Toastmasters - Personal Notes

• Clarity, Vocal verity(soft/loud, modulation,, same pitch, emphasis on the word), Eye Contact, Gesture, Expression, Audience Awareness 
• Content rich speaker, Funny and Humorous speaker , Story teller, 
• Rhetorical device: Special way of arranging words
• Sound an idea more pleasing, Easier to remember for the listener. 
• Simile <Si-mu-lee>: A comparison technique, that compares two different things in an interesting way to  spark an interesting connection in a listener's mind. It uses the words "like" or "as".  For example:  If we deny our children an education, ignorance will grow like a cancer. She is as innocent as an angel.
• Metaphor: Another form of comparison: Ignorance is a cancer that must be cured. She is an angel
• Alliteration: The initial sounds in words or in stressed syllable within the words are repeated in a pleasing or memorable manners. Example: "Unnoticed and unused", "Hallowed halls", "Protect and preserve peace". 
• Triads: Idea, adjective and points are grouped/expressed in three. It sounds dramatic/rhythmic , hence memorable. Example: We mutually please to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.  Barack Obama, Inaugural Speech - “we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America“

1. Spotlight syndrome - Someone is always looking at me. ware, walk, talk, carry myself, symmetry . In stage you would see a spot light which moves with person. 

2. Educational Qualification is just a Pizza base without topping. The topping is the skill set which attracts the people. 

3. It is only Failure which makes us stronger. People who has only tasted success continuously are weaker tad, they cannot accept NO. But who has faced failure willl get back if you drop them in any part of the world. 

4. Problem in education is that we do not laugh. but we laugh once the teacher turn towards the Board. Smile is offence. Are you insulting me?  If someone is smiling either of 2 reason  a. if they are talking about us b. something is open. 

5. HOD will always share all the Love which they have got from top to buttom. 

6. Story about early morning class and student eating Chips , when masters look at whoing hands, girl hand over one chips. 

7. Crack Jokes to get attention else who listen in the planet. 

8. The pople were very happy and smily face looking at the teacher. Teacher was happy that people are paying attention. After the class they are saying money is coming out from your pocket. Manoj Dash's teeth showing story. 

9.  I am an englieer becaoz I keep laughing at the teachers. Lauching is sin. One of our collegues will be laughing with us while sitting with us on ce they become Teacher then gets very serious. 

10. Yesterday's m-Tech today faculty. Laughing to Serious mode. They give more what they have got from ther faculty. 

11. CSE Class they put scent,  Mechanical they do not bath. When 2 friends meet, they clasp hand calling Mechanical-Mechanical. No girl. Comydy about ED. 

12. System teaching us to be a professional sad people. We all are the product. Profession to be sad. We went to school without our knowledge. Whyone know when you went to school? 

13. Nobody remember past if it is not worth remembering. 

14. You are sitting on a beaching, beautiful wheather, fresh air.... how did I write the exam? All vanishes and mood is spoiled. No wind, no water, no oxygen....

15. My Son will understand lession through me. It is the worst thing to happen. 

16. We are not happy because we are not alive. 

17. Class room - Why should I sit in the same place, same people everyday. Why should I change my mood based on a bell. If I love physica, my love will change if the bell rang and start loving to Chemistry. Does our mind works like that. If that happens then Debadasa will say bye bye to bottle. Learning is a Love affair. It is a flow. How can you forget one class into another. If someone lauching at you and you cannot forget that, how can you forget Physics and jump to Chemistry. 

18. You learn how to explore Mac Pro but get an MI. 

19. Child story: Was in grandparents, so no schools. Father got him and from grand parents house and send him to school. Boy denied. Fahter dropped son but Son told I will not go. If you push then only I will go. Why volunterairy do somehting which I do not like, at least in my heart there is consolation that I was forced to go. 

20. No voluntarily dying. 

21. We need to understand the kick of the joy. 

22. Usain Bolt: Jamaican former sprinter/runner.  widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. 

23.  Verbal Ornamentation:   Weapon  Shield 

Rhetorician: A person who delivers a speech or oration

Simile: A figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as')

Body Language: 

1. Defensive posture, attacking posture, Blocking posture, distracted posture ...

2. 

Great tricks you can use to make a speech more powerful — rhetorical devices are just the beginning! Here’s a quick list of some popular ones:

1. Anaphora

Repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences or clauses.

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds..." — Churchill

2. Epistrophe

Repeating at the end of sentences.

"...government of the people, by the people, for the people." — Lincoln

3. Alliteration

Using the same starting sounds.

"Let us go forth to lead the land we love."

4. Parallelism

Keeping the structure of phrases or sentences similar.

"Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country." — JFK

5. Antithesis

Putting two opposite ideas together for contrast.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." — Dickens

6. Metaphor and Simile

Comparing things to make abstract ideas more relatable.

"The world is a stage." (Metaphor)
"Brave as a lion." (Simile)

7. Hypophora

Asking a question and then immediately answering it.

"Why must we act now? Because the cost of inaction is too high."

8. Tricolon

A list of three — it sounds naturally satisfying.

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

9. Asyndeton

Leaving out conjunctions for speed and punchiness.

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

10. Polysyndeton

Using extra conjunctions for emphasis.

"We have ships and men and money and stores."

==================Evaluator tips==========

feedback is the breakfast of champions—but when served with elegance, clarity, and encouragement, it becomes a power meal.

That’s a brilliant hook, and it worked!”

Your speech followed a clear arc: a strong opening, a personal story in the middle, and a message-driven conclusion

You didn’t just speak—you orchestrated your voice like a musician. I particularly noticed how you lowered your tone during the emotional segment. It added gravity and made the audience pause and reflect. That’s a powerful use of silence and modulation.

visually engaging

One opportunity to elevate your speech further is to pause just a bit longer after a punchline or a key message. Let your words breathe so they can land more fully with the audience. You've got a powerful message—let silence do some of the talking 

To sum up, your speech was a blend of heart, humor, and insight.

you captured our attention with a story that was not just heard—but felt. Your structure flowed like a well-written script: from curiosity to connection to conclusion.

