From the Editor’s Desk Here it is! CSF’s hundredth meeting! It sure was a challenging

journey, but here we are at last! For human beings, 100 is a special number. It is special to live for hundred years and centenarians are always revered but more importantly, they are celebrated.

So, we the editors have named this 100th meeting special edition

‘Centesimus’ , of Latin origin , meaning ‘hundredth’ . In the background, we have sprinkled words. Each of these words is an adjective our members have used to describe CSF. To make it even more special, there are precisely hundred words!

This being an important milestone, it is necessary to stop in

our tracks and look back over the years past. We

need to attain a wider perspective on life. Keeping all this in mind, this special issue is themed on life.

Life is something all of us look at differently, but one every

single one of us can relate to. This newsletter features literary works by toastmasters, giving us a peek into their lives. It gives us the opportunity to look at life through their eyes.

As first-time editors, this wasn’t an easy task. However, it definitely was a wonderful experience.

Regards, The Editorial Team.

TM Kannan Sri TM Thayn Malar Motchan TM Gitanjali Etican Arumugam

I remember the first time I

walked in through the doors of Ruby

hall, Presidency Club on a Sunday

morning without having the slightest

idea of what is to happen in the next

couple of hours. I was a silent

spectator throughout the meeting,

trying to understand all that was

happening around. At the end of the

meeting, as I was driving back I knew

I had stepped out as a different person

having absorbed the spirit of the

members! It was this infectious

positive vibe, feel good after every

meeting that made me come back over

and over!

As I mingled, I found I was

not the only one who felt this way, I

heard the same story from guests who

walked in but where did this all start?

It is unlikely that the qualities of our

club were inherent. One cannot reap

anything worthwhile without sowing

the seeds for it. Today as we reap the

fruits of our club and sow fresh seeds

for a better future, we celebrate the

past, present members of our club

who stand testimony to the fact that

transformations do happen as we

surpass our own limitations!

As we reach the milestone

100th meeting of our club, let us

remember that we as members are the

face of our club, your own resolution

to excel will inspire others to excel

and your success story will be our

club’s success story! Over the last few

months Gireesh, Poonam, Shubham

and Menon have joined our family,

wishing you all a life transforming

toastmasters journey!

We successfully completed

renewals in the month of October,

congratulations to our VP-M

toastmaster Jivitha and her team

comprising toastmasters Ganesh,

Athira, Pravin Srinivasan and our

treasurer Toastmaster Goutham on

their commitment to timely renewals.

Kudos to the Editorial

Team for going all out and giving

their best in coming out with this

special 100th edition newsletter! With

your creativity, relentless efforts and

eagerness to do more, I’m sure this

edition is going to be truly special!

Sachin Tendulkar has scored

hundred centuries, we are scoring our

first! He has announced retirement;

we plan never to retire from speaking,

leading, bonding and growing!

Regards,

Aashish Amalraj

President,

Chennai Speakers Forum.

President’s Desk

What’s inside?

How Charter members Feel

I can still vividly remember

how the idea for splitting the

Chennai Toastmasters club was

first mooted. There were mixed

feelings and everyone had their

opinions. I, at first felt that we

shouldn’t probably split the club.

But of course we all eventually

agreed to the pressing facts that

there was no room left for

expansion, new members had to

wait for more than 2 months to get

a slot to do their ice breakers, and

more than anything else, it would

be just nice to spread all the

positive energy of Chennai

Toastmasters and start a similar

club. But looking back, the entire

episode was interesting and an

enriching experience all in all.

Lao Tzu once said "The

journey of a thousand miles begins

with one step”. It’s funny when I

associate this quote with the birth

of CSF because there are a

thousand hidden steps behind this

one small step.

It was a lousy afternoon on

August 4th. I was at my desk in my

office trying hard not to sleep,

staring at the monitors. I was

about to log out and take a walk

when I saw an email from the then

president of Chennai Toastmasters

Club Prabakaran Ramaswamy.

The mail’s subject read “Cloning

Chennai Toastmasters Club” and it

invited me as a mentor of the

Chennai toastmasters club to the

executive committee meeting to

discuss the splitting of the

Chennai Toastmasters Club.

It had been nearly 8 months since

I attended a regular meeting of the

CTM and almost 2 years since I

attended an executive committee

meeting. Right then I told myself,

I MUST GO.

Later that Sunday, as I was

received with warmth and

excitement by my dear old friends,

fond memories of the Chennai

Toastmasters Club came back to

me. As I stood there frozen,

President Prabakaran called the

meeting to order. What I heard in

Looking Back…

DTM Sastharam Ravendran

the next twenty odd minutes was

something that I had always

anticipated and dreamt off during

the times of my leadership at the

club.

