Speaking

sKills

Dr. Vinay Bansal

 This is a work of creative nonfiction. Some parts have been fictionalised for various purposes.

Copyright © 2021 Dr. Vinay Bansal

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by an
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval
systems, without written permission from the author, except by a reviewer who
may quote brief passages in a review.

First eBook edition - March 2021

 Preface

es, I understand that you already know how to speak and converse. After
Y all, that is something you had been taught ever since you were a child.
Starting from your first words to having a million words in your
vocabulary, learning multiple languages, you have walked a long way. And yet,
you are here, with this book in your hand, to relearn a skill so inherent in you. Or
maybe, just to polish them up. Well, you are definitely not alone. At some point
in time, everyone thinks that he/she needs to become a better orator, a better
communicator, and sometimes, even link their very nature to the way they speak.
If you have a mean tongue, you come off as a bad person; if you speak sweetly,
you are a nice person, irrespective of your actual nature. I present to you this
book with the hope that no matter what help you need, this book will be able to
guide you with it.

I won’t be surprised if you question the choice of my title, but I promise you that
it is very apt because Speaking might Kill. Humans are the only known species
on the planet who can talk and communicate to all the other members of the
species through multiple languages, gestures, and even silence. We learn how to
speak at the mere age of 1, but we don't know what to talk about until the very
end. We mostly end up saying the wrong things at the wrong time, something
that stays with us far longer than we would prefer. If we don’t rectify that habit,
it only creates disputes and kills harmony, peace, and brotherhood. Be it with our
spouse, friends, neighbours, or countries, speaking skills matter. Speaking
without Skills will Kill - a lesson important enough to write a book on.

Before you begin, I would like to set a disclaimer that the objective of the
fictional content of the book is not meant to be taken from a technical point of
view; and is not written to be technically sound. It is a setting created to aid and
connect the lessons of the book, with the hope that it also creates an interest in
the minds of the readers.
∞∞∞
 Contents

Title Page
Copyright
Preface
Prologue
Dissolving Ego
Relationship with Self
Importance of Backdrop
Image of Others
What to Say
How to Say
Epilogue
 Prologue

grey-haired, overweight scientist walks over to his cabin on a cold,

A December night. He hasn’t been able to sleep very well these past few
weeks. He was on the verge of a break-through - his masterpiece was on
the road to completion. He wrapped his shawl tightly around his torso, fastening
his pace. This beautiful city of Chandigarh was his home, but the cold
temperature in the winter wasn’t something he was quite fond of. Even then, he
was exceptionally pleased this winter. It was going to bring his long-desired
dream come true.

Dr. Bakshi has spent his entire life as a professor of psychology. His expertise in
human behaviour was world-renowned. His old-fashioned specs and dull clothes
lent him the distinct look of a Punjab University professor.

Reaching his cabin, he pushed open the door. Without turning on the lights, he
walked over to a corridor on the right leading to another door. Typing in the
passcode on the door handle, he entered the spacious laboratory. It was decorated
with computers, wires, and a humanoid robot on a semi-fowler bed. His
assistant, Kritika, who was working on one of the computers, walked over to
him.

“I have checked its components, Dr. Bakshi. You can start with your project.”
Kritika was a beautiful, bright girl who had completed her BTech as a Software
Engineering from Punjab Engineering College (PEC) a few months back. By
luck, she received the opportunity to work under one of the leading
psychologists in India. In her early twenties, her internship in Robotic software
has given her the opportunity of a lifetime.

Kritika had been recently appointed in this top-secret project on the

recommendation of Dr. Singh, the Head of PEC, who happened to be a very dear
friend of Dr. Bakshi. They were going to build a humanoid robot - SAMA, who
would be able to communicate and work like any normal human, maybe even
better. Its human-like appearance could be mistaken for an actual human, and its
physical structure has been designed and constructed in one of the leading
engineering institutes in India. Dr. Bakshi’s psychological prowess would instill
in it human emotions, while Kritika’s software capability would insert them into
SAMA’s computed memory.

