Here I am, after my first elocution defeat!

Down… yes, but not out!

In fact, what I have witnessed has challenged me so much that I can’t wait to get back up again! It was an awesome display of oratory skills! Absolutely breathtaking! At the end of it you felt like a person who, used to seeing the world in black and white, was suddenly introduced to colour. And who were the perpetrators of this ‘crime’?

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing to you the cream of our country’s colleges – the IIT’s (Indian Institute of Technology) and IIM’s (Indian Institute of Management). They set the bar so high that others, either despair of ever reaching it or are so caught up in the challenge that they end up performing out of their skins!
And that is exactly what happened yesterday! I took part in the elocution competition at IIMA’s ‘Chaos’. This has always been one of my favourite events and I was eagerly anticipating it! I knew that the competition would be tough but I expected to put up a decent show and who knows, maybe even win! Besides, could there be a better place to test your skills against the cream of the country!
The elocution started with a guy from IIMA reciting a piece from Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’. He was brilliant! I have never in my life seen someone recite a poem with such clarity and passion. He wasn’t bothered by time limits – he was there to say his piece and would complete it with style. In fact he exceeded the time limit by nearly a minute! This, in the final reckoning is what probably cost him the title as there was no one who could better his effort!
There were others who were also very good. Actually, all were exceptional- some even recited their own compositions, which were surprisingly of a very high calibre- not generally found among graduates from Indian universities.

One chap from IIT Mumbai gave an extempore rendition of The Rock challenging Triple H for a title bout at WWF- in a typical American accent!

The fellow who took the honours for the day was also from IIT Mumbai (their contingent size was 90 strong!), he recited Shylock’s speech from Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”.
I was not ashamed to lose, because I was beaten by the best. My performance was appreciated by all who were present and I do believe that I had a fair shot at the prize! In fact, I am thankful to God for this experience because my horizons have been widened, the bar of my expectations has been raised, and I have been exposed to a level of excellence, never before encountered in my life.

At these institutes, they don’t just teach you to be good, they drill excellence into you (Or maybe they pick the best ;-0)! What was also heartening to note was that the other colleges were not far behind. That goes to show that we are developing a strong second string of institutions who will give the IIM’s and IIT’s a run for their money in the near future.

But for the moment, they rule the roost! Hats off to them!