As we started to debate on

whether we should split the club

or not, the other senior members

present voiced their opinions and a

consensus was reached that it is

best that Chennai Toastmasters

Club be split. This was decided on

the best interest of the club, the

members and the thousands of

guests that Chennai Toastmasters

Club attracted in a year.

From that moment, I knew

that, as a senior member and well-

wisher to the club, I had to be a

good critic to make sure the best

happened to the club. But I was

not alone on this mission.

Everyone present there was being

a tough critic. Senior member and

charter member Nina, earlier

president of CTM, Rajesh

Natrajan and the then division

governor Saro Velrajan were also

wearing a similar cap. It was then

that I understood why Chennai

Toastmasters had always

maintained one of the best

standards in the whole of District

82. For the Chennai

toastmasters, Perfection was no

accident, and every single

member present there were a proof

of that.

It feels like it was just

yesterday, but it’s already 2 years

and we have come a long way.

These 2 years have proven to be

the most crucial for Chennai

Speakers Forum; we have as a

group proved to be one of the

youngest clubs both in experience

and in the member age to have

scaled greater heights. Our

Champions have made us proud at

the contests, our leaders have

made us proud at the district and

our members have made us proud

in every meeting. We have learnt

to grow as a team. Many

were sceptical about the growth of

this club because it was just run by

a young set of Ex.Com, but we are

one of the strongest community

clubs now in Chennai.

At this momentous juncture

when CSF turns 2 and celebrates

its 100th meeting, I wish there will

always be some learning at CSF,

that there will always be fun,

frolic and fantasy at CSF and that

there will always be this beautiful

camaraderie at CSF.

Let’s take a bow to all those

who played a part in the birth of

CSF, the Ex com of Chennai

Toastmasters Club and the first set

of Officers at CSF lead by the first

president Arna.

Today CSF is proud to have

a parent club like Chennai

Toastmasters Club, but soon, let’s

change it and let’s make Chennai

Toastmasters Club be a proud of

CSF.

I have always kept my

affiliation with two of the best

clubs in Chennai, the Chennai

Toastmasters Club and Chennai

Speakers Forum and I shall keep it

that way in the future too.

- One Proud CSF-ian

Everything in this world has a

parabolic curve-like lifecycle that

starts, grows, achieves the best,

maintains in stationary phase and

finally declines. Is this the nature’s

rule? Can’t there be any

exception? This thought made me

introspect as a toastmaster as to

how am I going to respond rather

than to react.

When a person enrolls in a

toastmasters club, the mentor and

other senior toastmasters guide

them to unleash their potentials

and make them progress and

grow. This kind of growth is a

steady progress; taking the stage

time, utilizing all opportunities

available, there begins the

metamorphosis of a member to a

better speaker and leader.

Eventually, the member gets

promoted to a senior member

and would have started stepping

up in the ladder. While climbing this

ladder, the member would have

been graced with titles,

responsibilities and so on. In the

due course of time such members

who have achieved a lot would

have started withering away, and

they would have chosen to play a

silent role.

However in the club’s perception, it

would be facing a situation where

even in a fairly old club with no old

members turning up, the quality of

the club meetings would be on par

with a new club.

Hence, there is a need for

equilibrium between the wisdom of

the senior member with the

enthusiasm of the new member.

This equilibrium can be maintained

by having space for enthusiasm as

well as wisdom.

As we all know in nature, it is very

tough for a banyan seedling to

grow beneath the banyan tree. As

Neil Armstrong said, “That's one

small step for [a] man, one giant

leap for mankind”,let’s make a

conscious effort as toastmasters

and as a club to strike the balance

where optimal utilization of the

wisdom and enthusiasm is

achieved which will protect the

interest of the club and help grow

without attaining dormant phase.

Paradigm shift _ TM deepa

CSF- Counting 100 and Young! - Tm Abhilash

I won’t disagree if someone says-‘Most

of the good things in life happen,

just like an ACCIDENT!’

My association with Chennai Speakers

Forum (CSF) is one such accident.

After I moved from TCS, I was looking

for a Community Toastmasters club to

join. It was then I got to know about

the offshoot club forming from

Chennai Toastmasters Club.

Although I joined in as a Charter

member, by the time I approached

DTM Saro, the Chartering activities

were almost complete.

Such was the Power and Passion of the

members who laid the foundation for

CSF.

