2014 Division G

Toastmasters TCS-Maitree Kolkata

Toastmasters is much more than just public speaking, indeed it is. In my Journey as a Toastmaster, I have learnt so much, met so many awesome people and have grown so immensely as an individual, that I firmly believe that Toastmasters is actually a way of life. Going through the literary creations of the members of TMKTC has been a wonderful experience. It has been a pleasant surprise to know that the fantastic speakers, who leave the audience spell bound, are such gem of writers. Poetry, stories, articles, and even photographs; you name it, and TMKTC ians have their fingers running to create wonders. Kudos to all those who have contributed to this storehouse of treas-ure. My heartfelt thanks to TMs Arijita Paul, TM Souvik Dutta, TM Manisha and TM Suvayan Sengupta for Designing the Newsletter and TM Biswaraj Biswas for helping in putting everything together. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy going through the creative efforts of Toastmasters of TMKTC and will marvel at their extra ordinary talent. Happy Reading..

TM Atrayee Bhattacharya

CC | CL

Ex– President | TMKTC

A journey of belief……… Always believe in yourself. Listen to the

voice of your heart, trust your instincts. Know you can! See your

own strengths,

Dream! Dare! Face your fear! Have faith!

Follow your vision! Anything is possible if only you believe. As

toastmasters our aim is to develop public speaking & leadership

skills. In this context, it is our vision that each member will have

the confidence to believe in him or herself, whenever they are

taken to the stage to deliver a speech.

Each one of us is a leader in our own right. Hence we must have that confidence and cour-

age instilled into us as we progress through the year. In Toastmasters, responsibility never

meant to just carry out some task, it was more like carrying other fellow travelers with you

to fulfill the goals collaboratively. In Toastmasters, you don’t just want to be heard; you want

to be listen as well. It’s Toastmasters that taught us to keep my ego at home and be criti-

cized to evolve. For me it was a simple understanding the word ‘WE’. After traversing a part

of my life chasing after ‘me’, Toastmasters made me discover that the answer lies in ‘we’… it

always was. Our other main focus this year was to improve on overall quality while we aim

for the "Golden Gavel" Award.

Anyone can deliver a speech but it takes someone special to deliver one with quality. I be-

lieve that in TMKTC every one of us is special. As always I am confident that our executive

committee, and the TMKTC secretariat will give their maximum support to take this club to

the next frontier. So let me invite you to embark with me on this journey as a club where

we will discover new heights of confidence, courage and achievement!

If you believe you can...you are already halfway closer to your success~!

No one can beat someone who keeps on trying. Let’s not stop till the last minute and keep

on converting our half chances into full. Let’s take our CLUB to its rightful position in the

WORLD of public speaking & excellence!

Before I finish, I want to thank each one of YOU in person for not only giving us an oppor-

tunity to serve the club, but also to help us in the publish of this newsletter which material-

ized the dream of our past leaders. It was again ‘WE’ and not I (ME) responsible for success

of the editions of ’REFLECTIONS’ this tenure. Keep reading. Keep bonding!

In pursuit of excellence,

Suvayan

Suvayan Sengupta

IP President | TMKTC

TM Suvayan Sengupta

ACB | ALB

Ex– President | TMKTC

1. Q: Tell us in brief about yourself? How & when did you join Toastmasters? Someone once quoted, "Life Ek baar, Age no Baar!" this is what describes Jennifer di, and the quote really touched my heart, makes me very humble. Through these years, I have learnt many things, some of the most important being, positivity, generosity, belief, faith and empathy, these assets have helped me grow from strength to strength, through this enriching journey called Toastmasters. In Ratan Tata's own words, "Life is like a pre-paid card with limited validity, it is not to be taken seri-ously. After all we are people and not programmed devices." Take each day as it comes, count your blessings, what a beautiful life we have, make the most of it. Accept challenges as opportunities, for this will make you strong and wise. True success and happiness can only be appreciates if you have worked hard for it. I am talking from personal experiences. Nothing comes easy in life, we need to understand, learn to ap-preciate and make ourselves happy. IT'S IN OUR HANDS! I joined TMKTMs Club more than 6 odd years ago, with a curiosity, today, I proudly say, I have trav-ersed a path of enlightenment and personal growth. I have met and learnt from people of all walks of life, all my dear fellow toastmasters have been instrumental in teaching me so much. This is so precious a gift that I shall treasure for the rest of my life. This journey of curiosity does not end here, it continues and my thirst for knowledge remains alive as I|believe there is no age to learning, what's important is to keep the mind open to receiving. 2. Q: How do you think that Toastmasters is helping in your personal and professional life? Well it taught me how to be a patient listener, a sympathetic leader, an honest mentor, a good friend, an able evaluator and when you have such a bounty of assets, it becomes easy to balance personal as well as official life.

