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It gives me immense pleasure to release this issue of our LA 1924 Toastmas-ters Club newsletter, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together –
The standard definition of REVELATION according to the internet states that in religion, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Leaving the religious connotation aside, revelation is also a synonym for Com-munication. If in religion Revelation is disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with the supernatural, then why not dis-close the same truth through communication unto ourselves and the world around us… aren‘t we a part of the supernatural…? Doesn‘t ―God‖ reside with-in us too..?
And it‘s for this reason our communication or Revelation must be disclosed to ourselves and to others through us … And it all begins with the first step when you Show UP… Stand UP… SPEAK UP… and that‘s what we STAND for at LA 1924 Toastmasters Club.
We Stand for COMMUNICATION, we stand for LEADERSHIP, we stand for REVELATION unto ourselves and to the World and that‘s why we strongly be-lieve in our motto:
―For Excellence in Communication and Leadership, the buck
stops here...‖
Be a REVELATION unto yourself and others...
Show UP… Stand UP… SPEAK UP…!
TM Akash Agarwal, Vice-President (Public Relations)
From The Editor’s Desk
Club No. 9496 District 92 Division A Area 04 Issue 1
January – March 2016 Edition
REVELATION
Show UP… Stand UP… SPEAK UP…!!!
LA 1924 Toastmasters Club
Newsletter
Inside this issue:
From The Presidents Desk
2
―Persistence‖ The Trait of a Champion - TM Dr. Ushy Mohan
Das
3
"The Leader Ladder at Toastmasters" - - TM TK Chandramouli
4
The Cycle Ride" - - TM Namitha Acharya
5
The Secret Ingredient - TM Binod Maliel
6
"My Toastmasters Journey" – TM Kavitha L
8
Club News
Club Achievements
9
10
Leadership
Committee
Contact
11 12
Upcoming
Events—
April 10th ‗16 -
Division ―A‖ Int.
Speech & TT Contest
From The President’s Desk
Page 2
My Fellow Toastmasters & Dear Readers,
Of all the skills required to survive and grow in the corporate world, communication
and presentation skills are the most crucial skills that can contribute to your success.
The advancement in technologies and tools can never compensate for good com-
munication skills. Good communication skills also help one develop better relation-
ships. Good speakers are generally perceived to be more knowledgeable and well-
informed than others. And this holds true whether you are a corporate employee or
an entrepreneur or a freelancer. I meet a lot of people in my social circle and advo-
cate the benefits of toastmasters to them. And it‘s sometimes quiet surprising for me
that people know about toastmasters for years but never muster enough courage to
actually join a club. To me it‘s akin to someone knowing that they have a serious
disease but not wanting to visit a doctor and get a treatment.
As a practicing toastmasters, I believe it‘s our responsibility to spread the message
about toastmasters. Spread the message not through the ready-made marketing
materials and jargons but through the wisdom of your own experience. Talk to peo-
ple about how much a community club like LA1924 has helped you in becoming an
effective communicator, a better leader and a great friend.
LA1924 is one of the most tenured toastmasters club in Bangalore. Our patronage
includes people from all walks of life like doctors, engineers, artists, DJs, CAs, suc-
cessful business people and corporate CEOs. An opportunity to socialize with and
learn along with such esteemed members of the society, is what makes me keep
coming back to LA1924 since last several years. I have also witnessed to a lot of
corporate alliances, business partnerships, employment opportunities and some
strong friendships taking birth at our club.
Today the club is in pink of its health. Since the beginning of this term, we have seen
a steady rise in our membership. We have more than 80% conversion rate from
guests to members. The attendance and participation from all the members of the
club is phenomenal. Week on week we have at least 3 or speeches being delivered.
By winning contests, our members have created a strong repute for our club at the
area and division level. The club finances are strong through our participation in
speech craft programs.
All this would not have been possible if not for the committed and enthusiastic mem-
bers that we have at our club. As president, I am privileged to have this opportunity
to dawn the mantle of club leadership. I sincerely hope that you continue to enjoy
your membership at LA1924 and use this opportunity to practice your speaking and
leadership skills.
Sandeep Belekar, President, LA1924 Toastmasters Club
―The advancement in
technologies and
tools can never
compensate for good
communication
skills.‖
―I believe it’s our
responsibility to
spread the message
about toastmasters.‖
.
Persistence is the ability to be determined
to do something regardless of any hard-
ships, discomfort or setbacks. A differenti-
ating attribute of those who succeed in life
against those who don‘t.
An apt example illustrates the trait.
