Small Story 282.

Small Story 282: A Timely Topic" Shyamala was delighted to receive an announcement from her popular social media group about an upcoming speech competition. Back in her college days, she had won many prizes for public speaking. Now, after seven years of married life, this would be her first time participating again. Each participant was given four minutes to speak on a topic of their choice. Shyamala thought hard about what to choose but couldn’t decide. She planned to consult her husband, Vishnu, in the evening after he returned from the office. Their five-year-old son, Atul, was playing nearby and noticed his mother’s restlessness. “Mum, why are you sad?” he asked. “I’m not sad, Atul,” she smiled. “I’m just trying to pick the right topic for my speech. I’ll decide this evening when Dad comes home.” That evening, when Vishnu returned, Atul quickly shared that Mummy was worried about her speech topic. Vishnu was curious and asked what kind of topic she needed. When Shyamala nodded and confirmed, he said excitedly, “Then I have a suggestion — how about 'How to Control Anger'?” Shyamala thought for a moment. “Can I really talk about that for four minutes?” “Of course,” Vishnu encouraged her. “You can include real-life examples — how anger affects relationships and how patience can prevent problems.” Motivated, Shyamala worked on her speech for two hours, with little Atul keeping track of the time. She recorded the final version and submitted it to the group. Ten days later, she received a message from the group: her speech was praised as thoughtful, meaningful, and an excellent explanation of anger management — all perfectly delivered within the four-minute time frame. She had won first prize! At the next group get-together, they presented her with a beautiful Titan watch and a large sweet box. Shyamala smiled, full of gratitude, and thanked Vishnu for his excellent topic suggestion and Atul for his timing help. Vishnu whispered with a grin, “The moral of your winning speech — everyone should try to control anger, especially in the days ahead.” Shyamala smiled back, “Yes, dear. Absolutely.” K.Ragavan 20-6-25 -