year with something that is productive and satisfying. While going through the unread mails, I found a mail from the HR about an invitation to the Toastmasters session. I was clueless about what exactly happens in a Toastmasters session but the urge to get the ball rolling forced me to attend the session. I reached the location in the nick of time. I was in a conference room packed with 20 unknown associates . The session began and as time passed by I was completely sold out
to TOASTMASTERS. After listening to prepared speeches, I was astounded and influenced by the speakers’ efforts and the quality of speeches. I was still pondering about the
Raunak Kulwal He is joyful , positive and enthusiastic person. who is always up for new things. He is
speeches when all of a sudden the Table Topics round started. It was the most exciting and breathtaking round. At the end of the session, I was impressed by the strict timing guidelines and was able to appreciate the value of time in life. I was left with various questions deep down in my heart and mind. Who are
fond of music, games, Travel-
these people? How can they be
ling, making new connections
so systematic and so honest?
and Dreaming big. He believes
What is their objective behind
“Life is simple, we are the
it? Are they paid for such ses-
one's who make it complicated.”
sions and speeches? Are they preparing for some exams or interviews? With time and by attending more sessions, the
clouds of queries drifted away. In March, I became a member of the club. And from that day, my journey in Toastmasters has been tremendous and memorable. I have witnessed some superb speeches and met many wonderful
people in such a short span of time. I try to attend every session and regret when I miss one. If I feel that a session could have been better, I provide my feedback. Toastmasters Club has redefined the path of my life. Meeting a bunch of enigmatic, energetic and enthusiastic Toastmasters has given a new direction and perspective to life, a new imagination and great confidence. That Best Speaker ribbon always inspires me to do better. I have learnt to be more punctual, observant, efficient, focused and to be more confident. Be it a struggler or a winner, everybody has only 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. Unless we get the best out of our time, we cannot get the best out of our life. So spend time, energy and life on more meaningful activities and people; and the most important person: yourself.
“Toastmaster has given a new imagination , direction and perspective to life.” 7
B
est Practices
It is said that the only way of finding your limits is by going beyond them; into the impossible. We all might have a defined process of doing things, but there is always a scope for improvement. Challenges urge us to improve. It’s the challenges, that have driven TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai for the last 10 years, since its inception on 2nd June, 2004. Below is a list of few of the best practices of
Nilesh Mishra A techno savvy geek who loves
gadgets.
Adventures,
fun and humor is in his nerves.
our
Club,
which
help
us in serving the
mem-
bers better, engaging
Having a special affection with
more guests
music and cricket, he is also a
and
foodie. He is passionate about
ducting
art be it photography, poetry,
citing meet-
dancing and theatre
conex-
ings. Easy Speak: easy-speak.org , an automated online tool, helps us to track all Toastmasters related activities such as member details, mentor assignment, booking speeches/roles in advance, tracking member and DCP progress. This results in a much more efficient, transparent and always-updated meeting plan.
Unique Poster Design: Images are more effective than words, especially when we need to engage 25K+ employees of TCS Mumbai. The poster, which is sent to all TCS Mumbai employees, has a basic introduction to Toastmasters, our Club and what we do. The icing on the cake is an attractive image of the meeting theme. Meetings at different locations: In the megacity Mumbai, employees work at different locations and attending all Club meetings becomes a challenge. To give full benefit of Toastmasters to members and guests, we conduct meetings at 4-5 different locations, thus organize 5-6 meetings every month! Icebreaker for guests: Our club provides the guests with an opportunity to deliver the Project 1 from Competent Communication manual before joining Toastmasters. It helps the guests take that first step, overcome fear and get motivated. Not to mention, this helps the Club too in converting more and more guests to members. Thanks to the effort of the Club officers, enthusiasm of the members and the help of Area/Division/District leadership,
this year our Club has scored a hat-trick of President’s Distinguished Club (10/10) status. 8
P
eople Speak
9
Thank you Chinmaya ,Surabhi, Pramod, Rishabh, Ashutosh for being there for the demo meeting at such a short notice. I really appreciate. I don’t have everybody’s email id so please forward this email to them or thank them on my behalf.
