MCTC - Millennium Musings

Volume 2 (July16 to Dec16)

The word Millennium has been taken from the
name of our Club name 'Millennium City'
Musings means: A period of thought or reflection,
Like pondering/ contemplation

31-Dec-16

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

Contents
From Presidents Desk ................................................................................................................................................. 3
About MCTC ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Executive committee members for period July16 to Dec16...................................................................................... 6
Summary of meetings from July16 to Dec16 ............................................................................................................. 7
150th meeting celebration............................................................................................................................................ 9
Club awards during July16 to Dec16 ........................................................................................................................17
Members Education during July16 to Dec16 ...........................................................................................................18
Humorous and Evaluation Club level contest ............................................................................................................32
Humorous and Evaluation Area level contest............................................................................................................33
Humorous and Evaluation Division level contest ......................................................................................................34
Humorous and Evaluation District-41 level contest ..................................................................................................35
My Drawing Room .....................................................................................................................................................36
I Am Old: A Confession...............................................................................................................................................37
My Toastmaster journey ............................................................................................................................................38
One good quality Stoicism?.....................................................................................................................................41
Right time to invest ....................................................................................................................................................43
Manage Your Personal Finance Better ......................................................................................................................44
Giving is gracious than receiving................................................................................................................................45
New Elected Executive committee members for period Jan17 to June17 ..............................................................47
Contributors ...............................................................................................................................................................48
Editors Team ..............................................................................................................................................................48

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

From Presidents Desk

Dear Readers,
It is a matter of great privilege and honour, to be the
president of a club, as prestigious as Millennium City
Toastmasters Club. Our strength lies in our diversity.
We grew, and we grew, and we grew - and finally split
our wonderful club, into two wonderful clubs! The enthusiasm and vigour shown
towards the split, by MCTC members, is worth mentioning here. Many MCTC
members came forward to take up responsibilities in the Executive committee of
the baby club.
The members of MCTC share a special bond. The two hours spent at the club
meetings, are full of learning, life, fun, excitement and laughter. A single meeting
of MCTC comprises of an array of speeches - right from finance, to the ABCs of
driving, to marriage, to spirituality! Our members can be seen and heard,
encouraging fellow toastmasters; pushing them to be and do their best.
I can safely say that MCTC added value, happiness and contentment to my life, by
leaps and bounds. It helped me connect with myself. I remember the 1st step I
took towards the stage, as a table topics speaker - I remember being petrified :).
However, the ever smiling faces and nodding heads in the audience helped me
overcome my fear and begin my Toastmasters journey.
One of MCTC's mottos is to help the guests feel welcome, and encourage them to
speak in front of everyone. We know how challenging it is, to muster up the
courage to face strangers, and speak in a language that is not our mother tongue.
However, we also know, that a Toastmasters club is the only place, where one can
make as many mistakes as possible, learn from them, and grow as a speaker. In
fact,
it
is
THE
place
to
make
mistakes!
Receiving your first certificate as the best speaker or evaluator is a memorable
experience. It takes you to cloud 9! A toastmasters meeting is the only place,
where members are encouraged and awarded, week after week!

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Another great way of learning, and growing, is to participate in the various speech
and evaluation contests held every 6 months. Starting at the club level, members
have the opportunity to go up to the international level, and contest against
the crme de la crme in the Toastmasters fraternity across the world.
The contest season is around the corner now! I urge every member of MCTC to
participate in it. Winning does matter, but the participation itself helps one to
shackle the barriers of one's comfort zone and shed all inhibitions.
The last six months have been exceptional for us, where we have been able to file
the maximum number of education awards in District 41.
It gives me a sense of great achievement, as I step down from the post of the
President of MCTC, making way for fresh talent to steer the direction in which our
remarkable club is headed.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish the new President and his team, the
best of luck. We have elected the best team possible! May MCTC continue to rise
and shine, day by day. May we all keep celebrating MCTC's successes; one after the
other!
Here's to the best club in the world! Cheers!
Shveta Gupta
President
Millennium City Toastmasters Club

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

About MCTC
Millennium City Toastmasters Club
(MCTC) is a community club in
Gurgaon that meets each week to
conduct learn-by-doing workshops in
which participants hone their
speaking,
communication
and
leadership skills in a no-pressure
atmosphere. There is no instructor.
Instead, members evaluate each
others speeches. This feedback
process is a key part of the programs
success. Meeting participants also give
impromptu speeches on assigned
topics.