TM Jennifer Ghosh

Advanced Communicator Gold

Ex– President | Past Area Governor

Member * TMKTC

3. Q: How did you feel after your very first evaluation in Toastmasters? Satisfied. In Toastmasters an evaluation is packed in like a sandwich, the evaluator show cases the posi-tives about the speech, next some vital suggestions or improvement points are offered, and at the end the evaluation is wrapped up with some more positives. This triple combo sandwich evaluation is an excel-lent way of patting a person on the back, as well as suggesting points of improvement. This is entirely from ones own point of view. Nothing could have been better. This was such a wonderful way to offer ide-as and suggestions. In Toastmaster we all get the freedom of speech, this is by far the best platform I have ever come across where there is no criticism It made me feel reallys satisfied and happy when I saw mem-bers, make a conscious effort to take the suggestions seriously. This is a value of respect and the willing-ness to improve which shows only in Toastmaster. 4. Q:How did you prepare yourself for any Contest? Well as I said before, knowledge is power and with this thought in mind, I would write a speech which was extremely close to my heart. Then, I would practice it number of times, till it came out from the heart. I would practice in front of the mirror, on many occasions my sisters, my friends and even my son became my evaluator during the practice sessions. I am a classical dancer, so gestures come naturally to me, therefore, I believe any speech can come alive when you not only deliver but also perform it, facial expres-sions, eye contact and the right voice modulations are very important when you are giving a speech. 5. Q: Tell us which things one can do on a consistent basis for being a good evaluator? Well as I said before, knowledge is power, therefore, you need to read a lot. Reading helps you develop an all round knowledge of a variety of subjects. The internet too is a good base, to know more, browse around and get more knowledge about a subject, you wish to know more about. Personally a good evaluator has to be empathetic, you need to be in a position to empathize with the speech, understand the speech, find the pulse of the speech and then give your evaluation. A good evalua-tor would have something special to add to the speech which is a of value addition.

6. Q: Who mentored you? Apart from mentors from where did you get help? There were so many good mentors who helped me along the way. I remember Shiladitya Mallik, Apa-rajita Guha, Brati Sankar Ghosh, Dahlia Ghosh, Anwesha Deb (Pabrai), Kunal Pabrai, Deepak Menon, and many more. Others close to me like my husband, children and in-law were great mentors too, they always supported me and were proud of me. This was the biggest motivation factor. Before I close, I want to thank all my dear fellow Toastmasters at TCS and around the Globe. Thank you for helping and pushing me forward and upward to achieve what I have today. I am truly blessed.

FROM FEAR TO CHEER

If you want to speak in public But you are afraid of facing the music

Join the wonderful Toastmasters forum And see how you improve in the days to come;

All you need is a paper and pen Write and deliver speeches from one to ten.

Start your speaking journey with Project One Talk about yourself and have great fun

Next you need to give your P-Two Write an essay, and surely you can do.

P-Three is little difficult to pick Think of purposes both general and specific

Words are all about your P-Four Use triads, similes and metaphor

In P-Five use body gesture During delivery change your posture

In P-Six modulate your voice Include 2 characters of your choice

Research is all about your Project Seven Come with facts and figures that are proven

P-Eight tests your skills of presentation Prepare visuals with proper color combination

In Project Nine you need to persuade But with power, to whatever you have said

P-Ten is your speech of inspiration Motivate the audience and get a standing ovation

Now you have become a coveted speaker And earned the certificate of a Competent Communicator

TM Satyadip Basu

ACS * ALS | Past Area Governor

Member * TMKTC

TM Pramod Fernandes

ACS * ALS

Past Area Governor | Past Asst. Div. Governor

Member * TMKTC

The Child in Me

Just the other day I went into flashback mode and was transported into a slower, but peaceful and happy world. I am referring to my childhood days in Thane (Mumbai), from where I hail. During my childhood, we had heard of only railway station and not playstation. We had no Xbox, only a toy box. The only thing I wanted to do those days was to go down and play. My mother used to get tired of calling me home for lunch or dinner and sometimes I used to get spanked for not adhering to lunch and dinner timings. For me, the ultimate joy was to just go down and play; anything, cricket, football, hide and seek, dog and the bone etc… At every given time there used to be a minimum of 20/30 children on the ground in between the two buildings our complex comprised of. Actually, I realized it was a complex much later. In those days, who cared? I remember our family vis-iting relatives and friends and vice versa. There was so much love and bonding. Parents had more time for children and children enjoyed their growing up years playing physical games. Now, we find children stuck to their gaming consoles, TV, Computer or mobile phone. Physical games have reduced so drastically and this is the precise reason why chil-dren fall sick more often. Children today have hardly any physical exercise in the form of running, playing etc.. Of course, they are smart and more intelligent than what I was when I was a kid, but all this intelligence is no good if children get unthinkable ailments like dia-betes and heart problems at an early age. Look at the number of children wearing spectacles these days. In our days it was a rarity. The only solution to these problems is that parents must encourage their children to in-dulge in physical activities like a sport, game etc.. When I was a kid, Christmas meant, making sweets at home and then distributing it to all our friends and relatives. We found joy in sharing. During Diwali, my Hindu friends would give us sweets. It was so much fun. Diwali also meant bursting of crackers and finding in-novative ways to do so. Today, due to environment problems, bursting of crackers has re-duced, especially the noisy ones.

Most of my summer vacations were spent in going to our native place in Mangalore – Karnataka. We met my grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins etc… Once in Mangalore, the activity changed a bit. Cricket was still on the agenda, but climbing trees, plucking fruits and acquiring honey from beehives was now also on the agenda. Fruits like man-goes, Jackfruit, pineapple and chickoos were in abundance and also there were some rare delicacies. Food cooked with firewood and earthen utensils had its own distinctive taste and homemade ghee was used for everything.

I definitely miss all the childhood fun I had and sometimes wish I was a child again. I try to behave like a child whenever I can e.g. say what I want and do what I feel is right. Sometimes I get into trouble, but most of the time it is fun and life seems so much more enjoyable.

TM Atrayee Bhattacharya

CC | CL

Ex– President | TMKTC

“You can get a cookie for yourself from the shop, can’t you?”

“Yes, of course I can. But why can’t you share from the full packet of cookies

you have?”

