Mr. Toast Master and dear friends,
When I first heard about this toastmasters thing, i thought, "Oh so, they formed a club to booze together and raise toasts, i mean how cool is that!", I am so game for it. But then you can stay in your wonderland only ephemerally, and reality strikes sooner than you think it would. And here I am, in front of this wonderful audience, with the Ice Breaker. I do feel those Butterflies in my stomach but thankfully I was there when Mr. Amit thought us "How to train your butterflies". That was a great speech and I am not just saying it to get some brownie points from the evaluator .
Act I "Infancy" - Once upon a time , on Martyr's Day i.e. January the 30th, 1987, a Marathi family residing somewhere in Central India got a new member, a baby boy. The mother, remembering the dream in which she had seen him about zillion times, named the child "Swapnil" meaning "the one you dream of". The father also had a name in mind but does it really matter? Of course, this is the "Mother Zone" . The family name was "Tembe" which refers to a Brazilian Tribe living alongside the Amazon River. And the ultra curly hair on this kid signaled a possible connect. Leaving anthropology aside, in the school days, he was this geeky, quite and obedient little kid, to sum up-boring!
Act II "Football" - He fell in love. Love which was deep, passionate and for eternity. With the greatest game ever, Football. He loved the adrenaline, the pace and the aggression. This was something which he couldn't get enough of. He would watch it, play it, video game it, live it as if it was his religion. Then someone told him about the great football club "Manchester United", the one with the greatest history ever. He became a follower so much so that he engraved it on his arm. Forever United. In his college days he trained hard and would have made into the Football team but fate it seems is not without a sense of irony. Double Muscle Tear, both legs, dream shattered. He would cry in his room overlooking the football field where the team practiced. He would avoid the way beside the football field. The doctors said "No more extensive running for you". He gave up which later seemed like the biggest mistake ever. But there he learnt the biggest lesson "Never say die". Someone very Intelligent has said that "Life is like a boxing match, you do not loose when you fall, but only when you refuse to get up!". This inspired him, such is the power of words. He worked harder to strengthen himself, to undo what had gone wrong the last time. And one day he would return to the football field. That was the greatest joy for him, still is!
Act III "Blogging"- He fell in love, again! This girl he met, she was perfect. May be a little tall for him but hey, Tom Cruise Nicole Kidman, they looked cool, right? Anyway, drowned in the sea of love, he felt like he had too much to say, to tell. He started writing. It went on and on and on. He had so much to say. So much so that he discovered that the act of writing transcends him to this blissful state. Everyone is unique, everyone has this one thing they always love to do. His was writing. And it was never about having a blog following or something. The pleasure was never with the applause but the act itself. It has been more than 7 years. And the momentum has always been exponentially rising!
Act IV "Public Service"- He joined the paramilitary for a brief spell which was long enough to transform him tremendously. There he understood the sacrifice that people make for the country. These army men, live in very difficult and inhospitable environments and locations. They stay away from their families for long periods. He had already a great respect for them. But now having seen it for real, that respect grew many many folds. This period was a great teacher which taught him the value of time, discipline and the sense of public service.
Act V "Role Model" - His father was a great influence on him. His father was a teacher of Mathematics and apart from that dedicated all his youth to the service of humanity as a volunteer for the Ramkrishna Mission. His father gave free tuition to the poor all his life. His father always told him two things : "Howsoever big you become, do not let go your humility" & "Help Others". He asked his father one day "Dad, all my friends, their father have already decided what they should become when they grow up, what you want me to become?". His father told him this one thing which he had never forgot "I want you to be a good human being, nothing else!"
The Last Act , here he stands, before you, extremely grateful to this patient audience for being such good listners!
Thank You all!
When I first heard about this toastmasters thing, i thought, "Oh so, they formed a club to booze together and raise toasts, i mean how cool is that!", I am so game for it. But then you can stay in your wonderland only ephemerally, and reality strikes sooner than you think it would. And here I am, in front of this wonderful audience, with the Ice Breaker. I do feel those Butterflies in my stomach but thankfully I was there when Mr. Amit thought us "How to train your butterflies". That was a great speech and I am not just saying it to get some brownie points from the evaluator .
Act I "Infancy" - Once upon a time , on Martyr's Day i.e. January the 30th, 1987, a Marathi family residing somewhere in Central India got a new member, a baby boy. The mother, remembering the dream in which she had seen him about zillion times, named the child "Swapnil" meaning "the one you dream of". The father also had a name in mind but does it really matter? Of course, this is the "Mother Zone" . The family name was "Tembe" which refers to a Brazilian Tribe living alongside the Amazon River. And the ultra curly hair on this kid signaled a possible connect. Leaving anthropology aside, in the school days, he was this geeky, quite and obedient little kid, to sum up-boring!
Act II "Football" - He fell in love. Love which was deep, passionate and for eternity. With the greatest game ever, Football. He loved the adrenaline, the pace and the aggression. This was something which he couldn't get enough of. He would watch it, play it, video game it, live it as if it was his religion. Then someone told him about the great football club "Manchester United", the one with the greatest history ever. He became a follower so much so that he engraved it on his arm. Forever United. In his college days he trained hard and would have made into the Football team but fate it seems is not without a sense of irony. Double Muscle Tear, both legs, dream shattered. He would cry in his room overlooking the football field where the team practiced. He would avoid the way beside the football field. The doctors said "No more extensive running for you". He gave up which later seemed like the biggest mistake ever. But there he learnt the biggest lesson "Never say die". Someone very Intelligent has said that "Life is like a boxing match, you do not loose when you fall, but only when you refuse to get up!". This inspired him, such is the power of words. He worked harder to strengthen himself, to undo what had gone wrong the last time. And one day he would return to the football field. That was the greatest joy for him, still is!
Act III "Blogging"- He fell in love, again! This girl he met, she was perfect. May be a little tall for him but hey, Tom Cruise Nicole Kidman, they looked cool, right? Anyway, drowned in the sea of love, he felt like he had too much to say, to tell. He started writing. It went on and on and on. He had so much to say. So much so that he discovered that the act of writing transcends him to this blissful state. Everyone is unique, everyone has this one thing they always love to do. His was writing. And it was never about having a blog following or something. The pleasure was never with the applause but the act itself. It has been more than 7 years. And the momentum has always been exponentially rising!
Act IV "Public Service"- He joined the paramilitary for a brief spell which was long enough to transform him tremendously. There he understood the sacrifice that people make for the country. These army men, live in very difficult and inhospitable environments and locations. They stay away from their families for long periods. He had already a great respect for them. But now having seen it for real, that respect grew many many folds. This period was a great teacher which taught him the value of time, discipline and the sense of public service.
Act V "Role Model" - His father was a great influence on him. His father was a teacher of Mathematics and apart from that dedicated all his youth to the service of humanity as a volunteer for the Ramkrishna Mission. His father gave free tuition to the poor all his life. His father always told him two things : "Howsoever big you become, do not let go your humility" & "Help Others". He asked his father one day "Dad, all my friends, their father have already decided what they should become when they grow up, what you want me to become?". His father told him this one thing which he had never forgot "I want you to be a good human being, nothing else!"
The Last Act , here he stands, before you, extremely grateful to this patient audience for being such good listners!
Thank You all!
1 comment:
I fall in love with your articles...# deeprespect
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