Last Man Blogging!

Looks like my previous contribution may not be good enough for our club newsletter. Doggone it ;). At least, the following submission appears to have made it:

The Toastmasters Journey

In this era of cheap flight tickets, it has become rather uncommon for the common man to travel on trains. Yet, that is exactly what a dozen of us from different Toastmasters clubs of Hyderabad did this past month as we embarked on a journey to attend the division contest at Chennai. As is normal, the members of HTM formed the bulk of this impressive contingent. Nonetheless, what they did not contribute in quantity, the Toastmasters of Synopsys, CSC and Deloitte contributed in their quality of enthusiasm and spirit. We started our journey together by savoring the mouth-watering pastries brought on board by A, the President of CSC Toastmasters. However, we were soon torn asunder because not all our tickets were booked in the same compartment. A small group comprising of Toastmasters D, S and the author of this article had to take their assigned seats at the other end of the train. To be honest, we trudged along rather unwillingly thinking there may be more treats in store in A’s bag. But, boy, were the three of us in for a sweeter surprise!

For awaiting our dignified presence was a cohort of college girls returning back to their alma mater after their holidays. As someone who went to college, I can attest that leaving your homes after a vacation can be unnerving at best and unpleasant at worst. Nevertheless, Toastmaster S regaled the young ladies with his stories and brightened up their somber mood. Yours truly did not get to know them really well because of constant interruptions by visiting Toastmasters from yonder who somehow got wind of our salubrious climes. The night was punctuated by yet another unforgettable experience. Toastmaster D was egged on by his unruly co-passengers to leverage his extensive business connections across the state of A.P. and get some spicy hot biryani delivered to us at Guntur. Those who love food, and I count myself in that group, would readily submit that the biryani that arrived was gob-smackingly good. The taste was well worth the extra inch or two that were added onto my waistline. Special props must also be given to P who liberally shared some delicious, home-made methi-rotis.

All this heavy food can and did indeed put an army of garrulous Toastmasters to sleep. Time flew past like a rocket as it is wont to do when you feel like catching a wink and very soon we had arrived at our destination. Chennai greeted us with the pitter-patter of rain. And on top of that, we were showered with the generous hospitality of our local Toastmaster counterparts. Thanks to their kindness, we were transported to our special lodgings that were literally a stone’s throw from the venue for the day’s contest. After a quick wash, all of us huddled together for a breakfast of sumptuous idlies and string hoppers. With our spent fuel replenished, the time had now come to put the pedal to the metal. And thus we set off to cheer and watch Toastmasters P, M and M2 take Chennai by storm.

Having completed four speeches from the Competent Communication manual, I seemed to have hit a wall. Like a couch potato having second thoughts in only the second week of January about sticking to his New Year’s resolution of a daily dose of exercise, I began to soon find that Toastmasters involved a lot more work than I bargained for. To add insult to injury, there was also the unfortunate happenstance of many damsels having quit the club immediately after I set foot. The lack of ladies in the audience was indeed the last straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.

It is in times of such grave crisis that real men often turn to their mentors; especially when your mentor is also the Vice President responsible for membership. Luckily for me though, my mentor is an expert not just at oration but also at inspiring adoration. Thanks to his intervention, I soon found many a muse — much to my amusement. While I do not wish to lower the status of this hallowed publication to that of a racy tabloid by going into further detail, suffice it to say that my quest for achieving the CC designation has received a much needed impetus.

A wise golfer once observed that in life, as in golf, it is the follow through that makes the difference. While I do feel close kinship with the below-average golfer saddled with a lousy swing, I have now found the renewed drive to make my next shot my best shot. And if I have one learning to share with the perspicacious reader of this rather prosaic prose, it is this: Turn to your mentor if you ever find yourself having a speaker’s block. More often than not, you will find a new door to knock on. Who knows, it might just lead you straight to your goal!

(Wrote this article yesterday for my Toastmasters club newsletter. But I am wondering if they would print such tripe! )