You didn't just use gestures—you choreographed your emotions. 

Recommondation - what could be enhenced... 

I sensed a slight rush at the end. A small time buffer would help your final message breathe and land with even more impact.”

“You planted a compelling idea—consider giving us a next step. What can we do with this insight tomorrow?”

“To lead is to speak up; to speak up is to inspire. And you, today, did both. 

You didn't just deliver a speech—you created an experience.

Rhetorical Devices You Can Sprinkle Into Feedback

Alliteration: “Purposeful pauses polished your powerful points.”

Parallelism: “You informed us. You inspired us. You invited us to grow.”

Imagery: “Your words painted pictures that lingered long after your voice paused.”

Anaphora: “You made us think. You made us laugh. You made us care.”

Device	How It Works	Feedback Example
Alliteration	Repetition of consonant sounds to create rhythm or emphasis	“You painted your passion with powerful, poetic phrasing.”
Anaphora	Repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses	“You made us think. You made us feel. You made us reflect.”
Antithesis	Contrasting two ideas in a parallel structure	“You didn’t just speak to inform, you spoke to transform.”
Tricolon	Grouping things in threes for impact	“Your clarity, confidence, and connection made your message unforgettable.”
Metaphor / Simile	Drawing comparisons to visualize an

Alliteration

“Your speech was a masterclass in message, momentum, and mindfulness—it moved with meaning and magnetism.”

🪞 Metaphor

“Your words were not just sentences—they were stepping stones across a river of ideas, helping us cross from confusion to clarity.”

🎢 Parallelism

“You didn't just tell a story. You painted a moment. You built a memory. You delivered meaning.”

💬 Anaphora

“You challenged us to care. You challenged us to contribute. You challenged us to change—and that’s the mark of a compelling communicator.”

⚖️ Antithesis

“Your speech was humorous yet heartfelt, light yet layered, simple yet significant—a beautiful balance of contrast and clarity.”

🎯 Tricolon (Rule of Three)

“You made us laugh, made us learn, and ultimately, made us listen with purpose.”

🔁 Epiphora

“You spoke with conviction, you moved with passion, and you closed with emotion. What lingered—was your emotion.”

🧠 Analogy

“Just like a conductor leads an orchestra, you led us through emotional highs and reflective pauses—every note intentional, every beat meaningful.”

📢 Rhetorical Question

“What makes a speech unforgettable? It’s not just the words—it’s the heart behind them. And today, we saw yours.”

Let’s sharpen that feedback sword together!

1. Timing & Pacing“At moments, your message raced like a sports car—but sometimes, impact needs a pause. A brief stillness after key ideas would allow your audience to absorb the brilliance you're offering.”

2. Vocal Variety

“Your content had emotional depth, but your vocal tone remained on one level. Imagine giving your words wings—let your voice rise with excitement and fall with reflection to amplify your message’s resonance.”

3. Transitions & Flow

“Your ideas were strong individually, like beautiful bricks—but a little mortar between them would have created a smoother structure. A transitional phrase or summary line would help your audience move effortlessly from one point to the next.”

4. Use of Silence

“Every speech needs moments of breath—not just for the speaker, but for the audience. You had several powerful lines that could have landed stronger with a beat of silence, a moment to let the idea bloom.”

5. Audience Engagement

“You looked at us, but you didn’t quite see us. A few intentional moments of eye contact can transform your speech from a monologue to a conversation. Locking eyes is how speakers leave impressions long after the words fade.”

 6. Message Clarity

“Your speech had strong emotional beats, but the central takeaway was slightly blurred. A crisper call-to-action or ‘so what’ at the end could give your audience something to carry forward like a torch.”

7. Word Choice & Language“Your ideas were impactful, but the vocabulary could be sharpened. Try using more visual or sensory language—words that not only inform, but paint and pulse with energy.”

8. Opening HookYour introduction set the context, but didn’t quite ignite curiosity. What if you started with a question, a quote, or a startling fact that made us lean in before we even understood where the speech was going?”

9. Emotional Expression“Your story had heart, but the emotional peaks felt muted. Think of your speech as a symphony—let your face, voice, and hands mirror the emotion, so we feel with you, not just for you.”

10. Purpose & Takeaway “I sensed a powerful message beneath your narrative—but the takeaway remained subtle. A memorable conclusion is like a handoff; give us something specific to carry home, reflect on, or act upon.”

11. Humor Delivery“Your humor had potential, but it felt rushed—like a punchline in a hurry to exit. A moment of pause before and after the joke lets laughter rise... and more importantly, lets you savor it, too.

12. Personal Connection “Your content was rich in ideas, but felt slightly distant. Could you let the audience see a crack in the armor—a personal challenge or moment of vulnerability? Sometimes, the most polished speeches need a touch of imperfection to feel real.”

13. Language & Imagery“Your message was solid—but consider painting it with more vibrant language. Words like ‘good’ and ‘important’ do their job... but words like ‘transformative’ and ‘ignited’ make an audience feel.”

14. Repetition for Emphasis “You introduced a strong core message—something worth repeating. Reinforcing it once more, perhaps as a rhetorical refrain or callback, could embed it deeper into the audience’s memory.”

“Each part of your speech was engaging—but the overall theme felt like a puzzle with a few corners missing. Ask yourself, ‘What do I want them to remember?’ and make sure each section ladders up to that message.”

A lion may loose it's teeth but not it's hunger. 

 

Be a King like Bharath

Ownership, rich, high class society, Car,  banglow, flats, bank balance etc., We always dream about. We live to acquire them, we spend our life to own them.  But in that process our life is captured and spent, We miss our life. Only our ego lives, ignorance lives, untruth lives. In this process the greediness & ego take over our life completely. The world is made such a way that nobody can own certain things, nobody can acquire certain things, it is just a game of ego and fake ownership. 