Toastmasters, aligns those needs with

the different Toastmasters' projects,
helps members formulate a growth
plan and datelines to ensure a sharp
and focused learning chart.
Each new member is assigned a
mentor who helps him/her develop as
a speaker and leader. As a protocol,
speeches at MCTC can only be
delivered after discussions with the
speakers mentor. This ensures fasttrack personal progress and quality
speeches at the meetings.
The club has members of all age
groups from across the work
spectrum. As peripherals, we have a
lot fun at the meetings, network for
professional and personal reasons and
develop our personalities!

All have different set of requirements.

Some join Toastmasters to fight the
fear of public speaking, some to
become better leaders, some to be
more effective at engaging an
audience, some to develop their
humor and wit. The reasons are
endless. MCTC invests time in its new
members to understand their
personal reasons of wanting to join

We invite you to attend one of our

meetings as a guest of the club and
understand the dynamics of the
meeting.

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

Executive committee members for period
July16 to Dec16
President - Shveta Gupta

Vice President Education Rahul Kokadwar

Vice President Membership Anuj Garg

Vice president Public relationship Rakhi Aswal

Secretary Ankita Dutta

Treasurer Geetesh Patidar

Sergeant-at-arms Nirman Sharma

Immediate past President Amit Gulati

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

Summary of meetings from July16 to Dec16
Date

Meeting
Number

Theme of
Meeting

TMOD

Best
Speaker

Best
Evaluator

Best Table
Topic
Speaker

Best Role
Player

03.07.2016

142

Jam

Shveta
Gupta

Manisha
Manchanda

Anjana
Sharda

Bhowmick

Shveta Gupta

10.07.2016

143

Lessons Learnt

Amit Gulati

Prashant
Keole

Shveta
Gupta

Amit Gulati

17.07.16

144

E-commerce in
India

Shashi
Ranjan

Shveta
Gupta

Amit Gulati

Shashi Ranjan

24.07.16

145

Freedom

Anuj Garg

Bakul Joshi

Amit Gulati

Amit Gulati

Anuj Garg

31.07.16

146

Its Good to be
Bad

Nitin Sagar

Manisha
Manchanda

Ankita
Dutta

Nirman
Sharma

Nitin Sagar

07.08.2016

147

If you lose your

temper, you lose

Bakul Joshi

Nitin Sagar

Anjana
Sharda

Ankita
Dutta

Bakul Joshi

15.08.2016

148

Love What you do

S. Imtiaz Ali

Rahul
Kokadwar

S. Imtiaz Ali

Prashant
Keole

S. Imtiaz Al

21.08.2016

149

Evaluation &
Humorous speech
contest

28.08.2016

150

150th meeting
celebration

04.09.2016

151

Logical Reasoning

Rahul
Kokadwar

Shveta
Gupta

Bakul Joshi

Mukesh
Kalothia
(District
Director)

Ankita Dutta

11.09.2016

152

SWOT Analysis

Shveta
Gupta

Prashant
Keole

Amit Gulati

Bakul Joshi

18.09.2016

153

Emotional
Intelligence

Vivek
Sharma

Shashi
Ranjan

Ankita

Anuj Garg

Vivek Sharma

25.09.2016

154

The leader as a
coach

Rakhi Aswal

Ankita
Dutta

Shveta
Gupta

Rakhi Aswal

Contest chair :- Ankita Dutta & Dipti Singhal

Event Chair - Shveta Gupta &

Event organized - Amit Gulati & Rahul Kokadwar

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

DateDate

Meeting
No.

Theme of
Meeting

TMOD

Best
Speaker

Best
Evaluator

Best Table
Topic
Speaker

Best Role
Player

Shveta
Gupta

Vivek
Sharma

Anu Ghorse

Anuj Garg

Nitin Sagar

Vivek
Sharma
Kavish
Chauhan
Ahad

Manisha
Manchanda
Shashi
Ranjan
Anuj Garg

Manisha
Manchanda
Aniruddh
(Guest)
Sachin
(Guest)

Rahul
Kokadwar
Shashi Ranjan

02.10.2016

155

09.10.2016

156

A Toastmaster's
Education
Journey
Going beyond

16.10.2016

157

Black Monery

23.10.2016

158

Mind mapping

Rahul
Kokadwar
Shashi
Ranjan
Rakhi Aswal

30.10.2016

159

Light it up

Dipti Singhal

Shashi
Ranjan

Manish
Dembla
(GTMC)

Ankur
Yadhav
(GOT)

