चाहत

चाहत थी कुछ ऐसी ,
कि मैं कुछ अच्छा कर जाऊँ।  
मार्ग में बाधाएं कम आयें ,
ताकि मैं आसानी से  पार कर पाऊँ।

पुरा तो हुआ चाहत का आशियाना ,  
पर हो गया हूँ खुद से बेगाना।
छायी है इक धुंध चारों ओर ,
मुश्किल लगने लगी है ज़िन्दगी की डोर।

आयी है इम्तेहान  की घड़ी ,
रखना खुद  को सँभाल के।.

छोड़ न देना नाव को मझधार में
अभी काफी  पराव  है   बाकी।
जीत लूँगा इस ज़ंग को भी ,
अभी हौसला है बांकी।


 

Toastmasters project 3 (Attitude)

William James said,” Whenever you are in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is ATTITUDE.

Good afternoon to fellow toastmasters and guests.

Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.

Aforesaid words from the holy Bible talk about how human attitudes make a difference.

What is attitude? As the dictionary defines it, attitude is a way of talking and behaving. However, its significance is in our lives is much more.

Attitude is a way of life. We have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. As they say, the only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude. We can’t change our past, or we can’t change the way certain people think. We also can’t change what is inevitable. However, the only thing we can possibly change to deal with situations better is our attitude. We can only play on one string we have, and that is our attitude.

Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. So, Attitude determines outcome. This truth is accepted by most of the successful people of the world, whether it’s a doctor going for a surgery, or a businessman launching a new venture, or an IT engineer going onsite. It is attitude that provides them the winning edge. Thus, a correct and willful attitude is the key to success.

Attitude reflects behavior. One’s attitude towards the other, determines the other’s attitude towards him or her. If one smiles at other, the other may smile back. While if one acts hard-nosed with other, the other is likely to snap at him.

Man is master of his own destiny.  He can very well manipulate his grief or happiness by choosing the correct attitude. With a positive outlook, he can overcome his grief with ease and follow the pursuit of happiness. This can be justified by a famous quote:

He, who has so little knowledge of human nature, as to seek happiness ,by changing anything but his own disposition , will waste his life in fruitless efforts  and multiply the grieves he proposes to remove.

Hence, in a nutshell, attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than the money, than circumstances, than the failures, than successes or than reality.

I am strongly convinced that life is only 10 % of what happens to me , and 90 % how I react to it.

Toastmasters Project 2 (Take risks)

                                            

I was tired of hearing people say that I don’t take risks. One day I asked myself, “are they right?” and to my   surprise, the answer that came from my heart was yes. So, I decided to find out what are risks and should we take risks.

Dear toastmasters, a ship is safe in harbor but that is not ships are made for. This line clearly depicts the importance of risk. Risk is the potential of losing something of value weighedk is also a positive thing even if you fail. Certainly you want to be sure to move ahea against the potential to gain something of value. It involves uncertainty.

Going deep into analysis of risks, I pointed out three main reasons which affect a person’s ability to take risks. I will explain them one by one:

1.  Myth of security: If we think of risk as anything with a questionable outcome then pretty much everything we do has certain amount of risk associated with it. This world is an inherently risky place with unpredictable twists & turns, regardless of how many safeguards we put into place to avoid them. Somehow we have got the idea that possibility of safety exists. One of my teachers had lost his money in bank, the safest place in the world to keep money.
2.  Facing fear and failure: If self-esteem and an ecstatic sense of vitality are the sunny side of risk, fear and failure are shadowy sides. The old saying “if you are not failing, you are probably not trying hard enough” certainly applies here. Taking appropriate level of risk with a safety gear and a backup plan. Tricky thing about fear is that sometimes it delivers message of wisdom. It tells you, “Slow down, you are driving too fast”   While at other times, it is just a bad habit.
3. Discomfort, not danger: When anyone talks of risk, we start thinking about sky diving, rock climbing. These are the adventurous activities in which a false move can mean death of the dramatic kind. In my opinion, risk doesn't mean to involve danger, it involves only uncertainty. It tells us to move out of our comfort zone to create wonders. There are possible positive outcomes of risks as well, otherwise why would we take them.

Let me share a story to throw more light on importance of risk:

Two seeds lay side by side. One of them said, “I want to grow”. I want to send my roots deep inside the soil beneath me and thrust my sprouts through the earth’s crust above me. I want to unfurl my tender buds as banners to welcome arrival of spring. I want to feel the warmth of the sun and bless of morning dew on my petals and she grew.

