Award Winning IESL Toastmasters Club Celebrates Its
Crystal Anniversary
By Madhushani Warnasooriya
Toastmasters International is a US headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of promoting communication and public speaking skills. The IESL Toastmasters Club, better known as the IESLTMC, is one of those many clubs and is a spectacular hub for Engineers, who would love to become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. Putting the cherry on top of another remarkable year, they celebrated their Crystal Jubilee at the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) marking the IESLTMC’s 15th year of its journey through thick and thin. The “Crystalline” themed meeting to celebrate the Crystal Anniversary of the Club was graced by all the who’s who of the Toastmasters Community including Charter Members, Past Presidents, Present and Past Members, Visitors and Guests.
Let’s have a glimpse of their incredible Journey.
The journey of IESL Toastmasters began in 2003 as a Speechcraft Program conducted by the infamous Colombo Toastmasters Club. After that astounding Speechcraft Program, the participants could not get their minds off the witchery of speaking and leadership skills of the Toastmasters that was inherently otherworldly and stylized. So the participants of that Speechcraft Program got a bee in their bonnets about sharing their experience among their fellow engineers and thought of forming a Toastmasters Club for themselves. With their commitment and enthusiasm to continue speaking and to indulge in leadership practice gave birth to the IESLTMC. Their initiative began a 15 year long mission – impacting hundreds of lives not only in Sri Lanka, but also worldwide. They continued down that route-adjusting a few speed bumps along the way-that they would make their dream of creating an international avenue for engineers in Sri Lanka enabling them to be better leaders and best of communicators and speakers. With the strong leadership foundation laid by the Charter President Jagath Jayawardana, all 15 Presidents, including the current President Erandi Udageachchi, Executive Committees and Members of the club have contributed to uplift the standards of the club. Lalith Kahatapitiya, a remarkable Toastmaster, served as the second President of the IESL Toastmasters Club and is the first ever Distinguished Toastmaster of Sri Lanka. Learned and thoughtful Zameen M Saleem served as the 3rd President and Dharmasiri Wickramathilaka, M. B. Hemadasa, Thusith Gunawarnasuriya, Krishantha Wimalasiri, Najimun Niyaz, Mahesh Amarasiri, Ranishka Wimalasena, Manjula Samarasinghe, Dilshan Saleem, Jagath Lal Wickramasekara, and Amal Kaluarachchi have served the club as the President respectively in each consecutive year.
Ever since that remarkable year 2004, the IESLTMC has been at the forefront of many complex and challenging milestones and has gained a century’s worth of experience. Since the term of presidency of Zameen M Saleem (3rd President and a Distinguished Toastmaster), the IESLTMC has continually represented the District Leadership, having produced leaders, who put their undying effort to take the values of the education and experience that the Toastmasters International offers beyond the club level. The District Leaders to whom the IESL Toastmasters Club has become the mother club are Zameen M Saleem, Dharmasiri Wickramathilake, Krishantha Wimalasiri, Thusith Gunawarnasooriya, Ranishka Wimalasena, Manjula Samarasinghe, Jagath Lal Wickramasekara (who is ready to represent the club at the Humorous Speech Contest at the District Level) and Amal Kaluarachchi and they have done their part in taking the name of IESLTMC to the world.
The club has since been able to very comfortably maintain the charter member strength with the number of members and the quality of the club rising with each passing year.
What are they up to during their Crystal Anniversary Year?
During this Crystal Anniversary Year, the IESLTMC celebrates their members, past members and the entire fraternity of Toastmasters and their significant contributions to make their journey a memorable one. The IESLTMC focuses on the Toastmasters Core Values - Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence, which spell out the word RISE, wherefore they have always had the power to RISE together for all the 15 years as their core values have always been in alignment with what great leaders do!
At the “Crystalline” themed meeting of IESLTMC’s Crystal Jubilee tastefully decorated in Blue and Black, led by two Champion Speakers of the Club, Jagath Lal Wickramasekara and Kanishka Rambukwella, the club promised a high degree of sophistication, a matchless charm, and above all, an international platform to develop public speaking and leadership skills of their members. The 15 years of experience of the Club, backed by the values and standards of the Toastmasters International combines the best elements of tradition and modernity and provides a solid foundation for building the future and creates a challenging environment to develop the true potential of their members.
Here at the IESLTMC, they not only support and encourage each other but also show up at funerals when one of us loses a loved one, bring food to share in times of celebrations, throw parties, engage in community service and reach out to check on each other when one of us is ill or going through a tough time.
That is the impact we have on each other and that is the IESL Toastmasters Club!
With the celebration of 15th Year Anniversary, the IESLTMC is now ready to stretch their wings and reach the pinnacle with all their past experience, knowledge, strength and they are more than willing to assist their members and the society.
So they say “Call us on +94 (0) 77 477 4672 (Prasanna Ranasinghe) or drop us an email on prasanna_ranasingha@yahoo.com and be our guest to stretch your wings and reach the pinnacle with the IESLTMC”.
Do you know what? Their story is still in the making and they wouldn’t have it any other way!
With much love let’s wish the IESLTMC a Happy 15th Year Anniversary!