Yes Prime Minister

YES PRIME MINISTER - ONE OF US

June 26th

I couldnt talk to Humphrey about Sir John on Friday. I had appointments all day and so had he. But this morning we had a meeting already pencilled in.

        It was to be about the defence cuts that Im looking for. I decided to have the meeting as planned, and then have a private word with Humphrey afterwards.

        A simple way has emerged of saving three million pounds and the Service Chiefs say it cant be done. Humphrey is backing them, of course, with the argument that any defence savings can be dangerous.

        Anyway, I had to have my private word with Humphrey. I told Bernard that I had to discuss a top secret security matter with Humphrey, and nodded to the door. Would you mind, Bernard?

        He went to the door and, suddenly, threw it open! Then he looked up and down the landing to see if anyone was eavesdropping. I realised he had misunderstood me. So I explained that I wished him to leave us alone.

        He seemed a little crestfallen. I can see why. But he had no choice, and nor do I. I can hardly let Bernard know that Humphrey, of all people, is a security risk at the moment.

        After Bernard left us, probably wondering if hewas considered a security risk all of a sudden, Humphrey and I were left alone. I didnt quite know how to begin, so it was a minute or so before I spoke. Humphrey waited patiently.

        Humphrey, I began eventually, theres something I want to talk about. Something very secret.

        Its something very serious, I replied.

        He assumed an appropriately serious expression. Very serious and very secret?

        I nodded. Humphrey, does the name Sir John ring a bell?

        Of course, Prime Minister. He died only three weeks ago. And he was the subject of a security enquiry ten years ago. I had to conduct it myself, virtually.

        So far so good. I asked Humphrey if hed found evidence of anything incriminating.

        Of course not. He smiled confidently.

        Why of course not? I asked.

        Well, in the first place Sir John was one of us. Wed been friends for years. In the second place the whole story was got up by the press. And in the third place, the whole object of internal security enquiries is to find no evidence.

        Even if the security of the realm is at risk?

        He laughed. Prime Minister, if you really believe the security of the realm is at risk you call in the Special Branch. Government security enquiries are only used for killing press stories. Their sole purpose is to enable the Prime Minister to stand up in the House and say, We have held a full enquiry and there is no evidence to substantiate these charges.

        But suppose you find something suspicious?

        Prime Minister, practically everything that happens in government is suspicious. The fact that you asked Bernard to leave us alone together for a secret conversation could be construed as suspicious.

        This surprised me. But it shouldnt have, hes obviously right. Anyway, Humphrey went on to say that the whole story was nonsense, typical Fleet Street sensationalism.

        He was so confident that it was inevitable that he would feel really stupid when I revealed what I knew. I was beginning to enjoy myself thoroughly.

        There is no possibility, I asked carefully, that Sir John ever passed any information to Moscow?

        Impossible, he asserted. Out of the question.

        Youd stake your reputation on that?

        Without hesitation.

        I went for the kill. Well, Humphrey, Im afraid I have to tell you that he was spying for Russia for a considerable part of his career.

        Humphrey was silenced. But only for a moment. I dont believe it, he said defiantly. Who says so?

        I gave him an apologetic smile. He says so himself. He left all his papers to the government with a detailed confession. MI5 says its absolutely true. It checks out all along the line.

        Humphrey was speechless. This is a sight that Ive never seen before, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. He spluttered a bit, and tried to put together a sentence. Finally he said: But, good Lord, I mean, well, he was One of us? I put in helpfully.

        Well yes. He began to pull himself together. Well, that certainly leaves a lot of questions to be asked.

        Yes, I agreed, and Im asking you the first one. Why didnt you ask him a lot of questions? Humphrey didnt see what I was getting at. Why, Humphrey, did your enquiry exonerate him so quickly?

        I pointed out to Humphrey that it was all very suspicious. I asked why he hadnt held a proper enquiry. After all, according to the TOP SECRET file, Humphrey had been given evidence of Sir John surprisingly long stay in Yugoslavia. And shortly after he left Yugoslavia several of our MI5 agents behind the Iron Curtain were rounded up and never seen again.

        And there was one specific interpreter with whom he spent a lot of time. I asked Humphrey what hed found out about this interpreter.

        She turned out to be a Russian agent. We knew that. Most Yugoslav interpreters are Russian agents. Those who arent in the CIA, that is.

        But you never followed her up.

        I had better things to do with my time, he said defensively.

        I stared at him accusingly. Three months later she moved to England and settled in Oxford, a hundred and fifty yards from Sir John’s house. They were neighbours for the next eleven years.

        Humphrey was completely demoralised. He tried to defend himself. You cant check up on everything. You dont know what you might find out. I mean, if youve got that sort of suspicious mind you ought to Conduct security enquiries. I finished his sentence for him.

        Humphreys defence, in a nutshell, was that Sir John gave him his word. The word of a gentleman. And you dont go checking up on the word of a gentleman, especially when you were at Oxford together.

        I listened patiently. Then I was forced to tell him that I had a problem with him.

        He was horrified. But you dont think you cantthink I mean, I mean, I dont speak a word of Russian.

        But you must admit, I said, that it looks as if it must have been incompetence or collusion. Either way I left the sentence unfinished. The implications were clear enough. Humphrey was dreadfully upset. Collusion? Prime Minister, I give you my word there was no collusion.

        Is that the word of a gentleman? I asked ironically.

        Yes. An Oxford gentleman, he added hastily.

