"An injured Lion still wants to roar" Randy Pausch
The word “champion” always brought me the vision of standing on the winners’ podium, wearing a medal and glowing with pride as the crowd erupts with applause. Recently, I realized there was another meaning of the word champion when I was going through a difficult time of my life. Friends, have you ever experienced a situation when you were betrayed, humiliated, knocked down, trampled upon, thrown under the bus? I faced such a situation, I suffered silently, I had no one to turn to.
It all started last year when I received a phone call from my friend Kumar. I, Kumar and a few friends had been supporting a school for underprivileged children. The school provided free education to an impoverished village. From only four, it grew to over four hundred students. Unknown to me, the school was suffering financially. Kumar told me, how during the Pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, visitors stopped coming, donations dried up and the school was unable to provide salary to its twenty teachers. Kumar proposed a fundraising event through an organization known to us. The organization, founded by a couple Ms. Bee and her husband, was held privately by them and I had some reservations trusting them with money. However, Kumar assured me, he was a close friend of mine. I was swept up in his passion and zeal and enthusiastically attended the organization’s fundraising meetings.
Although it started well, later Ms. Bee’s demeanor changed. During the fundraising meetings, she questioned - Why did people stop attending the meeting, why did Mr. Abie not show up today, where is Ms. Dee? As time went by, her accusations increased and became more bitter. In the next meeting she confronted me– Where is your friend Kumar, why is he not showing up? I became the scapegoat.
I kept my thoughts to myself, you cannot control what happens to you, you can only control how you react to it. My only concern was about the twenty teachers, their families and children waiting for our financial support. I quietly worked towards that goal. In the month of December, the organization updated their website with flyers and appeals. It was Christmas, the season of giving, goodness, gratitude; my friends, well-wishers and donors contributed to the cause. We all eagerly waited for Ms. Bee and her husband to transfer the money to the school. I waited – days, then weeks, then months passed - no response.
Finally, I called Ms. Bee, “We are not supporting the fund raising” she said and hung up. Just then, I received a text message from her husband “Your donation will be returned to you.” I was shocked, I couldn’t believe. I thought about those teachers, their families, their children – waiting for a full meal, warm clothes, shelter. I kneeled, I prayed, I waited for goodness to prevail. There was no response, they never returned the money
It was a dark phase of my life – I was betrayed, humiliated, and defeated. During this ordeal, my greatest ally was Toastmaster. Every time I was down, I recalled their warm handshakes, their words of encouragement, the brown bag overflowing with their handwritten notes of appreciation, I realized how much my fellow members cared for me which lifted my spirit. Toastmasters made me realize the truest definition of the word champion - to champion means to get behind someone or something, to lift a person up when he or she is knocked down, trampled upon, thrown under the bus. Friends, I was not defeated because the cause I stood for was much larger than me, I made a promise to myself
No matter what
I shall fight for what is right
I shall never stop trying
I shall fight for fellow human beings.
A true champion lets his self-belief fuel his determination, his strong determination propels him to take on any challenge, with every challenge he overcomes every obstacle. Friends, you may not always win, you may experience failures, adversities and setbacks; but as long as you learn from your failures, as long as you get up, push harder and higher, as long as you honor your commitments, and refuse to quit, you cannot fail.
You are the real champion. A Toastmaster's Speech Ankur Bora
The speech is dedicated to late Lohit Datta-Barua who taught me to stand for the underprivileged and fight for what is right.
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