When Jaydev Payang alias Molai persisted
alone for 30 years, planting trees on the
banks of the Brahmaputra, and even im-
porting ants, to create an ecosystem that
would thrive on its own it was a feat that an
average mind would only imagine! 30 years
later the same man when found chasing a
herd of 115 elephants; the authorities were
surprised and impressed at what his persis-
tence had accomplished. The forest is now
named Molai forest and is home to dozens
of different species, including tigers, rhinoc-
eros, deer, rabbits, and apes.
A lot of people have the capacity to set
goals and plans toward success, yet only
few succeed, because only few stick to
work on their goals and plans until it is ac-
complished.
Many people quit in the middle of their jour-
ney because they let their fears and doubts
paralyze them from moving persistently
toward their goals. My wisdom and experi-
ence has identified some simple steps to
develop the trait of persistence.
Identify Your Goals and Desires:
The first step is to write down specifically
all the things you want to have or accom-
plish. List down all your goals, no matter
how impossible they are seeming to
achieve in the moment.
Stay Motivated at All Times:
Motivation comes from a deep reason why
we want to achieve or have something. If
you know why you‘re doing what you‘re
doing, it gives you more energy to keep
moving.
Visualise your Action Steps:
Be specific on each step you need to take
in order to accomplish the plan towards
fulfilling your desires. Identify multiple
ways and plans on how you can achieve
your goals
Develop Strong Discipline and Habit:
All your planning will be futile if you won‘t
be able to develop discipline and habit. A
lot of hindrances may stop you from mov-
ing towards your goal, and without proper
discipline, it will be easy for you to sail
away. It is important to create and nurture
good habits to stay on course.
We must avoid getting caught up in nega-
tive or unproductive thinking such as, "This
will never work." "I can't do this." Instead,
keep inspiring stories handy of those who
have persevered in life, and whatever else
will motivate and boost your drive.
The greatest feelings of accomplishment
are from knowing you've overcome obsta-
cles and conquered adversities to achieve
your goals.
Your ultimate success will be exponentially
more satisfying and fulfilling when you
know what it took to get there.
The wonderful examples of Molai, Ray
Charles, Itzhak Perlman and many more
persistent people across continents prove
that obstacles and adversity need not stop
you from accomplishing great things.
Just develop strong, disciplined habits and
keep repeating them...
―Persistence – The Trait of a Champion‖
By TM Dr. Ushy Mohandas
“When You Feel
The Weakest,
The Least
Powerful and the
most
Uncomfortable,
that is WHEN You
must
RUN FASTER
FORWARD”
— Ushy Mohan
Das
Page 3
―The greatest
feelings of
accomplishment are
from knowing you've
overcome obstacles
and conquered
adversities to
achieve your goals.‖
My dear LAites, It‘s been a long journey. Being a slow learner, and one who enjoys being in the moment, leadership was not my cup of T(coffe)ea. I was, am and will be instinctive. Leadership had no role to play in my innings with LA1924. I do not succumb to challenges very often, unless it‘s an out of the world adventure! Then the unthinkable happened! I was called to be the president!. Many members knew that I was incapable, considering my qualities. With no others to ‗sacrifice‘ leadership was trust upon me.! Many of our members, when I took over as the president, deserted the club. The simple reason – the club was not good anymore. For me the ‗Club‘ became everything!. I was not worried about me, personally, I was inclined towards the great Institution of LA1924! I could not let it go! I was in a spot of mind control. Some members stood by me, as I held on to the club, by the skin of my teeth! 2 terms and another term – I ensured the club did not close down! I did not lead , I was lead! I realized that the best efforts or the lack of it, by anyone, cannot change LA1924! Its an institution with strong foundation. A tree with such deep roots is bearing fruits till date. Leadership, I realized, was not about the number of followers you have but the people who chase you! To perform, to achieve and to excel. Many of them are real leaders. They put one person on a ladder and hold it . One has to climb to success! Sometime later, the Dist. Committee, expressed its unhappiness about LA1924. ‗We were a mere shadow of the past and with no representation in the Dist. for years on! This was the sore feeling. I stepped in, to take on a responsibility. I ended my term as Area Governor quite successfully! I had taken my leadership role to a different level - I just participated and learnt the les-sons. Overcoming hurdles is success, was the lesson I learnt all the way.
"The Leader Ladder at Toastmasters" - By TM TK Chandramouli
Page 4
“Leadership,
I realized, was
not about the
number of follow-
ers you have but
the people who
chase you! To
perform, to
achieve and to
excel.”
I believe that life is a great teacher. Every
single day, every single experience is an
opportunity to learn and grow as an individ-
ual.
Talking about experiences, I‘ve had some
fantastic experiences that have taught me
some very important life lessons.
