Step out of your comfort zone! - TM Ilavenil, Mysore Toastmasters

Humorous speeches to me are a bugaboo. I've had two washouts - one before I gave my icebreaker which can be put down to inexperience, and one after I had received the title of Competent Communicator last year. The second time, I was ready to leave Toastmasters, or forever give up my dream of making the audience laugh.

But as this year's contest announcement came, I had an idea - make a few hilarious incidents in my life into a speech. I typed up the script and I started to practice. But there was a BIG problem. The script required me to step completely out of my boundaries, my serious self, let go of all my inhibitions. It wasn't a step out of my comfort zone that was required, it was a launch from the Earth to the Moon.  I did not know whether I could!

Then came one of the most surreal experiences in my life.  My next project (ACS 3) is a story with a moral and I've been struggling to find one that is suitable for a grown up audience. A week before the contest, I was about to drift off to sleep when a speech just came to me, fully written. I felt like I was reading through a written script - I knew when to use voice modulation, what gestures to use, where to stand and when to use emphasis, all in an instant. The speech was based on Tennyson's "Lady of Shalott" written in 1842. A poem I loved, but the speech had a moral that I had not thought of or read anywhere else. I typed it out as it came to me. 790 words. I checked the manual. 5-7 minute time limit. It was perfect. My subconscious had presented me with a fully drafted and timed speech. 

The speech is about a lady who sits in a stone tower, weaving a magic web because she is cursed. A voice has whispered to her that if she looks upon the towers of Camelot, "a curse will befall her." For years and years, she sits, watching the world go by in a crystal mirror. Finally one day, on seeing Sir Lancelot as a flash in her mirror, she leaves her weaving and looks out. She sees Camelot, her web floats out, her mirror breaks. She leaves the tower in a boat. She sings a sad song as the boat moves towards Camelot and dies before she reaches Sir Lancelot.

The moral of the story, according to the speech that popped up in my head - she did not know what the curse is. She spent her whole life locked in a tower because of her fear. The fear of the unknown was so overwhelming that she did not let go even when she left the tower. Ultimately, she died without ever having seen anything but shadows. So, dear Toastmasters, do not let whispered curses rule your life. Do not be satisfied with shadows. Step outside that fortress, leave your comfort zone. Seize opportunities!! That was my conclusion. But before I could deliver this speech, I had to face the humorous speech contest.

On the day of the contest, my hands shook and mouth ran dry when I wrote down the title of the script. I was standing outside the room most of the time. I was not this nervous for my icebreaker - I had not been this nervous since my schooldays.  I was ready to pull out from the contest till the moment my name was announced. It was so far beyond what I was comfortable doing, that my knees shook and hands shivered when I took the stage. The room was suffocating and I was hyperventilating when I finally shook hands with the contest chair, and I ran right out of the room. Only when I left the room and my heart slowed down did I realise, I had made an audience laugh!

My objective on taking the stage was to get through the speech with a few laughs. I ended up winning the contest. 

When I came back home, when I opened up the "Lady of Shalott" script after dinner, I finally knew where the script had come from.My subconscious mind wanted me to leave my comfort zone.  An ordinary subconscious gives you dreams that tell you what to do. A Toastmaster's subconscious? It gives a seven-minute speech!

Erudite Roulette: Dancing Dreams - TM Tanuja, Leaders Garden Tooastmasters

TM Tanuja tackles this topic after the original nominee could not complete it due to a lack of time. 

DANCING DREAMS

This vision is a recurring one, same place, pitch dark ambience, I am moving around in different directions. Am I dancing? But, where is the music? 

Yes, the place looks like a pub, but since it's pitch dark, I couldn’t really understand how the ambience is. But, yeah I am moving like almost dancing, so, yes I think I am in a pub, dancing. Why there isn’t any music? And how am I dancing without music? Why there is no one with me? What am I doing alone in a pub and that too dancing alone without music? How weird is that!

And, why am I scared? Shouldn’t I be happy while dancing?

Oh no! I can see it now. It’s all visible. It’s no more a pitch dark room. I can see the aerial view of the city. I am going horizontally, I performed a somersault, a backwards one, a forward flip, now I am going vertically down, I can feel the freefall. But how did I reach here?

