A Rollercoaster Ride
For the past few years, I have been attending all our division H conferences, mostly as a contestant. However, the 2024 ISC proved to be the most memorable one so far. Why? It was like riding a rollercoaster. Until the last moment when I finally set foot in Virudhunagar, I had no clue if I would make it to the stage.
The Family
When I qualified for the division contest to be held in Virudhunagar, the first decision was whether to go alone or with my family. I thought it would be a great experience for the girls during their vacation to travel and meet interesting people. However, since it was vacation time, all the train tickets were sold out. The only option was to book a sleeper bus that would reach Virudhunagar on the morning of the conference. It was a tight schedule, but we had to make the call.
Another Event
On the day we had to travel, my husband was scheduled to play the chief judge for another division conference in Chennai, about a two-hour drive from our house. We planned to pack and get everything ready the previous day so that we could start our trip immediately after he returned from his conference.
From our roles' point of view, being a contestant is all about preparation and delivery; you don't have to worry about anything else. However, being a chief judge for a division conference requires shouldering a lot of responsibilities. A contest is all about 'integrity,' and this is the chief judge's responsibility. It requires collaboration and planning with many parties. Even though our plan was theoretically doable, we knew that it would be challenging, but we didn't have a choice.
The Costume
As a contestant, your attire plays a vital role in connecting your speech with the audience. Even before you start speaking, your costume speaks a thousand words to them. So, I meticulously planned my outfit. Adhering to my 'strict minimalist' oath, I always use costumes from my wardrobe instead of buying new ones. This time, I finalized a subtle beige blazer paired with beige trousers and a pink turtleneck T-shirt.
I had an interesting conversation with my 12-year-old about selecting costumes for a contest. She said, "A considerable amount of time is wasted (!) planning for the costumes every year. It would be a good idea to buy a black blazer set and a white formal shirt, which you could wear for all your contests without breaking your head for costume selection. It is, after all, a one-time investment." I told her I would definitely consider the idea for the next contest. My mother kept calling to check on my preparation for the contest. She carefully looked at the picture of my costume I had sent on WhatsApp and was happy with it. My husband took care of the travel and stay arrangements.
The Bus!!!
Two days before the contest, I received a heart-stopping call from the bus agency.
He: "Ma'am, your bus to Virudhunagar is canceled."
Me: "Wait, what? What do you mean? How can you cancel and inform us at the last minute?"
He: "We are informing you one day before the travel, ma'am."
Me: "Okay, but all the tickets are booked. How do you expect us to arrange our trip within a day?"
He: "Ma'am, I can arrange for four tickets to Madurai. Will that work for you?"
Me: "My contest is in Virudhunagar. What will I do in Madurai?"
He: "You can take another bus from there. It is only an hour away."
Me: "No way. As it is, we had planned for a hectic schedule. Going to Madurai will only make it worse."
He: "Okay, ma'am. I will try to get four tickets to Virudhunagar on the same night as planned. I can confirm by 11 AM tomorrow."
Me: "I will be missing my contest this year for sure. I have been preparing for it all these days. How can I stay calm until 11 AM tomorrow until you give us a call?"
[I had no clue what the person on the other end understood when I said that.]
He: "The time is 11 PM already, ma'am. Even if I contact my colleagues now, they might not pick up the call. But take it from me that you can attend your contest as planned."
The girls had a thousand questions for me in the next few minutes. "Mom, are we going or not? Is the trip canceled?"
All I could say was, "I don't know. Let us wait."
In the worst case, I knew I should be prepared to take any bus the previous night. The girls would surely be disappointed after all the packing. I informed the conference team that my bus ticket had been canceled and I was looking into other ways to reach the venue. I passed on my panic to them as well. :)
Ten minutes later, we got a call from the bus agency confirming four tickets to Virudhunagar. Just imagine the kind of pressure we all were under. My husband had his conference the next day, and I had my contest the day after.
If you think that after the ticket was confirmed everything was a cakewalk, there is more to come. Stay tuned for my next blog post :)
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