Dr. Bakshi had always dreamt of an idea that could change the way people
understand communication and human behaviour. When he heard of this project
whispered around in the government sector, he couldn’t stop himself from being
a part of it. The top-secret aspect of the case was why he chose Kritika as his
apprentice, who was not only brilliant at her work but was also hardworking and
eager to work on this project.

The professor was deeply affected by the recent pandemic and the dire situation
in which it had dropped the mental and psychological state of humankind. He
knew that the exact cause of this pandemic was not just a virus; it was a deep-
rooted problem in the way we, humans, communicate. He understood that
humans didn’t only need a vaccine for the virus. A vaccine against our inability
to communicate was the highlight at this hour.

Dr. Bakshi had spoken at length about this very idea in an online conference of
the World Psychologists’ Association, “We need to possess the ability to prevent
future Covid-like situations. In today’s high-tech world, the attempt at
prevention is a necessity. If you ask me, the root cause of the very creation of the
Covid virus and the difficulties faced while controlling it was due to the lack of
Communication. Some countries that did not have good communication with
other countries created Covid as a Bioweapon. Then, supposedly, due to a
communication gap, it got leaked abruptly into the world. There are many types
of communication gaps. China, for example, is a country that prefers Mandarin
over English for conversation. The world leaders are not well-versed in
Mandarin and have to take the help of translators. These translators lack the
actual essence of communication - the effect of emotion, and so the entire
conversation becomes monotonous.”

“Moreover, when the disease spread, countries failed to communicate the exact
type and severity of the disease to other countries on time, which led to the
escalation of the problem. Surprisingly enough, the only proven method to stop
the spread was social distancing. But we all know that Humans are social
animals. We can not stop communicating, so it became one of the biggest
challenges we had to face as humankind. It’s true that humans can not stop
communication, but the problem is that they don't know how to communicate
properly either. Otherwise, Covid wouldn't have arisen in the first place. Thanks
to mass media communication channels, this disease was somehow controlled.
So, communication is both the cause and the remedy.”

That very speech had seeped into a more significant notion, transforming into a
march towards robotic experimentation on communication. Dr. Bakshi felt that
humans were slowly turning into robots, but if he could make a Robot
communicate properly, he could help humans too. The robot would retain every
method in the universe that could facilitate better communication; it would be
able to maintain every information taught to it. After it becomes proficient, it
could be used to teach the world how to converse again, without missing out on
anything. Additionally, it could be sent out to hostile or uncomfortable situations
to transfer the perfect message through the ideal emotion. With its humanistic
appearance and voice modulation, people usually won’t be able to differentiate
between an actual human and a humanoid robot. Of course, the government
mission behind the creation of the robot was not to facilitate Dr. Bakshi’s idea.
But why not kill two birds with a stone?

∞∞∞
 Dissolving Ego

AMA was the most advanced humanoid robot ever created in India. Ever
S since the idea of working with robots to overcome the human barrier of
communication arose in Dr. Bakshi's mind, he had been waiting for the
right opportunity. Back in 2016, he had applied for the project, but it kept getting
postponed. In the rise of the recent pandemic, the project was finally given a
green signal.

The social distancing situation had created an emergency. Studies had already
proven that humans tend to stay closer together in case of danger, but this time
the opposite had to be maintained. Most people thought it might be problematic;
most psychologists had perceived it to be complicated. But, it couldn’t be
disagreed that more and more people were getting comfortable with not having
to communicate with each other face-to-face.

Yes! People did crave human proximity but not for healthy communication.
They wanted to stay closer but not necessarily bridge the emotional or mental
gap by talking. In a social world, humans need to be social to make society
work. Without us speaking and sharing ideas the way we are meant to, there
could only be one result - chaos. No one understands others’ perspectives, and no
one wants to understand others. Social media has given us the perfect mask to
spew our unwarranted thoughts without caring for the feelings of others. The
situation is only becoming alarming. The start of the project was only a
necessary trajectory.

