TCS MAITREE CHENNAI TOASTMASTERS CLUB - Confluence 2020

1. February 19 Milestone edition CONFLUENCE’20 C e l e b r a t i n g T o g e t h e r n e s s TCS MAITREE CHENNAI TOASTMASTERS CLUB Edited By Designed By TMHaneef Basha TMBenazir Parveen TMSaikiran Confluence 1

2. Index 1) Editor’s Voice……………………………………………………………………………………… 3 2) Articles corner……………………………………………………………………………......... 4 - 22 3) Contests corner………………………………………………………………………………….. 23 4) Confluence Team………………………………………………………………………………... 24 Confluence 2

3. Editor ’s Voice 500 is just a number!! Benazir Parveen "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced" - Soren Kierkegaard. For the past 1.8 years Toastmasters has became a part of my life. Started my journey in Toastmasters as VPM, then VPE , Finally President and now again VPM. Do you think converting Guests into a member is a easy job? Do you think fulfilling all your club and club members needs as a VPE is easiest job? Do you think Club President is the happiest One in our Group? Have you experienced these !!! If your answers are "NO" then why are you waiting for? Even my answers were NO before 1.8 years. Toastmasters club will make you a better leader and better communicator, more than that you will get a beautiful family where you can express everything to everyone and make yourself chill and relax. Word "Thanks" will not be enough to show my gratitude to each and every toastmasters who were with me during all my ups and downs and making me a best version of myself. This is the place where I learned Sharing, smiling ,helping and appreciating someone will bring a huge difference in their life. 500 is Just a number lot more to come, Proud to be a part of this Family. Happy Toastmastering!!! Confluence 3

4. Articles corner Life means possibilities Sniffle , Sniffle, Achooo..oo… If we are sick, we go to doctor. If we drench in rain we keep our body warm to protect us from falling sick. If we are travelling by road on a two-wheeler, we wear a helmet to protect our head. All the above stated examples are related to physical damages. Be it human body or electronic gadget. But what are we doing to protect our emotional wellbeing? We all have times when we feel nervous, anxious, stressful sometimes we feel lonely, we feel that we don’t belong to this physical world anymore.one day we feel extremely happy the very next day we feel low. We take so much care for physical wellbeing, what are we doing to safeguard our emotional wellbeing? Studies shows that we are depending on many external factors to be happy. Imagine a day without your mobile and internet. We have friends list ranging from 100’s to 1000’s on social media. But how many true friends do we have to share our feelings and what we are going through in life? In a survey of 3556 respondents from eight cities across India, a staggering 47% could be categorized as being highly judgmental of people perceived as having mental illness. A closer analysis revealed a surprising twist, the respondents were mostly from higher socio-economic backgrounds and were more educated and were younger (aged between 18 and 24).we are running behind numbers to assess the rate of success, yet forgetting to enjoy little things in life. It is time to make mental health our priority in lives and it is okay if we fail once or twice. What is important is to learn from failures and get better every time. Start your day with a smile, be kind , help and support others, Spend quality time with family and friends. Before you go to sleep think about three nice things you are happy and proud about that day. Make sure you are spending quality time on your favorite hobby. Work life balance is very important for emotional stability. At the end of the day we remember the good memories not the numbers. Remember every exit has a entry somewhere .Every end has a new beginning .Never lose hope, because life means possibilities. Manjusha Confluence 4