I am going down at the speed of 200 km/h. I am going to hit the ground soon and I am going to hit my back and bum very badly. The thought itself is making me sick and soon enough I am going to be sick, very sick.

But, wait, I have a parachute with me, so I can descend slowly at my sweet pace and land successfully. But, how does this work? There must be some clip, a switch to flip it open. Yes, I got it. Wonderful! Now, I can enjoy the aerial view with freefall. And here I come, all set to land.

Whoa! I planned to land but there is no land, and I am going to hit the water. Splash! Why did I leave my swimming halfway? I should have learnt it and it could have saved me from drowning today. I am not able to breathe; I can feel the water in my mouth, throat, lungs and everywhere else. I am going to die soon. I never imagined a solitary ending to my happening life. Bye, life!

“How many times have I told you to switch off the light before going to bed? You never listen to me. You lazy bum. Now get up. It's 10 AM madam. We have to attend a Toastmasters meeting. This girl is so crazy!”

Who is it? Wasn’t I all alone, about to die? Whoa! Splash again! It was a dream. I didn’t hit the surface of water instead a bucket of water hit my face. I am alive. *Relieved*. My roommate is cursing me, but I love her, she saved me from dying today, and I hate her at the same time because she brought my adventurous and dancing dream to an end.

Topic given by TM Manoj Guru

Erudite Roulette: Dancing Dreams - TM Pujashree, Infosys Toastmasters

This post is special - the original nominee could not complete it, and TM Pujashree finished it in a matter of hours.

I can hear, the creaking swing outside, waiting for me...
I can hear, the slow heartbeat fluttering away,
I can hear, the voices begging me to run..to be free
I can hear my dancing dreams fading away....

I can see, the glorious night sky streaming with lights,calling me
I can see, those tears that you hurriedly wiped away..
I can see, my feet trapped inside the layers of filth and dirt
I can see, my dancing dreams slowly turning away...

I can touch, the blood laden wounds that refuse to heal..
I can touch, your hand shivering yet refusing to let go..
I can touch, your once pretty face, devoid of a smile..
I can touch, my dancing dreams slowly taking shape...

I can say, those words that are trapped inside your heart
I can say, those words that will fly me away...
I can say, those words that will finally let me go..
I can say, my dancing dreams to not let go.

I can feel, my tormented life rushing back to me..
I can feel, my soul smiling for one last time...
I can feel, the crisp cold air slowly soothing my heart.
I can feel, the dancing dreams finally pulling me away..

Topic given by TM Manoj Guru

Erudite Roulette: Yes, you can do it - TM Arjun, Infosys Toastmasters

Can you do it? It’s not even a question.

(PS: for a personalized reading experience, replace “do it” with anything that you want to do, but are skeptical about doing.)

Yes, you can do it. But before that, let’s talk about why you cannot do it, or rather why you WOULD not do it.

Speaking with common sense, the only things you CANNOT do are the ones that NATURE would not allow you to do. For instance: lift an elephant with your bare hands, run on water without any contraption strapped to your legs, spend a weekend on the Moon, et cetera; except for the last one! I’m not sure what your monthly budget for vacationing is.

Other than that, if whatever you want to do is humanly possible, then you don’t need to be a Cambridge degree holder to understand and agree with me when I say, yes! You CAN do it. The sole obstacle that keeps you from doing it is the APPLESAUCE story you tell YOURSELF about why you SHOULD NOT do it.

Nobody has said it better than Sir Isaac Newton (or did Shaktimaan say it!?!) that with every action comes an inevitable series of consequences. Whatever it is that you want to do, will bring with it certain changes in your life, in the lives of those around you, perhaps even stir the whole nation (if you’re planning to unveil a big scam, that is!), and numerous other uncertain effects that are hiding behind the curtains of future. BUT one thing is for sure that you will not be the same person ever again. You would have gained more knowledge, imbibed more experience, passed THROUGH the fear of uncertainty, once you have done it.

And this law of nature is what frightens us the most. It’s not that we don’t have what it takes to do it, it’s not that we don’t possess the abilities to accomplish it. You bet you do, and you KNOW it! But what you DO NOT possess is the courage to accept the consequences, whatever they may be.