        I wasnt really satisfied. Hows the garden? I asked.

        He relaxed and began to tell me about his roses when he realised the full force of my question. No, no, I beseech you, Prime Minister, not gardening leave!

        Why not?

        I have my reputation to think of.

        I thought youd already staked that on Sir John’s innocence.

Death

Tring tring.
tring tring.

Hello !
How is Puja?
What???
Coming to India !
Already reached !
Less time?
Oh my God !!

Good evening dear Toastmasters and friends.

This was my brother in law who had called to tell me about the medical emergency in which my younger sister was. She had been suffering from a liver disease which had become chronic with time. They had tried getting her treated in London and Dubai and as the last option, had returned to India as Liver transplant was the last and only option available.  All other roads were closed and in case of non availability of a donor, the stark reality of Death was looming on us.

Death, my dear friend is a reality and a certainty and will happen to all of us. None of us can escape it but still, instead of enjoying our gift of life, we strive to find ways to ditch death. Believe me, it is not at all in our hands.

Death is a serious matter as I can see around. The sight of Yam, the Hindu God of death, sitting on a buffalo is terrifying to us. You might not agree when I share my thoughts on death. I feel it is liberating and peaceful.
Have you ever seen the relaxed expressions of a dead person? It is the process of dying which is painful and the pain lingers for a long time for the people who are left behind.

There are three kinds of death in the world. First is the physical death we all know about, second is when we are not enjoying the little pleasure of life and become serious at all times, we are actually only surviving, not living and the third and the final one is when there is no network, no signal. Some people feel as if their very breath has been snatched away and start reacting as if it is the end of life.

They say such nice things about people at their funeral that it makes me sad that I am going to miss mine by a few days. Woody Allen said that I am not afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens.
Let us enjoy life and embrace death as no one is going to write on your Epitaphs that he died because he did not forward the message to three groups and ten friends. What would Vinay Kumar's obituary look like "Vinay ko-mar Gaya"

Sometimes I wonder why there is so much aura around death.

Do you remember the famous death scene of "Anand" featuring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.

BabuMoshaay.

I will not let you keep quiet, from last 6 months I am hearing your non-sense, you have eaten my head, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me.

BabuMoshaayyyyy.

Life and death is in the hands of God and none of us can change it. We are all puppets of Theatre and our strings are tied in the hands of God , when ? Where ? And who will die, no one can tell.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

In  Hindu mythology, there are three main Gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva . If Brahma is the creator then Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer but Shiva's destruction is not negative. It is a positive, nourishing and constructive destruction which builds and transforms life and energy for the welfare of the world. He destroys in order to revive and regenerate. Through destruction he facilitates smooth transitions from one stage to another. So, this means destruction is not always bad. Destruction of milk leads to Paneer. Golds turns into beautiful jewellery. Coal turns into diamond. Chicken turns into Murgh-do-pyaaza.

So what we perceive as end might not be the end, There might be more to it. There might be a new beginning , a new life after Death which we tend to believe is the ultimate end.

Friends, recently I had gone to a hospital and saw a very interesting poster which said, If you want to continue seeing beautiful girls even after your death, donate your eyes, A simple statement yet profound in its meaning.

Yes, my dear Toastmasters and Guests it is in our hands to turn destruction into creation, a new beginning, a new life and at least seven in this case. We own and possess our body parts, they are in our control and we can be pioneers in creating a wave of resurrection for those living around us and in need. We can donate what we possess, we can pledged our organs to give life to others when our own life is not anymore in our hands. This way, when we are no more alive, when we die, there would be at least seven people who can come to life, Yes, not one, not two but 7 individuals who will thank you throughout their existence. 2 eyes, 2 kidneys, 1 heart, 1 brain and liver. You can also choose to donate tissues and cartilage as well to help further more.

So friends, going back to that call I had received from my brother, I realised that death was staring at us largely at close quarters and we begged for a miracle to happen. Though we were all willing to donate our liver, our tissues were not matching. We had asked for help from everyone we knew. Then suddenly, we found our angel, a long lost friend who did not hesitate twice to donate his liver. He stepped forward to our rescue - Livers grow back - he told us grinning at our grieving expressions.

Prassi, Our God father, if I may say so, stepped in the right moment and saved my little sister. I remain indebted to him for life but that was not enough, I wanted to repay his kindness. How?

When I asked him, he said yes you can repay me but never in cash, only in kind. Pledge to donate your organs when you do not need them any more.
Dumb stuck, I never realised the importance of organ donation till that time. Had he not volunteered, I would have lost my sister. Indebted and obliged, I agreed to his method of repayment.

I came back and registered myself for organ donation. I have taken the first step forward and this decision of mine will save at least seven lives, seven families. When I am no more, I will continue to live through the eyes, heart, liver, kidneys and brain in others.

I ask you whether you too would like to be immortal?

If yes, then login to www.giftyourorgan.org and pledge your organs to help those many lead a better life and do it soon as who knows what tomorrow holds for us?

Teach for India

Teach for India

“Be the change you wish to see” Mahatma Gandhi

India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years and it is set to become the world’s youngest country with 64% of its population in the working age group, India today stands at a turning point: where we go from here depends in large part on our ability to provide equal opportunities for all children.

With nearly 1 in 4 people below the age of 14 years, An excellent education equips children and youth with the knowledge, skills, values and mind-sets needed to be empowered individuals and responsible citizens.

