Everyday Heroes

Can you tell me who was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine this year?

For economics?

For peace?

Well! Nor can I. 

But why is it so?

Why is it that we don’t even know the names of the biggest contributors to humanity?

I have a theory –

It is because these people belong to a different turf, a different class from that of ours.

Because they are so mammoth that we simply don’t feel anyhow connected to them.

However, the very premise of my theory gets broken by my next question – 

“Who is the lead actor in Sultan?”

I am not surprised if all of you know his name.

So why do we remember the name of “Salman Khan”, but can’t recall the names of Nobel Laurates?

When all of them have an impact on humanity one way or the other. Even if it is by ramming the car onto a destitute sleeping on the footpath.

Well! The reason is –

We have wrongly chosen our heroes. We always had.

Heros are not the big names who we can rarely connect to. 

They are the regular guys who touch our lives on a daily basis.

They never made it to the silver screen. They never made it big, but they enabled us to make it big.

They are the ones who make it possible for us to stay in comfort at our homes while they run the errands.

The actor who makes it into the news every other day is not your hero; the newspaper boy who enables you to get all the news in the comfort of your home is.

No matter how cool he seems, Pierce Brosnan doesn’t ensure your security, your local watchman does. 

So, next time he opens the gate for you, at least acknowledge him.

Instead of ogling your eyes on TV about how Virat and Anuska got married, take out some time and ask your maid how is her daughter going to get married. Or better still, should she be married at all at her tender age.

Irrespective of how many times you say it, Sachin was never your God, your Dad is your God. Because he was the one who wrote your destiny.

So instead of worrying about the retirement plan of the former, pause for a moment and think about your Dad’s retirement plan.

And of course, the shitty questions from KBC, stretched and dramatized for 1 hour don’t prepare you for the entrance, a conversation with your retired professor does.

No matter how harsh this might sound, for all these so-called stars, you are just another number who adds up to their endorsement revenue. 

Sounds scary?

The good news is – You still have a choice.

You have a choice to follow these businessmen faking up as heroes or to actually bring a smile on the face of your real hero, whom you encounter every day. 

You have a choice to be obsessed with the signed marriage contracts, scripted as a romantic love story; or to utilize the same time in knowing the people who actually love you.

You have the choice to actually be human, instead of following the gossips around someone who just wears the tee-shirt advertising it.

These are the people, whom you never acknowledged as human beings and who were to you, just “Oye Chotu”, “Arre Bhaiyya” and “Ohh Hello”. But irrespective of how you address them, they are real people with real families to serve and real obligations to meet.

But as we are all programmed to follow only the big names, let me reinforce my appeal with a beautiful quote from the only person to be ever awarded both a Nobel and an Oscar- George Bernard Shaw.

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them, that’s the essence of inhumanity.

Let us, my dear friends vow to be a little less inhuman.

Do me a favor, next time, you come across them, nod at them, acknowledge their hard work with a smile, talk to them. 

Ask them about their family, about how are kids doing?

As you realize that, they still send their kids to school despite their poverty, that they don’t want their kids to spend their lives like them; you will be filled with respect for them.

As they narrate their struggles with a smile, you will realize that they are the real heroes. That the shine of hope in their eyes far outshines that of the silver screen.

I know that nothing pisses off my haters more than my smile.
And that is precisely why I keep on smiling no matter what.

– Saurabh Roy


Facebook and Instagram: @ roy.saurabh.kr
Twitter:@roy_saurabh_kr

How to overcome stage fear.

10 Fatal Mistakes – What not to do while delivering a speech.

#1 Don’t memorize the whole speech.

Under the pressure to deliver it wonderfully on the stage, you may forget  a part of it or even the whole speech. You know what follows next.

#2 Don’t read your speech out of a paper.

When your eyes are on the paper, you are unable to connect to your audience.

#3 Don’t put too many jargon.

You love showing off your vocabulary or your knowledge?

Save it for some other day. You are here to convey your idea to your audience, not to prove that you have memorized a whole dictionary.

#4 Don’t choke your speech with too much data.

Yes, it’s necessary to include some facts. In facts, data helps you in strengthening your point. But this never means to completely fill your speech with data. If it’s absolutely required, put it there, otherwise just leave it. Remember, you can engage people in a far better way if you convey your ideas through a story they can connect to, than with numbers they are not even interested in.

#5 Don’t speak it too fast.

Delivering your speech at a lightning fast pace ensures two things –

Your audience will not get a single word of what you are speaking.

They will conclude that you have memorized the whole speech, even when you haven’t.

See, speaking at a very fast pace defeats the very purpose of the speech, i.e.. conveying your message to your audience. You might have a really great idea to convey, but what is the point when no one gets even a word of what you are trying to tell?

#6 Don't tell them how awesome you are.

Keep your introduction as short as possible. While giving a short introduction about yourself helps in establishing your credentials, no one loves it if it's a long one. Keep important details like your education and experience, skip the trivial ones.

#7 Don’t sound like a robot.

My reference to robotic voice has nothing to do with tone. It refers to an emotionless monologue. Your voice should reflect the underlying emotions involved in the idea you want to convey. When you are talking about poverty, you should sound concerned. Similarly, your voice should be filled with excitement when you are talking about an upcoming project your firm is taking.

#8 Don’t ignore how you look.

I know that you won’t dress shabbily when you are going for an interview. But there is more to your appearance than just your dress.  Get yourself a well-tailored dress. Shave. You don’t want to look bad when a hall full of audience is constantly gazing at you.

Try to dress in formal. People take you seriously when you do so.

#9 Don’t admit that you are nervous.

You don’t have to tell about the butterflies in your stomach to them.

