No. of meetings attended: 10, no. of roles assumed: 7 and no. of projects undertaken: Nil!
Yes, you just heard the IPTMC Report Card of an inquisitive yet composed, friendly yet not-so-extrovert person and her name is Sujata Raje. And she is presently standing before all of you to deliver her maiden speech at Toastmasters! Introducing yourself to strangers is common; giving your introduction to people, most of whom you know quite well, should be interesting!
My name, Sujata, is a Sanskrit word meaning "from a good family origin". At this point, let me make one thing about my origins very clear. Neither am I related to the Ex-CM of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje nor do I belong to any princely state. However I wish the latter were true! I am a Maharashtrian, born and brought up in the Orange City – Nagpur. I’m extremely attached to my family. My father is an industrialist and looks after the manufacturing unit that we have in Nagpur. I hope the business acumen trickles down to the next generation, at least through the means of any world-renowned Business -School! My mother is a homemaker. I deeply admire my Mother, for being the perfect example of calm and poise and my Father, for his positive attitude towards life. My elder sister, an Architect by profession, is married and based in New Delhi. She started working while I was still in college and I was completely pampered with gifts and extra allowance from her! Things haven’t really changed over the years and I’m still the ‘little kid’ of the family!
So this little kid completed 12 years of schooling in a school run by South Indian Education Society. Even after unprecedented efforts of my classmates and teachers, my understanding of the Tamil language remains limited to a few basic words. School was fun, a right mix of studies and extra-curricular activities! Maybe the emphasis was more on studies, but I don’t really mind this as I look back, since it helped me secure a position in the State Board Merit list in Class 10!
Having done B.E. in Metallurgy from NIT Nagpur, my obvious career option would have been to work in a Core company or to get into Research. But of course the then-booming IT Industry charmed me like it did many others. And so after completing my graduation in Metallurgy, here I am, in Infosys, since the past 4 years. So please don’t ask me anything about Furnaces and Steel Making!
After a couple of months each at Mysore and Hyderabad DCs for training, I was posted to Pune. I can proudly say that I have not one, but two of my best friends here in Infosys. So the transition, from staying with the family to a new place where I was to be on my own, was made much easier. I am associated with Finacle IBU and have been extremely lucky in terms of a unique dream which drives us all – yes, Onsite opportunities. I’ve spent more than half of the past 4 years at client locations; more than 90% of which has been at – you cannot imagine – our very own Mumbai!
As for my hobbies and interests, I have tried my hand at a variety of things but unfortunately suffered from lack of continuity in many of them. Both my parents have been Yoga teachers at a Yoga Institute for over a decade now. Thanks to them, I regularly practiced Yoga while in school but somehow lost touch over the years. I have briefly tried my hand at learning to play the guitar; now the guitar at home and the next set of chords await my return! Having done a year long course in German language while pursuing Engineering, I intend to brush up the basics and resume the quest to learn the language further. One of the things which I have been doing on a regular basis is reading. I am mostly interested in reading fiction but do not favor any one particular author. I enjoy interacting with people and try to understand the human nature, which I came to know is a typical Aquarian trait, thanks to some books that I’ve read on Astrology! Another thing which I thoroughly enjoy and do on a regular basis is – Shopping! Though I’m still trying to figure out if it counts as a hobby!
To answer the most important question, why am I here? Well, my initial presence at the IPTMC meetings as a Guest was aroused out of curiosity to know what exactly happens here. How can attending a weekly meeting make a difference to one’s oratory skills? After my involvement at the subsequent meetings, I was able to comprehend the structured approach which Toastmasters employs to enhance not only the Communication skills but also the Leadership skills of every individual. Today, I have taken the first step in my journey at Toastmasters and look forward towards achieving excellence in the sphere of communication and leadership through my association with IPTMC.
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