The Burning Platform

There is a pertinent story about a man who was working on an oil platform in the North Sea. He woke up one night from a loud explosion, which suddenly set his entire oil platform on fire. In mere moments, he was surrounded by flames. Through the smoke and heat, he barely made his way out of the chaos to the platform’s edge. When he looked down over the edge, all he could see were the dark, cold, foreboding Atlantic waters. As the fire approached him, the man had mere seconds to react. He could stand on the platform, and inevitably be consumed by the burning flames. Or, he could plunge 30 meters in to the freezing waters. The man was standing upon a “burning platform,” and he needed to make a choice. He decided to jump. It was unexpected. In ordinary circumstances, the man would never consider plunging into icy waters. But these were not ordinary times – his platform was on fire. The man survived the fall and the waters. After he was rescued, he noted that a “burning platform” caused a radical change in his behavior. 

Till 2013, I was standing on a platform too! The platform where my friends, my career and personal life are there! The freezing water was Public speaking! Fear of public speaking is what stopped me from jumping into it! But when my professional and personal life was going down then the platform began to look like a burning platform! And hence came the push! From that burning platform I jumped into the freezing waters (The big Toastmasters Ocean)! Now I am swimming a journey of Public Speaking. It’s been a wonderful journey from last 2.5 years in Toastmasters club. I was rescued by Mentor to prepare my speech, by evaluator to improve my next speech, VP-Education to achieve my goals. In this journey, I have seen TMs completing Competent Leadership and Competent Communicator certification in the club, which inspired me to give my best. On this occasion, I want to thank all of you for contributing to the AreaF4 in one way or other. Looking forward to see you all participating in Club contests, organizing contests and growing together as a team of Area F4.

This article is orginally written in Accenture Toastmasters Newsletter and Area F4 Newsletter in the year 2015.  

Image Credits: https://pixabay.com/

What Happened to Bose?

It was afternoon on 18^th Aug, 1945. A man in his khaki uniform boarded Mitsubishi Bomber along with his close aids.  Bomber was picking up on the runway and soon it was in the air. A few minutes in the air, one of the engines broke swinging the bomber to the right side. The pilot tried for a balance but failed. With 100 feet per sec, it was falling. With more than 300Kmph, it hit the ground and pierced some of the land before coming to halt. This made one of the fuel tankers to catch fire. When ground staff started approaching the broken plane, they saw two people, while one of them had become a human torch.

Friends, curiosity takes us to next level. Sometimes, we accidentally become curious.  Last year, I played Secret Santa in my office.  Raise your hand if you have played Secret Santa?  

As you know, we gift something to our child in this game. I always gift books and I gave a book to my child as a gift. Surprisingly, my Santa gifted me a book too. This book I did not open until this November.  And that is “What happened to Netaji” by Anuj Dhar. I accidentally opened the book and became curious. The book deals about the 3 beliefs persisted about Bose Death.

Belief 1: Bose was badly burned in the plane crash in 1945 and died in the early hours of 19^th Aug, 1945.  After the cremation, the ashes were sent to Renkoji Temple in Sep, 1945.

Belief 2: Bose faked the Air Crash and escaped to Soviet Union through China to seek support for independence movement from Stalin. According to Bose, Soviet felt British as their enemy.  But Bose was captured and killed in a prison of Seberia because Nehru ordered the execution.

Belief 3:  Bose took sanyass and lived in Utter Pradesh until his death in 1985.    

Anuj, who accidentally got curious about Bose mystery, wrote his first book on Netaji in 2005. Since then he published more books about Netaji collecting factual information.  He is also founding member of Mission Netaji foundation. He, in his latest book, confirms Netaji did not die in the plane crash and but lived as Bhagawanji until 1985.

Three commissions have been set up on Bose Mystery. First is Nawaz shaw commission, lead by Congress MP, Nawaz Shaw in 1956. Second one in Khosla commission. Both the commissions concluded that Bose died in the plane crash. Third Commission led by Justice Mukarji was formed in 1999. It concluded in 2006 that Bose did not die in plane crash. Anuj, with facts shows how Bhagawanji was in contact with most of the political leaders in his latest book.

Whatever might have happened to Bose, he was never given that position Gandhi or Nehru or Patel has taken.  He was a brave Patriot, who lived and died for our country. He indeed freed it from the shackles of British Empire. Some might forget it. We do not. His Legacy lives on. Let us give a standing ovation to Bose for his patriotism.

CC7 Speech ends after Standing ovation and over to Toastmasters of the Day.
Speech given at CAMP Systems Toastmasters, Hyderabad.
Pic Credits: CAMP Systems Toastmasters, Hyderabad.