You forgot a line. It’s fine, carry on. Most probably, your audience didn't even notice that. But once you admit – “Oh! Sorry, I missed something” they will know for sure.

People turned up to listen to you expecting you to be a confident man who is in control of the situation, not a nervous guy who has no idea about what is is speaking.

#10 Don’t make it too long.

You too, must have been tortured by a long speech, at one point of your life or another. And I am sure you must have cursed the orator. You don’t want the same thing to happen to you – do you?

How to prepare for a speech?

How to prepare for a speech?

Who wouldn’t love a standing ovation for their speech?

You choose a topic, you write a speech on that topic, you read it out wonderfully, everyone is happy. Isn’t it that easy?

No, it’s not.

In fact, preparing for a good speech is one of the most daunting tasks. So much, that you felt the need to read this whole article.

Anyway, coming straight to the point – What all do you need to do for delivering a great speech?

Let’s start with the basics.

The first one is – choosing a topic which you are interested in.

The next job is to do research about the topic.

No matter how much you know about the topic, do it.

Then, prepare a speech based on the ideas you have gathered.

Look at your write-up. Find out if you can include some real life experience, or an interesting fact, or a humorous example in your speech.

But there is a word of caution – Never read out your speech from a piece of paper.
Memorizing your speech is not a good option either.

So, how do you know what to speak?

Seriously, is this even a problem, when you have already done so much research in the field.

However, there can be a problem, in case you forget. What do you do in such a case?

There is a way out for even that. Summarize your speech in five or six points and note it down on a piece of paper. Your points should be small and concise. This can act as a rescue in such cases.

But knowledge is one thing, delivering it with eloquence is another. And for that, you need to practice. 

Get someone to listen to your speech. 

Practice, practice and practice. Practice in front of your dog, the wall of your room, your mirror, or at any place where you can practice.

Visualize yourself in front of your audience and rehearse out loud.

Observe if your action and your body language are in sync with the tone of your voice or not.

Keep a tab on the usage of fillers. Practice your speech using a timer.

Revise your speech, if necessary. Pay attention to the number of times, you are using,  “umm”, or “ahh”, or “I mean”.

Avoid it.

In short, no fillers, no matter what.

One more thing, looks do matter.

As you are preparing to give a speech, you must be already carrying a dynamic personality.
However, there is always a scope of improvement.

Make sure that you appear your best while you are delivering the speech.
People take you seriously, when you look good.

Was this too much?

See, if you are new to the field of oration, you will have to put an extra effort.

However, all this will come naturally to you after a while.

It takes time and effort to achieve perfection, and it will come in due time.

Best of luck.

Aag Jalni Chahiye - Dushyant Kumar Poem

हो गई है पीर पर्वत-सी पिघलनी चाहिए,
इस हिमालय से कोई गंगा निकलनी चाहिए।

आज यह दीवार, परदों की तरह हिलने लगी,
शर्त लेकिन थी कि ये बुनियाद हिलनी चाहिए।

हर सड़क पर, हर गली में, हर नगर, हर गाँव में,
हाथ लहराते हुए हर लाश चलनी चाहिए।

सिर्फ हंगामा खड़ा करना मेरा मकसद नहीं,
सारी कोशिश है कि ये सूरत बदलनी चाहिए।

मेरे सीने में नहीं तो तेरे सीने में सही,
हो कहीं भी आग, लेकिन आग जलनी चाहिए।

- दुष्यन्त कुमार


Ho gayi hai peer parvat si pighalni chahiye,
Iss himalay se koi ganga nikalni chahiye.

Aaj yah deewar pardon ki tarah hilni chahiye,
Shart lekin thi ki ye buniyad hilni chahiye.

Harr sadak parr, harr gali mein, harr nagar, harr gaaon mein;
Haath leharte hue, harr laash chalni chahiye.

Sirf hungama karna mera maksadd nahin;
Saari kosish hai ki ye soorat badalni chahiye.

Mere seene mein nhi toh tere seene me hi sahi,
Ho kaheen bhi aag, lekin aag jalni chahiye.

- Dushyant Kumar 

Shayari On Life

दर्द जो था दिल में,

उसे कुछ इस तरह साफ़ कर दिया;

किसी से माफी माँग ली,

किसी को माफ कर दिया।

- सौरभ राय (Saurabh Roy)

Shayari Urdu

माना कि नूर-ए-रुख्सार से रोशन है तू,

शक्ल-ए-सूरत से पर; मैं भी तो कुछ कम नही ।

नफ़रत से ही सही पर देखती तो है मुझको तू,

अब तो तेरी रुसवाई में भी वो दम नही ।

दिल न तोङेंगे ये कह के फ़ेर लेती है तू निगाहें,

क्या है फ़ितरत मे तेरी गर ये सितम नही ।

तेरी नाज़ो को इबादत समझते रहे हम,

अरे कल देखा था गैर के साथ अब कोइ भरम नही ।

क्यों करे तकिये गीले याद में तेरे,

जब कि तेरे खयालातों मे ही हम नही ।

छोड़ कर चली जा मुझे तू बेशक,

थाम ले गैर का हाथ ।

लाखों हसिनाए हैं राहों मे,

अब तो तेरे जाने का भी ग़म नही ।

- सौरभ राय (Saurabh Roy)

Hindi Shayari

सीख रहा हूं अब मैं भी इंसानों को पढने का हुनर,
सुना है चेहरे पे किताबों से ज्यादा लिखा होता है ।।

Shayari on Life

बुलंदी की उडान पर हो तो , 
जरा सब्र रखो। 
परिंदे बताते हैं कि , 
आसमान में ठिकाने नही होते ।।