There is a severe deficit of people at all levels of the education system who are committed to working together to improve the capacity and quality of our nation’s schools. The fact is that teachers alone cannot solve this crisis. The root cause of this crisis in education is because of the leadership. It is very hard to digest that the land of the Vedas is one of the countries with the highest illiteracy levels. Poor education can bring down even the most powerful nations down, so if we are to become a developed nation, we must spread the lamp of education. Our motto should be “each one teach one”. If we are to become a developed nation one of the initiatives is “Teach for India”, whose aim is to provide a platform to educated Indians to provide assistance in basic education to the unprivileged children.

In 2014, I got an opportunity to go to a BMC School in Borivali. I went there as a part of my organisation’s active involvement in Teach for India. I arrived at the school which was in decent condition in terms of structure and very good condition in terms of upkeep. I was guided to the designated class by a fellow of TFI who was supposed to interact with me. I had prepared a quiz on recycling of natural resources. I had thought that whatever I would be talking would be something very unique and enriching experience for the children and they would learn something new. To my utter surprise and amazement, each and every child was already aware about recycling, the types of waste, and the segregation of dry and wet waste. I suddenly realised that I had nothing to talk about with them.

These kids came from a humble background and their parents were auto rickshaw drivers, tailor, mason etc. but their English was such that it would put some English medium students to shame.

Before I left the school, I interacted with the fellows of TFI and realised the kind of efforts they are putting in. In order to build a growing community of leaders, Teach for India has developed a two-part theory of change.

In the short-term, through their Fellowship program, they provide an opportunity to India’s brightest and most promising individuals, from the nation’s best universities and workplaces, to serve as full-time teachers to children from low-income communities in some of the nation’s most under-resourced schools. The Fellows commit two years full-time, to provide the students with the opportunities that can put them on a different life path.

In the long-term, they engage these leaders, their Alumni, and support this growing community to advocate for change.

My question to all of you is that is it the responsibility of a single organisation or few of their fellows to bring about transformation in education sector. The problem of educational inequity cannot be solved alone. Each one of us has to contribute towards in this movement in whatever capacity they can. Everyone cannot be teacher, but we can definitely visit the institutes to motivate the students and fellows. During the last three years I have visited at least three schools and met underprivileged students. I am also a mentor of one of the Fellows of TFI and I am helping her draw her career after she completes her fellowship journey with TFI. Together, we can redraw India to be the country we want it to be.

In the words of Barack Obama “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”. The time for the change is now, I am ready for it, are you? And if you are, then take this oath with me.

OATH

I AM FULLY COMITTED TO THE GREAT MISSION OF TEACHING.

BY BEING A TEACHER, I KNOW I WILL MAKE AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE EFFORTS FOR IMPROVING THE LITERACY RATES OF OUR COUNTRY THEREBY HELPING IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

Mind maps

Mind maps 

Name - Vinay Kumar Srivastava

Experience - Procurement professional of more than 20 years with experience spread across multiple industry verticals like consumer retail logistics, pharmaceuticals, textiles. Professional with proven track record in source to pay cycle of both Capex and Opex Procurement. Hardcore negotiator with strong focus on capability development. , succession planning and career patching of the team. In short, end to end solution provider starting from real estate to buying infrastructure to administration and maintenance blah blah blah…..

Impressive, Isn’t it?

Even I thought that these 4 pages were not sufficient to cover all the achievements of my career and felt proud each time I read it.

Believe me my dear Toastmasters, when I say that THIS impressive resume could not fetch me even a single suitable response.

Good evening dear Toastmasters and guests, Then, one of my very close friend happened to see my CV and the first thing that he said was “Vinay, who has the time for this long story? Your presentation should be precise and short for effective communication. What he suggested has helped me immensely and immediately invoked a positive response so that I moved from my last job to Blue dart in no time.

(Slide no.1 VS Mind Map)

As you see here, it covers all the points that are covered in a CV but it is represented in a single page.
In the journey of Toastmasters, one of the most difficult aspects in communication track is to write a good script. Each one of us must have struggled at one point or another with the lack of ideas for the next speech. Some of us have a knack of delivery, stage presence but their content lacking. Even the best of writers sometimes find it difficult to pen a script or sometimes the ideas are so vast that to compile them in a 5-7 minute speech seems impossible
The question is how does one develop a speech from a simple idea. We can use the same technique…
Mind mapping…. Let me explain what exactly Mind maps are and how they help us.

Mind mapping is a highly effective way of getting information in and out of our brain. Mind mapping is a creative and logical means of note-taking and note-making that literally "maps out" your ideas.

Although the term "mind map" was first popularised by British popular psychology author and television personality Tony Buzan, the use of diagrams that visually "map" information using branching and radial maps traces back centuries. Some of the earliest examples of such graphical records were developed by Porphyry of Tyros, a noted thinker of the 3rd century, as he graphically visualised the concept categories of Aristotle.

Buzan's specific approach, and the introduction of the term "mind map" arose during a 1974 BBC TV series he hosted, called Use Your Head. In this show, and companion book series, Buzan promoted his conception of radial tree, diagramming key words in a colourful, radiant, tree-like structure.