The world is made up of maya, whatever we can feel, see, touch, imagine, smell are all nothing but untruth, temporary and ever changing. Our mind works such a way that it thinks all these as truth. It believes that, they are the only truth. It is similar to a small child's love for a toy. The child can put all it's effort, all it's energy just to acquire that. Once the childhood goes all of them vanish as Darkness vanishes on sun raise. Grown up can understand the reality and never fall behind any toy. The same toy never give him satisfaction, rather they go far from it.

How true ownership should be? Ownership should be like the King Bharath who ruled Ayodhya. Having the only decision maker of Ayodhya also he did not consider himself as the King. He thought himself as the commander of Ram and just ruled the country being a commander. He protected the country, He gave justice to people, He took decisions on behalf of Ram.

Being in the Pond also water could not touch him.

Being in the ocean of Maya also, untruth did not dare to influence him.

Being the king also, ego could not reach him.

Having the same human body also, senses could not rule him.

He was eating fruits and sleeping on the floor, staying far from the Palace. He placed the Shoe of Ram in the Sanghasana so that people feel that Ram is the real King.

Dear people, 

Ram is not the owner of Ayodhya alone.

He is the owner of the entire Bharath,

He is the owner of the entire world,

He is the owner of the entire universe,

He is the owner of the entire cosmos.

If you accept him as god then you wll definitely accept that, the above ownerships are also true. 

How come your tiny house go out of his ownership. Your little bank balance is also not an exceptions. 

In Treta Yug, he left things for Bharatha for 14 years, so that Bharatha can prove that he has own the Maya. Now it is our turn, the properties which we are proudly saying as ours own are not our won permenently. It is given to us conditionaly for certain time. Are we owning this like Bharath or are we owning this like Ravan, is up to us. It is the Question we should ask to ourselves.

 In Treta, Ram came back to Bharatha to take the properties back not because Ram wanted the properties but because the greediness could not touch Bharath, could not melt his senses, could not break his mind. Being the king also he was enjoying a free life as the pride of ownership could not touch him at all. He took the entire thing as a service for Ram. It was a Niskama Karma for him as a part of his Spiritual sadhana. He succeeded. You too consider Ram as your Hero, do what he loves to do, eat what he loves to eat, think what he loves to think. Be his true followers.

Ram was really happy giving Ayodhya to Bharath. Would he be happy giving the the small properties to you!! Would he be assured that his properties is in a best hands? Bharath was waiting for Ram to handover Ayodhya. Whom we are waiting to handover our properties?

We just read about one Bharath. We just listen about one Bharath. Imagine if we all can become Bharatha, where the Kali yug would go, would it not cut short the Kali and Satya Yug will come. Ram will come for sure!! When we start following Ram, when we manifest ourselves as Bharath, then we will be  purer, as pure as Ganga.  Our each thought will be nothing but divinity, Our each word will be nothing but Truth, Our each action will be nothings but Dharma. When we completely leave selfishness, win over senses and false pride, we are just like Mother Ganga, who comes from Himalaya and directly moves to it's destiny the Ocean, without taking any unnecessary turn in it's way. That's the reason Ganga is the purest among all rivers.

Bharath followed the symbol of Ram, he obeyed the word of Ram, and he lived the order of Ram. He did not add any of his personal trade mark. Where was the ego of Bharath!!! He just worked following the wisdom of our ancestors, following our glorious past, listening to the words of our sages and saints. He took the responsibility very carefully, As Ram was absent and the responsibility was given to him, there should not be any mistake by him.

We all are in the position of Bharath but our mind, senses are not able to identify that. They are of the nature of Ravan. We want to enjoy with the properties, we have a full sense of ownership of the things which is belong to us for a time being. Be Bharatha.... Identify the puzzle early, solve it. Have knowledge to listen to the word of Veda, Have vision to see the truth from Purana, have courage to win the ignorance.

In the same way many rulers ruled the country, Yudhisthir, Janak ...

*** Continues...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2P2fKSn7wE

Connecting India geographically , economical and culturally

From one of the speech from "Nation Youth parliamentary festival" ...

Bharath is unique is many ways including it's geography.  It is situated at the heart of the world, it is called as Hridayam. The word Hridayam is combinations of Hra, da and yam.

Hra: harathi: It means to root out any bad things.

da: dadati: It means to give back as good

yam: yati: It means to revolve around

This is how heart functions in our body and keeps the whole body as one. In the same way Bharath has been functioning.  It took in everything, and give back all good to the world and the world revolves around it. This is how Bharath is connecting with the world. We should always function like this in future as well. We can further connect with-in the country, as all it's port like sagar mala, golden quadrilateral, Bharathmala etc. Also the population could be more connected. Wherever they go, they will be treated as the child of this country and will have equal access to everything. We have an amazing and dynamic population. Any country with good population will be empowered with good human resource. That is the reason the population of our country is the pride of our nation. Hence the population should be cultured.

What is Culture? It is Sanskriti, which is born from with-in us. That's the reason it got to know nothing with caste, creed or religion. More policies like 10 percentage reservation for all common people,  based on common needs of the people that brings us together, no religion, no creed, no minority or majority etc. When we have one policy, one sanskriti and the  population as one, it results a good economy. Biggest problem in Bharath is the economic disparity in terms of GDP between states, because of geography and culture of each state. When we bridge the gap in these two, then the any difficult policies such as One nation one Tax, Demonetisation, bringing down the black money  etc will be easier to execute. 

• When the nation is geographically connected, then the population become one. 
• When the population become one a sanskriti is established. 
• When a good sanskriti is established, we can have a common code of conduct. 
• With common code of conduct, Govt can govern everyone equally giving equal empowerment to everyone.

That will lead to the equal empowerment for the nation. If this is possible then despite staying in Bharath, nobody will have any anti national thought and there will not be any Tukde tukde gang.