5. Articles corner 1984 – A Book Review War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. 1984 is a dystopian novel written almost 70 years ago by George Orwell, is a timeless classic and is still something that never ceases to amaze how relevant it is, whatever time it may be. Even though the prophecy made by Orwell of a world where we are being watched over 24*7, was supposed to be a warning on the dangers of Nazism and Stalinism, it has never been more relevant than the present days. From social media to smartphones to tech devices like Alexa, we are in a time where anyone can chart our complete lifestyle without even meeting us once. 1984 follows the life of Winston Smith, who is a low-ranking member of ‘The Party’ (headed by Big Brother) and is frustrated by the fact that, “the Big Brother is omnipotent and infallible”. Harsh Vardhan Working in the Ministry of Truth, Winston understands that, what the Party is doing is ‘Reality Control’. He takes a vow, early in the book, to defend ‘the obvious’ and ‘the true’: “The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall on the earth.” Freedom, he reminds himself, “is the freedom to say two and two makes four”, even though the Party forces him to agree that “TWO AND TWO MAKES FIVE” – not unlike how the current political scenario works - by stating the false statements so many times that it becomes the truth. Our hero, Winston Smith, begins a subtle revolution against the Party by keeping a secret diary – a thought crime punishable by Death. With his lover Julia, he starts a fight for freedom and justice in a world where no one seems to be bothered by the injustice and oppression. There is a poem called “The Chestnut Tree” by Glen Miller, that has a line: “Underneath the spreading chestnut tree, I loved you and you loved me…”, which Orwell has modified to: “Underneath the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me. But it will only be possible if we get divided. 1984 highlights the importance of resisting mass control, oppression and always trying to seek “elusive but verifiable truth”. Confluence 5

6. Articles corner Oh.!!.My dear valentine ShyamSiddharth Days back, I stumbled before coming to a halt in front of the grocery store I frequently visit. There was a large crowd in the front. I stared nonplussed and then it clicked. The crowd was in front of the small florist - it was Valentine's day. There were those cute cards, more news coverage on some fringe parties’ reactions, the usual columns on what is or isn't Indian culture keepers’ views, nostalgic articles by middle aged men on their valentines, a few two liners on the kind of partners a few young men and women were looking for. What was missing was hopeful writing. I do realize there is possibly one in a thousand who believes in grand passion, the whole Romeo-Juliet sort of thing in my so called fast-track generation. And I think it's a good thing. But still it all seemed so prosaic. There is this one article that someone wrote many years ago for Valentine's day on the kind of man she wants. She wrote a column in possibly 'The Hindu' about her ideal man who would be a combination of Mr.Darcy and Rhett Butler. I still remember that! Why aren't there articles like that anymore? Isn't a single character of R.K. Narayan for you muggles, worthy ? I did like Ms.Elizabeth though. I don't remember the right chronology, but there was a time I was completely enamoured by Ayn Rand and Jane Austen. Then there was Poonguzhali (Ponniyin Selvan) and Madhumitha (Pirivom Santhipom). I walked up and down Papanasam, during my first visit to Tirunelveli, when I was in high school, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Madhu. My mom even promised me many times that she'd marry me off to Madhu. More so in frustration at my loss of senses as I read through book after book. The interesting part is even after all these years, even in retrospect, I still like those characters. That - standing the test of time - is something quite amazing.The not so interesting part My Dear Valentine is that, I can just write, but not find you. Confluence 6

7. Articles corner Consistency The Trainer with a rookie! “Consistency”, Guru. This was the answer I got. The question I asked to my Gym Trainer was about what separates great people from ordinary one. He also insisted that “Not only in this field, be it any – It’s the consistency that matters”. Still I was not much convinced with that answer. We are all in this so called ‘dynamic’ world which focus only on the result rather than the process to achieve it. Hence there comes many shortcuts to achieve the results which itself deviates from the purpose of achieving it. Another day at Gym. I was in the awe of seeing some Gurucharan bodybuilders were going on high number of supplements for the exercise. On seeing them, my monkey mind picturized on only the result i.e., the physique of that person. Without delay (you know what every rookie does right, am not an exception), I went to my trainer and insisted my own plan as if am a professional and he is not. May be this time, my sense of urgency should have struck his chord. Yet, he was patient. He sat down in front of me and explained. He showed his good old pictures where he was struggling hard to make his daily income and yet he managed to make time for body-building. The way he told me about his past gave goosebumps to me and he said this one at last. “If you want to be a champion, think that you are already a champion. Be an old-school boy who respects discipline rather than shortcuts” His past has definitely molded him. Not only his physique, but also his discipline. He had that consistency. Confluence 7

