The Sri Lanka Club Symposium Toastmasters (SLCST) of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in close coordination with the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bahrain, felicitated the reigning 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking of Toastmasters International (TI), Ms. Ramona J. Smith, and immediate Past President of Toastmasters International, Mr. Balraj Arunasalam, a Sri Lankan national, at a gala reception at Hotel Regency Intercontinental in Bahrain, last week. The felicitation reception was even more unique since the Sri Lanka Club Symposium Toastmasters (SLCST) commemorated the 20th year anniversary of the formation of the aforementioned Sri Lankan Toastmasters.
The Toastmasters Symposium of Sri Lanka earned the Charter in 1998 with only about 25 members. The Sri Lanka Club Toastmasters Symposium became only the third Toastmasters Club to be established in Bahrain. Today, there are well over 70 Clubs in Bahrain. The Toastmasters International, known globally as TI, was formed in 1924 in the city of Santa Ana, California in the US. Today, TI has over 16,000 Clubs in nearly 150 countries with a total membership of well over 360,000 worldwide. The motto of TI is “Where Leaders Are Made”.
At this iconic event, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. A. Saj U. Mendis, stated that the Toastmasters Club of Bahrain had contributed, over the years, immensely in molding as well as nurturing and fostering skills and competencies such as interpersonal, leadership, communication and public speaking and organizational, among others, thus, enabling a number of members of SLCST to compete both nationally and regionally. He further stated, in his keynote address, that it is critically vital to break or transcend psychological barriers or limiting beliefs in order to achieve or realize what appears to be ‘impossible’. Ambassador Dr. Mendis narrated the conquering of the summit of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953 and breaking of the four-minute barrier (running a mile in less than four minutes) by athlete Dr. Roger Banister in 1954, thus epitomizing and exemplifying the manner in which these personalities transformed the impossibility to a zone of possibility. Since then, a number of mountain climbers and athletes broke these records quite often, to the extent, that they were not even reported. Dr. Mendis made these parallels to the World Championship of TI by stating that a Sri Lankan national, Toastmaster Dhananjaya Hettiarachchi, winning the World Championship in year 2014. This was the first ever occasion that a TI contestant, from a country where English is not the First Language, has won the World Championship of TI. This was since the formation of TI in 1924 or in other words, after nine decades. It was interesting to note that Toastmaster Dhananjaya Hettiarachchi was personally mentored, motivated and coached by immediate Past President Mr. Balraj Arunasalam, during the last decade. Since Toastmaster Hettiarachchi won the World Championship of TI, the successive years, the nationals of Saudi Arabia, Singapore and India won the World Championship of TI. For record, English is not the First Language in all these three countries. Of course, Toastmaster Ramona J. Smith is a US national and one of the very few females to have won the World Championship of Public Speaking of TI. Her winning speech was titled “Still Standing”, which she expounded the tenacity, perseverance, discipline and pertinacity in realizing what one wishes to accomplish without wavering or vacillating.
Past President Mr. Balraj Arunasalam, in his address as the Chief Guest of the event, narrated his three-decade journey of Toastmasters beginning in Sri Lanka as far back as in 1989. He accentuated the fact that he always focused on “purpose over position”. It may further be added that this was also the first occasion that a Sri Lankan national was elected as the President of TI. Toastmaster Ramona Smith, in her brief address, inspired and enthused the select audience of well over 100, consisting both members and guests of all nationalities and disciplines, that it is seminally important to keep on ‘pushing’ till one reaches or fructifies the desired objectives and goals and never ever to give up. Her winning speech at the World Championship of TI, “Still Standing” exemplified and embodied these sentiments.
The President of Toastmaster Sri Lanka Club Symposium, Mr. Dushan Kanchana, delivered the welcome address and senior Toastmaster and President of Sri Lanka Club Mr. Ahmed Rizvi, encapsulated the 20-year journey of Sri Lanka Club Symposium Toastmasters of Bahrain. The President of Toastmaster Sri Lanka Club Symposium Dushan Kanchana urged the guests in the audience, who are not members of Toastmasters, to be members, at the earliest, since the benefits and utility are immense both in personal and professional lives.