As the rattled rolled on, my Mom’s decibel breaking voice echoed, “Don’t you

have a better business than fighting tooth and nail with a five year old?”

As I walked away from there, seemingly disgusted enough after the wrath with

my fierce rival, the words echoed in my ears; “...five years old…” and I traversed

back in time to relish age old memories.

This time of the year has always been very close to my heart. Winter, to me, means Christmas, New Year, picnics and as

a child, it meant a lot of time with my working mother; a time of the year when we both could cherish a lot of each other,

courtesy, our winter break in school. Lazy days, basking in the afternoon sun, steaming coffee and popcorns, one “Mom

knit” sweater every season, and the kind and mild “Kolkata winter” adorned the childhood winter vacations. As kids, we

would watch our elder counterparts in awe, as they played badminton, while, we would have to manage with small, plas-

tic, colourful tennis bats. How eagerly we would wait to grow up! We even volunteered to supplement our growth with “Boost” and “Milo”, which offered badminton rackets for free! As childhood made way for adolescence, winters would

bring along the adventure of organizing picnics with friends on rooftops, where “friends of friends” would gain in entry,

without Mom raising her eyebrows. Not to forget the winter weddings, where “little women” would take that giant step

to lady hood and flaunt their “dupattas” and borrowed “sarees”; clumsy, yet pretty.

Everything that’s natural is so smooth; kids grow up to become children, they, in turn shape up into teenagers and adoles-

cents, who mature into adults. In the process, dreams develop Gigantism and grow abnormally; from possessing dilapi-

dated glass panes, to jigsaw puzzle and drawing books, to electronic delicacies, to the undefined. The bucket of wish lists

keeps getting heavier with almost nothing being drawn out of it.

Gogol, my five year old nephew, gives wings to my fantasy of reliving the days gone by. A day without him is like plum

cake without dry fruits and “tutty fruity”. Children are always a treat to be with; I am sure you will agree with me. But, why is it so? Is it because our minds never grow up with us? As we grow in age, appearance and rationality, don’t we

only tame our minds to keep mum and listen to our brain? With children around, the dormant minds seem to wake up to

life and even, dance to glory.

There’s nothing absurd in that. It’s absolutely fair to buy a lollipop or a stick ice cream once in a while and rush to a cor-

ner to cherish it; it’s ok to try to catch the soap bubbles before they burst; and it’s fine to sometimes, put aside the um-

brella and let the rain drop tickle down the forehead and kiss the cheeks. The child in us has s firm conviction that what-

ever it wants should be its, irrespective of all constraints. The bucket of wish lists can be made lighter only and only if

the child in us is alive.

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try”

Just wonder about “some beautiful red and yellow roses arranged beautifully”………….Don‟t you feel the positive vibes filling up your mind and you admiring the simple creativity blissfully. I wanted to paint a masterpiece and so becoming a painter was all I wanted during my teen days, when your grey matter is just not injected with BIGG stuffs!! My days of flailing at coloring white canvases were behind me – it was time for me to grab a brush and palette and start wowing the masses with my musical prowess. As painting seemed like quite a creative pursuit, I decided to just pick up 2B pencil whenever I was feel-ing inspired. My inspiration would strike about once a week, leading to a sixty minute session of discord-ant chaos. As you can imagine, I quickly discovered that my skills were good but not as good as my dreams, “Just winning painting competitions don‟t assure you to paint a masterpiece” J And a few months later, I realized that my painting skills were not getting any better. Dejected, I approached my grandpa, where I got a piece of advice that changed my approach not only towards painting but towards anything I dream of……. It was simple – Paint for 20 minutes a day. Its better than 60 minutes twice a week. Taking this new approach, I banged in district level painting competition. Isn‟t it amazing how “Small and Often”, replaces “Big and Occasional”. Constant creativity is a way of living. Each one of us are creative each moment we use our imagination or original idea in real world. It can be a joke, a literary work, a painting, a musical composition, a solution or an invention. Have you noticed? Each of the massive blazes has a small, humble beginning. A dropped cigarette, loose ember or even a spark from a car can rapidly transition from being a brief flash of energy to becoming a powerful force of change. The iPod was the idea of Tony Fadell, who imagined a new link between an MP3 player and a music sale service. Sir John Harrington imagined a more hygienic way for royalty to relieve themselves, and thus the flush toilet was invented. Coming up with the spark/idea is a fairly regular activity for people, especially in gatherings. But – too often – we instantly douse these ideas with one simple word. “No”. We engage in critical thought, rationality and sound judgment to identify the best option and move for-ward with it. At certain times, however, we must learn to suspend our judgment, to allow new ideas the opportunity to grow and develop.

TM Priyanka Bali

Ex– VP Membership

Asst. Area Govr. Marketing

Member* TMKTC

I was playing building blocks with my nephew, Ansh and he requested me to show something new…I thought of

showing him how to create a bridge?

Ansh was excited and taken away with the concept of bridge and me astonishing him with the knowledge I pos-

sess, went to kitchen to get shake for him.

When I came with banana shake I saw all the building blocks arranged tangentially in a long line and Ansh hold-

ing the other side asking me to bring a whole new set of blocks from the mall nearby…I said why what are you making so gigantic?

Quickly: I am making a bridge on sea!!

Bridge on sea?

I should have uttered”No, Its actually a weird idea, no one does this. Go, its study time”.

But, The act would then be equivalent to throwing a bucket of water on a small spark, on a tiny new idea.