Shveta Gupta
(Grammarian)

06.11.2016

160

Ankita

161

Shashi
Ranjan
Manisha
Manchanda

Shveta
Gupta
Anuj

Vikas Bajaj
(Guest)
Shashi
Ranjan

Ankita

13.11.2016

Good Boss, Bad

Boss
Exploratory
Books

20.11.2016

162

Rakhi Aswal

Bakul Joshi

Amit Gulati

Ankita Dutta

Rakhi Aswal

27.11.2016

163

Goal setting &

planning
Eat the Live frog

Bakul Joshi

Nirman

Sachin Rathi

Bakul Joshi

04.12.2016

164

Life Science

Dipti Singhal

Ali

Sourabh

Ankita (TTM)

11.12.2016

165

Ahad

Manisha
Manchanda

Kavish

Ahad

18.12.2016

166

Ahad Khan

167

Rahul
Kokadwar
Rakhi Aswal

25.12.2016

Machine
learning, what,
how & why
Passing the
Baton
Merry Christmas
& Happy New
Year

Sachin
Rathi
Ankita
Dutta
Ankita
Dutta

Prashant
Keole

Nirman

Rahul
Kokadwar

Rahul
Kokadwar
Ahad

Sachin

Rakhi Aswal
(TMOD0

Sachin

Supplementary role players: New award started from 27th Nov 2016 and winners are
27.11.2016 Sarika Sagar
04.12.2016 Ahad Khan
11.12.2016 Sourabh Bansal
18.12.2016 Deepika
25.12.2016 Sachin Rathi

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

150th meeting celebration
Millennium City Toastmasters Club, had put together a very Fun & Informative
150th Meeting on 28th August 2016. The event was held at a vibrant venue and
the meeting was followed by Lunch. The event was chaired by President Shveta
Gupta. The meeting was graced by the presence eminent personalities Mr.
Amol Arora & Mrs. Meenal Arora - entrepreneurs in education segment. The
husband-wife duo Founded Shemrock Futuristic Schools to offer holistic
development of young minds. They have been conferred with several awards
nationally and are widely recognized Educationists.

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

President Shveta invited Mrs. Meenal Arora on stage. Mrs. Meenal delivered a
module on Effective public speaking.
She shared her journey as a public speaker, the challenges she faced and how she
has transformed them in to opportunities.
She started by asking the audience to pen down 3 things that deter them from
speaking as well as they want to in public - Fear of the unknown. The exercise
made sure the audience was aware of their phobias and how to tackle them as
they listened to the module.
She provided valuable insights and helpful tips:
- 75% of people fear public speaking.
- Expect Murphys law - Be prepared to face it. Enjoy it.
- Ask Questions about venue: Familiarity brings comfort.
- 3P s - Prepare, Practice, Perform.
- She warned against over-preparing/ over-structuring speeches.
- There needs to be enough substance in your speech. A good speech is like a
pencil, it has to have a point.

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Next item was a skit. The participants in the skit were Shveta, Manisha Mehta,
Amit & Dipti. They took us through the journey of formation of MCTC, the
challenges of club, the current camaraderie of club. Through the skit, they
highlighted all the awards the club has won.
Toastmaster Rahul had put together a beautiful video of photos capturing the
journey of MCTC. Right from First EC to the recently concluded club-contests, from
Educational achievements to Team luncheons - the video covered it all. It was a trip
down the memory lane. He later conducted a Quiz basis the information flashed in
the video. Rahul handed the stage back to Event chair Shveta.
Up next there was a Fun Activity Session planned by Toastmaster Amit Gulati. He
had multiple activities lined up one after the other, which had the audience all
pumped up with excitement. All participants were given a bar of chocolate.
a) Table Topics :
1. My first day at College Bakul Joshi
2. My first date. A rainy night and the car broke down Kapil Ghorse
3. How I met my wife My first proposal Mr. Amol Arora

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b) Tongue Twisters :1. I saw a kitten eating Chicken in the Kitchen

I saw a kitten eating Chicken in the Kitchen
I saw a kitten eating Chicken in the Kitchen
I saw a kitten eating Chicken in the Kitchen
I saw a kitten eating Chicken in the Kitchen
To Ankita Dutta
2. Eddie edited it
Eddie edited it
Eddie edited it
Eddie edited it
Eddie edited it
To Anu Ghorse
c) Shout it out - Toastmasters Shveta & Gaurav battling it out Whos shout is
the loudest
d) Popping the peanuts -Toastmasters Nirman & Anirudh throwing peanuts high
up in the air and gulping them down as they come down.
e) Balancing the ball on the bat- Toastmasters Shashi, Geetesh & Bishan

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Amol Arora delivered a module on Entrepreneurship.