1st Meeting of CSF is still fresh in my

memory, for that was on my 25th

Birthday and I chose to invest my

morning time at CSF doing Ah-

Counter role.

Soon after that, I got the opportunity

to work for CSF’s 1st Newsletter and

propose the name “Speaker’s Digest”.

It was a really nice experience to work

with TM Aarthi Vijayakumar and TM

Jananee Ramakrishnan, who made it

the best Editorial team I have ever

worked in.

Within a few weeks since its inception,

CSF was able to provide a unique

experience to all the visitors and the

quality of the meetings continued to

grow every time.

When CSF implemented innovative

ideas like- The Classroom, Special

meetings on: Christmas, Pongal etc.,

that brought in an entirely new form of

Energy to the forum of Toastmasters.

TM Abhilash is a student

and PR cell member at

IIM, Rohtak. To him, life

is an opportunity to

contribute to the

betterment of the

family, society, world.

That ‘Youthfulness’ and ‘Innovative

Spirit’ seems to be the driving force

at CSF till date. With Toastmasters

from almost all age categories, CSF

meetings never fail to break the

myth that ‘Youthfulness’ has nothing

to do with your age; rather it is in

your mind-set.

As I had to move out of the town

for doing higher studies, my

membership at CSF lasted only for

7 months. During that time I

completed my Competent

Communicator projects and one

ACB project. It was all possible only

with the support of the fellow

Toastmasters at CSF.

I would like to use this opportunity

to thank all those dedicated

Toastmasters at CSF, especially my

mentor- DTM Kartik Srinivasan

for the continued encouragement.

I was talking to TM Pravin Mani

before writing this article and I

realized that it has been 2 years

since invested my time on CSF in its

1st Meeting.

Till date, I continue to reap benefits

on my investment with ‘Interest’

and Involvement! CSF has made

“Toastmastering” a life-time

experience for me.

Just as one looks back upon time by

going through the leaves preserved

between the pages of an old book,

occasionally I glance through those

colourful ribbons in my CC Manual

and read those Sandwich

evaluations.

I thoroughly relish the learning

experience I had at CSF, and hope

to get associated with CSF

sometime in the future. I wish CSF

more Youthfulness as it gets older,

and hope that the club continues to

develop good Leaders and Citizens

for the world!

10 things that I liked about Chennai

Speakers Forum

1. Highly energetic members - most of

them youngsters

2. Very creative club officers -

constantly innovating and seeking

feedback for improvement

3. Classroom sessions offering

opportunity to every member to

practice in an informal setting

4. High Standards - Meeting starts on

time, Agenda & Minutes of the

meeting sent regularly, Flyers to

promote club/individuals'

achievements in Facebook, VPE

lines up role players well in

advance, Ribbons & Banners

displayed in every meeting

5. Members go outside of the club and

contribute in mentoring other clubs,

organizing contests/conferences,

and conducting educational

workshops

6. Has many champion speakers - who

have won laurels to the club

7. Good way to begin/end a week - by

participating in CSF meetings on

Sunday mornings

8. Members who do homework

before their performance - there is

always something to learn from

others during the meeting, even if

you are just an audience

9. Nominal fee

10. Meeting happens in the heart of the

city at a very accessible location !

Why I like CSF?? - DTM Saro Velrajan

The race is not won by the swift or the battle by the

strong.

Victory and Success becomes the byproduct to

the mind that has the power to adapt to

circumstances and the will to look beyond

today’s glory.

Two years ago (it doesn’t seem like it), the office

of Chennai Toastmasters Club decided to adapt

and look beyond. The result of which is the

100th meeting of Chennai Speaker’s Forum

that we celebrate today.

100th meeting. The pressure is on to do

something memorable!

Imagine Sachin’s pressure to score his 100th

run every match, or even the 100th 100!

CELEBRATIONS DTM Aditya Maheswaran

The 100th meeting of CSF is a landmark

and would never have been possible

without the toil, sweat and passion

sustained over 2 years and over 99

meetings.

Today is a celebration of that VPE who

meticulously prepared the agenda, of that

SAA who gracefully greeted the guests, of

that senior member who volunteered to

mentor the club and members, of that ah-

counter who gave his/her report with such

finesse.

Because it is not in milestones that we see

excellence, it is in the pathway that it lies –

sometimes unnoticed, sometimes

unrecognized. And today let us celebrate

such untold stories and unsung heroes!

200 is just 100 away! But it doesn’t matter.

101 needs work to be done

Always with love,

DTM Aditya Maheswaran

If you had read the sports column of 12th December 1988, you would have come across this quote: “No one can stop a Force whose time has come”.