The Five Essential Characteristics of Mind Mapping:

* The main idea, subject or focus is crystallised in a central image

(SLIDE NO.2 )

* The main themes radiate from the central image as 'branches'

(SLIDE NO.3)

* The branches comprise a key image or key word drawn or printed on its associated line

(SLIDE NO.4)

* Topics of lesser importance are represented as 'twigs' of the relevant branch

(SLIDE NO.5)

* The branches form a connected nodal structure

(SLIDE NO.6)

How to Make a Mind Map for a dinner event

(SLIDE NO.7)

* Think of your general main theme and write that down in the centre of the page. i.e. Food

* Figure out sub-themes of your main concept and draw branches to them from the centre, beginning to look like a spider web i.e. Meats, Dairy, Breads

* Make sure to use very short phrases or even single words

* Add images to invoke thought or get the message across better

* Try to think of at least two main points for each sub-theme you created and create branches out to those

Mind maps can be used in all spheres of life to perform various activities and present many things.

(Slide no. 8)

If I use mind maps to do my SWOT analysis, this is how I will be able to do it.

(SLIDE NO. 9)

Free Mind map software E Draw is available on the net to facilitate the making of mind maps. There are various apps available on Android and IOS to help you make mind maps on the go like Mind Mapper because ideas don’t wait, they can come anytime.

For more information on mind maps, you can follow @imindmap or @Tony_Buzan or our very own Mumbai based Mind mapper Dharmendra Rai @MindMapsTrainer on Twitter. You can also follow my board on mind maps in Pinterest
There are various books of Tony Byzantine, Michael Taylor and Brian Davidson available which can help you understanding the concepts of mind maps and all the areas where it is useful.

Finally, We can also Mind map the agenda of Toastmasters meeting to present it in a graphical format.

(SLIDE NO. 10)

THANK YOU.

Tounge twister

Tounge twisters

 

"So that means you need to know things even when you don't need to know them. You need to know them not because you need to know them but because you need to know whether or not you need to know. If you don't need to know, you still need to know so that you know that there is no need to know." 

 

This sentence by Bernard Woolley piqued my reading habits and changed my speech forever.

 

Dear toastmasters and guests, how do you think one sentence can be held responsible for so many changes?

 

This is a form of tongue twister which I heard for the first time in a TV serial "Yes Prime Minister". This particular episode "Man overboard" was telecast on 3rd December 1987 on BBC. Sometime later it was telecast on Doordarshan in India. Around the same time, I read a Play "My fair Lady which was an adaptation of a novel, Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. A phonetics scholar Professor Higgins is trying to make a flower girl Elisa Doolittle presentable for the high society by teaching her pronunciation and getting rid of cockney accent. I still remember two sentences from the play "In Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire hurricanes hardly ever happen" and another one "How much dew does a dewdrop drop if dewdrops do drop dew?"

 

My dear Toastmasters and Guests, Tongue twisters are words, phrases, or sentences that are difficult to say because of a varying combination of similar sounds. They can be very challenging as well as motivating and fun to learn. Due to this, People want to repeat tongue twisters. The purpose of Tongue Twisters is to speak the English language to perfection. The subtle changes in the spellings make the words mean different, look different, and definitely pronounced different.

 

These are loads of benefits attached to them, apart from entertainment and time pass

 

1. They strengthen and stretch the muscles involved in speech

 

This muscle exercise leads to clearer pronunciation; clearer speech patterns, and helps rectify some of the hardest sounds for you. They’re also just fun, making learning pronunciation – something that can be quite frustrating – more enjoyable.

 

2. They show you which sounds are difficult for you

 

Depending on your native language and your own strengths and weaknesses, some sounds will be harder for you than others. Tongue twisters can really highlight which sounds you’re struggling with. 

 

3. They are a great warm up

 

Even if you’re a native speaker or you’ve mastered English pronunciation, tongue twisters are a great warm-up exercise before you make a presentation, speak in public, teach a class, lead a meeting, act, and more!

 

In Toastmasters, we often see a speaker is not effective as the listeners are not able to understand him speaking. If the speaker is mumbling, "Swallowing" parts of words or even entire phrases, or speaking so quickly that it becomes really difficult to hear what he or she is saying. 

 

Tongue twisters are an excellent vehicle for speech clarity. To say a tongue twister properly, you have to concentrate on what you're saying and fully enunciate each word and syllable - otherwise your words are going to get all twisted together into a garbled mishmash that means nothing.

 

Can YOU say 'pad kid poured curd pulled cold'?

 

Psychologists reveal that this is the world's hardest tongue twister

 

•     MIT researchers in Boston found that certain combinations of sounds appear to make people lose control of their mouths

•     They asked volunteers to say 'pad kid poured curd pulled cold' repeatedly, which defeated most people taking part in the experiment.

 

There are many popular tongue twisters but I have tried to collect for all of us to enjoy. They are:

 

A sailor went to sea to see, what he could see. And all he could see was sea, sea, sea.

 

I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.

 

I thought a thought. But the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought. If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn’t have thought so much.

 

Do you know that there is a Toastmasters club named Alameda Tongue twisters club and another club by the name of Texas tongue twisters club in US. 

 

Are you aware that there is International tongue twisters day; it is celebrated on the second Sunday of every November. This year it is on 12th November.

 

Tongue twisters are not limited to the English language. Almost all native languages boast of some very fine tongue twisters. Hindi being my native language, I would like to share one or two interesting ones in Hindi as well.

 

“Oonth uncha, oonth ki peeth unchi, unche oonth ki poonchh unchi” 

 

“Khadak Singh ke khadakne se khadakti hain khidkiyan, khidkiyon ke khadakne se khadakta hai Khadak Singh" 

 

If you understand, say "understand". If you don’t understand, say "don’t understand". But if you understand and say "don’t understand". How do I understand that you understand? Understand!