The year was 2011. My husband and I had
bought bicycles and we fell in love with
cycling. We would ride long distances of
about 40-50 kms during some of the week-
ends. On one such ride, we decided that in
a couple of months we should cycle from
Bangalore to Mysore and back.
After a few months of practice, we did ac-
complish this herculean task. We rode
from Bangalore to Mysore covering 140
kms in 9 hrs and the next day we rode
back the same distance in about 12 hrs.
Why the extra 3 hrs you ask? Well, on our
way back we had to battle torrential rain,
poor visibility and heavy weekend traffic on
the Bangalore – Mysore highway.
Nevertheless, this cycling experience was
one of the best experiences of our lives
and here is what I learnt from it.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that
you CANT DO IT!!
When we told our friends and relatives that
we were planning to cycle to Mysore, a
couple of them were excited and super
proud of us but there were a few who
thought that we were crazy. They told us
how dangerous it is to cycle on a highway,
that it is not possible to cycle that distance
in a day, so on and so forth.
In life, there are people who support you
and then there are people who discourage
you. All you have to do is listen to that in-
ner voice which says “You Can Do It” and
just go for it!
Enjoy the journey, no matter what!
Was it easy to cycle a distance of 140 kms
in a day? No it wasn‘t. We cycled at a
speed of 20kmph in the first hour and as
the sun came out, we had to rest every 5
kms. The scorching heat was tiring us too
fast and the traffic was slowing us down.
Despite all these factors, we were sure of
one thing. We were going to thoroughly
enjoy this experience and we did just that.
Reaching the destination is absolutely im-
portant but what’s more important is cher-
ishing every moment of getting there.
There is immense power within
each of us....Let’s tap it
Nothing could have prepared us for the
adventure that was in store while cycling
back to Bangalore. We had covered half
the distance and it started raining heavily.
We couldn‘t stop anywhere on the highway
and we had to reach Bangalore before it
got dark. Our only option was to keep rid-
ing. The downpour made visibility extreme-
ly poor. For a minute, I panicked and just
then there was something from within that
pushed me, gave me confidence to finish
what I had started and that‘s it…I kept cy-
cling. Slowly and steadily we kept peddling
and finally reached Bangalore just before it
got dark. We cycled for nearly 12 hrs that
day.
In times of distress, look for strength from
within you and this is what will keep you
going. This is what will help you achieve
anything you set your heart on.
From that day on, I apply these learnings
to every situation in my life, Toastmasters
included and I must say that I have reaped
immense benefits and I am sure that you
will too.
―The Cycle Ride" By TM Namitha Acharya
Don’t ever let anyone
tell you that you
CANT DO IT!!
Enjoy the journey, no
matter what!
There is an immense
power within each of
us...Let’s tap it!
Page 5
Page 6
The Secret Ingredient By TM Binod Maliel
You want awesome results in life! Well, who doesn‘t? I want awesome results in my life. My boss and customer want awesome results from me. We all want awesome results in life so that we can achieve the life of our dreams – at work, at home, and in our personal life.
But not all of us get these awesome results that we want.
So, how do we get awesome results in our lives? It seems such a simple ques-tion. And the answer may seem simplis-tically simple. The answer is – to get awesome results in your life, you must have great goals, work towards them and achieve them. Then you will have awesome results.
Simplistically simple, did I not say? But it is easier said than done.
I recently read about a person weighing 125 kilos and having a 46 inch waist who once broke the commode when he sat on it. Over the period of the last one year, this person lost 40 kilos, and re-duced his waist size to 32 inches. Those are awesome results! And it is moving him towards living the life of his dreams.
If the simplistically simple answer were really that simple, then most of us would be abounding in the results we dream about.
So what is the real answer to getting awesome results? The real answer is that to get awesome results, there is a secret ingredient. And that secret ingre-dient is what will help us to work to-wards our goals and achieve them.
Before I tell you what that secret ingre-dient is, think along with me on this…
Many people say that you get what you deserve. While that may be true in many cases, I think that is not really
true. I believe that you get what you expect.
You get what you expect.
You get what you expect from others. That is leadership. As a leader, to get awesome results from your team, you need to set high expectations for your team.
To be a good leader, before leading others you need to be able to lead your-self, and get awesome results from yourself. And to get high results from yourself, you need to set high expecta-tions for yourself.
Now I know you may be wondering what all this has to do with the secret ingredient. But hang on with me a little, and we‘ll get to it very soon.
Setting high expectations for others and for yourself, is an extremely important part of getting results. Setting high ex-pectations is goal setting – setting high goals for others, and setting high goals for yourself.