He busted common myths about entrepreneurship.
- Take charge of your life
- Dont be afraid to make mistakes.
- Replace I wish with I will.
- As an entrepreneur you create jobs for others.

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Quiz by Quizmaster Rahul Kokadwar
1. When did Toastmasters international
start?
Ans- 22 Oct 1924
2. When did MCTC start?
Ans- 25th June 2013
3. Who was first President of MCTC
Ans- Ankur Rana
4. How many awards has MCTC got from july'15 to June'16
Ans
a.Talk up Toastmaster ( 5 members in Feb and Mar)
b. Smedley award ( 5 members in Aug & Sep)
c. Beat the clock (5 members in May and June)
d. President's distinguish club
e. Raising star award
5. Who were the winner of ISC and Table topic contest in Feb'16 from MCTC
Ans.
ISC - Amit Gulati, Shveta Gupta & Mohit Mendiretta
TT- Mohit Mendiretta, Amit Gulati & Anuj Garg
6. How many couples are members of MCTC and who are they?
Ans- 1. Gaurav & Manisha
2. Anu & Kapil
3. Monika & Varun
7. How many DCP goals has MCTC achieved in last year i.e July'15 to
June16?
Ans- All 10 goals
8. Who is DTM from our club?
Ans- Kapil Ghorse

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9. Who recently completed ACB from MCTC?

Ans-Mohit Mendiratta
10. What is the criteria for Rising star award
Ans- 7 officers trained and 8 new members added
11. Who is second VP at Toastmaster international ?
Ans- Deepak Memon
12. How many education awards have been filed from 1st July 2016 to 28th
Aug by MCTC
AnsKapil- ALS and DTM
Rakhi- CL
Prashant-CC
Anuj- CC
Mohit-ACB
Rahul Kokadwar -CC
13. Under which area, division and district does MCTC fall?
Ans- Area C1, Division C and District 41
14. How many members are part of MCTC?
Ans-52
15. What is the criteria to achieve Select distinguish club?
Ans-7 DCP goals
16. What is the tag line of District 41?
Ans- WE CAN & WE WILL

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Club awards during July16 to Dec16

1. Rising star
2. Golden Gavel award
3. Fantastic fast five award

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Members Education during July16 to Dec16

MCTC Filed Highest Number of Education awards in

District 41- ie 28 education awards in first six months of
Toastmaster year

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DCP status as of 31st Dec 2016:MCTC achieved 9 out of 10 goals in first six
months.

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Humorous and Evaluation Club level contest

Humorous Club contest result:Winner Manisha Manchanda

st

1 runner up Rahul Kokadwar

nd

2 runner up Imtiaz Ali

Evaluation Club contest result:Winner Amit Gulati
1st runner up Anu Ghorse
nd

2 runner up Imtiaz Ali

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Humorous and Evaluation Area level contest

Humorous Area contest result:Winner Rahul Kokadwar

1st runner up Manisha Manchanda
Evaluation Area contest result:Winner Anu Ghorse
1st runner up Amit Gulati

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Humorous and Evaluation Division level contest

Humorous Division contest result:1st runner up Manisha Manchanda

nd

2 runner up Rahul Kokadwar

Evaluation Division contest result:Winner Amit Gulati
1st runner up Anu Ghorse

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Humorous and Evaluation District-41 level contest

Humorous Division contest result:2nd runner up Amit Gulati

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My Drawing Room

Poem by Ahad Khan

A dried leaf enters meanwhile,

Countless visions lead me somewhere,

To the days some dark, some fair.

Sitting on the floor, I stare,

With the wind, leaf flew from there.
Again I find silence around,
Again flashes thoughts abound.

nock of the wind at the door,

Took me to the place long ignored.

It might have travelled hundred miles.

Finding a buddy, lonely room smiled,
But leaf's presence was for a while.

Quite, silent since no one visited,

With things handmade, some purchased.

A couch of mine yet kept there,

Vows of life, I wrote where.
The broken vase tells its story,
Not a vain display, but a piece of memory.

Thus people come and go from life,

Though voices from the past always reside.
A drop of eye falls with remembrance,
Suddenly I am drawn to the sound pleasant.

Red golden with dust visible,

Number of tales still curtains unveil.