“YES is a collaboration message. When we say YES we strengthen relationships. YES empowers people to

achieve more while NO is a message of rejection.

Many days later I discovered Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the longest sea bridge made by china!!

Some of us love a great photo.

Some of us love to dance.

Music is our passion.

Some of us love to paint, to draw, to daub

Some of us love crafts

Right-brain, source of all things creative asks you to Leave your number-crunching left-brain at the office and gal-

vanize your artistic side on you creative take at least 20mins a day.

Whatever be your cup of tea……photography to painting, dancing to jewelry making, Mosaics to flamenco guitar

For an creative take, why not combine jewellery making with cooking, photography with social networking, danc-

ing with learning Spanish or painting and yoga?

Lets surround and wrap ourselves with light, color and striking scenery to make our right brain fizz and life more

wonderful!

Stay creative! Stay motivated! Stay blessed!

Photography : TM Anirban J. Gupta

Do you love her??

Did you ever try to carry a stone weighing 1 kg or your laptop loaded office bag

for all day and night? You would probably say what a stupid question it is. Who

does it?

Well there is one person I know. It is a mother who carries a baby in her womb

for nine long months, all day and night, with no breaks. She is not even allowed

to keep it aside for a single minute, nor can anyone comfort her saying, “Hey!

Give it to me for few minutes and you take some rest.”

Scientifically a human body can bear maximum up to 45 Del (units) of pain. Did u ever imagine how

much pain a mother feels when she gives birth to a child? It‟s 57 Del (units) and this is equivalent to

20 bones getting fractured at the same time.

Have you ever heard about unselfish love?

You will probably say yes, my lover, my boyfriend or girlfriend loves me that way or my spouse loves

me like that. But remember neither your spouse nor your lover loves you unselfishly; they might love

you a lot but they are no match to the way your mother loves you. For example try making a big mis-

take and see, who loves you unselfishly. Your girlfriend will say, „don’t talk to me’, your wife will shout,

„why the hell you did that!‟ But it is only your mother who will confidently stand by you and say that my

son/daughter can‟t do that. No one on this earth will ever be able to make her believe that you com-

mitted that mistake, and she still loves you in the same way she used to do earlier. Needless to men-

tion how protective she is, people here can recall and agree with me if you have seen that “MOTHER

DAIRY” ad in Facebook, where a mother gets scold & shout from her husband just to protect their

son.

With that said you must be thinking what‟s new in it. Fathers will neither carry the embryo, nor will

they deliver the baby, and of course every mother loves their kids. But the biggest question is, what

are we giving to her, in return of her unconditional, unselfish love? Unfortunately we forget everything

once we grow up. In the movie “English Vinglish” where Sridevi plays the role of a mother to a teen-

ager girl is a burden to her daughter because she cannot speak English. In the Movie “Baghban” the

sons forget their mother‟s affection because of their wives. This seems to be the latest trend. These

days‟ professionals can‟t even afford to spend some time with their mothers and site their busy sched-

ules as excuses.

Just recall how she took so many years out of her life to raise you. She had all her schedules booked

only for you. And here you are looking for a little time to spend with her to repay that huge kindness.

She did a lot when you were nothing; she made you learn how to speak. And now you feel it‟s a

headache for you when she tries to speak to you. It is your mother who saved you from every disease

so that you are healthier to live your life happily and now you are leaving her because she is sick. She

wrapped you up in her womb for months, and she hugged you, stroked your head, and rubbed your

feet and what not.

TM Soubhagya Prusty

Member* TMKTC

Even though you are busy these small things can do wonders.

Love her verbally, talk to her daily 5-10 min in your break.

Hug her whenever you meet.

Give her surprise gifts the way you do to please your wives.

Take her out on family outings. Many more.

Don‟t celebrate your love for your mother only on mother‟s day. Because each day you live it is be-

cause of her. Someone has rightly said “it was not possible for God to reach out to every house so he

gave mothers to everyone to feel his presence”. Start loving your mother for once you lose her you will

be the biggest loser in the world. Give your family, your mom time out of your busy professional life,

for she had given you a lot when you really needed it, now it‟s your turn to repay back.

LOOKING BACK AT 2013

Twenty thirteen – the year I turned twenty three. Can't believe this year went by so quick! In a line, this year has been the best year in my life so far. That is why, I jumped a the idea of writing about it! So many memories to share.. 2013 was a year of firsts for me – first job and so first salary(yipee!), first time away from home, first night out with friends, first try at adventure sports(wow), first breakup(ouch!), first friend got married(making me realize I have grown up!), first sip of vodka(don't tell my mommy), first ear piercing(that hurt!!), the list is endless. Unlucky 13 turned out to be quite lucky for me. My year started in Punjab(yes, we do have the same mustard fields as projected in Yash Chopra movies!). I remember quite vividly that I spend the year hopping from one relative's house to another and I got lots of money from everyone. May-be I working now but I will always be child for the elders ;-) My mother says that whatever you do on the new year is reflected on your entire year. That probably explains my travelling throughout the year! I joined TCS Gandhinagar in March. The next 3 months were a joy ride. I met many like-minded people there and eventually made a lot of friends . Every friday night, we would pack our bags and set out for a new adventure and return only on Monday mornings. So, the 'sleep hangover' followed the entire week. In fact I slept in class once and got caught as well. Best of all, when our teacher called out my name, I got up hurriedly and completely denied that I was sleeping. I told him, "Sir, I was looking into the notebook (on my lap)!" I made a complete fool out of myself that day. But, I don't regret sleeping in class at all. Its a small price to pay for such memorable trips, isn't it? I toured the whole of Gujarat and near-by areas of Rajasthan in those three months. Coming back home was sad. I have spend 23 years in Kolkata and I wanted more adventure now. I wanted to explore. Little did I know that a gang of awesome people awaited me in my first project! I met the most amazing people and work-ing with them has been so much fun. Here, I learnt the mantra of – Work hard and party harder! The last and probably the most significant moment of 2013 was joining TMKTC. I have always admired people who speak well and Toastmasters is the best plat-form that can be for meeting such people. I believe that words can move moun-tains. I wish that someday I will be good enough to inspire people with my words. Well, all good things must come to an end and so has this year. Hope the new year brings joy to everyone. Personally, I have set up many goals or 'new year res-olutions' as we call them. Learning swimming, trying out atleast one adventure sport, becoming a CC and CL(!), gaining weight are few of them. I do not know how many of goals will I be able to achieve by year end. But I shall surely tell you when I do! Till then, smile and welcome the new year with hope and enthusiasm. Happy New Year!