This is very much possible in current Bharath. As we can see the example "Nation Youth parliamentary festival". Just like in the past  Bhagavan Adi Sankaracharya connected Bharath starting from the south and following with every corner. Same as "Nation Youth parliamentary festival" connected everyone from each corner of Bharath, siting together for a strong and united Bharath.  The world is looking at Bharath now, as it has not yet looked.

This is new Bharath "ye naya Bharath hai, ye ghusega bhi or marega bhi ... " Wherever we go, may be in any field economy, technology, terrorism , we will strike so hard that the world will never forget at any time soon. Let's all work to connect Bharath, to be part of a stronger and united Bharath. As our Late PM Honorable Atal Bihari Vajpai said "Our aim may be as high as the endless sky, we need to have a result in our mind and work ahead hand in had for victory will be always be ours"

Jai Hind!!

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWlaUuNsJ94

The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) is a national highway network connecting many of the major industrial, agricultural and cultural centres of India. It forms a quadrilateral connecting the four major metro cities of India, viz., Delhi (north), Kolkata (east), Mumbai (west) and Chennai (south).

The Sagarmala envisages unlocking the potential of waterways and coastline, to minimize infrastructural investments required to meet these targets

The city of Joy

I landed in Bangalore not being airborne but from a second class sleeper coach of a roaring Indian railway express. Bangalore City Railway station it read. The sky was full of Clouds, hence that day was looking a bit dark gloomy. Holding tightly to my grey coloured VIP-Alfa small suitcase and an MRF brown airbag, I took a deep breath of the moist air. I was very much worried and nervous. The station was very crowded, people were greeting each other, the loud voice of the vendors all dissolved slowly into air. I got too worried, suddenly finding myself among unknown faces, an unknown land and unknown languages. A lot of auto and taxi drivers were coming and asking me, where I wanted to go, As if I was a missing child. Restless eyes searched for the guy, Who promised me to see me on the platform. I was clueless where to go. My asset included an SBI ATM card with 5000/- rupees in it and books, many of them. My restless eyes struck to a distant face and it brought me a smile to my face, a real satisfying smile of relief, joy. It was the guy who was to see me.

Then he took me to a big bus stand having many platforms and hundreds of running buses and moving crowd. We were just placed inside a bus with both my hands on the holding bar, the bag on my shoulder and the suitcase in my friend’s hand. It was stopping in many places and many people were boarding the bus. From young men to old, from rich well dressed to poor, from ladies to gents everybody were on board without caring about the crowd and the seat availability. Keeping the suitcase down to give a relief to his hand my friend asked me “So... What is your first impression on Bangalore?” I was not at all happy and it was reflected on my face.But I had to give him a smile. I was not in a situation to answer, rather my mind was full of confusions, Questions and hopes !!! It was like a race of People having different objectives different goals. As if everyone including the buses are running out of time.

After crossing so many roads, Building, flyovers, crosses, streets finally my friend noticed me to get down after around one and half hours. I hated the overcast weather, noise, crowd, big buses, heavy traffic. It was my first experience in any metro city. We started walking towards the house from the bus stop, its near by just 1 km he would say. We crossed level crossing, fields, muddy roads and my body almost gave in to the weight of the bags. Finally the 3rd floor 1BHK apartment was at sight. I smiled again with relief.

Since then I had no idea about the time and it was moving very fast. In the evening I was called to a 'bakery' by my friend. Bun samosa he ordered. Bun samosa was a luxury for me. I took a look around. The place was surrounded by young people. Most of them were like me and they had come to take a bet on the future. A job in IT. It did not take me long neither to get used to the one kilometre walk down in the muddy road till the bus-stop nor hating the bun samosa I considered a luxury. Time was flying and luck was taking my side. And finally I had won the bet. Got a job before running out of the 5000/- rupees, the only sum I had.

Ten years have passed since then. Every time I try to break off, I have fallen in love with city all over again. Her charm holds me in her arms and I feel fully devoted to her lust. Now I seldom take that train, I get airborne. Now I seldom take the bus, I hire cabs. Now I seldom eat bun samosa, I eat Pizza greedily, now I seldom hate the overcast weather, I love it.

This city has given me luck, charm, love, tears, smiles, friends and above all an identity. A respect in the society and a voice of my own. She has spread joy on me. Whenever I think of leaving her behind the past years play before my eyes. They play in slow motion for me to realise that each sight was indeed a scene and I gulp it down my soul. I smile at her and she smiles back at me. She is very open and silent. She does not complain, does not demand. Rather She just waits for other lovers. She is really Lovable...Love you Bangalore....

Linguistic : A journey towards unknown

Good afternoon My dear Friends, 

I have a question for you. Could you tell me, What are common among all Languages? Scripts? Many tribal languages don't have scripts like "Todas" of Nilgiries, "Sourastra " in Tamilnadu. Sound? Then how a mute person communicates!

What are common among all languages are, the embedded essence of Emotions, Feelings and Expressions. Lets say, I am in deep love with a girl. I will say "I Love you"; in Kannada I say "Naanu Ninnanu Preethisuthene";  in Tamil I say "Nan unnai kadhalaikiran"; in Odia I say "Mu tumaku Bhala pae", In Bangali "aame tomake bhalobasi"

 If you observer very closely then you can find the restlessness of the heart that resounds, that reverberates so loudly inside. It means the same in all languages...

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen !

Today we will understand what Language is? Why study of Language is important for the development of human race? Some research on Language and it’s origin.