A hanging wind chimes chanting its song,

Who is listening, caring naught.
Dancing freely with mighty breeze,
Unlike I do, my wish to be.

Sad, happy hours it shared,

Who touched, who gripped, who used, who
cared.
Chained with moments some photo-frame,
Unclear yet priceless emotions drain.

Collect myself with all recollection,

Looking around with affection.
Together we float in the memory of sea,
They are my companion , a part of me.

Mannequin of silence standing aside,

Endless dreams rest in her eyes.
Tending to reveal fables manifold,
Some words, some thought untold.

I am for them, they are for me,

I am for them, they are for me.

While I am lost deeply,

If life going be unlike dummy.

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I Am Old: A Confession

Poem by Ahad Khan

air turns grey, hands cold
I am old.
With reminiscence and blurred sight,
Past shadows some dark and some bright.

Why didn't love you, I say with sigh

When learnt oh life! You saying goodbye.
Me, a pale wrinkled leaf
Ready to bury, now I cease.

No desire in depth of wrong and right ways,

Walking slowly on the road of left days.
Shaken moves with karma in hands,
Life slips like a fistful sand.

Journey ends here, should I believe?

Or something is concealed I dont see.
This part over, next show yet to happen
Life will play dice again, I sense.

Happiness I sought all around,

It was within me, Alas! not found.
Forgot that problem carries a solution,
Wrongly called it always an obstruction.

Demise nearing with horrid face,

To engulf me with jaw opened.
Breaking fence of scream,
I will move to land unseen.
Freeing self from ties of vale,
The curtained life I'll have to hail.

Wasted hours in things trivial,

Hatred, jealousy, vain longing and fear.
Pages torn yet as fresh as fragrance,
Never faded but enhanced.

Then I pull my soaring thoughts,

Went so high now I pause.
Such flashback will sure incite,
Me to relive and write.
Moments that gladden
as well sadden.
At seventy If live until

The golden imprint of stories,

Engraved in the book of memories.
At the crossing stage, regrets are
Can't get you back, now you depart.
For blessings you showered, oh life dear!
Being ungrateful is unfair.

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My Toastmaster journey

Article by Shashi Ranjan

n IIM & NIT graduate, I had worked for

an MNC for last 6 years. I was well
settled in my job. I had a good
reputation with my colleagues and seniors.
Needless to say, My career was picture. So I
became complacent in my life, I felt invincible.
Suddenly a turbulence occurred, and everything
vanished instantaneously. I knew that a tough
time had begun and I will have to prove myself
again.

extraordinary, the award winning speech titled

ordinary & outdated is so good that I dont
have words to describe it. laughed out loudly
when I heard the humorous speeches of TM
Prashant and TM ManishaI. TM Prashant took
the husband wife relationship to another level
through your jokes. When it came to table
topic, TM Anuj perplexed me through his logical
& on the feet thinking. And TM Shveta has an
amazing voice.

4 months ago (July16), I started my

Toastmaster journey with the objectives to
improve the communication & leadership skills.
But I had an additional goal in my mind. The
self-esteem need the need to prove myself
again and conquer the turbulent phase of my
life, career. I had to wipe out the rust which has
conjured my mind, due to complacency of 6
years of a steady job.

When you step into this pedigree of such

speakers, the self doubt is bound to happen.
Are you good enough? How will you face such
audiences? Can you even speak?
How many of you had such self-doubt? I read a
book from Prof Carol S. Dweck Mindset, the
new psychology of success. As per the author,
there are two mindsets. One is fixed mindset
where people believe that basic human
qualities are carved into the stone. Its inherent.
There are many such people who have fixed
mindset. People who believe leaders are born
and not made. While the growth mindset is
based on the belief that your basic qualities are
things that you can cultivate through your
efforts. I found growth mindset very beneficial
in each of my endeavors.

I was definitely not aware that Toastmaster

could become one of my key weapons. I see my
Toastmaster journey into the following parts.
Part 1: Self-doubt phase: Fixed vs Growth
mindset
When I joined Toastmaster, I was awestruck
with the quality of speakers at MCTC. I believe
the TM Amit Gulati speeches were

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The point is you can always change your
mindset. Put yourself in a growth mindset.
Think that you are a novice thats why you are
here. You are here to learn. Think those
speakers as a source of learning. Then you will
feel your mind open up and your self doubt
going away.

the shore to catch fish. Unfortunately, this

created another problem. The farther they went
to fish, the longer it took them to get back to
the shore. By the time they got back, the fish
was stale. And the japanese, well, they like their
fish fresh.
To solve this problem, the fishermen came up
with another solution. They installed
refrigeration units on the boats. But the
japanese were clearly clever. They could clearly
tell the difference between frozen and fresh
fish. And they wanted their fresh fish. Besides,
frozen fish commanded lower prices,
threatening the viability of the entire fishing
business.