8. Articles corner From Nowhere To Here An unsung story of an over thinker. Stories are part of our social fabric. In the month of December 1992, a place called as Murshidabad in West Bengal, a boy was born who has completely changed his family's tradition in term of profession, education and thought process.. He is the first one from his father's side who gave 10th standard's exam and he is the only one who went for Engineering in his entire family. While preparing for engineering, the only dream he had was to get selected in a regular top 5 rank holder government engineering college in the state. His name was whispering from the 1st week of his college life and he became the finalist of Mr. and Ms. Freshers event. Sharukh Final year TCS came for on campus placement and he got placed. He came to Chennai 31st Decembe 2016. He got to know about Toastmaster exactly 3 years ago. He did not join then because he had to prepare himself from the beginning and there was only one person who could do it for him. it's him.!! Yes, It was me!! It wasn't about the communication skill or just a good speaker who motivates people based on their stories or experiences or observations. It wasn't about that only. One can be a good speaker in any language. But for him it was all about the language that he had never learned till then ,Now after 3 deadly years he is able to speak in English maybe not as good speaker as he always wanted to be, but he can speak English language effectively. He has to learn a lot as he wants to go far, far from here and he believes one day he will the speaker that he always wanted to be. This world and its every creatures including human, needs a proper action to survive and he believes people should speak for those who can't understand the basic needs of their own life. Sometimes it ain’t about being the most talented. Sometimes it ain’t about being the smartest. Sometimes it’s not even about dreaming big. Sometimes it’s just about HEART!!. It’s the way you think!! Look in the mirror, that’s your competition. That's the person whom you're competing with Focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to get closer to where you want to be. You can get through this. You are bigger than your pain, don’t give up, don’t give in. Confluence 8

9. Articles corner see, Some days will be harder than others to get up early and grind, but you have to rather suffer a little today than struggle the rest of your life. Let them sleep while you grind. Let them party while you work. The difference will show. I don’t ever want you to settle for another average day in your life ever again. So thank you TCS Maitree Chennai Toastmaster Club for helping me to share this story. I want conclude this article with one quote which is very close to my heart. "If you are trying to leave your comfortable, familiar but unhappy situation, you will encounter pain, resistance, struggle and heart break. These are the symptoms of positive change. It can feel tempting to return to familiarity, but your happier life is in opposite direction.!!" Celebrating Love In the radiance of a budding flower, In the untiring waves of a Sea, In the soulful Music that gashes our heart, In the bubbling chuckle of a Cuckoo bird, In the cheerful Smile of a newborn child, In the Scintillating beauty of the Moon, In the colorful Dawn of the Sun… Jeyashree Kothai I could feel this divine thing called “Love”. The exquisite nobleness of the mankind lies in exhibiting selfless love for others. From the Prodigious Superstructure of the Tajmahal to the stupendous film Titanic, there are numerous testimonies of Love. Love transcends with time and space. With a wider bandwidth of vision and a humble heart, one can earnestly accept and reciprocate Love. It cannot be categorized under Emotion, for Emotions are fleeting. Love is a category of its own. Love can be a discipline, a drive, a mission, an act of will. In the wrong hands, it can also be a tool of blackmail. Love emanates from within us and reaches out to encompass our dear ones. Love is infinite. Love deepens. And the way we love another is a projection of the way we feel about ourselves. Come…Lets Celebrate this wonderful feeling called Love… Confluence 9

10. Articles corner How can younot? How can you not pass a smile to that person who keeps your office toilets, school toilets, roads (GVMC), public toilets clean? How can you not acknowledge that great person who makes you feel comfortable while you're using the restroom? How can you turn your face just like that, not recognizing that person who goes through all those unpleasant odors; unpleasant feelings; to make the environment you use clean? How can you not? Don't you think that the staff deserves our attention too? Aren't they part of our daily life? Saira So,let's includethese smallgestures in our life - 1. Smile or Greet them 2. When you're distributing chocolates in your ODC on your birthday, please go and give them too. 3. Ask them, if theyate. Easy to do right? Very Simple! Very Easy! And guess what? These easy things hit hard in their hearts. So don't you want to hit hard on them? Please give it a thought! Sketch by Saira Happy Thinking:) Confluence 10