 

So, if you understand, then can everyone present repeat after me 5 times "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream" 

Crow

Kaanv kaanv kaanv...... 

The crow would not let me sleep that Sunday afternoon and continued to caw irritatingly. 

It​ was raining incessantly and I had planned to catch up on my sleep as I had a hectic week and my family too was away.

Trying to shoo away the crow, I opened my eyes and felt as if my father was talking to me," this cawing of the crow means that you will get a visitor today, so get up Veenu....."

Good evening toastmasters and guests, 

You won't believe how hard I tried to sleep again, knowing that in this rain, with no one home there will be no guest today but sleep evaded me somehow.

I turned left and saw my father smiling from the photograph.

Don't know whether I slept and was dreaming or it actually happened but in his loud and clear voice he asked - 

"What happened Vinu ? You got up early?"

"Yes papa, but it seems like you did not sleep the whole night"

"Actually, I was trying to build this character for the new script I have in mind but it contradicts with the central theme of my drama"

I turned towards my right and on the other side of the room was Mom's picture, a mix of care, love and pride. 

"Why have you not taken your lunch today" she enquired

"Maa, I am not hungry"

"This is what I don't like about you, so much work pressure and you are so careless for your health" 

"Maa, for heaven's sake, today is Sunday and there is no office"

"I know I know and still you are checking your blackberry every hour, why don't you keep a sleeping bag in your office only, no need to come home"

I angrily turn my face towards her. I feel a stab of pain as I see a garland around her picture. Instantly, reality hits me and I wake up from day dreaming. Now this was real. It had been 11th Dec. 2014 around 3 PM, when I received a call from my daughter "Papa, I have just come back from school and Dadi is lying as if lifeless, she is not moving, Please hurry and come back home"

And in exactly two hours from that call she was declared brought dead on arrival at hospital. The world had come crashing down. I could not believe that my mother had passed away leaving me alone. As I looked towards her body on the pyre before she was engulfed in flames, it seemed that she was still thinking of me and telling me, "Take care of your self" 

A sob escaped from my mouth as the pain and the loss became unbearable. She was still looking at me, not done with her instructions..." Be strong, you have to take care of yourself for others. Your family needs you to be strong

"Maa, Please don't go"

"I have to go to make tea for your papa, its been three hours that he is writing and is not able to find a suitable end to his story" 

Papa, yes, he too left me 25 years back.

As I turn towards him, he is in best of his moods

"Happy birthday to you"

"Happy birthday to you" 

"May gawawd bless you"

Happy birthday to you"

He was recording a message for me on a new second hand tape recorder that he gifted me on my 20th birthday. 

"Is the recording happening or not, I hope I am not blabbering just like that"

"Papa, see the red indicator, it means it is happening"

"OK, happy birthday to you" here's wishing you all the happiness in life. 

Have you seen the birthday card I brought for you? Let me read it out for you. Wishing a you a wonderful future and may your dreams take you as far as you wish to go" 

Tring tring.

I come out of my slumber as finally the door bell rings. I open the door and there is a kid at the door asking for donations for old age home. I come back to the room and open my wallet, unfortunately there is no change. I was going back to the kid to ask him to come some other time when I heard my father say, "No needy should go empty handed, if you have something, give him. Everything good you do will come back to you. 

The kid was not able to control his happiness as I handed over a 500 rupee note to him. His target was achieved. "Thank you Uncle, thank you so much"

After closing the door I realised​ that all these years I have been waiting for my parents to return, while they  had never gone anywhere. They are always in me, with me, we are one. I am their face to the world. I am today what they were. I reflect their upbringing and thoughts

I looked outside the window, the rain had stopped and the dark clouds had disappeared. The sun shone brightly and will set in a short while from now. I could see a rainbow in the horizon. 

I mused over the afternoon and thought, where are the guests? Crow's cawing cannot be wrong. Then who had come?

As I thought, with a shiver of delight, I realised that Yes, the beautiful memories had come, motivating memories, memories that made me realise that even today my parents are one with me.

Horse

Making a horse listen
                      

Good evening to all Toastmasters and Guests.

You can take a horse to a pond but you cannot make it drink water is an old proverb. Don't you feel sometimes that your horse does not listen? Listening is very important but what is more essential is how anything is communicated. Not only words but it is very important to have proper emotion on face so that your thoughts can be conveyed properly. In our daily life too we come across the all such emotions and we come across HORSE too who does not listen to us. The horse in our life is:- 

 

H - Home

O - Office

R - Relatives

S - Seniors, subordinate and spouse

E - External word. 

To communicate with horse, we have to use all emotions so that we can make sure that whatever we communicate is understood so that HORSE drinks water.  

How many of you heard of Bharat Muni. And how many of you are aware that he has written Natyashastra which includes "Ras theory" in this he talks of nine emotions.

Let us visualise a situation. I have just come back from office and I enter my home, my wife asks me "Hi, how was your day" In response to this question, the answer can be different depending on how the day was:- 

1. Shringar ras - Love, beauty, sentiments. THE DAY HAS STARTED NOW MY DEAR

2. Karuna ras - sadness or sorrow. MY BOSS FIRED ME. 

3. Vir ras - courage or heroism. TODAY, I GAVE IT BACK TO MY BOSS

4. Bhaya ras - Fear, nervousness or anxiety. THOUGH, I GAVE IT BACK TO MY BOSS BUT I FEAR HE WILL SPOIL MY APPRAISALS NOW. WHAT DO I DO???

