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If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

• Henry David Thoreau

It is true that dreams and aspirations needs a considerable amount of reckoning, coupled with an undying dedication, before one could stand up on that hill of success and yell out loud like King Kong.

Ajay was no King Kong. He was a pipe dreamer.

But destiny had other plans. It gave him a chance to dream, a dream that would raise his aspirations for glory, by a yard. He was soon to become a Toastmaster.

For the long 40 years of his life, he had hardly heard about Toastmasters, until one day, when he had a tete-a-tete with Mr. Vivek Gosh, a Toastmaster himself.

The thought of a Saturday was a joy for Ajay. Weekends usually triggered him to do the unconventional, in which he would fail miserably. It was, as if, the time was testing him each weekend. For example, he would plan to write manuscripts for literary magazines, willingly spend a few hours in front of his laptop and end up writing one page. He would scratch his head in disbelief on what he had just written, and toss it in the recycle bin.

But, a practice which he followed diligently, was to attend the yoga sessions at his apartment.

He would wake up early and visit his friend’s house, where middle aged people like him, whose middle sections of their ageing bodies are bulged beyond comparable limits, visit to perform a two hours yoga and meditation session. It’s a good thing and a perfect start to a weekend.

This is where he had met Vivek, a good natured, cheerful man, probably at his late fifties.

That day, they were exiting the friend’s flat carrying their yoga mats. Ajay was wearing a white tee-shirt and shorts, and Vivek was wearing an olive green tee-shirt and track pants. Ajay felt Vivek looked younger and dapper than him, and he was about to say that to Vivek, when Vivek introduced the concept of Toastmasters.

There was a momentary pause, as Ajay was not sure of what he had heard. He asked, “What is this thing, err.., Toastmasters, was it?”

“Yes, It’s an art of giving public speeches”, Vivek explained.

Ajay was bemused.

Whatever had made Vivek to think that Ajay was a socializing animal, it was one of those moments where he had to admit that he did not mix at ease. Also, he did not fancy the thought to tell Vivek that he was wrong either.

He was in limbo, a place which his mind was familiar, but, unable to deal with.

He coyly told Vivek, “I think it’s not for me, because, I’am not a natural speaker. I’am afraid, I have my apprehensions of speaking in public”.

Vivek laughed, which was a rarity. He had never seen him laughing much, except that occasional gentle smile.

 “Dear, it’s not about you being a natural speaker. You don’t have to be one to be a Toastmaster. This stage will build your confidence and your leadership ability. It’s about developing that confidence in you. If you master the confidence, then, you rule the world. So, develop that aspiration in you. Become a Toastmaster”, he said in an air of exuberance, as noticed in a child who had just won a game of Super Mario.

That made Ajay believe that he was living a life of subdued misery, which was probably true, because, most of the time, he was struggling to find an open space to break out. He felt this could be just that option. Perhaps, this would be all the help that he wanted for himself. He had to make a choice.

“Is it possible?”, Ajay enquired.

“Why not? We change drab lifestyles. You are far better placed. You are a writer and it will be a cake walk for you”.

Ajay knew his writing was not world class, but, he really aspired to be a good writer, at least with a few dedicated readers. In a ‘my-own’ kind of world, here was a man encouraging him to achieve something that would benefit Ajay on a longer run. He was willing to try it. For his writing.

“Well”, Ajay said opening his mouth like a Myna.

“How would I be one?”, he enquired.

“Be a guest at my club next week and witness yourself. You will know what I meant”, Vivek said.

They parted.

Ajay did a research on Toastmasters. He studied its history, about Ralph Smedley, and even subscribed to the Toastmaster International podcast. Until then, he used to go for evening strolls listening to Klaxons on Spotify, but, for the next few days he was lost in the podcast, not deluded, as he felt his curiosity increase by the minute.

Then, the weekend came.

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The session had 30 participants in a big hall. All professionals. The first look at the participants produced a heavy thud in his heart.

‘Lord, I cannot be this nervous’, Ajay thought. He could not afford to be nervous as he had decided this path.

The session initiated and Ajay started to witness the happenings.

Ajay was also given a chance to speak in the Table Topics session, which he did with confidence for a beginner. Later on, he would go on to tell his wife that he had reached cloud nine after the little speech, but frankly, he had tried to go down like a brave soldier after a fight, with a last salute.

Ajay summarized what he learnt in his first ever meet. This was what he narrated to his wife:

• Confidence – I noticed that there was a certain degree of confidence exhibited by the speakers. I began to wonder whether people can ooze that much confidence after all.
• Presentation – The presentations were crisp and there was an excellent clarity in speeches. Something which I always wanted to have in my conversations.
• Camaraderie – There was a sense of camaraderie amongst the speakers, which was commendable.
• Communication – The communication, body language, gestures etc., all were being accounted for. I think we speak a lot more than being mere verbal.
• Leadership – I believe everyone has this ability. All you need is a littler tweak, and Toastmaster’s present you with that opportunity.
• Support – This was what impressed me a lot. In a world, where we struggle to get to the top, I found Toastmaster’s standing up and holding the hands of other Toastmasters in a mentor-mentee relationship, to guide them towards their success.

Ajay strongly believed that these are the building blocks that guarantees success in life, which would in turn, help, and foresee his future as a writer.

“So do you want to be a Toastmaster?”, his wife enquired.

“Yes, better late than never!”, replied Ajay.

Since then, Ajay has won many accolades as a Toastmaster, and by the way, he has even written a book.