11. Articles corner A day from a girl's diary I froze in my place and took in the beautiful girl in front of me but with a blackened left eye, smudged mascara, lipstick and quivering lips and welled up eyes those will prickle down if she closes her eyes anytime now. "You don't have to do this to yourself." I told the girl. She stared back and quizzed if she's got any other options left, reapplying her makeup like nothing else mattered anymore. She'd an arduous smile. Her pink sari burnt bright under the glowing red and yellow lights. Readjusting her sleeveless blouse she cursed herself for being the way she is. The way she left herself down and letting down for a long time now. "Stop staring at the mirror and make a move!" chided a hoarse male voice from outside. I balled my fist until my knuckles turn white and then relaxed taking in a deep breath hopelessly. 'After all this is what I'll have to do for the rest of my life' I imperiled myself. Sulking around the nasty toilet, I badly wanted to go back to those carefree beautiful days, when I dancedin front of those tourists with my elder brotherand sister to sing along. Hemish James The tourists would smile and clap and some would give away money or chocolates just so to make us walk away. And there I thought I was that best of a dancer or my brother a best singer. After collecting the money I gave everything to my brother and he to my drunk head father. I would wait till the end of the day for my treat mostly a chocolate or just an empty smile from my mother that the money had been spent and will get me a chocolate tomorrow. A year later my sister left and my mom and dad said that she went abroad for a better future and I believed heedlessly because I was given more chocolates that day. I was a happy kid back then without vexing about the future. I sang, danced and played until that day when I attained this certain age and people started calling me beautiful the way they called my sister. One fine day my dad took me to the city's richest hotel. And I was awestruck about the place, the food and people there. Confluence 11

12. Articles corner But my dad looked as if he'd known the place for a long time. And we ordered and I devoured varieties of cuisines while he had his usual drink with an expressionless face. There was a call and later he left asking me to wait and he'll be back in a minute. I nodded and was so much overwhelmed by the taste of the food, the names I still don't know. And that's it. That was the day I saw him finally. He never bid me a bye. Never said anything but to wait. And an old scumbag took me to a van saying my father was waiting in there. Innocent me? No, doltish me. I lapped up. I still wish, that my ignoramus dad at least could've had warned me. Hope he'd got his money to get his drinks without being fooled. I was startled by a knock at the door. "Are you there?" came an irked voice. Brushing away the old tales of my life, "Coming!" I shouted back suppressing my angered voice. Just to save myself from those later beatings. Before opening the door, I looked at myself in the mirror one last time and checked if I'd applied the foundation and everything perfectly for my nextanticipated customer. Sketch by Hemish James Thank you Toastmasters I remember the days when I was speechless while facing a particular question. What is your interest? I had interest on nothing. I was simply watching comedy videos on YouTube to pass my free time. I had very limited number of friends, and even they rarely preferred to call me for their social gatherings. And I didn’t worry for that, As mentioned earlier I was not interested in friendship as well. And the most worst thing about me was, I didn’t realise that I am doing something wrong. All these things last till I saw one guy in the next room of my hostel was talking alone inside his room. I was happy that someone else was also happy with his own company. Then I saw that he was recording it and sending to someone seeking mentorship. I felt how would having some interest feel like, I wanted to see him performing the same in stage. But he said I can’t enter into his corporate club easily and suggested me a community club. I visited the place, that was a Hogwarts for me. I became a member. Months had passed and everything you have read about me few seconds back had been reversed I became a new me and covered the face of old me who is now a known person only to the present me. Things were changed in the reverse chronological order of what you have read here in the beginning. First, I realized I was living in a wrong way. I got interest to be social, I did and care for fellow Toastmasters. I do have a community today, who are happy if I visit them. And finally, have something as my interest which I am believing as my purpose. Thank you Toastmasters VekataAbbiah Confluence 12

