State flight

Holding the public stage as a guest speaker is a tempting proposition. Or so I thought, when I gave my maiden talk to a leading social org...

Holding the public stage as a guest speaker is a tempting proposition. Or so I thought, when I gave my maiden talk to a leading social organisation in Pune. That was about four years back. But now, as a veteran, I8217;ve realised much to my chagrin that such an experience does not necessarily give an impetus to my self-esteem. Instead, it just might kill it!

Funny, how nine times out of ten, I8217;m in the limelight for an hour or two my curriculum vitae being read out in all its glory not that it is very impressive, but the audience must be convinced of the guest of honour8217;s achievements and hence the superlatives used and then I8217;m thrown into oblivion fervently hunting for an autorickshaw, for which I sometimes have to walk a kilometre or two. Or at other times, I have to furiously clamber on to six-seaters that noisily threaten to start off at any moment. I wonder why organisers don8217;t offer to transport me back and forth, and why I don8217;t have the guts to demand that.

But conveyance inconvenience is not so much of a bother, as much as your existence that is sometimes not acknowledged. A prominent personality in Pune, rightly and scornfully, asked me, quot;Are we doing them a favour by filling in their gap, where you become just one of those many names in their weekly or fortnightly schedule of guest speakers?quot;

It happened twice to me. quot;Please come for the fellowship, which lasts for half an hour. You could come in the last 15 minutes, if you wish.quot; I arrived. My contact person, who had only two weeks back persuaded me with so much affection and reverence to speak for his club, was simply missing. Others were not bothered. They looked at me and then looked away. I saw a lady with a bouquet. That has to be for me, I guessed, and at least she would have an inkling of my existence. quot;Excuse me,quot; I said shyly. quot;I8217;m the speaker for this evening.quot; She escorted me to the tea and snacks counter, but did not offer it to me on a platter.

I had to take it myself as the attendant, seeing my lost look, gave me a choice of tea or coffee. Bah!

On another occasion, my CV was with my contact person and he did not turn up even after the fellowship was over. Nervousness set in. One of the senior members asked the lady member to take down points from me. She nodded but did not pursue the matter further. It was almost time for the talk to begin. The gentleman approached me again: quot;Could you write your CV on this paper?quot; quot;Instead, why don8217;t I tell them about myself at the beginning of the talk?quot; I answered. quot;No,quot; he said, quot;we cannot work against protocol.quot; Did I have a choice?

Then, I have realised that most members of social organisations do not necessarily come because the topic of the talk8217; is interesting. Most of them are unaware of the topic, although it has been announced at the last meeting. Either they have not attended the last meeting or they had shut their ears at that time. They have better reasons to attend your talk, which is mostly incidental. But why am I cribbing about it? In the bargain didn8217;t I get just that one more number in the audience?

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Sometimes these high-profile organisations meet in the mornings, before work. Quite obviously, work is so much on their mind and you can8217;t blame them for that that they have time only for the fellowship which includes a sumptuous breakfast and a few minutes when the proceedings begin. So, you see some of them conspicuously slipping out while you have just begun your talk.

And of course, how can I forget that gentleman who chased me for a month to be a guest speaker, and now for some strange reason refuses to recognise me? Now, I call a guest speaker a VIP. A Very Innocuous Person!