Eloquence 2021, Division B Toastmasters Annual conference concluded with great elan on 20th March 2021. The 2 day virtual conference that started on 19th March witnessed stellar performances from 32 contestants in four categories of speech contests – Evaluation, Humorous, Table topics and International speech contests. The conference was conducted under the chairmanship of Anita Samanta, DTM and her team of vibrant members under the guidance of Division B Director, Riana Pinto, DTM and the entire team of Division B excom members.
The first day event was opened by DTM Riana Pinto followed by the smooth conduct of the three speech contests viz, Evaluation, Humorous and Table Topics Contests. The second day of the event witnessed a grand Banner Parade led by TM Sudhir Gujar. Division B comprises of 4 areas, led by Area Directors, TM Vanessa, TM Aparna Ranish, TM Kumaran and TM Chandrasekhar Dudhe.
The highlight of the two day virtual conference was a heart touching key note address by Dr. Rajdeep Manwani, DTM a motivational speaker and trainer who became visually impaired at the tender age of 13 but he has created a niche for himself with his grit and determination. He shared his thoughts on transformational leadership and how to involve and evolve as a leader, including the theory on the sliding door moments.
TM Chandrasekhar Angadi bagged the first place in both Evaluation and Table Topics Contests, DTM Sebastian Mascarenhas first place winner in the Humorous Speech Contest and TM Nufaisa MR in the international speech contest. The other winners are : Evaluation Contest – TM Nufaisa MR (2nd Place ), TM Mamta Babbar (3rd Place); Humorous Speech Contest – TM Anju Chacko (2nd Place), TM Deepika Khattar (3rd Place); Table Topics Contest – TM Mamta Babbar (2nd Place), TM Sebastian Mascarenhas (3rd Place) ; International Speech Contest – TM Deepika Khattar (2nd Place), TM Sebastian Mascarenhas (3rd Place).
Division B Toastmasters Annual Conference displayed excellent planning and teamwork. Division B PR Manager TM Priyanka Tiwary and TM Kumaran effectively promoted the conference across District 116 and beyond. The technical team comprised of Zoom hosts, TM KumaraSwamy, TM Sekar Thangavel, co-hosts TM Netrali Sawant, TM Aparna Ranish & TM Priyanka Tiwary. The master of ceremonies TM Dilba RK, TM Maria Fatima, TM Manisha Deshpande and TM Sandra Pais ensured a flawless proceeding along with the exuberant Contest Chairs, TM Archana Shetty, TM Amal Sachith, DTM Christopher Almeida and DTM Tripti Saha. Each contest was conducted under the supervision of chief judges, TM Arvind Iyer, DTM Ravi Kumar, TM Shyam Sundar And DTM Williams Antony. The chief judges were assisted by a group of anonymous judges alongwith ballot counters and timers, DTM Seema Bhardwaj, TM Pavani Kiran, TM Rashmi Raghavendra, TM Sushma Harish, TM Ummul Bushira, TM Sheeba Ashokan, TM Angelo Mora, TM Sweety Saroha, TM Santhosh Iyer and TM Joyline D’Mello.
Region 11 advisor DTM Sunil Kottarathil, District 116 Leaders, DTM Thayalan, DTM Manzoor Moideen, DTM Rajesh VC, Immediate Past District Director DTM Raghavan Menon , Past District Director DTM Rajeswar Sundaresan shared a few words of wisdom with the audience.
Division B is one of the seven divisions in District 116. District 116 has been world’s number one district for two consecutive years, 2019 & 2020. Toastmasters International, a non-profit organization that helps individuals improve their public speaking and leadership skills, has its presence in 145 countries with 3,64,000 members worldwide.