13. Articles corner Life is like that! When we all think about life, about how we want our life to turn out, the common idea is to have a life with no worries, no problems, and no unhappiness. But is that what we really want? If you are always happy, won't you be bored? We wish for something, we pray to God to grant it, we hope it happens and then finally we have the satisfaction of clearing the exams. We then have the infinitely happy moment of getting what we want. But, if you are eternally happy, you will never know strife, you will never have to hope or wish for something, you will never feel the disappointment or pleasure from the outcome, and in that case, will you know happiness? Why, chances are you never know that you are happy. You will be content and, so bored! You won't know the importance of a moment of pure joy, as you've never felt a moment of disappointment, sadness or any such emotion to compare it to. The ache that comes when you say goodbye to someone, when you miss someone are some of the sweetest sufferings you could have, as they signifyhow much you loved them. When you feel the guilt of a mistake, it makes you a better person. The anger at betrayal, makes you better choose your friends. The sadness of losing someone certainly makes you value the other people in your life. The possibility of failure makes us work hard to succeed, helps us find our strength. And failure shows us that this is the wrong way, and guides us towards the right direction to success. Life has fluctuations between happiness, irritation, unhappiness , all these emotions and this is what makes life interesting, don't you think? Isn't that what makes life monotonous? Swami Vivekananda said: "The day you don't come across a problem, take it for granted that you are walking the wrong path“ by this, I don't mean to say we should be grateful for our troubles. I just mean life has its ups and downs. There may be some situations where we feel hopeless and in others, we think we can take on the whole world. That is life. So, if some small sadness affects you, don't be depressed. Face it bravely, considering life's fickle manner. You can be sure you will be very happy, soon. Sathya Priya Life is an echo, all comes back, the good, the bad, the false, the true. So give the world the best you have and the best will come back toyou. Confluence 13

14. Articles corner Exemplars of Eminence The weekend cannot be healing your mind unless you have hectic weekdays. Finally, I gave my feet a rest in the terrace having myself fitted comfortably in the bean bag. The rustling leaves in the terrace and those emerald whorls of fronds susurrating in the breeze added a peaceful soundtrack to the scene and it felt like nature is talking to me. Oh! Not nature actually. Mom! She screamed, “You want to coffee or boost”. I said to her, “coffee ma”. And in minutes, closing my eyes, I enjoyed the cool breeze and the cooing of birds along with my coffee! I rubbed my eyes hard. There sitting around me in cane chairs, sipping coffee holding the handle for portability of that glazed ceramic cup, were all the people I revered most. History makers who changed the way we lived & thought. Artists whose wisdom, compassion & love had transformed thousands. Ringed me around, they waited patiently for me to ask so that they could reveal. I was to know the secret to their enormity, the guide to greatness. There was the great director, Mani Ratnam wiping his glasses with his kerchief, intently talking to Chetan Bhagat, who was influenced by his writings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was in Swathi Mohan deep conversation with Sachin Tendulkar; so animated were their expressions that it was hard for me to tell who was inspired by the other. Dr.Abdul Kalam, the great legend, sat in silence, a soft smile on his face, but around him was a palpable presence of stillness that seemed to pervade the air. A.R.Rahman with his regular charm, drummed his fingers on the chair, lost in the world of music. Six people, six phenomenal lives! Without wasting a second, I took a deep breath & began... Were you born with the mark of greatness? Do I normal mortal, who has shown no indication of greatness yet, stand a chance of becoming a history maker? There was complete silence & I could only feel the rustling of leaves & the cooing of birds nested in the tree. A reminiscing chuckle from Sachin Tendulkar broke as he revealed that he had a great problem with studies, & had been a mediocre, withdrawn student. Mahi then spoke,” Even Albert Einstein was remarked to his mother as a dull child, then imagine us” and laughed. A loud chortle then came from Chetan Bhagat as he shared his experiences on those classes he bunked just to date with his girlfriend! I laughed & reassured. These people were born like you and me human faltering, even unimpressive. However, obviously, something had happened to transform them into super- achievers from human beings. Confluence 14

