Beaches, books and beer ……
All good things in life start with B Beaches books beer biryani and how can I forget? Yes boys too….

Imagine…. The breeze ruffling up your hair, water spraying on your face, waves splashing around your ankle and the warmth of the sun kissing your skin….
Can you feel what I feel?
I feel ….. I feel like I am surfing on the waves, big blue sky over my head and sand under my feet. If you are not barefoot on the beach then you are over dressed. I feel happy. There is no place for the stress of the routine here. Life at the beach is so different. We have to leave all that behind us. Here, the time does not pass by the clock. It goes by the shadows. We live by the waves. Life is fun here …… we can feel the bliss, play in the sand, splash in the sea, run after the waves, get dirty and wet and yet, no one gets mad !! For a long time, I sit and stare at the endless sea, no thoughts in my mind. I just watch the crashing waves and the glistening sun upon the deep ocean. I feel blessed to be able to laze around in the sun here and admire this scenic beauty. I love beaches….
After hours of collecting the shells and other treasures from the sea, I feel satiated but hot and my throat is parched. I need a drink. Relaxing under the shade of an umbrella with a cool drink in my hands, I already feel better. The sun appears strong but I have no intention of leaving the beach. I look around and see girls in beachwear playing hand ball and young men appreciating the sights. Further down, there are children building sand castles and i remember my childhood. Reminiscing  for some time, I shrug  out of my reverie and reach out for a book from my bag. Books are my constant companion. Like music, books too wash from the soul the dust of every day life. They take me to places unknown and teach me lessons learnt by others.  I feel each time I open a book and read, somewhere a Tree smiles knowing that there’s life after death. This is not the time for some heavy reading but light hearted romance and comedy. Opening my all time favorite, Gone with the wind, which always keeps me wanting more of Scarlette and Mr. Butler…… I make myself more comfortable just in case I doze off reading and dream a few dreams of my own. Sometimes I wonder why we don’t burn calories while reading? I would have been scary thin by now.
The chill in the air suddenly wakes me up. I look around…. Longer shadows…. I stretch and smile. Dusk has fallen…. People are packing up for the day. The sun is setting and now is the time for some chilled beer. You know, I drink beer only at two occasions. One, when I am at the beach and second , when I am not at the beach. There is always something interesting happening around beer. I can hear music from not so far away shacks getting ready for the party all night. Musicians are sitting around stringing their instruments and owners shuffling around for the last minute arrangements. A can of chilled beer in hand, I amuse myself with the people now pouring in…. some singles, some couples and some in groups. Of all sizes and ages, some quiet, some talking and some grooving to the music. As the night comes around, the music gets louder, the spirits flowing freely, the youth get funky and the food gets tastier. Some more beers and sumptuous dinner later I am out again, looking at the sea… its beauty more enhanced by the full moon. As they say, beauty lies in the eyes of the beerholder, sorry beholder. I can never get enough of the beaches and the waves. I can spend a whole lifetime just by watching them.  My lifeline – beaches books and beer and my wish for all of you - may you always have a shell in your pocket and sand in your shoes.

Musings about Toastmasters...

I had been feeling accomplished that my elder son had appeared for his first board exams successfully. All of fifteen, he wanted to improve his speaking skills and while looking around for options, he stumbled upon Toastmasters. On further enquiry, he was invited as a guest to the nearby club meeting and he came back duly impressed. After a few, he was asked to come with a parent and, completely unaware of how this would change my life, I accompanied him.
I clearly remember the special celebratory meeting I attended at John Deere. About 150 odd people were enthusiastically attending and speaking exceptionally well and my heart swelled with pride that one day my son would be such a speaker too!!