5. Vibhatsa ras - disgust, hate or depression. MY BOSS HAS SPOLIT MY APPRAISAL AND HE HAS PROMOTED ANOTHER PERSON INSTEAD OF ME.

6. Raudra ras - anger, violence. MY BOSS HAS CHALLENGED ME, HE DOES NOT KNOW HE HAS INVITED MY WRATH.

7. Shant ras - calmness, peace or relaxation. A PERSON CAN DEFEAT ME BUT NOT MY SPIRITS

8. Adbhut ras - wonder, curious or astonished. MY BOSS CALLED ME AND ASKED ME FOR A CUP OF COFFEE IN HIS CABIN. 

9. Hasya ras - humor, laughter, joy. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TODAY, MY BOSS SLIPPED ON A BANANA PEAL. 

Let's see in a scenario at home how many emotions you can find. 

Trying Tring - Sir, are you Aarav's father.

Yes, I am Aarav's father here. 

Sir, are you Vinay Srivastava

Of course, if I am Aarav's father, I am Vinay Srivastava only; he does not have 2 - 3 fathers.

Sir, please come to school immediately.

What happened ????

Sir please come to school urgently. I think it is very urgent.

What do you mean you think, will you please tell me what exactly has happened.

Sir, at this time all I can say is that you come here fast.

With all kinds of thoughts in my mind I just to my sons school. 

Oye careful man, will you kill us under your car. 

My son is in class 4D, her teacher has called me urgently, Please let me go inside. 

Saar please go and wait there.

(After ten minutes of agonizing wait), her teacher comes to the reception area and declares

Sir, Your son is very depressed. 

Depressed??? Why? How?? When??? I mean how can you say that?

Sirrrr, he was very sad today. His face was down and when I asked him why he was not writing. He looked up and told me that he is missing his grandfather. 

His Grandfather, I said!!!

Yes Sir, please don't worry I have informed other teachers and they have also exempted him from doing any work. 

Aarav was telling all of us that he used to play a lot with his grandfather and he used to buy him ice creams and toffees and he is missing all of it. Sirrrr, please take care of him.

What are you taking of????

Sir, I know I know and I can understand it must be a shock for you. But it happens with kids and us as teachers and parents have to take care and please don't worry, we are with you and we are all sure that he will come out of it. 

Teachers - My father passed away (teary eyed) 26 years ago and even my wife has not seen him. So, how can he possibly be doing all these things with him? 

So, we see that in life we have many types of experiences and we have to deal with each one with a different emotion and make sure that our Horse understands and drinks Water. 

Tiger trail

It had been close to two hours that we were traversing across the forest. With each passing moment the anticipation was becoming more fervent. We could find pug marks of all sizes but  success still eluded us. The vast jungle held unseen beauty amidst its folds. The flora and fauna of Tadoba were mesmerising but my eyes were searching for something else and my mind was tuning itself for an exhilarating experience. The jeep suddenly came to a screeching halt. "Sir, see the footmarks here" all our eyes were expectantly focussed on the muddy path and we could see a big footprint.  We felt adrenaline rush in our bodies as we felt victorious. But was it victory or was it just another false alarm. The guide looked at the mark from all sides and said "it seems P2 is somewhere near".

P2 ??? I looked around amazed.....  Is there a toastmasters club here too??

You must be wondering what I am talking about. Last month when we were embarking on the journey to Nagpur, I was not so  excited to attend a 5 day Outdoor training programme. Little did I know how exciting it was going to be in the end.

After a two hour car drive we arrived at Bamboo Forest Safari Resort near Tadoba Tiger Reserve. I was mesmerised at the artistic depiction of each and every item. We could feel the presence of tiger in each and every article. Be it tiger head shaped door knob or the wash basin embedded in tiger body. As the darkness set in, the eerie silence was frightening. Tigers were the only thoughts I had and was trying to imagine how majestic they would look when we could see them.

Next morning I woke up with dreams of taking selfies with the Royal King. I stepped outside my room to a slight chill in the air. The freshness smelt as if it had been infused with extra oxygen. Sun had just begun it's journey and it's bright and clear orange reflection in the lake ahead made the day double sunny and vibrant. The beauty of the dew drops on the leaves were breathtaking. I was admiring the statue of a lady holding a half tilted pot, pouring water in the fountain, lost in my own thoughts, when someone shouted hey P1 has been sighted today. P1 ? Toastmasters club again? I was perplexed. "Yes, Choti Tara was seen near the lake" It was then that the guide cleared my doubts and explained that here P1 is Choti Tara, P2 is Maya and P3 is Mohan. What a co-incidence with Toastmasters. I was wondering if they also have ACB, ACS and ACGs like us?

The first two days of the training passed in a whirlwind. With each exercise we were told to accomplish, all I could think of was P1, P2 and P3. Finally, on the 3rd day, the moment arrived when a forest safari was planned for us. With a single track aspiration of sighting the beast, we clambered on. Will it be P1 or P2 or P3 which will make us lucky? My heart sank when our guide told us that more than 50% of the tourists were not able to sight the majestic animal even after multiple attempts. I was pondering over this information and analysing the chances of success when suddenly, the jeep came to a screeching halt. There was some movement in the bushes. Everyone was waiting with bated breath when a sloth bear emerged. Unmindful of guests it continued its heavy walk.