Parag Karve Area K1 Governor
Hi Mohammed , Indrajit, Vanshika and Gopal .A big Thank You to all of You . Because of You we could make this demo meeting successful. Looking forward for the same cooperation.
Congratulations Indrajit. It just seems like yesterday that I attended the 50th Session. Wow Time Flies and its been a wonderful journey for TCS Maitree. Keep up the spirit and keep the enthusiasm high. I am sure TCS Maitree would soon be amongst the best clubs in India.
Hitendra Bhadang Area K2 Governor Please accept and convey to the members of TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club my heartiest congratulations on this momentous occasion. I am proud of the way the Club is progressing and the quality of the meetings.
DTM Brillian S.K. D41 Lt. Gov. Marketing
Congratulations! from the Maitree family for the Golden Gavel Award. Indeed it a decade of many achievements through the perseverance of TCSers, and you all make us feel proud to be a part of this organization.
Arvind Nair Div K Governor
Nina Screwvalla Global Head,TCS Maitree
10
S
hades Of Art
“All the world's a stage, and all men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” I love this life which is a stage for all, but I also love the life which I live on the stage, of the stage and for the stage. Be it a dancing performance, a Toastmasters speech delivery, a musical performance or a theatrical act, I enjoy them all. As a kid I used to think good performance comes naturally to good actors. Soon I realized, that it was a myth when I witnessed good actors struggling with dia-
Kriti Telang
logues and expressions. Since childhood, I always had a keen interest in theatre and when I came to Mumbai, I took this interest to the next level.
An artist by heart., she joined Toastmasters in 2011 .
I started watching plays at
She loves to portray her
different theatres like Prithvi
emotions on canvas. She is a
Theatre
great fan of Indian classical music , dance and theatre.
Juhu,
NCPA
Nariman Point and Sathey College, Vile Parle. The first play that I witnessed was
“All the world’s a stage and all men and women merely players…”
"Dinner with Friends" starring TV actor Harsh Chaya and movie actors Perizad Zorabian and Tisca Chopra. I started watching plays more frequently. A few of the good plays which I would suggest you all to watch are Naseerudin Shah's "Arms and the Man", Manav
"Shakkar ke panch daane", "Laal Pencil”, Rangbaaz theatre group's "Junglebook". The best thing about theatre is its dynamic nature. All the performances are live and every performance is unique. To
make my passion a reality, I frantically started searching groups that I could join. As I work on the weekdays, I opted for a class "Rangsutra" headed by Mr. Kishore Chandra Shrivastava that operates on weekends. My first performance was a 2-3 minutes role in two of their plays named "Intezaar" and "Sugandhi" based on the writings of Urdu writer Munto. I realized that I was struggling with delivery of dialogues as my English speaking was only limited to corporate communication and a little daily communication. My interest for Toastmasters went a notch higher. My thirst to seek more led me to complete my ‘Competent Communicator’ Manual. Nowadays, when I prepare my speeches, I incorporate the essence of theatres which I have learnt along the way. The difference between Toastmasters and theatres is that theatre has dialogues, we perform with other actors where as in Toastmaster performances are monologues. My dream is to present a monologue at Toastmasters which is both flawless and
entertaining.. Fingers Crossed! 11
I
gnited Minds
Spreading laughter There was laughter in the air when District Champion of Humorous Speech Contest 2011, Toastmaster Vikram Poddar, started off with his educational session on “Elements of Humor”. His winning speech video from District level humorous speech contest, made the gathering laugh their heads off. He analyzed every
aspect of that speech to elaborate how humor is created and suggested tips to enthrall the audience. He explained how structuring a topic using mind maps and connecting it with its related ideas can do wonders in fabricating effective and creative humorous speeches. He illustrated the reversal technique to transform a simple observation from daily life into a hilarious joke. The use of analogies in a speech to spark off humor was his paramount advice for the audience. He suggested that jokes used in a speech should be very relevant and easily comprehended by majority of the audience. He made the session entertaining and educational with his charisma.
