December 3: Asira Khanal and Rujal Lal Joshi won the evaluation contest and the humorous speech contest respectively during the first-ever division conference of Toastmaster held in Nepal on Saturday, December 1.

According to the organiser, both the winners will proceed to the district level contests to be held in in Kolkata, India in May.

Likewise, Sadikchya Singh and Pratistha Sapkota respectively secured the second and third positions in the evaluation contest while Kausalya Devi Khadka and Rahul Chokhani finished second and third in the humorous speech contest held at Hotel Himalaya.

Dr Rajdeep Manwani, a distinguished toastmaster from Bangalore, India delivered his keynote address and conducted a talk session in the conference attended by more than 250 members from 14 different clubs in Nepal.

Nepal Toastmasters also recognized and awarded the “Communication Award 2018” to Dr Swarnim Wagle chosen by an eminent panel of jury members on the very day. This is the first of its kind award, which is awarded to a non-toastmaster member by the fraternity, reads a statement issued by Nepal Toastmasters.

The program also featured a panel discussion on the topic of ‘women leadership across generations’ with panelist Chandani Joshi, Ritu Singh Vaidya and Sumana Shrestha. The discussion was focused on the many challenges being faced by women in workplace and the possible way-out to overcome them. The panel discussion was moderated by toastmaster Ravin Lama.

On a lighter note, Toastmaster members also showcased their talent on stage. First ventriloquist of Nepal, renowned stand up comic Toastmaster Seema Golchha showcased her special act on the day. Other talented toastmasters also showcased their special talents to the audience.

Nepal Toastmaster partnered with Bajaj Pulsar as the conference sponsor, Western Union and Renault Kwid as co-sponsor partners, Laxmi Bank as banking partner, Prisma Advertising as creative partner. It was supported by Nepal Tourism Board.

Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. The organization has more than 357,000 memberships. Members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 16,600 clubs in 143 countries that make up the global network of meeting locations.