Part 2: Improvement areas Set a goal

There are some people who helped in my
Toastmaster journey. I am really grateful to
them. TM Anajana sarda critically evaluated one
of my earliest speech. She pointed out
improvement
areas
like
pronunciation,
grammatical errors, sentence structure etc.
Then our VP education TM Rahul, pointed out
the importance of practicing speech. My mentor
Rakhi Aswal helped me preparing my earlier
speeches and provided critical feedbacks.

So the fishermen came up with another

solution. They installed fish tanks on the boat!
They would catch the fish from the sea and put
them into the tank. So they could now take back
fresh fish!

Its important to identify your improvement

area and work on those. Set action items &
goals to work on those. It really helps to
improve and boost the confidence.

But that was not to be either. As the tank got

stuffed with fish, the fish would flap around a
bit, then get lazy and lie resigned to their fate.
Motionless, inactive. Dull. And the Japanese
could tell the difference. They wanted fresh fish,
not sluggish fish!

Part 3: Learn from your frenemy

R Gopalakrishnan, former vice president of HUL
& current executive director of Tata sons,
narrates an interesting story in his book the
case of Bonsai manager. Its about fish in japan.
And the message is relevant for us in our
Toastmaster journey.

Even as a seemingly insurmountable crisis

loomed over the Japanese fishing industry, the
wise fisherfolk came up with yet another
innovative solution. They still had to sail out a
long distance. And they still had the same boats
and the same fish tanks. But there was one
difference. In each tank, the fishermen put in a
small shark. The shark kept the fish active,
running around, busy. Sure, the shark ate a few
fish but the threat of the shark kept the other

Its a classics problem solution saga. As is well

known, the Japanese love fresh fish, Such has
been Japans fascination with eating fresh fish
that, for many years now, there is hardly any
fish to be found in the waters off japanese
shores. So fishermen came up with a solution.
They built bigger boats and went farther from

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fish active and healthy. The challenge ensured
that none of then could afford to lie still. As a
result, what eventually reached the shore was
fresh, active fish. And the Japanese loved it.

To summarize, Toastmaster journey provided

me with the life lessons.
Always have a growth mindset which will
help you learn more & more skills.
Set specific, measurable, objective goals
to work on the problem areas for
improvement
Make a frenemy group and challenge
yourself to remain active like Japanese
fish.

We are like fish too. We need that shark to stay

sharp. In my Toastmaster journey, I have
identified some sharks which helped me to stay
active. I am really impressed with TM Ankita
innovative & unique approach each time in her
role. Similarly TM Bakuls speed to Toastmaster
journey & enthusiasm are unmatchable. I did
take challenge that I should at-least try to learn
& match these people.

These lessons helped me to achieve success in

my professional career also. I have joined one of
the leading ecommerce companies recently. I
take this opportunity to thank Toastmaster and
my fellow Toastmaster for their contribution.

The point is you should create some frenemies

from which you can learn, challenge each other
etc. That will help you stay active in your
Toastmaster journey.

40

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

One good quality Stoicism?

Article by Ahad Khan

efore you read this blog, it is important
to understand one very simple think :)

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Socrates. This list

is endless. Just that they are no more alive
To get an answer for my question, while I was
reading the life of above great thinkers on
Wikipedia, I happened to read the life of great
Roman thinker named Zeno of Citium. His
image is as below. What struck me the most
was his school of philosophy on Stoicism.
Crazy word ? Right ? Yeah, indeed it is :). I had
same question in my mind as you would have
when you hear/read word such as Stoic for

That the life is a work in progress activity.