We had practically searched every possible nook and corner of the area where Tigers were expected to be but luck evaded us. We came back to our rooms, tired and disappointed.

Next day, we again hit the road early in the morning, and as we were entering the forest, few enthusiastic Monkeys greeted us. A herd of spotted dears was seen rushing near the lake. They stopped and turned their heads anxiously in one direction and suddenly everything went silent. I was smiling at a small baby dear when I noticed the stunning silence. Everyone was looking in the other direction with their jaws dropped, awestruck with magnificent sight ahead. Yes, it was P1, Choti Tara some distance away behind the big blades of grass near the lake. Majestically moving away from the lake towards the trees, her slow but steady strides exuded confidence. In a few moments, she vanished behind the trees and we were left wanting more of her. It felt like a dream as I pinched myself for a reality check. Did I really see her? Or was it my imagination playing tricks? My plans of capturing the moment in my camera were dashed. Though I was happy to have caught a glimpse of Tara, I not satiated, in fact I wanted some more of her presence, to observe and to appreciate the beauty.....

Reliving the discovery channel that we used to see from the luxury of our bedrooms, we resumed our quest with a firm resolve of a better experience. With the passing of time, our energy levels were diminishing as we were loosing hope of sighting the Tiger again. A thick layer of dust had settled on my forehead after 3 and a half hours of traversing across the length and breadth of the forest area. It was time to bid Good Bye to the beautiful civilisation and return to uncivilised cities. We wanted to exit on a happy note. Each one of us was wildly clapping "If you are happy clap your hands, clap, clap,clap" The jeep moved rapidly from the centre of the jungle towards the Kolara Gate. The chanting continued  "If you are happy clap your hands, clap, clap,clap" Screeeeecch...... The Jeep came to a grinding halt once again. Maya was walking majestically on the road. She was hardly ten metres away. The vision was Super High definition. Each step she was taking portrayed Power. She was sheer strength. Then she stopped suddenly and turned to stare at us. I could feel her looking straight into my eyes. Her jaws moved as if in slow motion and she let out a blood curdling roar. It was frightening and we were unsettled. Before we could react to the series of events, she suddenly turned towards us, increased her pace and leapt high. Even as we started screaming, our hearts thumping against our rib cage, she ran past us into the the dense jungle and disappeared. Forever for us.....

Good Bye Maya.

Ravan, The epitome of evil, was very restless today. Sitting in the higher worlds, he has been watching people burn his effigies on Dussehra. He was OK with the fact that people celebrate his reduction to ashes. People eagerly waited for the day when they celebrate the victory of good over evil. He was after all the ultimate villain, a symbol of lust, greed and selfishness. Ravan had heard a million times from political leaders, how he sacrificed his family and put the interest of his nation below his personal interest. 

He thought to himself, Yes, I did all this, I do not deny that, I did everything what I am blamed for. I kidnapped Sita and kept her hostage at Ashok Vatika. I kept her away from her husband. I daily instigated her with my proposal for marriage. BUT I did not touch her as she said NO. I am not justifying my action in any way but today I want to point out that as she said NO, I stayed away. I wanted to marry her, so that I could make her my queen. Give her a life of respect and luxury hence I requested her daily but she refused and I went back to my Palace, only to return again with the same question the very next day. Why am I then still the ultimate villain?

Ravan, famous for his belly rumbling laughter, was feeling very disturbed and even his hands were slipping from his Veena which he could earlier play for hours. He came out of his heavenly abode for a refreshing walk on the sea shore. As he was walking on the beach he saw a girl picking starfish which had landed on the beach with the waves and throwing them back in the sea. During the process sometimes they were biting her but she continued with her efforts relentlessly. Ravan became very curious, he asked her, who she was? She replied without even looking at him, "My name is Nirbhaya and I symbolize life. You can physically harm me but not my spirit. These starfishes bite me but I will still not stop giving them life."

Curious, Ravan said, I am sure like everyone else you also despise me as you see only the negative aspects of my personality and not the positive changes I introduced. My ten heads are not a symbol of dread but were symbolic of my knowledge of four Vedas and six Upanishads. I stopped the sacrifice of animals in the society. I was known as Social reformer and during my rule, my country was known as Golden Lanka and though I forcibly abducted a married woman but I never touched her. Nirbhaya patiently listened to Ravan and said "A person can do thousands of good things but if he cannot respect a woman, he does not deserve to live" 

That was the day when Ravan realized his folly and accepted his defeat. That day, he accepted his punishment and burned with shame when his effigies were burned. 

Good evening, my dear Toastmasters and guests. Today, I am here not to celebrate the spirit of Dussehra but I want to compare the situation of girls in earlier days to their situation in our world today. When a girl says NO, it means NO. We should respect that and honor her feelings. I recently saw a movie "Pink" which made me think about the society that we are living in.

Every day when we read newspapers it is full of news of rapes and attacks on woman. We live in a society which teaches it girls to be safe. They are supposed to be having sixth sense which can smell any harm coming their way before it happens. And, god forbid if something happens, what is our reaction. Don't tell anyone, it will bring bad name and shame to the family. We start blaming the girl for not being extra cautious. 

If a girl touches, pats and even hugs her male friends, is she giving them signals? She might be feeling safe and comfortable in their company. 

If a girl loves wearing modern outfits, does she want to provoke boys? She might be again looking only for comfortable dressing. 