The second seed said,” I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don’t know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil, it may damage my delicate sprouts.  And what if I let my buds open, a snail tries to eat them. No, it is much better to wait inside until it is safe and she waited. A hen found the seed and ate it.
Story clearly reflects the saying,” Those of us who refuse to risk and grow get swallowed up.”  
    
So, what is    the point of my long speech? Take risks. If an opportunity presents itself to you, just go for it. You have so much more to lose by not giving the chance to push yourself to indulge in new experiences. Growth can come in waves if you just make that first dip into new waters. So, I would like to end my speech with an inspiring line of Steve Jobs:
“Stay Hungary, Stay Foolish”.     

Toastmasters project 1 (Living to learn)

Good After noon Fellow Toastmasters. Today I'm here before you to give my project 1 and the tittle of my speech is 'Living to Learn'
As it is my project 1 and the objective is to introduce oneself before the audience, I would like to begin my introduction with my name.

Sudarshan, a lovely name with a beautiful meaning. Does anyone sitting here know the meaning of the word Sudarshan?(give a pause, wait for a yes / no )

Okay, let me explain you the meaning of my name, which has been given to me by my beloved parents and is my identity in this world.

Sudarshan is a sanskrit word which is a combination of two words- su which means good or divine and darshan which means sight or vision. Thus, the word Sudarshan collectively means an auspicious sight or a good vision.
Well for every parent, the birth of their child is an auspicious sight, but my case was different. I was actually a different or rather a unique child. This is because , at the time of my birth my mother noticed the presence of this extra finger (show the finger to audience) in my right hand and declared that this is god's own child whom God has bestowed some extra blessings or extra luck. Indeed I'm extra lucky to have such loving and caring parents who kept no stones unturned to make me successful in life.

Pope Paul VI have rightly said that :
All life demands is struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life.

So, again I was extra lucky as God never wanted me to become lazy and insensitive. So, he made be take birth at a place called Saharsa in Bihar. Due to lack of proper education facilities at my place, my parents sent me to a boarding school in class second at a tender age of Seven.

My situation became similar to that of Ishaan Awasthi from the movie Taare Zameen Par. Although, hostel life made me self-dependent and disciplined but it also made me a shy and introvert person. Since I could not make many friends in the hostel, I gradually learnt to keep my emotions to my self. But, the hostel also taught me to become adaptable and increased my patience levels really high. (show the height with hand gesture). It made me strong enough to fight with all the troubles of life with smile.

Just like a warrior, I fought all the difficulties at hostel with great courage and managed to win the battle by persistently achieving the first position in my class from std. 4 to 10.
Till now, I used to follow Colin Powell thought that
A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.
But I was proved wrong by my greatest teacher : Life.

In std. 6, I had qualified to get admission to one of the prestigious schools of the city/ country- the RKM, Deoghar. I was very excited and felt as if I'm on cloud nine. It was a great achievement . (show the expressions of happiness and excitement)

 But, life has its own ways and all my dreams got shattered when I came to know that my father was unable to afford my education there. I wept a lot and decided that I will work so hard that I wont have to compromise with any such opportunity again in my life.
But, life is not always unfair, and as I have told earlier, I'm God's blessed child, so I got an opportunity, at a later stage in life.

Despite many problems, I was able to go to kota to prepare for IITJEE. And Then, came the proudest moment of my life . I qualified IITJEE in the first attempt. And got admission in ECE in ISM Dhanbad.
My parents have always told me that : Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. ISM Dhanbad, gave me a chance to practice this wonderful thought.

Over there, I came to know about Kartavya, an NGO run by ISM Students for the upliftment of slum children. Working in Kartavya gave me a lot of satisfaction and happiness. Today, when I look back , I feel proud that I made a lot of children smile. These slum children were also a source of inspiration for me. I learnt that the ultimate satisfaction is in giving.
After graduating from ISM, Dhanbad, I joined TCS and reached Trivandrum, GOD’s own country for ILP training. There, I met my mentor who gave me confidence that I can work on my weakness. She motivated me and helped me a lot. But, I need to break the walls of fear which are still there in my mind. It is a task which I had not done in last 21 years. But, in this new year, I am ready to look up to that challenge . Thank you toastmasters to provide me such an opportunity. With the following motivational lines, I would like to conclude my speech.
There's no telling what you can do when you believe in them.
There's no telling what will happen when you act upon them.