—Toastmaster Ashutosh Chaturvedi
Evaluating right The Toastmasters from our club were privileged to be addressed by the Division I Governor, DTM Farida Dias. Her magnetic persona truly reflected her 30 years of experience and expertise in Soft Skills, Executive coaching, Psychotherapeutic Counselor, Behavioral Management Consultancy and Training. Her educational session titled "Evaluate to Motivate" gave in-depth perspectives to the significance of a speech evaluation. She manifested various techniques and exemplified the art of presenting evaluations ;thus emphasized on the importance of a speech evaluation for both the speaker and the evaluator. She suggested that with each evaluation, evaluators hone their listening, impromptu speaking, decision making and organizing skills. An evaluator should understand that his/her evaluation builds the speaker's future journey at Toastmasters. The gathering was in awe with Farida's grace and grandeur of her presentation. It was a great learning experience.
—Toastmaster Surabhi Kinariwala
“A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.” 12
T
oastmaster's Day out
The Brave Beauties 8th March , the International Women's Day was celebrated at Toastmasters to salute all the women Toastmasters of Divsion D & K . Our beloved TM & LGM Brillian had planned this event. The event was unique as all the role players were female toastmasters .The ladies of TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai participated enthusiastically in the event .TM Shruti Pandit was the vibrant Toastmaster of the Day. General Evaluator TM Nilufer Dmello was appreciated for her confidence on stage. TM Surabhi, being the Table Topic Master came up with many interesting prompts to
captivate the audience.TM Seema Chandran played the role of the Grammarian with poise and panache. TM Neha Tandon utilized this unique opportunity to deliver her Project 2 from Competent Communication Manual. She mesmerized the audience with her vocal skills & her speech. TM Surabhi and TM Nilufer demonstrated the multitasking trait of women and took up the Evaluator roles as well . TM Surabhi Kinariwala was awarded the Best Evaluator ribbon for her motivating evaluation. She shared the award with TM Neenu Kewlani– a member of Mumbai Toastmasters Club. It was a delightful and a proud moment to observe women in Toastmasters being appreciated & recognized.
— Toastmaster Neha Tandon
Walk the Talk Every artist needs a platform to be successful. For me , public speaking is an art and Toastmasters is the canvas on which I can portray my creativity. It provides me a platform to hone my skills. I was the host for a Road Show in Pune , which was attended by more than 100 TCS associates , I was the anchor at a closure meet which was attended by associates of six different cities through video conference, I also conducted a retirement function. After every event, be it small or large, the smile of satisfaction on my face is beyond words. The confidence that I gain when the crowd enjoys the interaction and cheers with applause, motivates me. Toastmasters deserves a huge credit for helping me carve a path to reach towards my goals.
—Toastmaster Surabhi Shrivastava
13
Extending horizons Book Talk - IRC Yantra Park - 23rd April ,2014 Being a Toastmaster is an awesome experience. I was invited at Yantra Park Information Resource Center to present my views on any book of my choice. I opted for one of my favorite book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. The thrill of being on stage where people are eager to listen to you is
exactly a kind of high a Toastmaster desires. I had the amazing company of Toastmater Shruti Pandit on stage. The audience was different, the topic was different, the setting was different. I felt like I was delivering my P1 all over again. I felt the butterflies in my stomach as they called my name "Ankit Jain " when I was expecting Toastmaster Ankit Jain .The spirit of Toastmasters and the aim to make our club proud took over and made me speak for 20 minutes. After the talk people appreciated me, and IRC staff felicitated us with token of appreciation. I felt happy that my Toastmasters experience helped me contribute to people’s knowledge . .
—Toastmaster Ankit Jain
The Real Heroes " So when you feel like hope is gone... Look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth... That a hero lies in you " These were the few lines with which I commenced the felicitation ceremony for the 11th batch of the Advanced Computer Training Centre for the visually impaired conducted by TCS. M N Banajee home for blind was a supporting hand for the 45 days educational program. The event was organized at the prestigious TCS house in Mumbai
The euphoria was elevated by the presence of Dr. Mukund Rajan - Brand Custodian & Chief Ethics Officer, TATA Sons, Member Group Executive Council, Mr. Ajoyendra Mukherjee, Executive Vice President and head of Global Human Resources, TCS , Ms. Nina Screwvalla, Global Head of TCS Maitree. The dedication and determination of the 12 visually impaired trainees and their trainers was appreciated by one and all. It was indeed a privilege to be the Master of Ceremony and contribute to this thoughtful initiative by TCS Maitree team. I realized that no physical or mental constraints should stop us from dreaming and achieving our dreams. A round of applause helped me calm my nerves and the Toastmasters pin then did wonders. I was happy that I could represent TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club at such an glorious event and make our club proud.
