Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Not exactly in that order. - Toastmasters Icebreaker

For more than one reason, I recently joined the Toastmaster club of my office. I visited once as a guest and signed up for membership straight away. On my second visit the Sargent at arms asked if I would like to volunteer for anything for the next meeting. Mostly because she is a nice and funny woman, and saying no is not my strongest virtues, I signed up for a speech. For all those who do not know, the first speech is called ice breaker and it is simply about introducing yourself to the club. Choosing a topic was the toughest part, considering that I wrote it just in time for the meeting. Having not practised it beforehand, I crossed the time limit (by almost two minutes!). I am sharing it because few of my colleagues advised that I should. And also because my husband has pestered me enough for it. 

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Thank you madam toastmaster, fellow members and guests.

This being my first speech, I would request you all to contribute. I want you all to think about three things or incidents that shaped your life. The rule is, do not think much. Ready? (mouths counting with hand gestures for 7-9 seconds)

Now I already had my list in mind, a liberty you can take in icebreaker I guess.

Every story has a beginning, middle and an end. Not exactly in that order. We are all such stories, work in progress. The events in our lives do not flow in straight river like pattern. It is more of a zig saw puzzle. Some pieces already on the board but waiting for other pieces to join them in order to make complete sense. I have picked up few pieces to share as chapters. As I said, in no particular order.

Chapter 84: a woman sits in the beautician’s chair getting her eyebrows arched. A lot of effort goes in the no-effort look! The beautician advises how this woman can hide a scar she has on her eyebrow. Her reaction, “well, it took me more than seven years to fight all the insecurities society planted in my head since an early age. I am not hiding anything just to appear perfect anymore. Thank you so much.”

Now, you don’t say something like that to a woman who holds the future of your eyebrows in her hands. Quite literally! Instead with a smile she said “It’s a souvenir. I will keep it like this, thank you.”

Chapter 15: a five-year-old tries to jump a fence and falls flat on her face. Seeing the blood on her clothes, she starts crying even before pain hits her. Her father comes out in pyjamas. Panicking, he picks her in his arms and runs to the nearest medical centre. The little girl held at an awkward angel feels the throbbing pain in his forehead beneath her father’s palm pressed firmly on the wound. She can see his father’s bare feet on the concrete pavement, in scorching Indian summer at its peak. The feet remind her of the white pigeons on her terrace. After the wound is bandaged, they return home in the similar fashion. Realising how hard it must be for her father to walk she said, “papa you can have my shoes since I am in your arms anyway.” Father gives a funny smile. In coming years, she will learn he smiles like that when he fights tears. In coming years, she will always fight back tears seeing white pigeons for some strange reason.

Chapter 27: A seven-year-old misses her school bus and demands that his father’s driver drops her to school. The father being a government official always has a car and driver at his disposal. The mother overhearing this conversation reprimands both. The little girl is told that the car belongs to his father’s post and not to her. And since even after missing her school bus by her own fault she think she can demand something like this, she is welcome to walk all the way to school. That is, unless she wraps her swollen head around the fact that “if she has not earned it, she doesn’t deserve it.” She learnt two things that day:

A)     Her otherwise soft-spoken mum can scare the man of the house if she wants!

B)     The mother is the ultimate villain in her life!

Chapter 55: In an examination hall trying to recall what she tried mugging up few minutes before entering the hall, a young girl sees that the invigilator has dozed off. Blame it on the post lunch duties! Her eyes meet that of a friend’s sitting next to her and both smile. The friend passes a chit to her. A little startled, she takes the chit. This could really help her earning some extra credits and God knows that will be useful. But before she could place it strategically like she has seen her friend doing, she finds her throat throbbing. Well, if she copies, “she would not have earned the extra credits. And it is not right to take what you do not deserve.” She passes the chit back. Knowing fully well that now she has few more sleepless nights to cover for it. Well, that journey would be easier with a lighter conscience.

Chapter 62: a 26-year-old girl is working in a relief camp in earthquake struck Nepal. She knew what awaited her there. But no matter how prepared you think you are, human tragedy is one of the most heartbreaking things to witness. Families torn apart, kids orphaned, females old and small trapped in human trafficking take a toll on your sanity. On the seventh day, the crack begins to appear. Otherwise composed girl walks down behind a pile of ruins and finding some solitude, before she knew it, her tears start rolling down her cheeks.

A boy aged around 7-8 happen to walk in the scene. This boy has lost his entire family to the earth quake. His only possession is a wooden toy truck. He has had this worn out three wheeled truck clutched to his chest since he arrived in the camp. Probably it is the only memory he has of his life before the disaster. Seeing that girl, this kid hands his truck to her and said,” you keep it, it might make you happy.”

And in all the coming chapters of her life this girl will know that no matter how much she has and how much she gives, she will never be as rich and as giving as that kid.

Chapter 1: A woman in her early twenties gulps down another cup of tea. She is reading a novel where the protagonist is a strong headed, opinionated woman raising her voice in male dominated 19th century India. She thinks of her and smiles. Looking down to her pregnant belly, she thinks, “I will have a daughter like her, and she will be called Shweta.”

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Now, I have shortened the speech a little. Given all the pauses, it might still be over time.

The feedback I received was very constructive. Apart from the praise, the evaluator pointed out that:

1.      I could have elaborated so that a listener can easily link the anecdotes. At times the links were not so strong for everyone to understand.

2.      I could have picked fewer incidents and been more descriptive given almost everything was quite intense.

I knew that was coming. But it is nice to walk in a room full of almost strangers and come back with few acquaintances who come to you and say “Thank you! I really felt that”. 

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