Walking inside the deep forests, admiring the snow clad Himalayan ranges, listening to the chirping birds and thanking god for making me audience to such an ecstasy.
Fellow toastmasters, honorable guests and the toastmaster of the day. Good Evening.
My life has been full of adventures. I don’t like sedentary lifestyle. I feel life has to be full of personal accomplishments. To achieve this I don’t let personal inhibitions thwart my desire to do something different.
I was born in the year 1974 in a small town called Mukteshwar, which is close to the famous tourist place Nainital at the foothills of the Himalayas. My father worked there as a scientist and my mother was a housewife. I grew up with 2 elder sisters. Our house was surrounded by forest. I recall a beautiful incident of my childhood. That night at around 8 pm our household help- Devi took the leave for the day. Not more than 3 minutes later he came back shouting – Tiger! Tiger! We were shocked. He took us to our kitchen and from the glass door of kitchen we saw a big tiger sitting just under the light bulb close to verandah. Believe me … for more than 2 hours this wild cat sat there occasionally looking towards us. We gathered our chairs near the kitchen door and waited for her next move though we were not as patient as she was. Suddenly she rose on her feet, jumped towards the forest eloping in the darkness. For days we used to look out of our kitchen door with the hope of seeing some thing there again. But this was something that happens only once in lifetime.
In the year 1990 after passing my 10th standard I started studying in a boarding school. And as always hostel life had its own adventure. Even the punishments used to be thrilling. Later on, during my graduation I worked as freelance translator for some leading freelance journalists and for the famous magazine The Reader’s Digest.
I moved to Mumbai in the year 1999 to work with an IT company. It was different life altogether at Mumbai, very fascinating. The best experience was to practice French while traveling on Mumbai’s famous local trains. Not only that I could listen to the finest analysis of every cricket match or a political event anywhere in the world.
I came to Dubai in the year 2002. I came here for just 2 months for a small project with a small suitcase. But my company insisted me to stay here further. Now it is over 2 years since I am in Dubai.
If there is no adventure in life I add adventure to it. I love to run. In March 2004, I participated in 71 km relay race that started from Ras Al Khaimah and ended up at Dibba. We ran through mountainous terrain of Wadi bih under the blazing sun. Though my team of 5 finished this run in 7 hrs 15 mts it was indeed a personal victory, a triumph over confidence.
Now I am a toastmaster and I see it as start of another adventure of my life. I am sure I am going to enjoy it through out too.
But the only adventure I am refraining from is – marriage. I am not that adventurous either.
To conclude, my fellow toastmasters I request you not to kill your ambitions and desires because of your personal inhibitions. Do what you want to do and enjoy it to the best.
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