Our fellow friend and Advanced Speaker, Jay, has been travelling around the world to spread his wisdom. While in India, Jay was offered the opportunity to be a chief guest and speaker on the Republic Day at the school of his father’s village. This proved to be an exhilarating experience which inspired not only the students but also Jay, who discovered more about himself.

Here is the inspirational speech delivered by Jay:

“Hello students! It is such a beautiful day today. Not only is the sun shining and sky clear, but it is also Republic Day in our country and what a great country our India is. And what a great place our school is? A place where we meet every day, get to see our friends and learn new things. I am very happy to learn that you now have two brand new computers and will soon have the Internet. This is such great thing because you see any question you have, you can learn the answer on the Internet. Whether you want to know the height of Mt. Everest, or the distance to the moon – the answer, my friends, is on the Internet. With the computers, you will now be able to communicate with people all over the world. You can see what is happening in other countries and what other people’s lives are like. Make sure you take advantage of these new computers and learn how to use them as best as you can. Computers have already changed the world and they will become a big part of your lives.

Another thing that you need to learn is English. English is like a key – a key to the world. With this language the whole world will open up to you because it is the language of the world. If you go to France and you speak to a French person in Hindi, you both won’t be able to understand each other. But most likely there will be people who speak English. Knowing English will allow you to travel, work and live in any country in the world. So make sure you learn English, it’s your key to the world.

The last thing I want tell you all is to treat each other well. When someone treats you well, how nice does it feel? That’s how someone feels when you treat him or her well. Together we can do wonders, alone you can’t do anything. This also extends to animals. Treat them well too. These poor dogs and cats that run around on the streets, they are less fortunate than us. They also have lives. They also feel pain and hunger and fear. Who knows maybe we will come back as one of them in another life, then how would we feel if people treated us badly? I believe that God is watching over us and will make sure we get what we deserve for our behavior toward others.

So three things: learn how to use computers, learn English and treat others well. If you focus on these things, you will have a great life. And remember: work hard in school. The harder you work now, the easier your life will be. If you take it easy now, your life will be a very difficult one.

I have a few more minutes, so if you have any questions about me, Canada, or anything else – I’ll do my best to answer them in my funny-sounding Hindi.”

The students were too shy at first to ask me questions, so I asked some of them questions such as what they would like to be when they grow up and received mostly answers such as: teachers, doctors. After this I received many questions not only from them but from their teachers and other guests as well. The questions ranged from which crops grow in Canada, to what the temperature is like; to what kind of people live there.

“It was a wonderful experience to be able to say a few words of encouragement to these children and it was a great example of how Toastmasters skills are helpful in the real world.”