Here starts my journey of public speaking with my first speech in Toastmaster club. The topic of my speech was -
LIFE AT SINGLE DIGIT :
We all experience events in our childhood which reflect our actual being. We don’t need to recall those as our cherished memories instead they be with us at every steps of our life.
I was born at Nonihat, a village in Bihar state. It is a small village with population of around 6000. Mine was the biggest family in Nonihat popularly known as Ghirias. Ghirias had around 60-70 members and they all lived together in one big house. The family was divided into 5 smaller families, in which one was of my grandfather and others were of his four brothers. There were people from all the age groups right from an old man to just born toddler.
I am the youngest among my two sisters and two brothers. My brother is only two year elder than me and in childhood we fought for everything and always envied each other. My father was known as angry young man in my family and I was always scared of him and so was my brother. So we always kept our difference buried in front of my father but always fought in front of mom or when we were alone.
In Childhood my daily routine was to attend school but no study, play cricket and other indoor games like cards, marbles, Gulli Danda, Ludo and talking with people. Consider this - Every year there were atleast two marriages, atleast one kid was born and on an average one person demised in my family. There were already around 60 members and because of presence of relatives on various occasions; everyday my house was bustling with some or other activity.
My school timing was from 10a.m to 4p.m and after that I played cricket until sunset. One day my father asked me and my brother to go for English tuition. The teacher was a graduate unemployed so my father requested him for our tuitions. For me this tuition was big punishment because when all of my cousins indulged in playing, I along with my brother was going for the tuition. Not a single day passed when I didn’t despise my father for that.
This punishment were more severe when my autocratic sister (yes, that’s what I used to call her), 12 years elder to me, was home during her college vacations. During those days all I used to hear was one word – Study. Oh! She was equally dominating as my father and she was the second person whom I was scared of most after my father. I mean I was only 9 that time and I never saw anyone studying in my village ever, and I was there hearing all those sarcastic comments about my poor study, bad handwriting and for being a dumb boy. Yes, I was declared a dumb boy by my sister when for continuous 3 years I was ranked 3rd in class of 3 students. There were only 30-40 students in my school who were facilitated by 4 teachers.
Well my tuition teacher got job and he left the village after six months of tuition. And my sister was about to get married in few months. I was in class fifth when my sister got married. That day was one of the happiest days of my childhood.
I think curiosity to learn anything new is in my instinct. So while roaming with my friends I heard little slang and forgetting all the consequences I yelled one of the slang to my brother when we were playing at home. My mom heard that and immediately my father was called from shop. I was scared to death and thought of running away before he reaches home. Well, although curious, I am not very adventurous person so I stayed there.
What did u say, repeat it to me – My father was asking me with too low and caring voice. I raised my head up and saw his eyes. My heart stopped beating and I couldn’t respond anything. When he lost his patience he lashed on my palm with a wooden scale. Tears started rolling down from my eyes but I kept my mouth shut and tried looking towards my mom to earn some sympathy. But my father brought the steel scale in front of me and told you are not allowed to cry here. Go to some other room and cry if you want to. I knew when my father is upto something my mom won’t speak a word. So I switched to our store room and started crying loudly. But no one came for my rescue and after some time I slept there. No one discussed that matter after that day, even my brother didn’t tease me for that ever. And I never dared to speak slang until I was in that village. Everyone in the village knew my father, so I chose not to take a chance.
I always dreamt of being a pace bowler and one bhaiya in my neighborhood was my mentor. He used to teach me bowling skills and I was fascinated with his fast bowling. We went along well for quite sometimes and one day he cajoled me to bring some money to buy cricket accessories. With too much planning and risk I could sequester 200 rupees from my shop and handed it over to him. In the same evening when I reached to my shop, my father asked me casually, what you did with the money. I was shocked that he could guess about it. Now, I don’t have enough daring till now to lie in front of my father. So I told him everything and after sometime that bhaiya along with his father was present in the shop. That bhaiya was treated very badly by his father upon knowing the fact but no one told my or punish me for what I did. I still think I was spared because I was influenced to steal money and it was not done intentionally.
After few months I started hearing people murmuring about my father’s plan settle in Gujarat where one of my uncles were living. Few of my elders scared me by telling how much I have to study there and about my uncle to whom they characterize as same as my father. But I was more excited for the long train journey which I loved most. In fact, one of my childhood dreams was to become a train driver :)
While traveling to Gujarat I didn’t realize that I was double digit older and that, that was the end of my childhood. But I do realize now. And I also realize that I am the second person (by age) to get engineering education in the last three generations of Ghiria family and it would not have been possible without the effort of my father and my sister who always kept this notorious kid tamed.
——- The End ————-
One receives feedback from audience after delivery of speech. I was elated to get almost 25 feedbacks out of 30 people. Toastmaster really helps a lot to improves one’s speaking ability, so if you are interested join your local ToastMaster club.
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