There will be a start but for sure there is no
end.
Lets start
Last month, I was introspecting myself and just
trying to decide on one good quality that I must
develop which will help me to become a better
person. It is a very tough question. Getting the
answer is equally tough. We have so many
people (around us) whom we consider role
model and the source of inspiration. They for
sure do inspire us to become better each day
and each moment.

the first time

I started reading a lot about Stoicism on
Wikipedia and on internet. After extensive
reading, I was convinced and inspired by
Stoicism philosophy. Also I got an answer to
my question on what is that one good quality
that I should try to possess. It is nothing but
Stoicism. It could lead me to become a better
person. You can read more on Stoicism at this
link:

However, I am more interested to learn from

great thinkers who are not alive now but who
have led great impact on mankind forever. We
have many examples of such great thinker. Few
names that immediately come to my mind are
Swami Vivekananda, Ravindra Nath Tagore,

I will summarize my learning on Stoicism with 3

below questions and answers:

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MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

What is Stoicism?

perspectives. What stands in the way becomes

the way

Stoicism teaches us that before we try to control

events, we have to control ourselves first. It
reminds yourself at all times of what you can
control and what you cant. We cant control
weather, we cant control economy, and we
cant control other people. The world is beyond
our control, unpredictable, and constantly
changing. The only things we can really control
are our own thoughts and beliefs. This is so
damn true and at the same time such a simple

What Stoicism could lead to?

thing to understand and apply

Stoicism is the school of thought to build

leadership and entrepreneurship skills. One
must have to draw lines between the essential
and the inessential at every level of life. Stoic
attitude allows leader earn respect in the face
of failure, and guards against arrogance in the
face of success.

How could Stoicism help?

My final statement on Stoicism philosophy:

Uncertainties are always there. Peep in your

personal and office work We know the
meaning of uncertainty so well. Should I bow
down
to
uncertainty?
NO. Transform
uncertainties into opportunities to change

What I concluded for sure is that more we

practice Stoic qualities in good times, the
more likely that well find them in ourselves
when theyre most needed.

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MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

Right time to invest

Article by Nirman Sharma

advise everyone to learn about Real estate,

it provides highest returns, the greatest
value and least risk. Real Estate sector in
India contributes to eleven percent (11%) of
G.D.P directly and indirectly, its second largest
employer after agriculture sector in India. Real
Estate has been one of the oldest profession
since the beginning of civilization, just trading
pattern kept on evolving. In ancient times
people fought for fertile land or land near rivers
and in current scenario people struggle for
fortune land (Prime Location).

per report by Credit rated agency Fitch and

Property Research Equity 30% correction in the
property market will lead to flushing of almost
Eight Lacs Crore from the market!! That also
from only from 42 tier one cities.
They Say: if Price is Right it sells overnight, price
it wrong, it stays on too Long.
Despite stalemate and dilemma in the industry
it is right time to enter in the market with
discounting pricing available. Property Stalwart
believe that despite rough patch the industry
will still reach 180 billion U.S.D by 2020. The
time is opportune to place bets in this sector
with the paradigm shift from family owned to
professionally managed corporates entering the
industry and also with Regulation &
Development Act 2016 the market will resurrect
with stronger base and brighter future.

According to D.I.P.P (Department of Industrial

Policy & Promotion) the construction
development sector in India has received F.D.I
(Foreign Direct Investment) Equity inflows to
the tune of U.S.D 24.19 Billion Since 2000 April
to March 2016 and this figure is expected to
touch 180 Billion U.S.D by 2020 March. All these
predictions were made post demonetization.
After the Demonetization announcement
property Pundits(Experts) anticipates 30%
crash in the market. As per White Paper
published by Ministry on 2012, Real estate
constitute 30 lac crore of black money or 20% of
G.D.P and roughly 50% of total Black money. As

As Quoted by Andrew Carrmeige: 90% of

Millionaire become so through owning Real
Estate
Buy Land: They are not making it anymore!! My
Suggestion to you all is Dont Wait to invest,
Invest
&
Wait,
Wait
to
Win.

43

Manage Your Personal Finance Better

Article by Rakhi Aswal

Todays highly inflation-prone economy, has a
huge corrosive impact on our finances. Most of
us find our bank balance back to zero within a
couple of days of salary credit. I hear lot of my
friends and colleagues say I make money, but I
dont get to see it. But then there are others
who are able to save substantially, in-spite of
the current economic challenges. Have you ever
wondered what is it that they do differently?
The answer is that they manage their personal
finance much better. And you will be surprised
to know that its no rocket science.
Below are few simple tips that you can follow,
to manage your personal finance:
1.
Have a monthly budget in place: Make a
budget in the beginning of the year, for next 12
months. Maintain budget by different
categories of expenses like Shopping, Travel,
Medicines, etc. This can be accomplished by
maintaining a simple, hand written register. Or
this can be also done very efficiently on your
laptop in Excel spreadsheets.
2.
Track your Monthly Expenses: If cant
track it, you cant control it. Keep a tab on your
monthly expenses by keeping note of your
spending. This will give you an insight of your
expense trend which can be controlled by
comparing to the annual budget.