—Toastmaster Surabhi Kinariwala 14
R
endezvous
Her face brims with serenity and her smile is contagious. She is a power-packed girl with a strong determination and music is the food for her soul. A desirous writer and a philanthropist, when it comes to accomplishing tasks, she settles for nothing but perfection. In the last TM year, she has represented the Club at Area level in the Humorous
speech, Table Topics and Evaluation Contest. Here are some excerpts from a recent conversation with the immensely talented orator, Surabhi Kinariwala, VP-Education
Toastmaster Namrata
of TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai.
It’s been a year since you joined TCS Maitree Toastmasters, how did the journey begin? “My first rendezvous with Toastmasters happened in Chennai during my graduation. Since then the magic of Toastmasters has been captivating me. I vividly remember the first meeting I attended at TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club as
I returned home with lots of learning and the Best Table Topic Speaker ribbon. ”
From a member in the audience to the Club’s Vice President Education, how has it been like? “To describe the whole experience in few words , I would say it has been “Fun, Friendly and Fulfilling” as it had promised to be. Be it a spectator in the gathering, a role player in a session or Vice President Education of the Club, I have strived to absorb all the learning around me to become a better leader and orator. The member in the audience wants to stride and the VP Education gets to flaunt her golden pin with pride.”
Your humorous speech "Did you hear that?" took you to the Area Level. What was your inspiration behind that speech? “My contest speech revolved around the fact ,how the God’s most exquisite and talented creation devotes most of her time and energy in gossiping. Girl’s hostel chit chats, office washroom discussions and kitty party talks were my source of inspiration to frame the speech. I just wanted to convey my message to all the men out there that for us gossiping is not a habit but an addiction.”
What other activities are you interested in other than Toastmaster? “Being a software engineer by profession I am attracted towards the binary world. I am a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and also love to sing. I dream of writing, producing and creating an animation movie one day, that should be in the
must watch movie list on IMDb.” 15
In 1.5 years you have represented TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club twice at Area level. How does it feel ? “It always feels great to represent our Club at a contest. The best part of the whole process is that I get to push myself to deliver the best each time. I have gained a lot even when I did not win a particular competition. For me it was less about winning and more about learning. The spirit with which people compete at a Toastmasters contest isn’t worth missing.”
A much discussed statement - six monthly executive committee is a better option than a full year term executive committee. Your views ? “In my experience, 6 monthly Ex-Com is a better option as we get to experiment more with the roles. The more we experiment, the more we learn. I was the Club Treasurer for 6 months where I learned to manage the Club’s accounts and then I was given the opportunity of taking charge as the Vice President Education which enhanced my decision making skills to a great extent.”
Any personal and professional changes which you have seen in yourself ever since you joined Toastmaster? “Surabhi to Toastmaster Surabhi has made me a better listener, an avid reader and definitely a better observer. It has taught me the traits of being patient and the art of managing stress situations. I have started appreciating different views of people and learned to see the Big Picture. I wish the learning never stops and I am able to return to Toastmasters at least a bit of what I have received from it.”
Finally, what do you have to say to the people who want to join Toastmasters? As Henry Ford once said “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” I can assure that at Toastmasters you stay young forever. It is a platform that allows you to do what you think you can’t, helps you discover your hidden talents and you helps you grow each day as an individual. At Toastmasters, they say that you will never learn to swim by staring at the water. Just dive in and enjoy the adventure.”
“Anyone who keeps learning stays young” 16
S
peech Marathon Session
TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club conducted the Speech Marathon on 1st of Feb 2014. The session was graced by Dr. Reet Arora, LGET District 41. She conducted an educational session on ‘Everybody has a story: How to make a speech’. The program kicked off with some wonderful speeches. Some inspired me, some led me into an infinite loop of introspection, some made an adrenaline rush in me and I was thinking about what an amazing world we all live in. As the first half of the day’s program concluded everyone eagerly awaited for Dr. Reet’s session. She took the dais and true to her profession of a dentist, wore a bright smile that put a cheerful grin on everyone’s face.