You want to go ahead and marry the girl you love; but she’s from another caste, and you worry what would happen if your parents don’t agree to it. You have a hilarious idea for your speech; you know you can kill it, but you worry that the audience may not laugh with it. You are writing an article for Erudite Roulette, you know can write a stellar piece for it, but you worry that it may not inspire the readers as much as it inspired you.

Actions have consequences, and it’s the fear of accepting those consequences in their true form, that stops you dead on your track to do it. We think stalling will make it better, procrastinating doing it will somehow magically make failure proof… like to hear a secret?

IT WON’T! You MUST take the leap of faith.

You’re free to make your choices, but you’re NEVER free to choose the consequences. THAT is something that Nature hasn’t given you freedom to do.

So, if you think it’s worth a shot, GO, GIVE it a shot. And take it from me, YES! YOU CAN DO IT.

Title given by: TM Tanuja

Erudite Roulette: Needle in a Haystack - TM Swathi, Mysore Toastmasters

It has been such a short time after I have moved into a new city away from my family, everyone and everything seem different, things don’t seem to be the same anymore. To be frank I’m now understanding the concept of evolution and the survival of the fittest. I’m evolving and I’m trying to survive. On this journey, finding people with similar interests as mine is like looking for a needle in a haystack especially because this city is extremely large and crowded. At this point of time, all I can remember is that one lesson which I had learned so far in my life that is - everything that seems to be impossible once can definitely be solved.

The pursuit of that needle in this haystack began; the first thing that came to my mind was Toastmasters. Because of the fact that Toastmasters is present in 142 countries having 345,000 members in 15900 clubs; this is not even close to the fact with my family. So rather than searching for my relatives, I Googled to "Find a Club" in the city; Guess what I found… 119 clubs in Bangalore. Where I’m sure that even if I call every relative of mine, that number is unbeatable for my family. That was a surprise for me, though. Then I planned to visit clubs close to my place, this gave me a sense that I was not away from my family. However now I have found some amazing people who are extremely talented and inspiring; which seems as something that is impossible or extremely difficult to find, In the end, I found my people and I am as happy as finding that needle in the haystack. Cheers to Toastmasters! 
Topic given by TM Ilavenil

Erudite Roulette: The Last Bite - TM Rohit, Mysore Toastmasters

Hunger, love, pain, fear are some of those inner forces

Which rule the individual’s instinct for self-preservation.

-Albert Einstein-

Anu (short for Anushree) is a sweet and pretty little girl.  Her dad used to work in the nearby construction site before a drunken brawl turned ugly. Her brother dropped out of school and ran away with an anti-social gang leaving the entire burden of raising this family now solely on her mother who was a maid in the neighboring households. She and her younger sister had to be pulled out of school since her mother couldn’t afford it with her meager earnings. The condition was so bad that the family could only manage one proper meal a day. Things got worse when Anu’s mother had to repay a few loans borrowed from different people. All the money that she was earning was going only to repay these loans and hardly anything was left for food! 

It so happened one day that Anu’s mother took her children with her to work. Both the little girls sat in one corner of the fancy house playing while their mother did her job. It was at this time that the bread maker of the house was preparing a delicious breakfast for her family. She placed the hot chapatis and curry on the dining table and called for her family. Everyone gathered and started to have their meal, all under the innocent eyes of Anu and her Sister.

It had been more than 24 hours since the girls had their Last Bite. The hunger grew within their small stomachs while gazing at what they saw as the most scrumptious meal in days. The Bread maker’s family finished their meal but some leftovers remained on each plate. She gathered all the leftover chapatis, threw it in the dustbin and continued her work. By now Anu’s mind fell prey to her hunger. A few minutes later Anu’s mother had finished her work and was looking for her children. She searched the house only to find the two sweet little girls near a corner eating those leftovers from the trash! Her eyes filled with tears as she watched her daughters innocently satisfy their hunger. She rushed over, picked her kids up and went home. That night the whole family had a big meal. As Anu’s mother watched her daughters enjoy the Last Bite of the night she vowed to make sure her daughters never have to crave for the Last Bite of someone else’s bite.

Now have you ever been hungry? Think back to the last time you were hungry. How did you feel? What did you do to satisfy it?

In Anu’s story, we saw that hunger can drive a person to do anything in order to satisfy it. It is for the satisfaction of this hunger that people beg, steal and even kill. However, this article isn’t about the hunger for food; although that is a growing concern for the world and it is my humble prayer that no one has to ever feel this hunger again. No, this article is about the hunger we feel after our Last Bite.