It was prominently highlighted marking the arrival of the GOD OF CRICKET, Sachin Tendulkar. On this momentous occasion of 100th meeting celebrations, I cannot stop but compare Chennai Speakers Forum (CSF) with Sachin Tendulkar, a Force whose time has come and no one can stop it.

Energetic Club Officers, Enthusiastic Members, Eventful Meetings, the secrets of CSF’s success in endless. There are clubs that produce great communicators and there are clubs that produce great leaders. However to me CSF is one of those few clubs

that produce both great communicators and leaders. This holistic growth of CSF is admirable and is the remarkable achievement of its Past and Present Club officers. Today looking back, I revere CSF’s journey and admire the way it has become a model club for all the other clubs in Chennai.

I signed up to be a charter member of CSF and I believe it is one of the best decisions I have ever taken. Wishing CSF to hit hundred hundreds in years to come

Proud to be a CSF-ian!

Proud to be a CSF-ian!

- TM Rajesh Natarajan

Some may call it a mystery,

For some it may be an adventure

It enraptures some

Some think of it as an experience

Many have tried to define it

But definitions always varied.

Some amidst comforts make it miserable

While some in spite of misery, enjoy it.

This is life.

Life can be made a luxury.

It can be made interesting.

It could be filled with fun.

It could be entertaining.

It changes on one’s outlook towards it.

Life depends on one’s attitude towards it

And

A positive attitude can brighten one’s life.

Life, a mystery! TM Athira

Humans are social animals, who live in a

society called Techno Age. Life has

moved away too fast for humans to stop

and enjoy the beauty of it.

Today we do not need another human

being for anything, yes anything. We get

almost every need satisfied by

technology, phones, tablets and Kindle.

We are slowly losing the human

touch.

Yesterday I was travelling by train. I

noticed that the moment one sits in the

train, they make or get a call and then

it’s the journey with the mobile, either

listening to music or chatting over

Whatsapp. Or take out the tablet or

laptop and watch movies or sitcoms.

There was a time when I remember;

when we used to get into a train and

immediately start socialising.

Sir, where are you from?

Where are you going?

What do you do?

All the things which are very personal

There are even instances where people

go to the extent of becoming a broker for

a marriage proposal!!

Today we have lost track of

humanity and more importantly the

Art of Socialising.

It’s not only Facebook or Twitter that

are means of socialising.

During travel, there are individuals who

push, nudge, stamp or may kick your

ankle. These things happen, yes, some

times by mistake.

The point of concern is not being able

to say Sorry, Excuse Me, or I

Apologise.

Let’s Say Thanks, Sorry, Please TM Raghavender Matam

Life is the name of purpose, struggle, love, dedication and a number of feelings and emotions. Life shows its true colors with time. It depends upon how you look towards life and what is your strategy of leading an ideal life.

Life takes a number of turns during its whole span. Life may not be kind to you all the time. There are tough times which really test your courage and your capabilities of facing unfavorable situations.

People who just close their eyes to avoid facing the hardships of life are cowards.

Remember that nothing can be done

without trying, without striving hard. If there were no such thrills in life, it would be quite boring and monotonous. In other words, life tests you all the time.

“Life is different from a teacher because teacher teaches a lesson and takes the exam but life takes exam first and then teaches a lesson.”

Do not waste your life. Life should have some purpose. Identify your aim, head towards your destiny and spend your entire life in achieving your goals. This is what we call life.

It is a wise saying that time waits for no one. We’ve got to be wise in choosing our priorities so as not to

waste any of our precious time.

Keep on trying to get your goals and don’t lose hope. It is said by Paulo Coelho:

“When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Life is worthless without hope. Hope is the key element in life which never lets you down and keeps your morals high. Always be optimistic and have faith in God.

Everything happens for a reason. Spread optimism instead of pessimism. It will light up your life positively.

Remember:

“The darkest hour of night comes just before the dawn!”

Life TM Karthikeyan Elumalai

"If livelihood is to live then what is

life?" thundered 'Debashis

Chatterjee', educational speaker at

Reverberations 2012 at Cochin.

I didn’t know about what others felt

but I for one was so bemused and

amused by that statement that I

instantly wanted to know what life

really meant. Fellow Toastmasters,

since then I have sincerely been trying

to find out what life really means in

my own perception.

At times I felt being successful is all

that is in life. Becoming a DTM in

July this year was a great achievement

for me as a Toastmaster. The very fact

that nearly 100 toastmasters cutting

across Clubs and Divisions had come

to listen to me speak made me feel so

very special that even before I started

to give my speech I felt loved, cared

and special in life.