“One must keep observing, keep writing and keep speaking about the things that amuse us in our daily lives ! ” Dr. Reet started off by narrating a story of her childhood when she had to woo her parents into buying her a bicycle. Her style of storytelling was filled with tiny little nuances of drama
and
emotions
which seemed to strike a chord with the audiences. It was amazing to see how she transformed her ordi-
nary story into an interesting one and teleported the audience back into her childhood. I was really curious to find out the way in which she managed to keep the audience engaged throughout her talk. She gave us a few suggestions to narrate a compelling story. Dr. Reet told us about how she used to always pen her thoughts down as and when events occurred in her life and about how she maintained a journal of events which she could use for her next speech. With a smile on her face she ended the session on an inspiring note which left us wanting for more.
— Toastmaster Nilufer Dmello
17
E
very Dream Has Its Price
“ Every dream has its price Blood, Sweat, Sacrifice Tasted after failure, tears and hopeless sighs Would Success seem sweeter twice?
Hands that dare to reach towards the skies Cannot let the sun blind their eyes The highest peaks are there to achieve
Lekha Menon
Only by those that dare to believe
An avid reader, who is passionate about poetry, she dabbles in random activities like writing poems, pencil sketching and creative crafts. Her dream is to travel to new places, learn about new cul-
Don't let the misfortunes shake your soul Or shift your eyes from the ultimate goal The road to paradise is paved with stones Self-doubt, setbacks, too many unknowns
tures and admire the magnificent beauty of our world.
The seas may seem turbulent and deep But you cannot judge its depth unless you leap The thrill of swimming against the tide Can't be experienced by admiring the waves from the sea-side
Cleanse your soul, listen to the inner voice Let go of every grudge, every artifice
Dare to open your mind and you'll realize Where your heart's true desire lies...
�
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E
loquence 2014
TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai successfully organized Eloquence 2014 - Club level International Speech and Evaluation Contest on 2nd March ,2014. The event was a grand success. Members and guests actively participated by taking up various roles as contestants, role players and audience. Toastmaster Deepika, the Sergeant at Arms kept the event lively with her lucid thoughts and shared them generously with the audience. Toastmaster Ashutosh, the Contest Chair for the International Speech Contest explained the rules and guidelines for the contest and conducted the contest with great enthusiasm. Toastmaster Natarajan, the Chief Judge ensured that all contestants and role players were in good standing. The other role players were Shatabdi Paul, Rishabh Singla, Nilesh Mishra and Rashmi Singh as Sergeant at Arms, Seema Mane, Neha Tandon and Anurag Sinha as Tally Counters, Surabhi Shrivastava and Akanksha Gaur as Timer. The second innings of the contest, the Evaluation Contest, was conducted by Toastmaster Harshit. The contestants were successful in binding the audience to their thoughts while giving their evaluations. The contest concluded on a good note with a charged up audience and smiling winners. Each one had a take away from the event. The winners from the Club level participated at the Area level contest and won accolades.
International Speech Contest
Evaluation Speech Contest
Contestants: Ankit Jain, Chinmaya Dave, Parakh Kukreja, Pramod Mohandas, Sameer Patil, Surabhi Kinariwala,
Contestants : Ankit Jain, Chinmaya Dave, Nilufer Dmello, Parakh Kukreja, Pramod Mohandas, Surabhi Kinariwala
Winners: Pramod Mohandas
Winners: Pramod Mohandas
Chinmaya Dave
Surabhi Kinariwala
“Winning isn't everything--but wanting to win is.� 19
D
ream.. Dare.. Do..