We are all hungry for something or the other in this life. Some are hungry for food, warmth and shelter while others are hungry for money, sex and power. Irrespective of what we are hungry for we crave for the satisfaction of that hunger. How we get there is another matter but getting there is what we yearn for. However, once we have our Last Bite of this hunger it is not over, there is always another bite around the corner. Don’t get me wrong here; being always hungry is a good thing. No matter what you crave for be it money, power, fame, education, sex, status etc., once you are hungry the only thing that you want is to satisfy this hunger and you will do whatever it takes usually to do so just like if you were hungry for food. 

Having that fire in our bellies is what makes most of us reach great heights in this world. And once we reach this height we are again hungry to go higher. This ongoing tug of war between our hunger and our satisfaction goes on throughout our lives. Yet none of us ever seem to be truly satisfied once our hunger is fulfilled. So my question is when will you have your Last Bite?
My dear readers, be hungry to do more, be hungry to have more & be hungry to achieve more in this life. Let your hunger spread to everything that you desire and do whatever it takes to satisfy that hunger. Because only when we satisfy our hunger for everything on the outside do we start getting hungry for what is inside which is You. It is only then do we get truly satisfied with the Last Bite of this Life.

The Day hunger disappears, the world will see the

Greatest spiritual explosion humanity has ever seen.

-Federico Garcia Lorca-

Topic given by: TM Pujashree

Erudite Roulette: Doorway to Heaven - TM Srihari, Mysore Toastmasters

"Doorway To Heaven"

There's a story I wrote all that mattered was told

And I was building a doorway to heaven.

When i got there I knew, if the stores are all closed

With all empty thoughts i came for.

There was a sign on the wall but i wanted to be sure

'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.

In a tree by the stall, there was a hobo who sang,

Sometimes all of our money was meaningless.

There was something I felt when i looked to the west,

And my spirit cried for delaying.

In my thoughts I had seen rings of smoke through the doors,

And the voices of those who stood looking.

my head hummed and it wouldn't go, in case you didn't know,

The bikers called me to join them,

Dear lord, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know

my doorway lies on the whispering wind?

And as i wound on down the road

Our shadows taller than our soul.

There walked a legend we all know

Who shines white light and wants to show

How everything still turned to gold.

And when i listened very hard

The tune came to me at last.

When all are one and one is all

To be a rock and not to roll.

And i built a doorway to heaven!

             How did I wind up like this? Why wasn’t I able to see the signs that I missed and tried turning tables? I wish I could unclench my fists, and unpack the backpacks. Lately there's been too much of this but don't think it's too late. Nothing was wrong; just as long as I knew that someday I would somehow gonna make it all right but not right now. Now the story's played out like this. Just like a paperback novel Let's rewrite an ending that fits Instead of a Hollywood horror. (You're the only one who knows that)
                        I know you're wondering where I am going with this. But the doorway just kept opening in my face. Loss of words that would describe all this but I was capable in bringing back home the glorious road trip stories. An Enfield ride to the far out southwest with the monsoon thunders. Geared up and a flag of faith for the charm of the ride. The doorway to heaven was at the feet of my bike. All I had to do was sit on it. The journey seemed so endless but still the journey for the right sight was an intimate adventure to my soul. The booming thumps with the sound of traffic were an epic combo. Making way like a king on his chariot I drove off into the hearty depths of the forest covered harsh Western Ghats. Savage roads and the cold-blooded weather was a challenge to the brave heart. The ride started with the sun at my back and the moon in my sight, practically left the city during the twilight hour. The ecstatic feel of the light hiding the moon from our sights was a mystery to solve. Later the sun engulfed skies darkening by the minute giving a strong monsoon chill. At the height of a cloud I flew on my bike for few miles. Eating clouds like cotton candies the mist was sober. Rain poured like an endless applause when the nature glowed green. I had to stop for the moment but like the wind the day also moved on. At the heights of Mother Earth's tall shoulders laid a sight no man could describe. Maybe that was the sight of heaven I could relate to the nearest. But I can’t relate it to the only place where I found maybe just a shadow of it. That Royal Enfield of mine is truly the doorway to heaven.

Topic given by: TM Rohit