TM Manisha Parmar

VP PR * TMKTC

I feel so +ve and good when someone says good words to me and I hate that feeling when someone throws uncon-

structive words which leads -ve attitude towards everything. Words are so powerful that they can ignite fires in the

minds of men and they can bring tears from the hardest hearts and changes the attitude of a person.

Remember a saying that, There is little difference in people ---but that little difference makes a big difference. The little differ-ence is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.

Let’s try to understand the significance of words and attitude in our life by a famous frog story:

Once upon a time, A group of frogs were going for their froggy business, when all of sudden two of them fell into a

deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they

saw how deep the pit is, they agreed that it is hopeless and told the two frogs that they should prepare themselves for their fate.

But, Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their energy. Some of the frogs were

shouting that it is hopeless, and that the two frogs wouldn't be in that situation if they had been more careful, more

obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible. All frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save

their energy and give up, since they are already as good as dead.

The two frogs continued jumping, and after several hours of this, they were quite tired, exhausted. Finally, one of the

frogs took heed to the calls of his fellow frogs. He quietly resolved himself to his fate, lay down at the bottom of the

pit, and died.

But the other frog continued to jump as hard as he could although his body was wracked with pain and he was quite

exhausted, his companions were yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped

harder and harder and, wonder of wonders, finally leaped so high that he sprang from the pit. Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his seconed life and freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you

continue jumping when we told you it is impossible?" That frog tried to read their lips and then he explained them

through his actions that he is deaf, and as he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on.

What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds. This simple story contains powerful lessons

1. If we really want to accomplish something, we can always choose to become deaf, especially when the people around us say negative or

discouraging things. 'We should never give up. We are like the little frog. We are deaf to all these criticisms. So be bold and achieve whatever

dreams you have in your life by +ve atitude

2. There is death and life in the power of the tongue. Your encouraging words can lift someone up and help them make it through the day. Your destructive words can

cause deep wounds; they may be the weapons that destroy someone's desire to continue trying - or even their life.

Your destructive, careless word can diminish someone in the eyes of others, destroy their influence and have a lasting

impact on the way others respond to them. Be careful what you say. There is enormous power in words.

Regards TM : Apoorva Mishra

An interaction with Toastmasters from other Districts in Bhubaneswar on 18th May 2013. The very interaction made her submit her thoughts to us ..

Alter-Ego Paradise

Greetings Fellow Toastmasters. We all know how Emperor Shah Jahan built the TajMahal, the serene symbol of beauty. Can anybody tell me how Jahangir got the taste of „Paradise‟? Well, I tried and man-aged to get it successfully too. Last year I visited this Paradise on Earth along with my father, it was just before I got to know my DOJ at TCS. You may have already guessed. Yes, I am talking about Kashmir, our very own Kashmir. We were very much eager to cut our travel time,so chose to travel by Rajdhani Express from Howrah to New Delhi, and then to Jammu by another Rajdhani Express, our dream chari-ots. On reaching Jammu, we got into a travera, the destination being Srinangar. Kashmir is a dream in reality in full grandeur. Kashmir is just amazing. We did not get much time to explore the entire region but somehow managed to see some of the prime gems of its Crown. In Srinagar, I nagged to my Dad not to put up in a Hotel, for I wanted the experience of a house boat. Since he always pampers me, we put up in a lovely House Boat on the Dal Lake with 5 star facilities along with warm hospitality of the house boat owner. During the course of our stay in Srinagar, I fell in love….not with one but many….. bridges. It was just like a reel like setting and I kept staring at every-thing and everyone with such innocence and wide eyes not wanting to miss any detail of the picture per-fect beauty around. I would be committing a huge sin if I do not tell you about the experience of the exot-ic house-boats on the lakes of Srinagar, where we stayed for four whole days.It was simply awesome. The experience will live with me forever and I will pass on this heritage to my children and grandchildren. Everyone one on this earth, must make a trip to Srinagar and stay in a house boat. The warmth, the beauty, the serenity and the atmosphere are breath taking. The Market, the Garden, the Park etc. are all in the water. The climate was extremely bracing. You will feel as if you are in a celluloid world. A place to relax in mind,soul & body. Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh are only two of many well maintained gardens bridging between the Mughal Era and the Bollywood Era. Then we went a little west of Srinagar, where lies Leh-ladakh, popular by the name of "Little-Tibet". It was then that, I realized why Aamir Khan is in love with this lovely place after 3 Idiots. If you visit Little Tibet you will understand what beauty im-mensely blessed with nature actually is. The swooshing sound from the swaying trees are in perfect har-mony with the beautiful surroundings .The houses there are mstly made of wood with sloped roofs and usually very high with a minimum of two floors. Kesar, i.e. saffron is famous in this part of the country, they are grown on the hilly terrain. Hence people here enjoy delicious cuisine. One similarity I took de-light in is that the Kashmiris also like Rice and spicy curry like the Bangalees. Some of the most costly Cricket Bats of Willow are manufactured in the cottage industry at Srinagar. Talking about Security? Any Time, All the Time, there are Indian Army Men and BSF everywhere, contributing their sleepless nights. Perhaps this being one of the main reasons, tourists get to enjoy their vacations. My journey was like covering an entire semester within a four day study.