However, setting goals as you have probably realized by now, is the easier part. We all have experienced this when we create new year resolutions on new year eve and inevitably break them. The difficult part, the part where most people fail, the part where the really successful people stand head over shoulders over the masses, is the ability not just to set goals but to achieve goals.
Achieving goals is the real challenge. We often don‘t achieve our goals be-cause of various reasons including - get distracted from our goals, feeling ―not in the mood‖ to pursue our goals on some days, and facing many obstacles that discourage us from achieving our goals. The result is that we don‘t get the awe-some results we dreamt about.
“To be a good leader,
before leading others
you need to be able to
lead yourself, and get
awesome results from
yourself.
And to get high results
from yourself, you need
to set high expectations
for yourself.”
Now what is the secret ingredient to be able to achieve goals? It is focus.
Focus is power. Focused action produces powerful results. No one who has become successful ever achieved suc-cess without focus. The successful are able to focus on a goal and take action on it till it gets done. We all know that when sunlight is focused through a lens, it can burn paper. When light is focused to a much greater extent, the laser that is produced can cut through steel.
What is the secret to being focused? The secret is to de-velop habits. Once you develop a habit, you automatically and with the least effort, are focused on the goal and the goal automatically gets achieved. So the secret ingredient really is focus using habits. Creating habits is like a satellite being launched into space. It is said that to escape gravita-tional force of the earth, the rocket expends almost 95% of its fuel. But after that, the satellite runs for years on the 5% remaining fuel.
Habits are just like that. It takes tremendous effort to form a habit. Some say habits take 21 days to form, and some others say they take 28 days to form. All agree that around a month is a good time for a habit to form. The power of a habit is that it positively effects your spirit, your mind, your emotions, and your body, and creates an amazing level of results and personal fulfillment.
The 125 kilo person who lost 40 kilos in a year was fo-cused on his goal. But he achieved it through a habit he created of walking 2 kms every day. That habit later got changed to running 6 kms every day. Now he runs 15 kms every day. That is the power of habit. There are many smart phone apps that can help you form habits. I use an Android app called HabitBull. Find one that works for you, and start using it.
So what are the awesome results you want in your life? In leadership? In speaking? In your family life? In your per-sonal life? Instead of only trying to achieve the goal, now decide which habit you are going to form that will help achieve your goal. Repeat the habit for 30 days in a row, and form the new habit.
Now watch yourself automatically and powerfully launch those awesome results and fulfillment you want in life, and create the life of your dreams!
PS: To read the story of the 125 kilo person, go to - http://bit.ly/125kilos
Page 7
“Focus is power.
Focused action produces powerful
results.
No one who has become successful ever
achieved success without focus.
The successful are able to focus on a
goal and take action on it till it gets
done.”
It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. I
felt it was unfair to spend it submerged in
monotony of the corporate castle. The itch
to break free and pursue something new
grew by the day. I started toying with the
idea of visiting a club that my elder brother
Kiran highly recommended. I rang up a
friend and here I was at our own LA1924
TM club.
I was thoroughly impressed with how each
aspect of speaking like grammar, crutch
words and time were noted down. Table
topics reminded me of extempore competi-
tions back in school and college only the
topics here were more interesting. The
evaluation session took me by surprise for I
never imagined one could observe so many
things about a speech. But what really
brought me back to the club the week next
was the energy and enthusiasm. It was a
refreshing and dramatic shift from the cor-
porate boredom.
You must have heard everyone talk a great
deal about how toastmasters about how
toastmasters helped them overcome fear of
public speaking, hone their communication
and leadership skills. All this holds good for
me too. But in this write up I would like to
throw some light on other side effects of
toastmastering which can be as important
and in fact life transforming. Let me take
you through each of these side effects one
by one.
Networking – Toastmasters is a great op-
portunity to meet people from different
walks of life. LA1924 being a community
club and an elite one at that, has a diversity
that is many folds more than any other
club. I have met corporate trainers, life
coaches, entrepreneurs, educationalists,
lawyers, biggies in sales and marketing. I
have sought advice from a CA in planning
my finances, approached experienced IT
professionals to ponder over problems at
work, entrepreneurs keep my dream of be-
coming an entrepreneur afloat by sharing
their experience and knowledge time and
again.
Knowledge sharing – I am amused by the
plethora of interests and hobbies that many
club members possess – Running, theatre,
racing, magic, yoga, reading books, swim-
ming, social service, dancing and writing
books. I am all ears and wide eyed with
curiosity when members share their experi-
ences and knowledge gained either over
speeches or across a dinner table. I ex-
plored my love for food and visited count-
less restaurants with them. My palette took
to non veg and different cuisines in no time.
I got introduced to books and movies that I
had never heard of before.