6th April ,2014, the Sangam auditorium of TCS Yantra Park ,Thane was filled with energy, enthusiasm and excitement of the Division Level Contest – Inspire 2014. The gathering had members and guests from different clubs across Division D&K. Each one had to come to cheer their club participants and learn from the experience. Members of TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai took part both in contest organization and participation with great zeal. Sergeant -at-Arms Toastmaster Nilufer Dmello called the event to order. She did her role with great efficiency. Toastmaster Surabhi Kinariwala took responsibility as the Contest Chair for Division D evaluation contest. Toasmaster Chinmaya participated in the International Speech con-
test . “The Carpenter” was magical as he delivered his speech with great calm and composure. He was the first runner up in the speech contest. Toastmaster Pramod participated both in International speech and Evaluation contest. He enthralled the audience with his confidence on stage and energetic delivery. He stood first both in International Speech and Evaluation contest. The surprise element of the event was the display of dancing skills by the TCS Maître Toastmasters team. They kept the audience spellbound with their Flash Mob performance, and left the audience saying ‘Encore, Encore!’ The Division Contest set an example of how dedication and team work can create wonders. The event was successfully hosted and everyone left feeling happy and satisfied.
“Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half.”
Toastmaster Pramod : You made us proud! He stood first both in International Speech and Evaluation contest at Division level and made us all happy and proud. He hails from Mumbai, the city of dreams but only trusts hard work and perseverance to achieve his goals. A die-hard football fan and an ardent lover of music, he also believes that reading good books is a medicine for the soul. His tryst with Toastmasters began 10 months ago at TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club. His dedication and passion led him to represent the Club at Oration 2014 in Goa. He competed both in International Speech contest and Evaluation contest at the District 41 conference. He opines that Toastmasters is not just a part but a way of life. We wish him a suc-
cessful and a wonderful Toastmasters journey ahead. 20
P
resident’s Corner
He happens to be an ambitious and adroit boy from the Pink City, Jaipur who in no time made a stirring mark on the entrenched canvas of the TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai. He is my friend, my mentee and has a knack of excelling in whatever he does. He is an avid reader and a culinary aficionado. In a recent conversation with
Chinmaya Dave, we talked about his achievement as a contestant and as a President.
Toastmaster Namrata
Firstly, congratulations on reaching the Division level of the International Speech contest. How does it feel and what was the inspiration behind the much talked about speech, ‘The Carpenter’ ? “Thank you. It was the very first time that I participated sincerely in a Toastmasters contest. Prior to this, I participated just because there was no representation from the club. The feeling was amazing. The inspirations behind this speech were two songs: One is “Fix You” by Coldplay and the other is “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake. And the chair came somewhere in my dreams (laughs).”
How was it both participating in the contest and mentoring a fellow contestant who eventually won the Division contest against you? “For me it was never like a competition between me and someone else from the Club. I always wanted a contestant from our Club to reach the District level. For my speech, I had worked on the content for more than a month and had written and rewritten the speech. Hence for Division level preparation, I focused more on my delivery and for Pramod, the speech content.”
You delivered ‘The Carpenter’ at your Club, at the Area level and then finally at the Division level. How was the response from people who had seen you perform from the Club to the Division level? “The response from people in the audience, be it my mentor, my roommate or other Club members, helped me to enhance my speech. Most of them gave me a positive and specific feedback which helped refining the speech. I am grateful to all of them for their feedback and support.”
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Who according to you is “the hero of the speech”? “There is always something which makes a winning speech stand out. It is that ‘magic’ ingredient or factor. For example, for Darren LaCroix’s speech, it was falling on the stage; for Persiyan Vasilev’s speech, it was the pauses. But without a doubt the content is the maker or the breaker of a speech. A well written speech with a clear cut message is always a winner.”
What challenges do you face as a President of a Club which expands to 4 locations in Mumbai and has over 5-6 sessions in a month? “Keeping all the members engaged is one big challenge. My focus has been more on the growth of existing members rather than getting new members. It is very unfortunate when a member stops coming to the sessions and not take roles or deliver speeches. Another challenge, which is also an opportunity, is spreading the awareness of our Club and Toastmasters among TCS Mumbai associates.”
Easy-Speak is another thing which you are credited to for bringing in our Club. How has it been useful? “Who credited? My bank balance is still the same. Jokes apart, our Club has used Easy-Speak for meeting management and role booking. As our Club has expanded, both in terms of members and locations, it has been of tremendous help. Also, through Easy-Speak, our mentor-mentee relationships were updated and visible to all. However, Easy-Speak has lots of features which we must use. We can only go uphill from here.”