15. Articles corner And I then continued...So, what was the defining moment...how did an ordinary human end up becoming so extraordinary? Abdul Kalam quiet for so long, suddenly spoke! "That was when I had delivered a lecture “vision to the mission” at Anna University, Chennai. The session got extended from morning to afternoon. As I was returning to my room in the evening the vice chancellor prof. Kalanidhi fell in step with me. After I reached my room, the phone was ringing. When I answered, a voice at the end said, “ The prime minister wants to talk to you....” Some months earlier, I had left my post as principal scientific advisor to the government of India, a cabinet-level post. But as I spoke to the PM, Atul Bihari Vajpayee, my life was set for an unexpected change. It is only his words that took up my story from where the wings of fire left off.” I then realized that although some had become great through some sort of divine intervention, for many it was simply an instance, a small moment that created a deep impact. I also realized that any moment, when viewed with heightened awareness can become the defining moment. Sketch by Swathi Mohan Whether it is viewing poverty outside her school for mother Teresa or Newton’s mind thinking about the apple that has fallen from the tree, awareness! I understood, had been an important cursor in all these great people’s journey. Besides awareness, was there anything else that they believed which helped them on their journey to greatness? The composed man seemed to arise out of his few precious words. ” It’s hard to quantify it. I make films that reach people. I don’t believe that to be mainstream. I think you can be logical aesthetic & still work with the mainstream format. That is what I try to do. I might fall sometimes but I’m not afraid to try. If it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work. I understand that and I try to get up and run again” Giving a nod to me, Chetan Bhagat said, “Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here like a prepaid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years & 50 years is just 2500 weekends. Do we really need to get to work up? It’s okay! Bunk few classes, goof up a few interviews and fall in love. We are people & not programmed devices.” Rahman’s booming voice broke....”Yeah! Somewhere my inner voice told me that my voice will have the power to wake up many & heal them. So I worked on it. All my life, I have had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I’m here...” I finally got it! Greatness is indeed heightened awareness, self-belief, courage, faith & love. Then Mahi told me with a smile,” Have your coffee...it's getting cold"...I said. "Yeah sure Mahi, but why do you talk in my mom’s voice?” ... Confluence 15

16. Articles corner Again a loud voice came, “who is Mahi?”. I opened my eyes and rubbed it again & replied,” Nothing mom”. She gave me the cup and said, here is your coffee” and continued,” you told that you have so many assignments to be completed but sitting here alone & gabbling?” I replied, “nothing... nothing...I will do it after my coffee...” & started to sip my coffee! I then relaxed and felt good because it was really breath-taking even to be conceived of all these Exemplars of eminence connect over the most beautiful & simple issues. Greatness begins with heightened awareness, spring to being by a defining moment, be sustained by courage, strength & integrity, faith in oneself and determination! When all these conditions fused and merged, the individual becomes a force to reckon with, & capable of creating a whole revolution. A kid and his bricks Yep. There was a young Kid who was graduated recently. He was waiting for his call letter from TCS after clearing the Aspire and tech lounge. In the meanwhile, he joined the GYM. Though he was scolded several times by his parents for asking money by simply sitting in the house. He made himself to woke up every morning to mold himself as an Adult. When he was searching for the money in his pocket to eat eggs, he got a surprise Package. Yes, it was his most awaited ‘Call letter from TCS’. Still he used to smile whenever he was thinking about the question “why do you want to join TCS”. The answer was obviously “They will be offering gym at free of cost”. Despite the fact that busy 8 AM – 6 PM schedule during ILP, he was able to store some energy in his body and mind to spend an hour in gym after 6 PM. Almost three months passed like going to office, gym and checking weight daily. Then he came to TCSSiruseri, seriously it was a heaven for him next to his Gym. The days were passed happily with the routine life by having 2 times tea-break for a day and that to for 30 minutes, a lunch break for an hour, playing volleyball and going to gym in the evening, chatting with friends at center spline. Knowingly or unknowingly he removed everything from his routine life due to the work as he was in the position to put additional effort on it. Sometimes it needs more than 100% commitment which he wasn’t used to do before and those days were very tough which was similar to breaking a bunch of bricks on his head. He came to a conclusion that his work wants him to upgrade himself to be more perfect and to survive in this competitive world. He went to gym, worked out properly, sweated a lot, maintained the proper diet and he gained 5kgs of body weight. As a result of those hard days in his life, now he got enough knowledge on how to lead a balanced life. Yes, he turned into a matured Man from an immature adult. As he saw the result once in GYM which molded him in a good manner, he was addicted to it. Still he needs more bricks in his way to transform himself from a MAN to a GENTLEMAN. Ravisankar Confluence 16