TM Suvayan Sengupta

ACB | ALB

Ex– President | TMKTC

Gulmarg, the popular destination for skiing is famous for its walnut work, embroidery and kangri which keep the people in Kashmir warm. The Region is famous for outdoor activities like fishing, horse riding, golf and trekking. The journey to these places will make you speechless and I am sure you will feel as if you are in some new un-discovered planet. Guess who was my partner in boat rafting on the river Leador. It was my father looking and behaving younger than me. We also stayed in Sonmarg, and, Pahalgam, for 3 days in a cottage. Unfortunately, every beginning has an end. So was the case of ours. Time rolled on unknowingly, and the day approached when we had to leave the „valley of dreams‟ to catch the Rajdhani Express back to Kolka-ta. True to the core of the meaning of the word 'Paradise', Kashmir truly is amazingly splendid, or, splen-didly amazing! I am still trying to figure this out? The flora and fauna around is so refreshing compared to the pollution and hassle and bustles of city life. Please allow me to quote, If there is paradise, it is here, itis here, it is here! In yester years, Kashmir had an immense habitual presence of almost all romantic Bollywood and Tol-lywood movies. How can we forget Kashmir ki kali, Sharmila Tagore, and Shammi Kapoor? Those days are coming back again. Shah Rukh Khan, for the first time in his career is shooting in Kashmir for a Yash Chopra‟s forthcoming firm. I can go on and on about Kashmir, time permitting…maybe we can take this offline. I hope I have intrigued you to go explore this beautiful place…!! Over to you Toastmaster!

Photography : TM Anirban Jyoti Gupta

During your growing up years, how many of you had some dream about your ambition? A dream where you had seen yourself as an

actor or cricketer? During my teenage I always wanted to be a movie director and not an actor. I realized that with my physical charac-

teristics, it will be difficult to be an actor. On a serious note, as an avid movie watcher, I found that director is the captain of the ship

and he steers the ship and not the actors. But my dear friends, like many others, I also failed to realize it and ended up being software

professional.

After initial few years as a developer, I got the chance to manage projects. And then I realized that managing a project is exactly simi-

lar to directing a film. You may laugh at me, but once I describe each and every aspect of these similarities you will understand why I

said this.

Let’s start with the beginning. Do you know how the lifecycle of a feature film starts? A producer or production house planning to

make a movie in some particular genre appoints a director for that. Similarly customer or sponsor wanting to develop a piece of soft-

ware appoints a project manager. Then the screenplay, which is the most important thing for a film is written. The success of a film

hugely depends on its screenplay. Likewise for a project the scope needs to be defined. Unless the scope is well defined, the project

can fail miserably. The way we cannot expect an item song in a thriller like Kahani, we should not allow scope creep to be happen in a

project.

The producer also informs the director about the total cost and release date of the planned film. That’s why it is announced that the

film will be slated on Eid or Diwali release even before the shooting is started. Similarly client has pre approved budget for the

planned project and the release date which is production deployment date. Director or project manager has to plan accordingly so that

they can meet the end date within approved budget.

Once the screenplay has been written, the director finalizes the major cast after consulting with producer keeping screenplay in mind.

The other cast and crew are selected by director. For a project the key positions like architect, business analysts are finalized with in-

puts from the customer. Project manager then finalizes the rest of the team.

Once the screenplay, budget, schedule and cast have been finalized the pre-production work is started. On the similar note, pre produc-

tions are like our requirement gathering and detailed design phase. After the pre-production, actual shooting takes place. In the same

way for software, the development activities are started. In both the cases, director or project manager needs to keep a close watch on

schedule and cost. He needs to ensure that deliverables should be of best quality and to make this possible he has to extract the best

from his actors or team members. Unfortunately in both the cases, people cannot resist the alluring call of doing copy paste.

After shooting is completed, the post production work such as editing, dubbing etc is started which makes the end product better. For

us, after development, unit and system testing is started to make the end product error free. Once ready the software goes through an

UAT. A film undergoes acceptance testing via private screening, screening in film festivals where director can judge the reactions of

selected few.

After all this hard work, finally comes that day when the film will get released. The success and failure depends upon the feedback it

receives from all viewers who actually buy a ticket and watch it in a theater. Similarly, project is also deployed to production on sched-

uled deployment date and its success and failure depends upon the feedback it receives from business users who actually use the sys-

tem.

I guess now you understand why I told you there is a similarity, that too significant similarity between a film director and a project

manager. I could not fulfill my dream and become a film director. However I conceptualized my job as a project manager in such a

manner so that it resembles to my dream job. Only 2 things I’m missing here are the star studded award ceremonies and company of

good looking actresses.