Finally, Golden Gavel for the 2nd time in a row. Excited? What are your expectations from Orations 2014? “Golden Gavel has become a benchmark for excellence now. Thanks to the past Ex-Com members, Club members, Divi-
sion and District Leadership, we are able to see this day. As for Oration 2014, we have got representation in both the Speech and the Evaluation Contests from our Club, which is great (the weight of expectations… oh so heavy!). Also, a whopping number of 11 members from our Club are going to Oration this time, so we want to have fun.”
Any message to people who are reading this and want to know about Toastmasters? “Just attend a few Toastmasters sessions at our Club or anywhere in the World. As I said, it’s not just about giving speeches or taking roles. There is a whole buffet out there and you will be never run out of choices. Once a Toastmaster, always a Toastmaster.”
“Once a Toastmaster always a Toastmaster” 22
T
he Glittering Gold “A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline” We dreamt for gold, we strived for gold and with pride and honor we earned the gold.
The criteria that was met by our club to win the Golden Gavel award for 2013-14 are as follows: Achieved 10/10 DCP goals. All 7 Club Officers were trained in OTP. A minimum of 6 unique members earned at least one educational or leadership award until 30th April 2014. The club conducted the Moments of Truth module from the ‘Successful Club Series’. At least 5 members were trained as judges having attended the Judges training and at least 2 members attended
Chief Judges Training post July 1, 2012 and before 31st March 2014. Submitted the reports of Club Speech Contests. Membership dues payment of at least 20 members were uploaded within the mentioned duration. Both the President and Vice President –Education of the club attended District Council meetings at each of the
two District conferences. 23
T
riple Crown Winners
You need to attain any three of the following to be eligible for winning the Triple crown Award: Competent Communicator, Advanced Communication Bronze, Advanced Communication Gold, Competent Leader, Advanced Leadership Bronze, Advanced Leadership Silver and Distinguished Toastmaster. These four members from our club achieved the feat and contributed towards winning the golden gavel. They will be honored at District 41 Semi- Annual Conference: Resonance 2014, which will be conducted at Delhi in the month of November 2014.
Ankit Jain, CC, CL, ALB His innovative ideas and enthusiasm towards Toastmasters makes him unique. His passion and determination helped him achieve the communication and leadership awards.
Chinmaya Dave, CC, CL,ALB Known as the encyclopedia of Toastmasters in the club, the President has played a captain’s innings. You can learn umpteenth number of things from his speeches. He worked diligently to achieve the communication and leadership awards.
Mohammed Babrawala, CL, ACB, ACS He manages to attend sessions at multiple clubs, perform his duties as the Area Gover-
nor and also monitors his communication and leadership track. He is always ready to help when the club needs him.
Surabhi Kinariwala, CC, CL, ALB
.
As the Vice President Education, she guided the members to track their communication and leadership goals and simultaneously accomplished the Toastmaster goals she had set for herself.
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A
chievements
Toastmaster Adit Paul touched the pinnacle of the Toastmaster journey and earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award. He eats, sleeps and breathes Toastmasters.
Toastmaster Indrajit Suryawanshi has earned Advanced Communication Bronze (ACB) and second Competent Leader (CL) Awards. The humor in his speeches and his passion for Toastmasters is unbeatable.
Toastmaster Rashmi Singh has earned Competent Leader (CL) Award. She is a silent hero. She was there for the club when it needed her contribution .She has
played a major role in bringing the club to where it is today.
Toastmaster Shabbir Dholkawala has earned Competent Leader (CL) Award. He likes to trek and also meet new people. He is a Toastmaster in true sense of the term.
Toastmaster Shruti Pandit has earned Advanced Communication Bronze (ACB) Award. She is also the President of Mumbai Toastmasters Club. She is vibrant and has a vision both for herself and her club.
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Toastmaster Sreejith Gopalan has earned Competent Communicator (CC) Award. He is an avid football fan and a great orator .
Toastmaster Vanshika Shrivastava has earned Competent Leader (CL) Award. She is an enthusiastic Toastmaster who has contributed a lot towards the growth of our club.
Shatabdi Paul is an artist who can make anything and everything look beautiful. She won award for creating the Best
Logo in the contest conducted by Division D & K.