3.
Save before you spend: Every penny
saved is, penny earned. Keep aside a fixed
amount of money every month for long term
investments. Systematic Investment Plan
offered by various financial institutions helps in
following a disciplined saving regime. In case
you are a salaried employee then Employee
Provident Fund is another very good long term
saving option.
4.
Take
benefit
of
available
tax
breaks: Income taxes can have a tremendous
impact on your take-home earnings. It is easy to
understand various tax benefits that you can
avail, by doing google search. Alternatively, you
can consult a Financial Planner to make sure
that you are paying minimum possible income
tax.
5.
Earn before you spend: Never spend your
money before you have earned it! Unless
extremely important try not to use credit cards
as you tend to spend more on credit. You
become more mindful of your expenses if you
have to spend only out of the available bank
balance and not from your future earnings!
Try out these simple tips and see a positive
difference in your personal finance!

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

Giving is gracious than receiving

Article by Rahul Kokadwar

here are two major bodies of water in the

land where Jesus walked. Do you know
which country I am talking about.

One is the Sea of Galilee, a beautiful lake 13

miles long and 7 miles wide filled with fish and
water
animals.

Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both

the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea receive
their water from river Jordan. And yet, they are
very, very different. Unlike the Dead Sea, the
Sea of Galilee is pretty rich with colorful marine
life. There are lots of plants. and lots of fish too.
In fact, the sea of Galilee is home to over
twenty different types of fishes.

The other body of water is the Dead Sea, 50

miles long and 11 miles wide, which is 1300 feet
below sea level. Seven million tons of water
evaporates from the Dead Sea every day. The
salt content of the water of the Dead Sea ranges
from 26-35%, making it 10 times saltier than the
oceans of the world.

Same region, same source of water, and yet

while one sea is full of life, the other is dead.
How come? The River Jordan flows into the Sea
of Galilee and then flows out. The water simply
passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then
out - and that keeps the Sea healthy and
vibrant, teeming with marine life.

The Dead Sea is really a Lake, not a sea. Its so

high in salt content that the human body can
float easily. You can almost lie down and read a
book! And all that saltiness has meant that
there is no life at all in the Dead Sea. No fish. No
vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing lives in the
sea and hence the name Dead Sea.

But the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea

level, that it has no outlet. The water flows in
from the river Jordan, but does not flow out.
There are no outlet streams. It is estimated that
over 7 million tons of water evaporate from the
Dead Sea every day, leaving it salty. Too full of
minerals. And unfit for any marine life. The
Dead Sea takes water from the river Jordan, and
holds it. It does not give. Result? No life at all.

Israel

According
to
extremescience.com,
fish
accidentally came into the Dead Sea from one
of the several freshwater streams, their bodies
quickly coated with a preserving layer of salt
crystals and then tossed onto shore by the wind
and
waves.

To a certain extent people are like the Dead

Sea. Life is not just about getting. Its about
giving. We need to be a bit like the Sea of
Galilee. We are fortunate to get wealth,
knowledge, love and respect. But if we don't

45

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

learn to give, we could all end up like the Dead
Sea. The love and the respect, the wealth and
the knowledge could all evaporate. Like the
water in the Dead Sea. If we get the Dead Sea
mentality of merely taking in more water, more
money, more everything the results can be
disastrous.

sure you don't just get, you give too, Giving is

gracious than receiving.
Open the taps. And you'll open the floodgates
to happiness. Make that a habit. To share. To
give.
And experience life. Experience the magic!
Make Giving your Living!

Make sure that in the sea of your old life you

have many outlet for love and wealth and
everything else that you get in your life. Make

Since giving is gracious than receiving.

46

MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

Newly Elected Executive committee members for period
Jan17 to June17
President - Shashi Ranjan

Vice President Education Ahad Khan

Vice President Membership Sourabh Bansal

Vice president Public relationship Sachin Rathi

Secretary Bhanu Dravid

Treasurer Arti Sagar

Sergeant-at-arms Niket Singh

Immediate past President Shveta Gupta

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MCTC Millennium Musings (Volume 2)

Contributors
1. Ahad Khan
2. Shashi Ranjan
3. Nirman Sharma
4. Shveta Gupta
5. Rakhi Aswal
6. Rahul Kokadwar
Editors Team

Shveta Gupta

Rakhi Aswal

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Rahul Kokadwar