41st Session

The Session welcomed the return of our our ever smiling and refreshingly energetic President TM Aji Bhasker from a week long visit from Tokyo Kyoto Hiroshima and Fuji Japan. His son Sachin and himself were in awe. They hope to see all developing countries emulate the progress made by Japan. The session also welcomed the return of Area Director TM Ramkey  Assistant Director TM Saiju Victor and the presence of our supportive mentor and guide DTM Rajendra Verma. Guests for this session were two Presidents of Toastmasters Clubs from Muscat and United States of America TM Nilofer Tanna and TM Sachin Bhasker respectively. We also had the presence of guests Vaishali  Seth and Varun.

TM Salim in his maiden role as the Seargent At Arms carried out the role with utmost confidence and did not miss an opportunity to rap the knuckles of those who moved around while he was conducting the kick off.
I think that probably slightly delayed the start of the session.

Our President in his trademark manner conveyed a brilliant message on how  Attitude determines your Altitude. The story of a content and happy Hanif, a farmer from Africa , converted into a discontented and unhappy demoralised person, in quest of elusive diamonds, was thought provoking. Opportunities are at your doorstep and one needs to identify and grab them in a timely manner rather than run after greener pastures

The Toastmaster of the day was TM Ramalingam who never fails to surprise us with his in-depth research on any topic. The theme of the day was Listening and how well he enlightened us with a quote that informs us how people only listen with an intent to reply. He also thanked TM Raja for the quote on how one must Speak in a way that others love to listen to you and how one must listen in such a way that others love to speak with you. With personal examples on how he avoids listening to family and friends he demonstrated that people use filters and sea of opinions to discolour the message that would have been clear if understood in the way it was conveyed.

The role of the Time Keeper of the day was ably carried out by TM Afroz Ahmed who  very wisely said that punctuality is the soul of all business. He took this role at a short notice in the absence of TM Raghuram.

The Jokemaster of the day was TM Saiju Victor who with his witty and clever manoeuvring managed to make a dig at TM G Kumar in his absence. Humorous anecdotes  brought smiles to all the faces.

The Word master of the day TM K Venkat introduced us to a very unique word  Wool gathering which incidently  turned out to be an Acronym of the theme of the day. The word is very intriguing as it indicates how people indulge in idle fancies and  day dreaming. The round robin session by the users combining the two words resulted in the sharing of  many humorous and entertaining situations.

TM Nagesh read out the P1 speech requirements and Evaluation Criteria for the three P1 speakers TM Pramod, MTM  Swati and MTM Kavita in a precise and clear manner.

TM Pramod s P1 speech title was THE JOURNEY. TM Pramod took us down memory lane to Udipi the place of his birth. With the enthusiasm of a young child he shared his varying ambitions from being a driver to a doctor. His desire to do MBA was diverted towards Chartered Accountancy by his uncle and he shared the challenges of achieving that goal. He also informed us about his employment with the previous and current finance oriented organisations.

MTM Kavitas P1 speech title Poetry (Kavita) was a joy to listen to mainly because she was bursting with joy and confidence.  She poetically led us through  her lifes adventure where she was the apple of the eye of her parents and also how she was brought up in a  gender biased city of Dhanbad. Her vocal skills and humorous demeanour were very impressive when she dramatically conveyed her plan to fox her suitor. She ultimately did get married to a workaholic husband. Her metaphor of moving from a Jungle to Jail was quite something and she ultimately has reconciled to solace in Yoga and craft activities.

MTM Swati P1 speech title was Past Present and Future. MTM Swati  gave a great opening to her speech as she enthralled all with her mischievous quote on why she is always dressed well as Smile is the best curve and dress as well. In a quiet stoic manner she conveyed how she grew up with her uncles family after  she lost her parents at an early age of 9. Her mischievous and clever nature was well displayed when she told us how she managed to get her favourite cheese from the refrigerator every time. She followed the norms of taking permission from her elders albeit at different times to achieve maximum success She has moved on from being a nervous public speaker to one without any inhibitions and fear, thanks to the support of her daughter.

The Table Topic master of the day MTM Rita once again brought a unique twist and flavour to her role. Instead of a topic/sentence she gave the speakers a word to speak on with a condition avoid the use of four or five pre advised taboo words. She asked the members to make a note of whether the speakers used the taboo words or not. TM Venkat TM Nilofer and TM Mathen managed to do so while TM Sachin  found it as a bit of a challenge.

President Aji Bhasker then asked Area Director TM Ramkey to advise and guide the members of the club. TM Ramkeys encouraging words boasted the confidence of all present and he also suggested that Ruwi Toastmaster Club members participate in joint debate sessions with other clubs in the area.

TM Ananth highlighted various positive qualities of TM Pramods P1 speech and the enthusiastic manner in which  he conveyed his lifes journey  He suggested areas of improvement in positions and stage usage while delivering his speech

TM Chaitanya complimented MTM Kavita on her high levels of confidence especially when she led us through her varied experiences. He also complimented her humorous style of  delivering her speech and suggested areas of improvement in terms of right pauses at the right time. He also advised her to use the stage in an effective manner.

TM Nagesh  praised MTM Swati in  the way she conveyed her past present and future leaving only her past life as a mystery. He praised  the eloquent and humorous manner in which she made good use of communication skills with  the audience. He praised the well constructed opening body and conclusion and its  ideal mix. His suggested improvements in speech modulation and stage usage

Young and budding President Guest speaker TM Sachin Bhasker played the role of the Harkmaster with precise and crisp questions, He was pleasantly surprised that the members and guests were not Wool gathering and had great Listening abilities throughout the session

Lack of time led to the skipping of the inputs from Ah counter and Grammarian TM Mathen

Our Mentor and General Evaluator DTM Rajhendra Verma advised us to monitor time effectively either by increasing the time allotted or by restricting the speakers from crossing time limits. He complimented all the role players with a special compliment to the Toastmaster of the Day.He suggested that the TMOD should introduce the Harkmaster Grammarian and the General Evaluator in the beginning of the session. He also suggested that the club to invest in a collar mike to counter the problems of hearing by the members sitting at the end of the hall.

The Business session needs to be adequately finalised as TMOD role is yet open for the taking. Once that role is finalised then the Project speech of TM Chaitanya can be finalised. TM Afroz Ahmed will be doing his P2 speech and TM Ananth will be doing his P5 speech. TM K Venkat and TM Ramalingam will be doing the evaluations.

The President concluded the session with the award ceremony.

Best P1 speaker MTM Swati
Best Table Topic Speaker TM K Venkat
Best Evaluator TM Chaitanya

This is TM Chaitanya signing of on behalf of TM Rajat Ray