If she smiles when she speaks, is she interested to build a relationship? It may be a part of her charming personality

If a girl is not a Virgin, is she characterless. She may have been in a relationship.

We are living in a society which is totally biased towards women. I am going to narrate here a story of a lady who had a son and a daughter and always motivated her daughter to be brave and fight for her rights. Her daughter grew to be a very strong woman but her own son mistreated his wife. The lady realized her mistake. She should have simultaneously taught her son to respect woman. Though, she supported her daughter-in-law but if she had inculcated the correct values in her son, she could have solved the problem from its roots.

Dear Toastmasters and Guests, this is a mistake we are continuously doing in life. We teach defense to girls, we tell them to be safe and keep quiet in case there is any problem. This is one approach, but Instead of doing this, should we also not teach the boys to respect woman. The men must know that even if they possess all the good qualities, if they cannot respect a woman for what she stands, then every achievement is meaningless. We have to teach men to understand that they come from a woman and their world revolves around women. And when a woman says No, it means NO. Learn to respect their decision. 

Smart Buyer

Smart Buyer

Good morning everyone. Let me begin by asking, how many men present here think that they are smart buyers. And how many ladies think that they negotiate better than men.

(Responses)

Buying and negotiating is a part of our daily life. It starts from the time we wake up. The Door bell rings ! Everyone pretends to ignore as no one wants to get up.  Negotiation starts, who will go and open the door. Remember, I opened the door yesterday, You go, No you go. Negotiation.

My daughter says, "Papa, I have to go out with friends to KFC, I need 500 rupees" "why ? You will get a meal in 300 and a drink in less than 100, I think 400 should be sufficient" - Negotiation.

I tell my son "you have to complete this chapter in one hour " After 40 minutes he has not reached even the half way mark.  "Son, you are behind schedule, Do it fast " Project Execution and Follow up.

Next in line is the wife, "we have to go shopping in the evening try to reach home by 6" "Oh no, I have a meeting at 4 and a con call at 5. Take your call in the car" - Negotiation.

Well, I used to think that I am a smart buyer, After all I am a Buyer professionally and I am supposed to be buying materials and services for my organisation. For everyone else buying is a casual activity but not for me, I earn my living out of it !

Actually, we start buying when we are small kids. Our mothers ask us to buy petty things from the nearby retail store like onions. As we grow up we mature, more money is given to us to buy more items like medicines etc. But, if you are the youngest of your siblings even if you grow 40 year old, your parents will have more confidence on the buying power of your elder brother. My mother never believed that I could make costly purchases. It is ironical that at the same time I handled purchases worth crores in my Organization but was not considered a good buyer by my own mother.

Another scene, MD calls me to negotiate a deal worth 20 crores. I get on the job immediately call meeting of Operations Team, gather specifications, float enquiry, get quotation, compare, mercilessly negotiate with the vendors, Get good discounts. System is implemented and accolades flow from all corners. Everyone is happy. My smart buying powers earn me money in the form of salary and increments.

Another day, another scenario, I am returning home after closing a big order in office, When my wife calls, "can you please buy a kg of onions" A Smart Buyer to go and buy an item worth twenty rupees ! Anyway, I wear my Buyers mask and try some of my smart buying skills by telling the vegetable seller that it is available at ten percent lesser prices at a nearby mall. Quick comes the reply, "OK sir, please go there and spend Rs. 30 in parking charges and buy onions at two rupees less. I immediately realise that the total cost of ownership is high. With a sheepish grin, I take the onions and exit. When I reach home, I get quality feedback from the end customer that I have paid higher for the quality of material received and  specifications. The size of the onion is smaller and they are also not dry which means that I have effectively paid higher price for the quality that I have purchased. So, is she a smarter buyer. No way, I am going to prove everyone at home wrong that I am a smarter shopper.

After a few more successful negotiations at home with my son and daughter on topics of national interest like buying Minion Tees and downloading Pokemon Go, I proceed for some more shopping and buying with my family. We start with my daughter's shopping and I realise in no time, that in this type of shopping, there is no place for the value of money, specifications or negotiation. What matters is just brand, visual perception and cost. Yes, you guessed it correctly, after shortlisting and dumping number of clothes in West side, Max and Jealous, finally Vera Moda is chosen. Now this is beyond my Ken. In office, we select the vendor with the lowest cost, but here the Head of Procurement is forced to buy something which is the costliest ? Can you imagine why ? The reason is that she thinks that she too is a Smart Buyer. She is able to effectively choose the best brand which enhances her image. Isn't she a smart shopper?

When I expressed my unwillingness to spend more than one thousand rupees for the toy of my son  the rich kid asks me "are you not carrying your credit card, Papa, the more you purchase the more points get accumulated" When we were small we used to accept the limits given to us, but these kids are smarter.

My wife also doesn't waste time in proving that she too is a smart buyer by buying all those items which are available on heavy discounts or have some kind of scheme attached to it. So we end up buying more than we need or budget. But, she is able to save money in the long tun.

So, all of us are smart buyers but shopping motives are different.

Whereas, you can take a retirement from your respective jobs of being an Engineer and a software developer, as a Buyer I can never retire. As we grow older we become wiser and experienced buyers. The negotiations also never stops. I visualise a scenario when I am old and negotiating with my grand children to share the secret information of the keys of the refrigerator so that all of us can have ice creams.

Once a Buyer always a buyer. Happy buying and negotiating.