TM Sudip Bhowmik

Member* TMKTC

THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the en-

tire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” No truer words were ever spoken and they were said by one of the greatest minds in the history of humanity. Albert Einstein knew a thing or two about imagination. His

ability to think beyond convention, to question authority and the conclusions of scientists who came before him,

gave our world some of the most significant scientific theories and discoveries of our time.

Imagination is one of the world’s greatest forces. Human beings have progressed and developed in direct relation-

ship to their collective imagination. All of our world’s greatest achievements were once just thoughts in the minds of

people who dared to dream them.

Man always dreamt of flying-his heart ached to be free like a bird that could see the world from above. Each phase

from man’s first flight to the multidimensional concept of air travel had to be taken as an idea in someone’s imagina-

tion before it could become a reality. Leonardo da Vinci drew elaborate drawings of flying machines in the 15th cen-tury. It has been written that he created a machine that did fly, but the religious leaders of the day labelled it an in-

strument of evil and made him destroy it.

The most dynamic aspect of imagination is the act of forming mental images of what does not yet exist in our world.

Another level of imagination is creating a new idea or combination of ideas stimulated by and based on previous ex-

periences. When we are creatively imagining something, we are actually causing it to come into being because it has

been formed for the first time in our minds. Our images contain creative power. Our thoughts are like magnets,

drawing to us that which we think about with passion or emotion. In order to achieve your dreams you have to sus-

pend disbelief and allow yourself to dream and do it on a repetitive basis.

Your thoughts rule your world-that’s why you need to be very careful about what you think about. Most people

think about what they don’t want, what they’re afraid of, or what they can’t do. They likely to lead a very unhappy

life filled with anxiety rather than achievement. One of the challenges is the way most people are programmed to

think. The majority of the messages we receive when we are very young involve conformity, and most people end

up programmed that way. As a child, one is taught to obey or suffer consequences, so when most people reach adult-

hood, they choose to perpetuate conformity as the easiest and most expedient approach to life. We prefer not to rock

the boat because our need for approval is usually far stronger than our desire to do something great.

Conformity is one of the greatest psychological evils of human kind. Conformity breaks a person’s spirit-takes away

his capacity to dream a better life for himself and have the drive to achieve it. The conformist is filled with the need

for approval and he or she can never get enough. He runs from one person to the next seeking compliments and en-dorsements for his behaviour and or actions. As a child, he or she probably turned to teachers. When he started to

work, he turned to his boss and fellow workers, and in marriage he turned to his mate. By constantly seeking ap-

proval, he escapes from the responsibility of creating his own success and happiness and becomes totally dependent

on others for his well being.

In order to be leader, you have to break away from conformist thinking. The problem is conformists probably sur-

round you. You may be married to one, surrounded at your job by some, and even parented by conformists. Your

need for their approval needs to diminish if you want to make your dreams come true. The opposite of bravery is not

cowardice; it’s conformity-so let your imagination fly without worrying about what will happen if you fail. After all,

tomorrow is another day.

TM Arnab Nag

Trasurer* TMKTC

Educate, Compete, Entertain - Conferences

In our busy lives we often forget the benefit of meeting people face to face. Lives driven by social media have left us unable to appreciate the human emotions of meeting an individual in person, Beit from your Toastmasters community. Toastmasters‟ conferences provide a gamut of learning opportunities including prospects of forging new connections. One gets the chance to explore various unusual places across the country, get an insight into local culture & food; and who can forget the abundant fun and frolic. If you have been to Toastmas-ters but not attending the conferences, it is akin to swimming without getting your skin wet. Many peo-ple think that joining the Toastmasters organization is enough, but to capitalize on the return of invest-ment we should attend and participate in conferences. Here are five reasons why we should attend conferences:

Educational opportunities. No matter how proficient we are in our workplace and irrespective of our professional levels, we can all can learn from the broad category of educational sessions. Simply being a part of the toastmasters club does not give us exposure to a variety of points of view. The educational sessions can evoke new ideas and thoughts for facilitating our development and bring out new ways of conducting our sessions. All speakers are available to talk to any mem-ber at a personal level and go beyond the learning objectives. Success of the after-session huddles or a chat over coffee is irreplaceable and priceless.

Networking with peers. Conferences provide a great opportunity to network. Often toastmasters from other clubs become valuable resources for referrals and best-practices. Collaboration is the key to networking. These networks become long term relationships that can yield dividends dur-ing your need. Some say that the personal conversations that they have with other toastmasters are the most rewarding and enriching.

Getting to know the competition - Very often people shy away from the contestants at the con-ferences. The only conversations a person has are to say “Great Speech”, “All the best”, “Congratulations”. They fear that they will have to talk to the gladiators, but in reality, these con-testants are some of the best people to learn from. Believe me; they are not arrogant and will not bite you. The contestants are more than willing to share their personal approach to prepare for the contests. If you have dreamt of wearing the crown and standing on the podium with a blitz of razzmatazz you must talk to the people who have been there to discover innovative ways of pre-paring and practicing. Additionally, you become completely aware of the winning patterns, judg-ing styles and the audience response.

Position yourself as a leader - When you are active in your club, area and division, you can de-velop a reputation as an expert. Those who are engaged over the long term are often asked to speak at the events and to write articles for the conference magazines and brochures. Believe it or not, everyone likes to associate with the experts. New members feel good about working with those who have a celebrated name. You also bring fame and reputation to your home club. So do not hide your talent under a blanket of humility because you are losing a valuable opportunity.