Language, is not just about social interaction; Language, is not just about symbol or fancy; Language, is not just about speeches; Language, is used to understand something that is unique to every human being . It is about expression, emotions and feelings. Speech is just a minimum subset of Language. We can communicate using our hand gesture that is body language or sign language. When two Eskimos i.e. People stays in north polar region, meet they rub their noses against each other as a sign of love and respect, some of us fold our hands, some do so by removing their cap from their head. All it means is the same. Here it comes to the first purpose of language. It makes many individual to think together.  Secondly Language create vocabularies of many distinct nature. Can you tell what it is called falling ice in cold countries? Snow fall ! But in Eskimo's language, it has many words. They say "Aput" for the snow in the ground, "Quna" for falling snow and many more. It makes it evident that Language is the source of Knowledge, to understand the verities of happening across the globe, to understand more and more concept that is prevalent around us. So more someone is adept and keen in Language, the more powerful is one's knowledge base. Thirdly, Language is a branch of cognitive psychology. It enhance the cognitive ability of the human race. Lets take an example. When a child is born it uses aaa , ooo, eee and all they are vowels. That doesn't require the lips to connect. Slowly as it grows it understands and express consonants like pappa, mamma, kaka etc. It forms complicated words and sentences. The complexity of pronunciation can directly link with development of mind and brain. People with mental disability find it difficult to speak properly. 

Friends, the scientific study of the Language started not too early but just before 200 years. When Sir William John who learnt Sanskrit came to conclusion that Sanskrit, Greek and Latin were originally from a common language called Proto-IndoEuropean or PIE Language. Many consider Sanskrit as the mother of all Language though this proposition still does not hold a concrete ground.The Languages were spoken before written and they lost forever. Then how people came to this conclusion ? 
Lets see this comparative study:

Pitru: Sanskrit

Pater: Latin

Father: English

Mrutyu: Sanskrit

Mortis : Latin

Murder : English

These words are pronounced similarly.But still If we look closely in these three languages the pronunciation are different. Why is it so? This is address by Laryngeal theory. You may be knowing about larynx and pharynx situated inferior to (below) the mouth and nasal cavity. pharynx is used for swallowing foods and larynx is the vocal cord. Based on the word Larynx the theory is called Laryngeal theory. It says, pronunciation and scripts will be different across the different geographical location. 

Do you know the meaning of "Juggernaut"? It means an unstoppable & destructive force. It is a word loaned from the cart festival of the Load Jagannath from Puri Odisha. Jagannath is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. When British people saw, many people were dying below the cart and which was not stopping or moving back, They got surprised and they came up with the word. But they faced difficulty in pronouncing the word Jagannath. So they pronounce it as Juggernaut. 


Today I shared about what Language is? 3 reason to study language, 1. Bring many people think together, 2. To gain more knowledge, 3. to enhance the cognitive ability. Then the history of Language and about Laryngeal theory of how pronunciation differs geographically.

Friends All these various aspect of language made the study of language to be more scientific and systematic. As word concerns everyone, if I say good words you will be my friend if I say bad words, you can slap my face and leave. The reason is not because of you, nor I, but because the Word is the capsule of feelings and emotion, Word is the bowl of expressions, Word is the sword of your cognitive ability. You are recognized through your word. 

Linguistic, a study of Language, is a journey towards the unknown; unfolding & unraveling many concepts , many facts and many mysteries.

Over to you, Toastmaster...

This was one of my speech[CC7] in Toastmaster International under the guidance of our beloved Chinmaya Nayak Bhai

x

Enigma: The facts & facets of Brain

The brain is an amazing organ. It works all day, every day, for your whole life. That is, until you fall in love…. It is a three-pound organ, which is the seat of intelligence, interpreter of the senses, initiator of body movement, and controller of behaviour. Lying in its bony shell and washed by protective fluid, the brain is the source of all the qualities that define humanity. The brain is the crown jewel of the human body. Today in this speech I will speak, how does this complex & enigmatic brain work?

The human brain is considered to have hundred billion cells. The cells are connected to one another in a network of staggering complexity. A typical cell makes about 10,000 connections to neighbouring cells.   The number of phone connections on earth and the trillions of messages per day would NOT equal the complexity or activity of a single human brain. 

Brain consists of about 100 billion cells called neurons, are on/off switches just like the one you use to control the lights in your home, either in a resting state (off) or shooting an electrical impulse down a wire (on). It has a cell body, a long little wire, called an axon, and at the very end it has a little part that shoots out a chemical. This chemical goes across a gap (synapse) where it triggers another neuron to send a message. These chemicals are called "transmitters“.  There are a lot of these neurons sending messages down a wire (axon). Each of the billions of neurons "spit out" chemicals that trigger other neurons. 

This is the architectural part of the human brain. Now let’s have a test to know amore about our brain. I will show a picture in the next slide where you will see different color name in different color. What exactly you need to do it. You need to read and say the color in which the texts are written. not the actual word. Loudly and quickly.

There is a difference in answer. Some people may find it difficult to read and some may read it very easily. Why because :  Our brain has two halves right and left.  People using left part of the brain are usually logical and analytical.  While those who use right part of the brain are creative, innovative and imaginative. ..If you merely read the words, you are likely to be using your right brain.  Whereas if you read the colors, you are using your left-brain Do not worry If you are too good at Calculus, but find it too difficult to write an essay. It is all about which sides of your brain dominates. 

 We have covered the scientific analysis of Brain. Now lets see how the Psychological part of the Brain. Brain works in four different processes.

First it perceives: If someone is making some comment then our mind start perceiving about what kind of person he/she may be. If he/she makes some statement which you really like, then your mind may perceive him/her as a good else a bad.  So many factors is involved in this process like environment, peer pressure, surrounding etc. One more example of perceive could be : When we reach to the first stage of our adolescence days, the actresses we meet first on the screen become our heartthrob, the sweet heart. This is the way we perceived what beauty is.

Than it discriminates: If a person person’s comments is aligned to your thoughts or if you like the comments then you will accept him/her as good. Else bad. The same way, The girl remotely close to our dream beauty appears beautiful to us, others NO. This is the way mind discriminates Good or bad, Moral or Immoral, Right or wrong, just or unjust. Than we personalise our own definitions.

Based on definition, mind projects itself, we react, we feel pain or pleasure, we feel good or bad, we become happy of unhappy. This is the only the psychological part of how brain works. Which may not be truth for everyone of us. Truth comes in manifold colors….