I couldn't have been farther from the truth. The then VP PR, TM Aniket, convinced me to join for my son's sake as he was underage ( remember, 15 years only) and if a parent was a Toastmaster, he could come as a guest. Gavel club was unheard of at that time.... All my motherly emotions overflowed and for the love of my son, I decided to go ahead and took the next step of enrolling myself. This was almost exactly 6 years ago and till date, I am not even sure that he attended 6 meetings after I joined!!
Thus began my accidental journey to be a Toastmaster in good standing in a club in good standing ALWAYS .....
From the eyes of a new member, all the other members appeared talented and well versed with the rules and regulations. The excom went out of their way to make me comfortable,the experienced members offered guidance and support for the speeches and roles. Slowly, I found myself adapting to the culture and before I knew, I was addicted long time.
Encouraged to be a part of club executive committee from the very beginning, I took upon playing my roles well and have been appreciated for my efforts throughout.
#ImpactComesFromActions
Somehow, those who worked with me always had more faith in my abilities and could recognize my potential even before I could. They suggested that I opt for leadership roles in the district.
District 98 was created and the first annual conference was announced. I opted for Souvenir chair and became a part of the organizing committee. Approvals, budgets, designs, magazine, gifts, awards, trophies.... Regular calls and meetings, visits, coordinating with vendors, and timely procurement of all these appears to be a nightmare now but in the able leadership of DTM Leo Paulose, who was the Conference Convenor, it seemed like a cake walk. After the event which broke all previous records of popularity and success within a limited budget, for the first time I felt proud to be a part of the organizing committee and received accolades for my contribution. Perhaps that was a nice year as I was recognized as the ARISE ambassador for my support to the Toastmasters community.
All this under by belt, I opted for being an Area Director and to my surprise, I was given the opportunity to serve as one in the term of 2017-2018.
Once again, I was rubbing shoulders with the leadership of the district and they made the term seem smooth when my Area became President's distinguished and my efforts were recognised by recognizing me as the Champion Area Director.
The term ended well, but I did not seem inspired to continue with my leadership journey due to personal reasons.
For one year I focused on my club and it's new members and my experience at the district leadership helped me connect with new members and understand their concerns better.
Once again I was ready to help outside my club and took upon the responsibility of a club coach for a nearby club.
I continue to help new members across clubs, mentor new clubs and provide a trustworthy environment where people can connect for their personal growth in Toastmasters journey.
I feel confident to step up my efforts and take upon the responsibility of Division director now and spread my support to even more members and clubs.
District 98 has witnessed unprecedented growth and within five years, it's ready to be realigned again. I envision a division which would be strong and supportive, abiding by the RISE values of Toastmasters, and giving each member an unforgettable experience in their journey of Toastmasters.

Musings of my mind....

I don't remember much about my birth.
Some where, some place, some day, some time.....

As souls we were given the fredom to choose our our families on our journey through this earth.
I think I can recall the ecstasy on my parent's face as they held me in their arms for the first time, their feeling of joy on being reunited and I thought - YES..... these were they parents I had always wanted and I had made no mistake.....

They showered me with their love and affection, gifted me with a younger sister and a brother, and provided guidance with love and care. I grew up appreciating the values of non materialistic things and have learnt two invaluable lessons from them.
One, Human beings are far more important than money and things money can buy and second, family always holds the first priority, come what may..... They have been the pillars of support I can still rely on.They gave me the freedom to choose and take my own decisions in life and taught me to stick to those decisions.
I remember growing up with my siblings - fighting, laughing, playing and having fun throughout.At that time we did not realise that we were creating beautiful memories. We were just living our lives, sometimes even dreaming a distant dream which was not very clear but of success which was not defined at that time and of being a career woman. This, mainly because of my mother who is a homemaker although all my aunts were working and I envied the freedom their children always seem to have. I was quite determined not to deprive my children of this freedom in their growing up years.

I have always taken pride in being logical, down to earth, open minded and a practical person.
I was pursuing my PG in commerce along with CS when I got married. I dont know whether marriages are made in heaven or not but I do know that when two people decide to share their destinies and their lives together, there should be love, respect, trust and above all companionship amongst them. I feel blessed to have found such a life partner who respects me for who I am. He is loving, caring and nurturing, always willing to stand by me in whatever I choose to do. In more than 23 years of our marriage we have stood by each other in all the ups and downs of our lives, making our bond of friendship stronger with each passing day. If my parents gave me roots, my husband has given me wings to soar high in the sky. He has given me confidence and taught me to be self sufficient in the true meaning of the word.

However there was one aspect where our views did not match.he was not willing to have a working mother for our children. He was quite adamant on this front and finally I had to give in. With time I was blessed with two lovely sons. Today my elder son is going to be 22 and my younger one is 16 years old. When I look back, I do not regret even for a moment the decision to give priority to my family over everything else. I realise that my decision of bringing up to beautiful human beings has been the most rewarding career I could have chosen for myself.
I now look at my mother with more respect and know what all she had to sacrifice to be always there for us while we were growing up. 

While my children grew, I kept myself available for them, looking after their each and every need and providing them with a strong support, both emotional and otherwise.
Whenever I would feel tired, I would rejuvenate myself with sleep, poetry and literature. Yes.... reading is one of my hobbies and I also feel the stress flow out of me when I cook. I dream of a vacation all alone with beaches, books and biryani for company and of course silence, broken only the waves.....

Now that my children are quite self sufficient and are less demanding on my time, I decided to work for myself, trying to fulfill my long lost dream of a career. While I was looking around for options, I came to know of Image Consultancy as an up coming career and decided to pursue it.9 years down the line, I feel a sense of satisfaction looking around and seeing people whom I have helped move ahead in their lives and reach their dream roles and goals through managing their A, B, C of image ( Appearance, behavior and communication ). I realise that success is not being popular, it is not being rich. Success is looking back at your life with no regrets, being at peace with yourself and satisfied at having achieved  your aims in life. It is not for others to measure to your success but for you to feel it.

In the end I promise to myself that I shall strive to play all my roles with sincerity, confidence and perseverance as long as I am passing through this earth, till I am free again.....