Positivity – Toastmasters is by far the
most positive movement across the world
in my opinion. Inspirational speeches,
quotes and positive affirmations keep ring-
ing in your mind after each meeting. Be it a
bad day at work or at home, a toastmasters
meeting can always lift my moods up.
Toastmasters is no less than a therapy
when it comes to keeping your spirits high.
Camaraderie, fun and frolic – Last but not
the least, I must admit I made friends for
life. Progressive outlook, non-judgmental,
mature mindset cast a spell on me!! Age,
gender, life experiences did not seem to
have any consequence at all. Holi, Hallow-
een, movie nights, gaming nights, little pic-
nics and trips, comedy shows, mango par-
ty, dance shows, birthday parties and I
could go on!!!
In a nutshell, toastmasters has been an
enriching experience in multi dimensions.
People who are new to toastmasters have
always asked me if it is anything to do with
raising toast and drinking.
My Toastmasters Journey - By TM Kavitha L
Page 8
“Toastmasters has
been an enriching
experience in multi
dimensions.”
Well!! May be the next time
I will say yes, raising a toast
to excellence and getting
drunk on life is what we do!!
International Speech & Table Top-
ics Contest Club Level At LA 1924
Winners - International Speech Contest 1. TM Sridhar Ranganathan 2. TM Chandramouli 3. TM Akash Agarwal
Table Topics Contest 1.TM Ameya Tambekar 2. TM Akash Agarwal 3. TM Sridhar Ranganathan
Club NEWS
Page 9
Women's Day was
celebrated in full swing at LA 1924...
LA and its Lady Power!!!
The Picture says it all, don't you think...
The Pride of LA 1924, Dr. Ushy Mohan Das, Leadership & energy Coach, with her second and Book—‖New Clear Energy‖. Its available on Amazon, Kindly and Google Play, She keeps getting featured in various Television, Radio & Print media frequently —Featured this time in Fever 104 and in Dhanam a Malayalam Magazine on Most Powerful Achievers. She is an invaluable asset to LA 1924. Grab a copy of the book, you‘ll love it...
NEW Members at LA
The membership of LA 1924 is strong and continues to grow. New member who has joined the family recently are:
1. Ms. Anupama Venugopal
2. Ms. Niby Jacob Elackatt
3. Mr. Mustafa A Muhammed
4. Mr. Anantharaman Kailash M
5. Mr. Shashank Shekhar
Club ACHIEVEMENTS
Page 10
Speechcraft @ Arvind
Brands
The 15 participants of Speechcraft from Arvind Brands who have tak-en LA 1924 on broad to help them improve their communication Skills…!!! Another feather in the cap for LA...
Its LA all the way Again…!!!
LA wins hands down at Area (A04) and qualifies for the Division Contest :
International Speech Contest: 1. TM Akash Agarwal (LA) 2. TM Chandramouli (LA)
Table Topics Contest: 1. TM Ameya Tambekar (LA) 2. TM Akash Agarwal (LA)
Leadership Committee Jan—June 2016
Page 11
Sandeep
Belekar [email protected] 9845288574 President
Namitha
Acharya [email protected] 9880564006
Vice Presi-dent -
Education
Venkata
Narayan [email protected] 9845197370
Vice Presi-dent - Mem-
bership
Akash
Agarwal [email protected] 9886090998
Vice Presi-dent - Public
Relations
(PR)
Mehul
Pancholi [email protected] 9972777448 Treasurer
Dorai
Arasu [email protected] 9845405086 Secretary
Joydeep
Ghosh [email protected] 9886096188
Sergeant At
Arms
Ananth
Krishnan [email protected] 9900562524
Vice Presi-
dent - Admin
Committee Mem-
ber Name Email Contact Number Designation
We meet every
Wednesday
between 6:45 &
9:00 Pm @
No. 47/1, Manipal Centre,
Dickenson Road, Bangalore
560 042, India
Hotel Royal
Orchid Central
Manipal
Center, MG
Road,
CONTACT
“For Excellence in
Communication and
Leadership,
the Buck Stops Here!!”
W E ’ R E ON T H E W EB ! !
H T T P S : / / L A1 9 2 4 . I N
H T T P S : / / W WW. FAC E B O O K . COM / L A1 9 2 4 . I N /
H T T P S : / / T WI TT E R . COM / L A1 9 2 4 TM C L U B
HTTPS://WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/LA1924TMCLUB
Editors: Akash Agarwal, VP-PR Namitha Acharya, VP-Ed
About Toastmasters
Toastmasters International (www.toastmasters.org) is
the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to leader-
ship and communication skills development through its
worldwide network of clubs.
