Mister Toastmaster, fellow members and esteemed guests. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Manoj Prasad Naudiyal. Doesn't it sound, lots of alphabets, put together, in no particular order.. And when it comes to pronouncing it, I am sure that the toughest tongue twister would sound very easy to you. When my parents gave me this name, believe me, they had no idea, that one day, I would come to this part of the world and be such a pain.. So what should we do now, I think I have a solution for it, You guys can call me Noddy. My friends call me that. Noddy is a short version of my last name Naudiyal. You might also know that Noddy is a popular cartoon character,( but my friends don’t call me that because I look like him)..
I was born and brought up in the city called Dehradun in northern part of India. Dehradun is a beautifully valley in the foothills of Himalaya and is famous for its scenic beauty and pleasant weather. The city is also known for its large cantonment or army base area. I grew up watching the disciplined life of army all my childhood. As a teenager, I was mostly fascinated with their royal life style of army officers. Playing polo in large green field, to driving that royal class convertible jeep, were few exciting things among many. All these things had a substantial influence in my life, and needless to say I was inclined to be an army officer.
After my high school, I appeared for National defense Academy exam (For your information - The academy produces the best army officers for the country). So I appeared for this exam and I failed miserably. One year later, I made another attempt, and you know what…I failed this time too. In the retrospection, I realized that I was joining army for all the wrong reasons.. Joining army means going for the most responsible, courageous and respectful job. It needs lots of bravery and sacrifice to serve the nation. And there I was, far away from the reality, thinking, that army is about playing polo.
After this episode, my parents advised me that I should continue my studies and see how life unfolds in the coming years. I humbly accepted their advice and took admission in an engineering college. In year 2004, I graduated with a computer engineering degree and got a decently paid job in a software firm. Since then, it’s been 10 years, and I have had a wonderful time working with different multinational companies. I had a privilege working with so many intelligent and smart people across the globe. I am a software Architect by profession and am truly- truly passionate about my work. OK, maybe not that much passionate..
Well, that’s about it, but before I conclude my speech, I want to circle back on the article I started and leave you all with a food for thought. We all love to ask our kids what they want to be as grown up, and when they say superheroes, astronauts or super model, we share a good laugh and we forget about it. But, how many of us..how many of us, make some conscious efforts to make them realize that such a job does not exist and if it does how can they get it?
Mr. Toastmaster.
That was my speech. I know it wasn't impressive and I could have had a much better one. But trust me, there is a huge difference between writing a speech on a paper and delivering the same on a stage. I didn't want to write something that I couldn't deliver with same intensity. It was my first public speaking experience and I wanted to start on a lighter node. I am very hopeful that I learn and grow with every speech I deliver in this journey of mine. Here are few feedback comments from my fellow toastmasters.