2 dimensional static images…[Refer the PPT attached]…………

Hence what I am focusing is that the person who made a controversial comment here in table topics may not necessarily be a bad person and the person who told a joke may not be a funny and humorous person. Also other girls who are not alike with your Favorited actresses are ugly. The main thing is  the embedded experience in looking at a thing is  different for different person. not necessarily you are bad or your wife is.

Our brain runs mostly on autopilot and the conscious mind has little access to the factory that runs below it. Carl Jung put it “In each of us there is another whom we do not know”.

Now rest your mind for a while to understand other’s mind perceive. Now to be at peace we should understand mind is too complicated and we are no mind, we are above the mind, we are consciousness, You are the observer, you are not the participant. The mind can change but the true you, is unchangeable.

Supporting PPT: here

Everyone born intelligent

Call it as parental pressure. Call it parental expectations. Whatever you may name it, the result is the same: Children stress. It starts as soon as a child reaches kindergarten. It turns play into competitive sport. It turns the joy of learning into a struggle to excel. It turns friends into social connections and charitable acts into a line on a resume.

Dear TM and guests…

Few weeks back, I went to my sister’s house. She has a 4 years old daughter. In the evening as my sister was teaching her. I found my niece answering all most all of my sister’s questions. ‘Oh she is learning well!’ I commented casually. To that my sister gave me a frowned look and complained that my niece was doing well till last year and that she had secured first in her section by scoring 98%.  But this year she had scored only 95%. Other students are improving but she is not doing well

I started thinking. Is she old enough to be measured?   When parents started talking like this before the children, won’t it be adversely impacting their young mind? My sister’s only concern is the number of marks my niece will score next year.  Irrespective of socioeconomic status, as parents we all want our kids to have a better life than what we did. Hence  Instead of nurturing a generation of happy young adults who feel driven to succeed, parents who are hyper-focused on doing everything "right" have created a country full of kids who are stressed-out, burned-out, and depressed. All parents seems to be preoccupied with "a narrow and shortsighted vision of success," and that we rely on our kids to "provide status and meaning in our own lives

YoungMinds, an NGO, focuses the children's mental health, says nearly one million children between the ages of five and 15 now have mental health problems like depression and anxiety and the numbers look set to keep on rising. Gavin Baylis, a spokesman for YoungMinds, says, 'In the past 20 years, mental health problems have got worse, they are being shown in younger children and they are getting more complex.' Over 50% of the World's children are brought up in stressful conditions, says UNESCO.

We have to realize that everyone is important and special in different way.  A knife cannot do the work of a needle.  If the innocence and peace loving animal rabbit, tries to be furious and cruel to make horror, then it will simply loose its value. It will not be admired and loved. They are good at their own place with respect to their skill and properties.

As parents, we have to learn our jobs as we go along. Although we love our children, we soon realize that love isn’t all that’s needed. We need patience and creativity too, and sometimes, these qualities seem to be in short supply. Learning how to be a parent will probably continue until all your children are grown up. Because each child is unique, what worked with Joe will not necessarily work with Sally, and what worked for Sally probably will not help you cope with George. There are many different goals and there are many different way to achieve that. The same formula will not work for everyone neither everyone can be placed at number one.

I am telling you a small story. There is a famous quote it says, “Early bird catches the worm”.  After knowing this a mother bird tells it’s lazy children to get up early and go for worm. They got up early but that day they did not find any worm. Because what had happened is in the same day, as the worm started getting up early their mother told them that, “Why are you getting up early? Do you want to be eaten by the early rising birds?”  This clearly shows that the same way may not work for everyone. We should know where are we placed, whether our children are birds or worms? Based on that we should do what is suitable for us. It does not matter what the society or the market or your manager or parents want. What really matters is, what the kid wants and what her interest & passion are. If she continues doing that then she will be a satisfied and successful person.

Do not compare your kid with anyone else. Take your child out of the current rat race. She is good in her own place and she is special. Only thing is we should try finding what her speciality is and start exploring that. That is the way she will develop. Everyone without an exception has some or other talent – something that comes easy to them. It could be talents of numbers, playing with piano, getting along with people, business, and swimming. If you can find something you are really good at, you are more likely to succeed at it. You have given yourself a head start.

This was one of my speech[CC9] in Toastmaster International under the guidance of our beloved Chinmaya Nayak Bhai

The forbidden fruit...

A common question, I am facing nowadays : So when are you giving us a treat? Any good news? Any updates? Some people even ask me the question very directly: When are you getting married?

Often I do not have the answer ...hence, I have been trying to avoid these questions in many ways.Sometime I say : Just now I have started my career. I need to settle and gain confidence in my job....Some other time I say: I am doing my higher studies and after completing it, I will jump to get married....But nowadays there is a change in my answer. I say : "Yaaa....Marriage is fixed in heaven and I am waiting for that to happen on earth"....But how many more days can I escape from these questions by giving these answers ...

Many people think that I am already married and having children as well. Recently, a new joinee in my dept; asked me about my marital status on the lunch table. As a joke, I answered that I am married and have two children. After that they started asking about those children...It was very funny for me at the time...But, many such incidents forced me to think about my marriage. I thought it was time for me to get married..I talked to couple of my friends who are married and asked for some suggestions...I got lot of a comments, and many were quite negative. One friend told me : You are a happy person man, be happy for couple of more years. Do not get married so soon. Remember one thing, "All tragedies are finished by a death, all comedies by a marriage". Remember this and then decide. Another friend said: If you think you have lived enough then only think about marriage.. No marriage is a success & no one is happy after marriage. That is the reason "The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret ". Also a happy marriage is a matter of give and take; the husband gives and the wife takes. ...Be careful before you face such a shocking surprise.

 I do not understand why people see the movie first and then they tell you not to watch it because it is a waste of time. They themselves never miss any chance to watch any movies but they will not give you a single chance to watch any. The same way people get married but they will try their best to convince you not to marry....I strongly believe that all married people are jealous, they do not want others to get the things what they have already achieved, experienced & enjoyed. Finally in spite of so much negative feedback, I decided to get married.... 

