Icebreaker and breaking-up shackles!!!!!!

Here is my speech that I delivered:

“Good morning everyone. My name is Ravi Kant Sharma. I’m 24 years old and stammering since the date I remember I started speaking. But my family member says that my stammering started when I was around 10 years old. I was born in a small village near Jaipur. My father worked in state services as an Engineer. So in the year 1999 we shifted to Jaipur. But I think I was not mentally prepared for this transition and I was around 10 then. I was admitted to a convent school in which there were strict rules and regulations. I’d always loved mathematics and my mathematics teacher was also a PWS but he never admitted that. Behind his back students use to make fun of him. I remember a day when one of my fellow classmate said-Sir starts a sentence and we finished it. I was hurt by this because upto then I’d also realised that I also stammers. My science teacher was a strict one and makes everyone read chapter except me. Eventually I came to know the reason also…haha. No friend and no girlfriends (haha) so life became unenjoyful and denial mode started. I remember that every night before going to bed I used to keep telling myself that- I don’t stammer, I don’t stammer. My family being conservative there was no atmosphere of sharing inner feelings and I being the youngest and weakest (in terms of muscle not now atleast) one was not even allowed to speak in family matters and issues. So this was how things went upto schooling. Sorry I forgot to mention that I fought with every boy of my class for making fun of my stammering….hahaha.

Life took a turn in 2008 when I got admission in an engineering college in Udaipur. It was the first experience of going out of my hometown and live life independently. I was very happy but things were still difficult because now I have to do all the things on my own. But one good thing that happened to me in my college life was that I now had a couple of good friends infact bearable friends to whom I can share whatever I want to. Four year passed in a mixed way. One incident of my college life that I remember is a cried the whole night. I exactly don’t remember the reason but it was due to stammering only.

When I came back home after completing my graduation I’d harsh words with my family. I told them what problems I’d faced but in a negative way. But atleast I discussed the matter for the very first time. They also realised that their attitude towards me was also not positive even my attitude was also not positive. Then I was send to a speech therapy center in Amer near Jaipur. The person who claims to be a therapist told me to speak as if I were to sing a song like-Maaaaaaaaaaaaaeeeeiiiii naaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeee issssssssssssss Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Kaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnttttttttt Sharrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (hahaha it looks quite funny na). I practice it thoroughly for months but everything was in vain. But till now I’d realised that I can speak and I must speak.

 Life took turn again and I came t know about TISA from a friend and the first thought that striked my mind was- It would be same as eariler, waste of time. But one day I was sitting idle and at that time I was in Delhi and a thought about TISA striked my mind. I just googled it and found that they have some SHG’s in most of the cities and it was also in Delhi too. I went there and met some of the fantastic people who are not giving up to stammering like Shobhit. I came back to Jaipur and searched about SHG Jaipur and there was an SHG. But the problem was they met once or twice a year (hahaha not even in a month). I contacted them and we decided to meet on the first sunday of year 2014. I was the first good experience about stammering. Meanwhile my preparations were also going well and I got selected in Prasar Bharti (All India Radio) and Income Tax Department. Ohhhh I again forgot to tell you that meanwhile I’d a breakup and I was also admitted in a very serious condition in ICU for a disease called- Acute Gastroenteritis. So now I’d enough experience of life as it is said – “A breakup gives you more wisdom than eating almonds”. I started working on myself. Members of Jaipur SHG were not responding well so I thought to go alone. I made some posters in Hindi and English and visited some schools and colleges nearby. On every Sunday I used to go to Central Park also. So it was a kind of survey-cum-awareness. I also started writing of TISA Blog. People started responding too. I started almost alone in Jaipur and now we have around 40 members, 20 from Jaipur and 20 from outside. I also went to Herbertpur for Comm. Workshop under Sachin Sir and first time I understood stammering quite well. Then there was NC Delhi, NC Khandala, again NC Delhi, and it was all fun. Actually TISA made me understood that THERE’s LIFE BEYOND STAMMERING ALSO AND YOU ARE AS GOOD AS ANYONE ELSE IN THIS WHOLE WORLD. My professional life also got started upto then. I worked in All India Radio, Mumbai for 3 months, resigned it, then Income Tax,Jaipur for 6 months. Again got selected as Inspector in Customs and Central Excise, Bangalore and presently working here. Faced some interviews also and scored one of the highest marks. I still stammer and I stammer a lot but it doesn’t bother me from doing what I want to. So that was all about stammering.

Talking about my hobbies I like to keep myself fit for which I do running, gyming(although I’ve not started yet in Bangalore), yoga pranayan, and meditation. Also I like travelling and if travelling would be free then I would have traveled the whole world (hahahaha). I want to mention here that meditation has helped me a lot. I started doing it after coming back from Comm. Workshop. In true words meditation has made me realise what I’m and what I can be”.

So this was my speech. Although I was given 8 minutes but I finished it in 15 minutes (hahaha).

Here is the link https://youtu.be/qK5p6OjrKNU

Ravi Kant Sharma
PWS