17. Articles corner Greatness of Toastmasters Toastmasters is a training platform for going out into the “real world” and benefiting from your improved communication and leadership skills. Many of the first skills you learn as you start preparing and delivering speeches are highly relevant to the professional world. And you can start applying these skills right away. Consider the following example: What is often the first question asked in a job interview? “Tell me something about yourself.” The interviewer already has your résumé so what’s the point of the question? Because the answer tells the recruiter a great deal about you: your language level, your grasp of the subject and how it pertains to the situation at hand, your self-confidence, your personality and how you may fit with the existing team. Are you using the right technical terms? Are you sitting properly, using appropriate body language, wearing the right clothes and addressing the interviewer with courtesy and decorum? Are you able to persuade the interviewer that you have the right skill set for the job? Once you’re hired, will you be able to handle the job and the people on the team? How much of an impact will you have on others? Are you an effective team player and a potential leader? Are you a good listener? Everything you do in Toastmasters can help you improve aspects of your professional life. Here are some examples of what you learn early on in your Toastmasters journey. Learn and lead. Once I reconceive my experience as a learning opportunity, valuable lessons began to materialize. First, I realized that blaming is futile, and antithetical to leadership, because it steals your power to drive change. Second, being a leader is more about perseverance than it is about always succeeding. Most importantly, I learned that the real prize of engaging a challenge is what we learn and who we become in the process. The key words that I learned, Attending the meeting to get support from others, Attending the meeting to help others and Attending the meeting to grow as Leader. Ramachander Kota Confluence 17

18. Articles corner I've Changed My Dreams To Match My Reality.....And Yes, My Life Is Beautiful!! Arya is a girl who was brought up with certain limitations. And obviously she had to sacrifice on things she liked the most and here are two most important things out of them. When she was in her teens, she was allowed to learn vocal music for a few years when her interest lied in learning Violin but she had to give up on it just because her parents were worried if she would choose it as a career path and end up struggling. Coming to choosing a career, she strongly wanted to be a writer and journalist. However, she was asked to study B. Tech and get an IT job which is more secure and comfortable for a girl through out her life and thus she had to give up on her 2nd dream of being a writer. Later, she got a good offer with an MNC and started working as a Quality Assurance Engineer and eventually started liking it. So, Is this the end? Are her dreams dead? She didn't let that happen. Sacrificing starts in a very early stage in any girl's life and same happened with Arya. She valued her parents' decision more than her's and that doesn't mean she is not passionateenoughto make her dreamscome true. Now that, she laid a secure career for herself and made her parents happy by giving utmost importance to their decision, she developed her writing skills by taking up internships, worked extra hours which was tiring her physically, yet soul satisfying. Very soon, she started working as freelance writer and have been contributing her works to Start-ups, Newsletters and magazines where she got an opportunity to address many social and societal problems and emotional well-being of a human. She also developed interest in psychology and started taking the PG course in distance learning. She waited for the right time and made a beautiful life out of what she has and her dream of writing is no more a dream now. May be late... But she did it!...Hope she grabs some Violin training soon...And kudos to all the women who worked hard for being what they are today! Because every woman has a sacrifice story to tell. Sridhuni Confluence 18

19. Articles corner Your Cell Is Your Prison (Nomophobia) Nomophobia is “no mobile phone, phobia”. Everyone, these days is hooked to his mobile phone. While we dismiss this as common behavior in the current times, the truth is that it has deep behavioral and social impact. Mobile addiction is a real problem and a cause of great concern. Especially the school students are addicted to the smart phones. People are prisoners of their phones, that’s whythey are calledcell phones. Here some of the tips to overcome the mobile addiction. Mobile rolein our life: Mobile addiction is growing concern. It is easy to get addicted but hard to overcome it. Numerous people around the world are addicted to their smart phones. There are certain signs and symptoms that clearly show that a person is addicted to his/ her mobile phone. Testby Yourselves: Here are some of the signs and symptoms of people suffering from mobile addiction, 1.Showing their angry or abnormal activity if their mobile phone battery gets low / dies. 2.They take their mobile everywhere they go including the washroom, dining table and other places where it should not be used. 3.Theyhear their mobile phone ring or vibrate even when its actually not the situation. 4.Prefer connecting with People online and avoid places that do not have WI-FI connection. 5.Check mobilefrequently. 6.Lose sense of time. 7.Late to work and delays important tasks giving priority to thier smart phones. Confluence 19