At this juncture I asked myself “Is this

the meaning of life that I was

searching for?” For a moment, I felt,

“yes, this is it!” After a week, I felt the

emotion and jubilation of becoming a

DTM pass over and I realized life is

more than what I thought it to be.

To be honest with you readers, as of

now what I have comprehended as to

what life is, is that it is doing small

work with lots of love, passion,

commitment and compassion

for other people.

Because, as a toastmaster when you

help others succeed, then I believe

that life completes one full circle.

Finally in the very own words of

Mother Teresa "when you become

successful you have harnessed

your potential and when you

help others to become

successful your life becomes

purposeful and meaningful.”

God Bless!!!

Life in my eyes DTM Rajeev Nambiar

To improve my COMMUNICATION skill..

I was pushed into toastmasters with NO WILL...

I entered the Ruby hall with trembling FEAR..

Seeing the presentations, I cursed God,

“Why have you sent me here...?”

I sat there in silence, gazing ONE by ONE..

When I was called to SPEAK.. I was DONE!

Stuttering and stammering, I did it with flaws..

To my surprise there was a great APPLAUSE..!

I made up my mind to win the same,

To do better, I got into the game!!!

Toastmasters twist the tongue of even the dumb...

So salutes to our CHENNAI SPEAKERS FORUM !!!

CEASELESS CSF! TM Rohnie

“Our little Champ” 1. Hello Teddy bear lady, you have been to

a district level international speech

contest. How does it feel to step on

stage every time ?

For me, stepping on any stage is an

overwhelming feeling. When it came to

district contest, it was a different and new

experience for me. It was the speech that I

believed in completely. I was afraid that it

was too childish for a professional platform

like Toastmasters. But, I went on the stage

and delivered my speech. That day I realized

conviction in your speech is what

matters.

2. According to you how a speaker must

prepare?

For me, the major thing the speaker must do

is the time that a speaker puts into before he

scripts and the time he spends for the topic,

the time he takes to decide the emotion that

he is going to leave the audience with, the

time to takes to decide on the genre like is

that going to be humorous, love or fantasy.

At the end of the speech what he wants the

audience to get back home, with a smile on their

face or sadness in their heart? If that preparation

is done properly and exhaustively, scripting a

speech becomes very easy and the practice also

becomes very easy as you are speaking from

your heart. Scripting the speech is the

most important for a speaker according to me.

3. How did it feel to be a charter

president of a club even before

turning 20?

Oh wow, that was one of the best experiences.

When CSF was formed, it was like a baby for

us. Usually babies have 2 parents, but CSF had

33 parents, 33 charter members plus

CHENNAI TOASTMASTERS CLUB, which is

the parent club. It was great and lot of people

who were supportive with me. I wasn’t sure if I

could carry it off, but there were people backing

me up, that I could do it and I loved the

experience.

4. What is that one quality you feel

would stay with you forever?

Why?

As a speaker, I always feel that I want the best to

come out of everybody. Especially when I do

evaluation, it is for the best of the

speaker and I want to carry out in my

personal life as well. I love to see the best in

everybody. That’s one quality I wish to carry

forward in my life as well.

5. You get one moment to relive. What

would that be?

That would be the day of chartering of CSF 18th

September 2011. It was the day when we were all so

excited, so nervous. It was a mix of emotions. We

dint know how it will go ahead, how CSF will be formed.

That is the moment for not just me and for lot of other

charter members is the one day that they want to relive.

6. Being a CA student, what do you see

as your profit and loss, being a

toastmaster?

Oh, profit- there are a lot of profits, I think I become a

better person, better speaker, better friend, better human

being and I have tried to become a better leader. There are

humongous profits of toastmasters. It is about what you

choose and where you take it. Toastmasters have just pluses

to provide.Loss- Well, my mom says that I don’t devote as

much as time as I should to her now. Thanks to

toastmasters. That would be the loss that I have.

7. Have you ever woken up screaming

from a nightmare? Care to share?

Oh, of course yes. One of the nightmares I

want to share would be the day before the

international speech contest semifinals. The

nightmare went like this. I imagined the

HOTEL HILTON was not our venue

anymore. We were supposed to speak in a

car park. I reached the stage late. I was

called upon, everybody was searching me

and I dint know where I was. Everybody

pushed me on stage. I forgot my speech for

the first 30 seconds and everybody was

laughing at me. That was the nightmare that I

had the day before the international speech

contest.

8. Tell us about one person whom you

look up to always?

