“There is a teacher and a student in each one of us and these are occasions when each one of them become one,” said well-known columnist, prominent businessman and Shoura Council member Najeeb Al-Zamil.
Speaking at the grand finale of the Youth Leadership Program conducted recently by Cosmos Toastmasters Club in Alkhobar, Al-Zamil mesmerized the young and old in the Al-Mohawis Compound auditorium with his entertaining interaction with the youth leaders.
He encouraged students from the local schools to ask questions, laugh and think; they knew that behind each laughter that he invoked, there was a pearl of wisdom that the author shared with them which unfolded through his childhood stories.
Some of the students were too shy before but became outspoken after Al-Zamil had made them laugh with his stories and anecdotes.
Al-Zamil talked of how he had never published his writings but all his 600 some articles are being collected by a group of youngsters to be published soon as a book. The students listened in rapt attention when he mentioned how his spirit had been ignited by wide reading on a variety of subjects ranging from cosmology to anthropology.
Al-Zamil is currently writing a novel based on real incidents set in an Indian background.
“Reading,” he told the youth leaders, “is not just a passion, but a lifelong pursuit; it sharpens the mind.”
Shaila Koya, the immediate past Division F governor, was delighted at Al-Zamil’s presence. “Neither the parents nor the kids will ever forget those moments with him. It is indeed a privilege for us to interact with someone as compassionate as him,” she said.
Natheer G. Al-Qassem, District 79 Governor, inaugurated the meeting. He mentioned how youth leaders’ journey is just a beginning of a long travel. He urged the participants to make good use of the training and become Toastmasters in future.
Koya Anachirayil, Toastmasters Area 60 Governor, shared his experience of meeting the previous youth leader in India who had opted to become a trainer with thousands of dollars remuneration because he was inspired by the Youth Leadership Program five years ago. He said that the modern world belongs to “talkers.”
Coordinators Thomas Andrews and Bobi Kumar expressed satisfaction at the progress made by the youth leaders in just six sessions.
