RIYADH — Toastmaster Ansar Mohammed mesmerized the audience with his eloquence and public speaking abilities at the annual conference of Division N District 79 here. He shared his life experiences of being a child with birth defect, how he faced the social stigma, isolation, insults, rejection from various sections of the society, and how he overcame all these to reach and grab the new horizons in life; with the help, support and confidence of his mother and wife. The audience experienced the several ups and downs in Mohammed's life during the heart-rending speech with many nearly in tears after hearing some of the instances that shaped his life. He was finally given a big hand of applause and a standing ovation. Product of the Wisdom Toastmasters Club, he will represent the Division N in the National Championship of Public Speaking at Saudi Arabian Toastmasters Annual Conference (SATAC). A dazzling Division N Toastmasters Annual Conference under the leadership of Director Toastmaster Rayees Syed was conducted recently at the state-of-the-art Auditorium of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, courtesy of TM Osama Al Zamil one of the board directors of Riyadh Chambers and President of Zamil Group Holding Co. TM Ansar was the winner of International Speech contest whereas TM Magesh Prabhakar and TM Ibrahim Subhan finished first and second runners-up respectively. TM Omar Hilali won the first prize in Table Topics contest. TM Antony Menachery and TM Magesh Prabhakar grabbed the second and third positions respectively. The Humorous Speech contest was filled with witty and bone-tickling punchlines from the speakers. TM Marty David won the first prize in flying colors while TM Syed Waqas and TM Ansar Mohammed got the second and third positions respectively. TM Omar Khan was the winner of speech evaluation contest. TM Poorni Sudhakar and Rojiliio Wenceslao were the first and second runners-up respectively. The oratory skills of Gaveliers were as good as seniors. Huda Shamshad Ali was the winner of Gavel's International Speech contest. Christina Almeida and Asiya Navaz were the first and second runners-up respectively. In Gaveliers Table Topics Contest, Christina Almeida got the first position while Ayesha Zakir and Mahrin Mansour got the second and third positions respectively. District 79 Director Hasan Maghazel, Division Director Rayees Syed, Conference Chair TM Abdussalam Omar, Gavels Contest Chair TN Mymoona Abbas, Chief Judge TM Shamsuri Mohammed and Evaluation Contest Chair TM YGK Mohan Garu addressed the audience. TM Saifur Rahman and TM Salahudeen released the Division Souvenir "Dawn". TM Rayees Syed and TM Abdussalam Omer announced the results of all the contests and handled the prize distribution ceremony. Nerilyn Joy Deuna and Rayees Syed were the Masters of the Ceremony. Contest Masters for different contests were International Speech (Arsenio Torrejos II), Humorous Speech (Tahira Salman), Table Topics (Sufyan Sohail), Speech Evaluation (YGK Mohan Garu), Zainab Zakir (International Speech Contest for Gaveliers) and Zahnoof Abdulkareem (Table Topic for Gaveliers). Area 04 Director TM Mymoona Abbas, Area 05 Director TM Tahir Khurshid, Area 66 Director TM Rasool Salaam guided the clubs under their respective areas. District 79 Director DTM Hasan Maghazel was also present. Toastmasters International is an organization that teaches one the art of public speaking coupled with leadership skills. Such skills provide countless people with a boost in not just their career and professional life but also in any social event where one might be challenged to speak spontaneously. The conference was co-sponsored by Al-Refai Gulf Trading Holding Co. with the help of its CFO TM YGK Mohan Garu and Marketing Manager Ahmed Awartani.