TM Parantap Basu

Ex-President * TMKTC

IP Area Governor * G1

Have fun – Conferences are a great fun with the exotic locales and gourmet. At the end of the day after well packaged sessions of education and business meetings, the evenings provide an oppor-tunity to socialize and have fun. All conferences are packed with fun activities such as parties, tal-ent shows, and tours of the local area where the event is hosted. Taking an extra day at the begin-ning or end of the trip to explore or visit friends in the region is also a great way to maximize the investment in travel.

Generally a district conference is built round the pillars of Education, Entertainment, and Competition. And aren‟t these the essential drivers of force for the development of any society & organization?

When I hear the word ‘influence’ I think of a bright light in my

life, the only woman whom I can ever love more than anything, the

woman inspiring me to the maximum,

my grandmother, my ‘Didibhai’, the lady of compassion, honesty and

independence.

She stands at five-two, a short woman she may be, yet so influential. Her compassion level is

over the charts. No matter what circumstances are, she will always try to help a person in

need. It’s a pleasure witnessing. She would always tell me, ‚Happiness is worth every pen-

ny.‛ After seeing her act of kindness everywhere she goes, I started applying it to my daily

life. I started donating an amount from my salary to the homeless Street Children Organiza-

tions anytime I get the chance to. Every donation counts because one penny can make a person

in need happy, and that’s the best feeling in the world! I’m a member of Animal Community

Service. I enjoy helping the community, with food drives, parades. I’m glad I’m not the per-

son I was a few years ago, who was oblivious to donations and selfish when it came to money.

Now because of my grandma’s influence on me, I’ve open up my heart and everywhere I go I

wouldn’t miss a chance to donate and participate in events (which TCS MAITREE offers in plen-

ty). She was fluent in Bengali and English was a foreign language to her. With all of her late

night studying and commitment to her work she graduated high school. It still amazes me how

incredibly determined she was with her education. But unfortunately she couldn’t afford going

on to college because her family was financially unstable. It breaks my heart realizing how

hard she work and how soon her dreams and goals had to end because of money. Opportunities she

never had, but working every living day to make sure I do. That is why I am committed to my

education and giving it one hundred and ten percent. Her influence on me has a positive impact

in my life, may it be to leap over any obstacles I’ll ever encounter in life making me strive

for education, to become something I will be proud of and nothing I’ll ever be ashamed of.

In a nut shell, she is the most important person in my life. She has always held my hand as a

child, but now as an adult venturing out in this huge world she’s finally letting go. I’m

proud to be the person I am today, and everything I’ve accomplished it’s all because of her.

On her note, I began a journey where academic achievement and servant leadership travel to-

gether. And I plan my journey of ‘Caring’ & Sharing‘ with others so that TOGETHER WE CAN

ACHIVE MORE. If I could, I would thank her every single day. I’m blessed to have a grandmoth-

er like her and I couldn’t possibly imagine life without her.

Love you Didibhai ..

TM Suvayan Sengupta

When you are a an Alien I still remember the first time somebody mentioned Toastmasters to me. I was wondering what one does

in a Toastmasters meeting. I attended one such meeting and never looked back. I went deeper and deeper into

the abyss of Toastmasters and the good thing is that I don’t want to come out of it because I have found friend-

ly aliens down below.

Please don’t get offended, but in today’s world of cut throat competition, crab mentality etc… where

will you find humans who want to help, expecting nothing in return. These Toastmasters also spend money to

help others and find joy in this action. Now you know why I call Toastmasters Aliens. I have heard speeches

from these Aliens…..oops Toastmasters about smiles, birds, holidays, marriage etc… and learnt so much from

my fellow members and also members from other clubs. I remember watching a Roadies audition on MTV and

was shocked to see that many young generation Indians of today are so involved in the virtual world that they lack common sense, basic knowledge and are unaware of their surroundings. There was one youngster who

didn’t even know who our Prime Minister is and knew nothing about our country. I strongly feel that these

youngsters should join Toastmasters.

It has been more than 6 years now and it seems that the Toastmasters movement is actually flowing in

my veins. I don’t know why, but a smile comes on my face as soon as I speak to a Toastmaster or meet one. I

look forward to the sessions and also look forward to every meeting that is held, may it be an executive com-

mittee meeting or for that matter a meeting to discuss another meeting. The reason for looking forward to such

meetings is maybe because I get to see and talk to Toastmasters. These days, when I attend an event, confer-

ence or even watching an interview on Television, I actually start evaluating the speech I hear. I start counting

the Ahs ums etc.., I check for good and incorrect usage of grammar; I check for body language, gestures and

voice modulation as well. I have realized that our Bollywood stars favourite filler word is “you know”. When India won the World cup, I was happy with Sri Lanka because, Sangakarra spoke better that Yuvraj and Dhoni.

Leave alone others, I actually evaluate myself after every phone conversation I have with Clients, vendors

etc…

There was a time; when I met people, the first question thrown at me would be – “How are you”? Or

“did you have your lunch” Now, the same people ask me, “How is Toastmasters going”. I am not sure if they

are really interested or sarcastically saying it, but it feels good. I have found much more in Toastmasters than

anywhere else…… I have made wonderful friends. These friends are for life. This is the effect that Toastmas-

ters has had on me. Sometimes I feel this is crazy, but deep down I know I enjoy being an alien (Toastmaster)

more than a human in today’s world.

Once a Toastmaster, always a Toastmaster.

TM Pramod Fernandes

ACS * ALS

Past Area Governor | Past Asst. Div. Governor

Member * TMKTC

TM RONAK GHOSH

TM BISWARAJ BISWAS

TM DHRUBAJYOTI CHAUDHURI