TCS Maitree Toastmaster Club’s Newsletter, Communique! (October 2013 edition) was selected as the Best Newsletter among all the submissions in District 41. The editors Toastmaster Indrajit Suryawanshi, Toastmaster Nitin Adhlakha, Toastmaster Shatabdi Paul and Toastmaster Surabhi Kinariwala invested their time and efforts, and created an interesting and an informative newsletter. The Club was awarded the prize at Oration 2014, Goa.
26
K
President:
now Your Ex-Com
Chinmaya Dave, CC, ALB A movie buff, a gamer and a so called "IT Professional", an apparently quiet yet active person, he loves to enthrall people around with his subtle sense of humor. For him, Toastmasters is a way of life. He loves to watch contest speeches. As he always says, "Once a Toastmaster, always a Toastmaster".
Vice President Education: Surabhi Kinariwala, CC, ALB A sincere and enthusiastic Toastmaster, she is always ready to take up new responsibilities. She loves meeting new people which is one of the many reasons why she is a part of the Toastmasters family. Music being her first love, she is a creative writer too. She believes in dreaming big and enjoying each moment to the fullest.
Vice President Membership: Ankit Jain, CC, ALB Determined to make a dent in the universe, Ankit joined Toastmasters in January. Apart from speaking ,he also loves reading, writing and trekking. He aspires to become a writer one day. So far, he has enjoyed every moment at Toastmasters.
Vice President Membership - Buddy Nilesh Mishra A Storyteller, a Foodie, a Workaholic and an Expeditor, Nilesh is in love with theatre, acts, music
and poetry. At Toastmaster, he explores and furnishes himself to be an excellent Orator.
Vice President Public Relations Parakh Kukreja A club hopper who believes human touch is the art of Leadership. He is enthusiastic, fun loving and energetic. He is Interested in trekking, travelling and visiting other clubs. Parakh does what he is best at - building Public Relations and the brand TCS Maitree Toastmasters club, Mumbai. 27
Secretary: Sameer Patil Passion towards learning new technologies makes Sameer a good software engineer. For him, a perfect weekend starts with an exercise session followed by a cartoon movie with his son and ends with any book near my pillow.
Treasurer: Deepika Singh In Deepika’s words, “Being an introvert ,speaking in front of a gathering was a challenge for me before joining Toastmasters .Now not only do I have the confidence to speak but also know how to deliver it in the best possible way. Initially I was lazy but as I started attending more sessions and taking up various roles and delivering speeches, I became passionate about it and soon it became a habit to start the day early for Toastmasters. Never did I fathom that I would take up the role as a Treasurer of the club and develop the ability to think like a leader.”
Sergeant At Arms: Ashutosh Chaturvedi A believer in the saying "Successful people don't do different things, they do things differently.", Ashutosh believes that punctuality and perfection in whatever task you undertake are the most important attributes for one's success. In his journey of 12 months he has experienced , explored and enhanced himself not only as an orator and leader but also as a better human being.
Immediate Past President: Indrajit Suryawanshi, ACB, ALB A football fanatic and a movie buff, Indrajit loves to entertain people using his witty sarcasm. He believes that practice makes you perfect and perfection builds your confidence. To be perfect the only mantra is practice. He believes that Toastmasters offers the platform to practice in a completely safe and fun filled environment where one could practice not only to be a better communicator, a better leader but also a better individual.
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ollow us on
TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai “Making Effective Communication & Leadership a TCS-wide Reality” Meetings are held fortnightly in Andheri/ Malad and in Powai office. Meetings are open to all TCSers. A typical meet has 30 members and guests, who participate in the Club's Communication and Leadership program.
Malad/ Gateway Park, Andheri : Every alternate Thursday: 9.30 AM to 11.00 AM
Powai : Every alternate Friday: 9.30 AM to 11.00 AM
Yantra Park, Thane : Every alternate Tuesday: 9.30 AM to 11.00 AM
The journey began a decade ago… As we look back at the years gone by, we see those moments of pride and unbridled joy, that spirit of passion and love that fosters,
our wonderful journey as Toastmasters.
Club # 616631 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Copyright © 2014 TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club, Mumbai All rights reserved
Toastmasters for Life‌..