Under a starry moonlit sky..

Toastmasters, probably one of those things that keeps me sane at work. I took my first baby step by taking P1 out of my Competent Communication manual. It was about me, what my life has been till now. Here's what got a me a standing ovation:

"Thank you Toastmaster.

Good evening fellow toastmasters and dear guests. I am Aman, something I am not too fond of being addressed as. Because I come from a place where if you call out that name, there would be 5 heads turning around, both, boys and girls. 

I’m from a city called Patiala in Punjab. And those who’ve had Patiala pegs or worn Patiala salwars, would be able to place it. Punjab for me has always been synonymous with rich, good food and yes, I’m a foodie of the highest order. Guess, that comes from the family. My Massi (My mom’s sister) was pursuing her masters in food and nutrition while I was growing up. And most of the times, I became the guinea pig for most of her food experiments. 

Talking of my family, I’m former of the two girls born to the lady who has influenced me the most in my life. My mother. She had me when she was 21 years old, and my parents got separated when I was 7 and my sister was 4. So, I never really knew my dad like you’re supposed to know your father.

Like a lot of single moms, my mother had to struggle to work and eventually battle to work. I believe she’s really the person who instilled in me the sense of confidence and a belief that I could do anything. It took her almost ten years to get life back on track for us and of course, herself. And we watched her grind through it. And as I got older, like everyone else, I learnt from her that she wasn’t all different than me. Like me, she had her own doubts. Like me, she wasn’t always sure of the right way of doing things. And, to see her overcome tough times was very inspiring. Because that meant, I could overcome tough times too.

I still remember the time when Infosys had delayed out joining. I had just graduated and had no idea what to do with my life. I went crazy. Totally bonkers. Till the time there came an assuring voice from my Mom, ‘Go, and gather experiences!’ When I looked up to her- I knew what to do. Having completed her masters in Psychology and English, my Mom now heads the Maths Department at a school. She imbibed in me a very simple leaning that is adding dimensions to your career should be the way of life. Before I knew, I saw the best phase of my career for those 8 months. Being a citizen journalist at Times of India fulfilled my die hard dream of being a journo. And being a verbal mentor at Career Launcher made my love for language grow fonder. I was juggling between two jobs and was probably the happiest. The happiest to discover and dig into my passion. The passion to write. The passion for print media. I’ve realized, no matter how much I grow up, I still jump with joy every time I see my name in print. Probably that I why I love Toastmaster’s. It fulfills every bit of my passion.

I believe, our choices, the things we do, the things we like are all interlinked. I started writing for the sheer feeling that I used to get from reading. Thanks to the childhood habit of going to the bed, reading. With Enid Blyton giving me Noddy and toy town to make my childhood all the more colourful. JK Rowling cast some spell and Hermoine awed me all through my teenage. Later came along, Dan Brown and Khaled Hoseeini. All the while, keeping a track of me and my stories was a blog that I nurtured. I nurtured it like a baby. Still do!

Little things like these shape who you are. They really shaped me, honed my passion and drove me. And of course, gave me this wonderful opportunity to be speaking in front of you.

That’s pretty much my life story. I hope to create more of such wonderful memories and stories along my way. Because in the end, it all comes down to having a lovely life story that we tell our children under the moonlit starry sky."