The one person who I look up to a lot in

toastmasters, he is the person who brought me

to toastmasters, made me realize that I can

speak and that I have the speaking quality within

me. He is the person possibly the best mentor I

could have ever asked for. He is DTM Aditya

Maheswaran. I share a wonderful rapport

with him as a friend, as a mentor. He just did

not show me the path and say walk on this path.

He has made me discover my own path of speaking and I think he has really made me

grow as a person and a speaker.

9. Tell us one superior quality that a

human being must possess?

The superior quality that a human being should

possess is to realize everybody is

superior in their own field. When

people realize that the person standing opposite

to them has something to offer, you have

something to offer, and when these ideas clash,

a beautiful creation can come out. When people

realize that they are not superior at everything

but at something, that’s when this great

harmony great team effort, you grow as a

person, people around you grow as people and

everybody grow at the same pace. And I guess

that is the quality that everybody must possess.

The “Innovative” Icon

1. You are known to be one of the most enthusiastic toastmasters, known for your infectious energy. How are you always energetic?

I believe in learning and to learn, you need to be enthusiastic and energetic.

When I come for the meetings, I try to be energetic and enthusiastic so that I can catch each and everything that comes across me and learn something from it.

2. What are you really passionate about?

My goal in life is to become a politician because I am passionate about serving the country.

I have taken a few steps like setting up my own charity foundation named “Yours friendly foundation”. I would also like to become a social entrepreneur with an MBA degree from one of the top B – Schools. After that I want to get into politics because if politics fails, I have my social entrepreneurship and if that also fails, I still have my NGO to concentrate on.

3. I am sure you had several memorable moments during your college days. Tell us one, particularly embarrassing episode.

I did my graduation in RMK Engineering College, which is a strict college. We had to wear lab coats for our practical sessions. During one such session, the fan in the lab was not working. I was sweating very badly and so I decided to remove my coat. When the faculty asked me why I wasn’t wearing my coat, I could not explain my reason.

I ended up saying things like fan not rotating

and the entire class started laughing at me. That

day I realised that communication isn’t going to

be easy for me and I have to work hard. So

that’s how I joined the Toastmasters

International. Although that was one of the

most embarrassing episodes of my

college life, I did not take it that way.

Instead I looked at it as a stepping stone

and that is what has brought me to where I am

today.

4. Any memorable or funny moments

with CSF?

I had many special moments in CSF because I was

lucky enough to be associated with the club right from

start. Initially I was part of the ex-comm as VP-E.

There were no funny moments in particular, but every

single moment, the way we worked together, we

ensured that the fun portion was always there.

We used to have ex-com meetings at different places

so that we could enjoy and at the same time work.

5. What changes did you bring into the

club when you were the president?

Every term has its own goals and challenges. The

previous term, we chartered the club and our

challenge was in terms of finance. We focussed on

finance because the Dollar rate was fluctuating at that

time and we wanted to make our treasury look good.

So we came up with a model to ensure that we

could increase our finance and eventually we

were able to do it.

6. Can you explain the model?

We had a treasurer in place. We saw what the treasury

had. We had a fixed mind to increase the treasury, to

say X amount in six months. We came across many

ways and the most promising way was to get

new members for the club. So with that idea in

mind we set a goal for

the VP-PR saying that the responsibility of the VP-PR is

to bring 12 guests per month and the responsibility of the

VP-M is to convert 3 of them into members per month.

So by that way we were able to get 17 to 18

members in six months and this eventually helped us

to increase our cash flows.

7. What changes has CSF brought about in

you?

As I said, the person I was years before and the person I am

today is because of Toastmasters. When it comes to

Toastmasters, CSF is the club where I spent most of my time

in. It gave me so many opportunities and I feel that CSF is

the place where I grew as a LEADER.

8. Your words of wisdom for aspiring leaders

and speakers?

To aspiring leaders and speakers, always remember that

there is no end to learning. The minute we feel that

we have learnt everything; we cannot progress in our

journey. There is a quote in the movie Rescue Dawn,

“Empty what is full. Fill what is empty”. That’s

one quote which keeps me going even today.

9. You are granted one wish. If you can bring

back someone from the dead, who would it

be?

Probably, that one person would be my grandfather. The

reason being why i said my grandfather was because I saw

him suffering and die of cancer. He was one person who gave

me so much care and affection. When I used to go to my

native to visit my grandparents, what I learnt from him was how

important care and affection is in life, which we have been missing in

the so called materialistic world. If I say that I want to serve the

people, it’s because of that enormous love and affection he

showed on me and I want to give this love and affection

back to the society by serving the people.