I thought of telling my mother first. One day at home, I was seated on the sofa and she came with a cup of tea. Handing over the cup to me, She took a seat beside me.... I turned to her and then with hesitation I started, "Mom, Do not you think that I should get married now? " She came a bit close and in a relaxed voice, She told, "Son, Why do you worry? So many people older then you are still yet to be married...there is still time for you" ... Suddenly one questions popped up in my mind, "Why you and my father got married where as the chief minister of orissa Mr Naveen Patnaik (much older then you ) is still yet to marry...." But I did not feel good to express this aloud.. Instead, I tried to convince my mom, I told, " Mom, Who do I have in Banglore? I am sick of eating food outside. Also I am feeling very lonely, all my friends are married and they are occupied in their own lives and they dont have time to meet me..I am getting irritated and also I am getting older day by day and it is very difficult to get a match if I get too old...“ My tea got cold.. But... I won her over. Then to my surprise my father called me to his room. I was seated & He started telling me, "Son, Now it is time for you to get married. we are looking for an engineer bride for you“. I suddenly stood up ! I replied, "Papa, I want a nice girl to marry not an engineer.. I want a life partner who supports me through out my life, not a competitor who challenges me at every moment...He gave me the example of my mom and how she was not working and how he suffered while providing for the family. After all these long arguments, finally, somehow I got a chance to express my view on choosing my life partner before my father. I got irritated after getting so many negative comments from all the people I faced including my father. Even at this age he has a problem with his wife..I did not understand why people think their married life as a burden for them. Why do they not understand the best part of married life? Why do their hearts not feel the great feelings of marriage, „union of two souls“ ? Every unmarried person knows how exciting a married life is, but there is no fun in just knowing.. we have to experience and feel it. How would it be, if someone would be waiting for you when you return from a long tiring day at the office....At the door step..As soon as you knock the door a beautiful lady will eagerly open the door...How all your office tension vanish on seeing her beautiful smile...How would it be if some special one, prepares food especially for you to eat... How lovely it would be, eating that food... Why people do not feel this...At least someone will be there always with you whenever you are sad. Someone will come to you to support you, to be with you.. to stay with you for a life time, leaving all her near and dear ones apart... If you see a lot of affection, love & care in her eyes then how would you feel... That is the real world, real life... After telling all these as well, if I ask, many of you will still advice me not to marry...I agree Marriage has no guarantees, but if a gaurantee is what you're looking for, go live with a car battery with life time warranty....Marriage is something like this: If you are given a very good bat and ball, but you do not know how to play cricket. then it is your fault if you do not enjoy....I would recommend you to learn how to play, then play and enjoy. It may be a bit difficult learning things but that is the way to go...

With all such experience, finally I decided to taste the forbidden fruit... Considering the Great Philosopher Socretise's line: By all means marry; if I get a good wife, I'll be happy. If I get a bad one, I'll become a philosopher.

Cheers !

This was one of my speech[CC6] in Toastmaster International. 

The man by the windows...

The man by the windows...

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours and hours. 

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to

his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods when his world would be broadened and cheerful by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a green & beautiful park with a lovely lake full of water. The lake was full of different colors of lily & Lotus flowers and leaves. Ducks and swans played on the water coupled. Children sailed their model boats and they were very happy seeing their moving boats and lights. Young lovers walked arm in arm, some were sitting very closely below the flower plants and bushes. Flowers of many colors were  bunched together and spread across forming a natural rainbow. Grand old trees make more attractive the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this extreme beauty detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window sketched it with descriptive words.

Days and Weeks passed by. Then, unexpectedly, a dark and sinister thought entered in the mind of the person who was placed at the other side of the window. Why should the man by the window

alone experience all the pleasures of seeing everything while he himself never got to see anything? It didn't seem fair. At first thought the man felt ashamed. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window--that thought, and only that thought, now controlled his life.

Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running in. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, and along with that, the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence,  deathly silence. 

The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was very saddened. She called the hospital attendants to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.

The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all by himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. To his surprise, It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded, "The earlier man was blind and could not even see the wall....Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you through his words." 

This is a story by Harry Buschman with a great moral. It says there is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.Lets all think about one way we can bring someone  happiness....

Cheers !

The wonderful gift...

The wonderful gift …

Got a call from postman, could not think what would it be? I went to collect it. He told me to sign in his register. I could able to see a small parcel beautifully packed. Get confused. Is it some card from someone? Who that someone may be? What occasion it may be? Puzzled completely...After signing there He handed over that pack towards me. I could not control my curiosity but to open it. A small letter:

My dearest! Hope you are very good there! Do you remember me & my words! Just wanted to remind you to do things what many wonderful people do. Hence I thought of sending this book.

With lot of Love...

Your Mother.

I remember the childhood days, How she used to gift books on any special occasions like birthdays and Diwali and used to inspiring me to read that. It became my habit. Today I am going to share you all the benefits of reading books:

Mental stimulation

If you do not use your brain cells, you will loose it. Reading makes use of the brain. It is a good mental activity instead of doing unproductive things during your idle time. It uses the brain cells of your brain, stimulating it to gain more information- making you a whole lot smarter than what you were before having the habit of reading. "Law of diminishing returns"

Enhances creativity

Reading a book makes use of your imagination too. If you read, you tend to create a mental picture of the scenes that is described on the book. You are exposed to new ideas and new stories that can get your creative juices flowing especially during the thinking process.

Improving Interpersonal skills

 Reading different books written by different authors enable children to imitate the way in which these writers put down their thoughts. In that way then can understand different people’s thought and get a feel of how to behave with with other people in the world. Reading is something like rewriting the same book for yourself again.

Talking points

 Have you ever experienced being on a date without anything to talk about? Well, if you happen to read a good book, this can start off a conversation. Sharing good information is a great way to jump start any boring discussion. You can talk about the characters of the book, the plot, the value it gave you or any interesting things that you want to talk about.

