Name: Karthik Roshan

Ice Breaker Speech

Good morning everyone!

I’m Karthik Roshan, 13 years old, and today I stand before you with my heart full of excitement... and maybe just a little fear that my voice might suddenly decide to crack in the middle of my speech!

Let me start with a confession: I’ve been a storyteller since before I could spell “story.” It all started way back in playschool. While other kids were figuring out how to eat their tiffin without spilling it on the floor, I was already attending storytelling sessions. I didn’t just listen – I lived every word. And soon enough, I began telling my own stories.

Now, here's where it gets fun. If there was a storytelling competition in school, guess who’d be the first one to know about it?

No, not my teachers.

Not my classmates.

It was my mom! She has this superpower – the moment a story competition is announced anywhere within a 100-kilometer radius, she’s already there. Before I even know it, I’m signed up, dressed up, and ready to win.

And trust me – I don’t disappoint her. Every time I step on stage, I make sure I bring home that first prize trophy, and sometimes... an extra samosa on the way back home as my reward!

Now don’t think I’m all about stories and speeches. I’m also a fan of smashing – not with words, but with a badminton racket! I love playing badminton. There’s something about hitting that shuttle back and forth that clears my mind... until I miss the shot and yell, “That was out!” (Even when it clearly wasn’t.)

Apart from storytelling and badminton, I have this strange love for stages. Not just one stage. I love new stages. Different places. Different people. The lights. The mic. The butterflies in the stomach. The whole deal. Each stage is like a new world to me. And I love exploring it.

Some kids love roller coasters. I love microphones. (But roller coasters are cool too… as long as they don’t ask me to eat pani puri right before the ride.)

So why am I here today at the Gavel Club?

Because I believe every great story needs new chapters. And this – standing here, speaking to all of you – is the start of my next big chapter. I want to learn, laugh, make friends, maybe even forget my lines once or twice (for dramatic effect, of course) and grow into the kind of speaker who can turn even a boring Monday into a blockbuster tale.

So, dear Gaveliers, buckle up – because with me around, it’s always story time!

Thank you!