The Serious Humor

King!!

1. You have gone up to the division

level of the humorous speech contest. Any day or competition that will stay with you for eternity?

Well, I have lots of memorable days like the day I got married, the days my son and daughter were born etc. To quote Toastmasters in particular, I think the most memorable day so far would be the 2nd of January 2011 when I entered the Ruby Hall as a guest to attend one of the meetings of Chennai Toastmasters. It was on this day that I had decided to join the Toastmasters International.

2. What would you like to see more

of in the future development of CSF?

It is the enthusiastic members who

help the club perform well and take the club

to the next level. So what I would like to see more of is the presence of enthusiastic members, willing to dedicate themselves for the club by taking up leadership roles.

3. What do you think is the best

quality of CSF?

As usual, it is the youthfulness which

makes this club standout. Also the camaraderie with senior toastmasters, the little

comments we make during the meeting make CSF meetings livelier.

4. The stage is set. You are about to

give one of your best speeches. Who

would you like to compete against?

Which great name would you like

among the audience?

I always like to compete with myself because when I go

on stage what matters the most is how well I compete

with myself, how well I overcome my minus points before

delivering my speech. Coming to the audience, I would

like to have the presence of DTM Karthick Srinivasan,

DTM Saro Velrajan and DTM Nina John because these

toastmasters observe each and everything in a speech. Even

the smallest joke which other people do not notice,

they notice. And once they start laughing the rest of

the audience join them. So this gives me the extra

energy I need for delivering my speech.

5. What role does humour play in your

day-to-day life?

Humour makes life simply and easier. It lightens

my day. Be it at a traffic signal or wherever, it is those

funny little things which you observe and laugh at that

makes your heavy day lighter.

6. There are lots of moments you

laughed out of happiness, but tell us

one moment you cried out of

happiness?

When we achieve something great, tears will come

instantly. For example, when I gave my ice breaker

speech, my CC4 speech and few other speeches

including my humorous speech at the division level

contest, people were laughing throughout my speech.

Although tears did not come out, I felt happy

that I made a huge group laugh. Before joining

Toastmasters, I didn’t know that I could give a humorous

speech. In fact, after I gave my ice breaker, one of the

toastmasters told me to participate in the humorous

speech contest. It was Toastmasters which brought

out the humour in me.

7. How did it feel to be amongst young

members? You are elder and had that

any impact with these people?

I never take my age seriously probably because of the

way I was brought up. I mingle with everyone. In fact

my mentor TM Arna is in her twenties. To me age is

only a number.

8. What is your vision?

My vision is that whatever I do I want to do

it constantly and make it a big way. I do

little things on a daily basis like improving my ability to

speak very well with a flow. I love reading books and I

want to take my reading to the next level i.e. To become

an excellent writer especially in screen play where I can

learn and do things in a different way.

9. Any particular person you admire?

My favourite writer is Sujatha. He is my

inspiration not only in terms of writing

skills but also because of his

personality. He does not like anyone to take him as

their role model, but to me he is my role model.

Great leaders always say “Success is

99% perspiration and 1 %

inspiration.”

We all do the 99%

perspiration but

We miss out on the 1%

inspiration.

We look for inspiration everywhere

and come up with great leaders of all

times like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami

Vivekananda.

But, we have leaders amidst us

from whom we can learn to be

great leaders.

Chennai Speakers Forum is one

such forum which has many such

inspiring leaders.

Distinguished Toastmasters always say

that “Leadership today has moved

from Grey hair to black hair and it is

this leadership that has taken the

Toastmasters forum to the next level in

District 82”.

One such intangible values that CSF

has given me, is the number of

friends I have made.

Friends who are always there to

give you food for thought and

sometimes even actual food.

Friends, who do not expect

anything from you, except your

own self improvement and growth.

Opportunity is given to all to bring

out their best on stage and

encouragement is provided to them

who are taking their first steps.

The biggest struggle we face is to

make the right choice from the

options given but we forget that there

is nothing called as the right

choice.

We only make choice and then we

make those choices right!!

So take this opportunity to make your

choices RIGHT...!!!!

Choices TM Badri Narayanan

Imagine…

An astronaut landing on moon without an oxygen

mask??

That is how I was struggling for breath when I landed at

Chennai Speakers Forum for the first time!!

I was to deliver a speech but the people in the audience were already established CHAMPIONS;

I was yet to take the first step forward..

I had so many 'What ifs' in my mind;

"What if I fail to pull of the speech?"

"What if the evaluator rips me apart?”

But thanks to the brilliant display of camaraderie at CSF!