Be inspired

 There are a lot of inspiring stories that you can get from books. These stories can help you be inspired and aim for your goal in life. There are touching stories and stories with great value passed on from generations to generations and these are all documented in books.

Relaxing

 Reading books is considered to be one way of entertaining or relaxing. People can enjoy an interesting book to relieve stress after a working day. For some people, reading books becomes a relieving pill for their tired minds, which is vital for their existence. For teenagers, reading good books can bring a great deal of pleasure. Being interested in reading, they will avoid the addiction of online games or violent films which are tremendously dangerous for their development. Therefore, parents are advised to encourage the children to read as many books as possible. Reading helps forgetting bad things as well as remembering good thing and make you a perfect man.

Boosting confidence

Reading books brings more confidence to the readers in communication. When you have a solid core of knowledge, you will be able to make sure of what you are going to say or what you hear from other people. No one can look down on you due to your deep knowledge and correct information, which is important for your self-esteem

 Improving self-dignity

 It is undoubtedly undeniable that a reading habit enables you to gain admiration and respect from others. For the old, reading books plays an important part in assisting them not to be left behind of the young. By improving knowledge with the updated information that they get from books, they can keep their minds fresh and also be aware of the new things or changes in life. They still feel confident in communicating or educating their children.

Improves concentration and focus

It requires you to focus on what you are reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, Internet posts or e-Mails that might contain small chunks of information, books tell the whole story. Since you must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, you will get better at concentration. If you want to break the monotony of a lazy, non-creative and boring life, go and grab an interesting book. Turn the pages to explore a new world filled with information and ingenuity, “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

To Silence the Ever moving Mind:
Reading is kind of a meditation. Here our mind concentrate on single thing. Single subject, single thought and single focus. That is nothing but meditation. This has both physical, mental as well as Spiritual benefits. Mind calms down when we read, It gets more productive and creative. Hence in Indian philosophy "Swadhyaya" is given special place. That is one of the step in Patanjali's Astanga Yoga under Niyama.  

Do before you die

Every beginning comes with an ending, every Sun raise comes with a Sunset, and every birth comes with a death. Everything has 2 sides as created by the creator. If there is a high, there is a low; if there is a dark, there is a light; if there is ignorance, there is knowledge. That’s the law of nature. We may not realize that but we cannot deny that.

So considering this, there will be a day when I need to give back everything which I have accumulated. Of course all of the things which I have and I am claiming as owner are just my accumulation and nothing else. Neither I have created any of them nor I am owning that completely. This is a game of time, which I am playing. They were not mine and for now they belong to me and someday will come, irrespective of I want or not, they will go back. They includes all my properties & emotions, relations & relative, information & mind, including the whole body. Only thing which is unknown till now is When is that D day. That’s the goal of this game. If mankind would have known that, they would have lived entirely a different life then the current life. They should have played the game entirely different then they are playing today.

In this earth everyday night, millions of people go to bed, out of them thousands people do not get up. May be some of them have lived enough or some of them early goer. Everyday millions of people go out of their home and there are thousands who never come back to their home alive. This is not the instance of one particular day but the fact of everyday. We are the only set of most fortunate people who are still not out. Still there are fortunate people whose relatives/near/dear are also not out. So When we get up in the morning, that itself is a bliss and sign of fortunate. Also when we get up in the morning and come to know that all our side people also wake up with us, then it is fact of delight. But still we all agree that the day will come when we will go with that thousands number and not in millions.

So once I make sure that I am fortunate as well as delight as I got up in the morning and came to know that all my near dears are also there, what should I do till I go to bed and join a period of uncertainty? Is not it worth thinking about. Should I accumulate more and more? Accumulate more money, more people, more fun, and more miseries? If I have to leave them, then what is the point accumulating them? If there is no point accumulating things, then Is not it important to know the real game? Is not it important to know the truth behind all these? This is for all of you to have a deep thought on this.

I have decided mine. I understood that the whole world, even the whole universe, even the whole cosmos are not many as they appear but there are just one. Left hand may think that there are 2 hands but for the complete body; all the body parts are not many but just a single unit, the same body. But till the point we are identified with a small part of this universe we cannot see the oneness. To experience the oneness, we need to be the feelings of the whole cosmos. Such a kind of concept is not digestible to the mind. Because it has own us completely, acquired us, covered us fully. Being a lateral entry in our body, still mind claims all possession. Yes, when we born, we never felt the presences of our mind, when we passed our entire childhood days we never got acquired by our mind. Slowly we accumulated emotions & information, worldly material possession and sensual comfortless, relative identity and false dignity. Mind started assuming that, all the accumulations are nothing but me, it keeps growing with the same kind of ignorance and I am here. So If I try to experience the whole cosmos using this mind then it is quite impossible. A farmer is farming on his land and decades after it is discovered that there is a goldmines below the land. Farmer has no idea as his business is just in the surface of that land. So is the case when I try to understand the feelings of oneness using my mind? So solution is going beyond the mind.

Is it possible to go beyond the mind? When I enquired about this then I got to know that, “Yes, it is very much possible”. The first step is to make the mind silenced. Mind is an ever moving ever talking, ever listening, every sensing entity. It never stops, not even when body sleeps. Then how to Silence the mind?  Further enquiry leads me to a sloka in Gita

असंशयं महाबाहो,मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् |   अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय, वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ||

Meaning: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment.

So life itself is a Yoga. Yoga is union.  We need to be very careful with which we are united, if it is with ignorance, if it is with unreal, if it is with darkness then we need to detach from there. That can be achieved by uniting to the truth, uniting to the knowledge and uniting to the light. So true life is all about practising this transformations. True life is all about living to realise “Aham bramhasmi”.  It is realising that “I am not a human being trying to have divine experience, but I am a divine being trying to have a human experience”

So Do before you die!!