A recount of my adventures at a dating show, that happened in NeverLand: this was my enty for the club level Tall Tales (stories that are told as if they were true but contain exaggerated or unbelievable parts) Contest at my Toastmasters Club. It was my first ever contest & while I ended up not winning, I had a great experience participating.
Many years before the advent of Tinder, the way that people found their soulmates was through a good old-fashioned Swayamvar. After the sensational Rakhi ka Swayamvar that aired on Indian Television, there was another mystery show on the same concept called “Meghna & Mister” & of course, the producers just had to ask the most youthful, most ingenious, most delightful girl on the planet & after checking my calendar, I said yes to the show!
The show’s concept was simple – a series of elimination rounds with 20 eligible bachelors each with 1 heart shaped bulb that had to be turned on if we were a match. So, in I walked – swish-swash swish-swash in a shiny silver dress, and as I got to the center-stage, I felt all the bulbs turning on!
The 1st round involved the organizers showing a video montage of my life. We all turned to the big screen & saw great moments of my existence get replayed – me watching Bigg Boss at 12 AM, me eating pineapple pizzas & me vibing to Dhinchak Pooja’s songs. The men however did not seem to be in agreement & 10 of them turned off their bulbs! Huh! If they cannot appreciate my cultured hobbies, good riddance!
The 2nd round was to be a video testimony collected from a mystery person. We all turned to the big screen again & I was surprised to see my friendly old neighbor who had once asked me to take care of his pet goldfish in his absence. But as soon as he came onscreen, he started hurling abuses at me, saying I had pan fried his pet goldfish & eaten it for dinner! Well, in my defense wasn’t that what he meant by “taking care of it”? After all, I was just acting as per my Bengali roots! I don’t know what I did wrong, but the damage was done & 5 more dissuaded boys turned off their bulbs.
There were now 20-10-5 = 2 boys left, and if you’re following the Math & it doesn’t add up, well, I would urge you to put your calculator & sense of logic back into your pockets – this contest is called Tall Tales for a reason!
The 3rd and final round was the “Get to Know Each Other” segment. The 1st guy looked like an Indian Chris Hemsworth & it was love at first sight until he said “I am strictly vegetarian, but on Tuesdays I eat eggs, on Wednesdays I eat hens & ducks, on Thursdays I eat frogs..” and before he could recite his menu for the rest of the week I turned off his bulb.
With all hopes now pinned on the final Mister, I turned to him with expectant eyes. His introduction was smooth, he was some oratory genius sweeping me off my feet, which is until he mentioned “I am the terrific President of the most terrific Speaking Club of Honolulu”. I cut him off right there – “Terrific for you, Mr. Honolulu, but I am from Toastmasters & I disagree that there can be any club more terrific than Toastmasters! T for Terrific, T for Toastmasters!” And just then, I felt a shift in the room’s energy as ecstatic whispers of “Toastmasters! Toastmasters! She’s from Toastmasters!” took over the arena & all the Misters switched on their bulbs in awe!
While I did not find my Mister that day on the sets of “Meghna & Mister”, let me tell you what I learnt: be it a dating show or a job interview or a Tall Tales Contest, being a Toastmaster will take you places!