None of my fears were close to becoming true.

I totally felt at home, the warmth and hospitality put me at complete ease

I realized CSF is an extended family that takes care of

your needs & ensures at the end of the meeting, you always have a lot to take home!

CSF to me is easily one of the best clubs with an unique mix :

Where "Young talent" blends with "Rich Experience"!

CSF = YOUNG TALENT + RICH EXPERIENCE

a Captivating club

that owns Scintillating speakers who

epitomize Flamboyance in public speaking!

CSF CSF CSF…!

TM Akshaya

My first visit to Chennai Speakers Forum was on your 75th meeting – I had dropped in to meet Jivitha and Uday, who were, rather unfortunately, teamed up with me for a sub committee @ Ovation. The 75th meeting was a riot, and I ended up regretting not having visited the club earlier. I have since attended about 5 meetings at CSF, and not once have I regretted sacrificing my sleep on a Sunday morning .

I can see why CSF has a lot of dual members – you have a young crowd and a lot of fun during your meetings – it’s sort of like love at first sight, and despite already having a girlfriend, you can’t resist the temptation of having flings with this girl every Sunday morning. Weird analogies aside, a lot of my closest friends are members of CSF, and I am envious of the fun and frolicking that takes place during the meetings. If I were to describe the members of CSF, it would

have to be : Charming, Savvy, and Friendly. Onwards and upwards, CSF.

Love -TM Sarathy Srinivasan

Facebook Posts Here are some interesting posts by our members …

Oxymoron is a figure of

speech, by which a locution

produces an incongruous,

seemingly self-contradictory

effect such as:

browse thoroughly

deadly life

bitter sweetness

old news

happily married

awfully good

pretty ugly

What is the only speciality of the word "UNDERGROUND" that no other word in the English language possesses?

Answer: It is the only word in English that starts

with ‘und’ and ends with ‘und’ as well.

Friends are angels who lift our feet when our own wings have trouble remembering how to fly. Rashida Rowe

I am the beginning of the end, and the end of

time and space. I am essential to creation, and I

surround every place. What am I?

Answer: the letter ‘E’

The most beautiful Gods creation, Is not the round moon, Is not the clear sky, Is not the deepest ocean, But is the curve on your face that manages to create million other curves *Curve= Smile

Few interesting English facts:

1. All male terms are shorter than the female terms except for “widower”

2. "Rhythms" is the longest word in English without a vowel

3. Word with only one vowel, which occurs six times: “indivisibility”.

4. Find out the meaning of "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanocon" (longest word with 40 letters).

Answer: It is a word invented in imitation of polysyllabic medical terms, alleged to mean ‘a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine sand and ash dust (mostly volcanic silica ash dust)’ but occurring only as an instance of a very long word.

If you can be the best you can and keep bettering it!

If you can be the role model to your family, friends

and community!

If you can be the change you want to see!

Our country, world will change!

Turn all your expectations unto yourself!

Happy Independence Day!

Contranym is a word that means exactly the opposite of its own meaning in two different sentences.

For example, the word “cleave” means to set apart or to join.

“Thirty years before, we

had Johnny CASH, William

HOPE and Steve JOBS... But

now, we have no CASH, no

HOPE and no JOBS."

Great is the reward to those who help and give without thought of self, as it is impossible to be unselfish without gain!

Highlights of CSF

Classroom Sessions

CSF is among very few clubs in Chennai that

hold classroom sessions every week. Our sessions

have dealt with evaluation, vocal variety , table

topics, body language and gestures.

Book Club Review

Some of the books reviewed during the classroom

sessions are Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

and Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles.

Pirates of the Gavel

An initiative by D82 to promote

member involvement in other clubs.

Ribbons

CSF’s proud achievements include:

Talk up Toastmasters Award

– 5 new members (FEB-MAR 2012)

Founders Award

Beat the Clock Award

– 5 new members (MAY-JUNE 2013)

Smedley Award

– 5 new member (AUG-SEPT 2012)

Smedley Award

– 5 new member (AUG-SEPT 2013)

Home Club of the Division Governor

Talk up Toastmasters Award

– 5 new members (FEB-MAR 2013)

President’s Distinguished Club (2012-2013)

President TM Aashish Amalraj

Treasurer TM Goutham Varma

VP-Education TM Pranav Vinod Kumar

Secretary TM Uday Kiran

VP-Membership TM Jivitha

Sgt. at Arms TM Kannan Sri

VP-Public Relations TM Priyadharshini

Imm. Past President TM Vivekanandan

Meet the Executive Committee

We are family!