The Joy of Paying Forward
My fourth-grade daughter approached me for help with writing a two-minute speech on Kindness. She said, “Mom, show some kindness and share some tips from your Toastmasters experience.” I told her, “Well begun is half done,” and explained the meaning to her, suggesting she begin her speech with a quotation. Immediately, she Googled quotations on the subject, finding this one: “Kindness is being someone who makes everyone feel like somebody.” This phrase sums up how I’ve witnessed the members of our club treat each other with kindness, bringing joy to paying it forward.
It’s important to note that “Looking back and moving forward” has been the key mantra for Toastmasters, which is why it is celebrating 100 years of existence. The processes and structure provided by this platform are propagated by the torchbearers—specifically, the Executive Committee members of any club. These members are firm believers in the Toastmasters philosophy.
It was also an opportunity for me when I took the reins of the club in January 2023. The six months taught me so much about managing a team and being responsible for the overall well-being of each member. This stint was only possible because of a few intrinsically motivated members in the club who were passionate about the club’s growth. Their stories were so powerful that I could visualize their bond with the club and its members. The camaraderie among the members was evident, and any new member could feel the warmth among them. Some went the extra mile to be a part of the club. We have one of the most accomplished members who comes from Gurgaon to Dwarka to attend meetings every Sunday. It speaks volumes about his dedication and affiliation to the club. What kept him going? Most certainly, “looking back and moving forward.” His association with people in the club kept the bond intact; he inspires and mentors others in whatever way possible.
The Toastmasters club of Dwarka has been in existence for 17 years now, completing more than 650 meetings. This has been possible only because each Executive Committee indulged in the joy of paying it forward. They maintained the standard of each meeting certainly because of guidance and mentoring from existing members. It’s not a mean feat; the EC tries to create the same kind of environment week after week. Most certainly, it requires grit, to say the least. Kudos to all the past EC members and the present ones.
I take this opportunity to document the laurels accorded to our club in the last 5 years, due to the lack of historic data of 17 years. The club is as strong as its members, and here are a few names of members who made us proud by securing significant positions in Speech Contests in the recent past.
- Davashish Srivastava was among the top 10 speakers at Division level Speech Contest (FY 2021-22)
- Ravindra Kumar was the Table Topics winner at District Level (FY 2022-23)
Some significant achievements as a dose of inspiration for the members to keep the flag of TMCD high is listed below:
- President’s Distinguished Club in a row for the last 7 years till FY 2022-23.
- Accelerator Award (FY 2019-20)
- Leaders in Education (FY 2019-20)
- Fantastic Five Award (FY 2019-20)
- Distinguished Ahead of Time Award (FY 2019-20)
- Golden Gavel (FY 2021-22) & (FY 2022-23)
- Renewal Superstar (FY 2022-23)
- EC Echoes – Third Place (FY 2022-23)
- 2nd Edition of our Quarterly Newsletter – Reflections won the Second Position as a Notable newsletter (FY 2022-23)
- Fantastic Fast Five Award (FY 2022-23)
Neera Tamta
Toastmasters Club of Dwarka