Stories from the past: The Random Speaker Sessions

While having breakfast this morning, I decided to write about old stories and experiences. Not in any particular order, but whatever came to mind.

So, story #1: The Random Speaker Sessions:

Ever since I can remember, I was shy. My folks would invite their friends home, and for a while, it would appear they had only 1 son, my brother. Till I had to be coaxed out of my room where I would pretend to be busy doing some serious shit (making my n'th copy of New Kids on The Block), reading something really important (a 3 yr old Sportstar magazine) or preparing for the next day (polishing my sparkling black shoes). This was worse if the visitors had a daughter accompanying them. This shyness (and being of few words) had its bipolar twin... the boisterous chap in school. I was in the middle of everything... good or bad. I took the hero-giri seen in the trashy films of the 80's and early 90's too seriously. So, messing a guy up for being stupid was cool. Messing a teacher's mind was cooler. I was performing fairly well in school (in academics, and to an extent in sports as well), till the day Mr. Aldridge and the other teachers decided to launch the debating society. The W-H-A-T society? Who the hell wants to get into a debating society? Its like a society for people with too much of the same thing to say.

Anyway, someone in my house was excited. My brother. He could go up there and speak. He had no apprehensions about the crowd and about memory loss or blanking out. Sometimes, he never really made sense, but he spoke with so much confidence and style... you had to hand it to him. Its only later that I realized that he was actually trying to imitate a few punks from the Hollywood films. He used to end up somewhere short of Hollywood punk and Nair Sr. (my old man)!!

Now, every week, students were chosen from each class and topics were handed out - the usual FOR and AGAINST nonsense. I would beg my way through this system... to be avoided. Every Monday, I would dread looking at the notice board, and would be super thrilled to see my name NOT on the list. After a few months, the debating society decided to change the rules a bit. They started the Random Speaker sessions where students were chosen randomly and made to speak on the topic of the day - either for or against. I was aghast. How, I had to beg my way out of this twice.

But thats what I did. I was so scared of going up there and speaking that I was ok with the begging. I feared blanking out. I feared losing the little respect I had with my seniors... and the fear my classmates and juniors held me with. Man, what would become of me? And that inevitable line... Ashok is such a good speaker, why is Arun so bad?

For a few months, I got away with getting on the good side of the Secy (Bevin I think). Till one day, lady luck found her man. When they announced my name, I nearly died... the blood that rushed to my head and ears almost knocked me out. My heart was pounding like hammer on a coffin. There was a premonition that this may happen. So I paid attention throughout the afternoon on the topics being discussed. But suddenly it all went blank.

The random speaker had to speak for 2 minutes. Thats it. 2 minutes. I took that long to get on the stage. There was a loud cheer... I remember that.
I walked slowly to the microphone.

And said, 'Hi... ... how you doin?' as coolly as I could.

And waited there quietly for 2 minutes. I didn't even say if I was for or against the topic.

The buzzer went off, I thanked the audience and walked back, all the while thinking to myself 'I'm Tony Manero'...

No one brought this matter up... either in school or at home. But it was better that way. I still remember it.

I did this to myself one more time... that was a couple of years ago. Will talk about that in another story.