20. Articles corner Overcome from mobileaddiction: Most of the students in the current times suffer from severe mobile addiction. It is important to overcome this addiction in order to lead a healthy, wealthy and peaceful life. Here is how you can overcome mobile addiction: 1.Set time for mobileuse. 2.Indulge in other activity like painting, meditating, reading books, playing indoor / outdoor games, completing household task. 3.Spend time talking to your parents, playing with kid or help your friends with work rather than trying to hook yourselves with motivatingbooks. 4.When ever you are with friends or family members please turn off your phone. 5.Understand the difference between interacting in-person and online 6.Don’t bring your phone to bed. 7.Remove social media apps from your phone. 8.Limit checking, spend less time comparing yourself unfavorably can help to boost your mood and sense. Words for teenagers: Every good thing when abused can be harmful, so is mobile phone. Your cell phone has already replaced your camera, your calendar, your alarm clock; please don’t let it replace your family. Dear grownups please move out of the imaginary life and accommodate yourselves with your real life family members. Mrs. Benazir Confluence 20

21. Articles corner My Life MyGift Lakshmi Priyanka Sketch by Lakshmi Priyanka A gift to myself…..Portray of my life…. Violet - To Capture every beautiful memory I experience so that I can treasure all those Priceless moments... Indigo - To be Independent and fly high... Never stop because Sky is the limit... Blue - To sing and Dance at every joyful moment and enjoy my life like a Party... Because its meant to be Celebrated... Green - To keep learning, To keep growing(Personally and Professionally) and shine like a Star... Yellow - Toexperience every Emotion to feel complete. Always store those Happy and crazy emotions... Erase those negative ones... Orange - To keep traveling and indulge in every place with Heart and Soul to feel high... Red - To spread Love wherever I keep my footprints... Together, all the above phases will make my life more colorful like a RAINBOW... And having people around me in every phase will make me COMPLETE... Everything is possible only because I accept myself the way I am and I love myself more than anyone else... N this love is not just for one day, its for Always and Forever... Confluence Confluence 11 21

22. Poem Mother land guiding the people In quest of the truth , the lies lie behind. In search of light , the darkness takes the corner place The sense of bravery comes only when you loose your self free .... In a place wherein you headed yourself away from the shadows of your own faults and mistakes... In the place where you can at least stand for yourself .... In quest of the truth , the lies lie behind....(1) The lies which you have told now and then , The broken vows which you have taken now and then The paths which you have chosen now and then , Always makes you what you now and going to become In quest of the truth , the lies lie behind ...(1) The fight to get free yourself from yourself is way beyond the freedom... The freedom from sense ofrealty The freedom from the past The freedom to make choices The freedom to feel what you feel The freedom to be yourself In quest of the truth , the lies lie behind ... (1) The dear freedom, oh my dear freedom. Come to me as the rainbow come after every rain in the hot burning sun. The sun which is there for you in the day Day which you have spent in helping others Others can't give you your longing freedom Freedom is selfattained Free yourself from yourself to be yourself. Oh my dear freedom, come to freeme Anupama Padey Confluence 22 22

23. Contest corner Short story contest Debate contest 1stPosition Winner and Jeyashree Sai Krishna Saira 2ndPosition Runner-up and 23 23 Gandhi Rajan Bharath Rao Deepak Confluence 23

24. TCS MAITREE CHENNAI TOASTMASTERS CLUB TEAM CONFLUENCE EVENT CHAIRS NEWSLETTER TEAM TM SATYAM TM GURUCHARAN TM SAIKIRAN TM HANEEF TM BENAZIR REGISTRATION,HOSPITALITY AND SAA LOGISTICS PUBLIC RELATIOS Confluence 24 TM HARINI TM VENKATA TM SAIRA TM SHARUKH TM HARI TM KHUSHBOO