In a country like India, with 1.3 billion people and an ever-growing, diversified
population, sensible communication is the key to keeping everyone together. The
government of India and the scientific community realized this and handed Dr.
Bakshi the project. They urged him to accomplish his goal in secrecy, as fast as
he could.
SAMA was brought to their lab a month after the project was sanctioned. It was
a beauty to behold. SAMA spoke and walked like any average human, and its
robotic voice was polished close to human speech. It was faster, stronger, and
had better memory skills than any human. But its biggest flaw was its inability to
communicate on its own. It had to be fed with instructions and directions.

Dr. Bakshi’s work was to teach the robot to be better than humans in
communication. It had to have all the emotional components that any human
does, but additionally, it needed to learn how to control it. Later, SAMA could be
used to make this increasingly robotic world less robotic.

“Dr. Bakshi, what do you plan on teaching SAMA first?” Kritika had asked the
professor when they were on their way to receive the humanoid robot’s
shipment.

The professor’s eyes twinkled at the question, “First, we need to understand

what we shouldn’t teach SAMA. Any clue what I am talking about?”

“Umm… Jealousy? Anger? There are so many things we shouldn’t teach,

professor. Humans are full of vices that are a result of our emotions. Since we
need to teach him to communicate perfectly, we should avoid this.”

Dr. Bakshi heard her patiently and then said, “True, and for that, we need to
dissolve the base of all these negative emotions - The Ego. Or the concept of ‘I’.
Whenever you think of only ‘I’, you lose the very grounds of socialisation.”

“But Ego or our emotions are also supposed to be good. It’s bad as well, but can
we completely ignore its good side?”

“We cannot, and we shouldn’t. Every emotion, even the ones we normally put in
the ‘Don’ts’ category, is healthy for a while. But when we indulge in it more than
we can handle, it becomes dangerous.”

Kritika nodded her head, unable to understand the concept entirely.

“I will tell you a story -” Dr. Bakshi cleared his throat. Kritika nodded her head,
urging the aged professor to continue.
“Once there lived a Saint. He used to meditate for long hours, every day, and
through his dedication, he had achieved great powers - magical powers.

Although the talks of magical powers may seem very unscientific to a software
engineer like you, these fictions are required by a psychologist to explain tough
subjects. Take it as how we assume a principal amount as 100 in mathematics.
Understand without scepticism what the story unfolds to you.

When the Saint used to meditate, a mouse used to sit in his lap. The tiny animal
wouldn’t disturb him but would accompany him. Slowly over the period of
months, the Saint grew fond of that mouse. It became his companion.

One day a cat came when the Saint was meditating. The cat threatened to kill
and eat that mouse. Hearing that, the Saint was annoyed, and he used his
magical powers to turn the mouse into a bigger cat.

Everything went fine for a while. That bigger cat played around the Saint, and
no animal tried to cross its path. But one day, a wild dog came and challenged
this cat. The Saint again used his magical powers to convert the Cat into a Dog.

Things went well for a while until the Saint heard the roar of a Lion nearby one
day. Without wasting a second, the Saint turned his dog to a lion by magic. But
this time, as soon as the Dog turned, it attacked the Saint.

This Lion was the Ego.

We keep making it bigger, from a tiny mouse to a lion, until we get trapped by it.
Initially, the growth seems justified, and for a while, it remains so. But, as we go
on feeding our Ego, it grows bigger and bigger, until one day it eats us whole.

We have to be wary of that Ego, and in the case of SAMA, we need to teach it
the amount of Ego it can possess. Do you think you can manage the correct
command for this?”

Kritika nodded, smiling at the professor, “Yes, professor. I think I can.” She
finally understood what he meant. It was going to be an exciting project.
∞∞∞
 Relationship with Self

hen Dr. Bakshi entered his lab the next morning, he noticed Kritika
W working on one of the computers. Her hair was tied back haphazardly,
and her face looked puffy like she had cried the night before. The
dullness in her eyes confirmed his suspicion.

“Any problem, Kritika?” Dr. Bakshi asked as he set his bag on his table.

“Nothing as such, professor.” She stood up. “I have made the software for Ego,
and once we have the initial emotions set in place, I will add this one to manage
the range of Ego.” Kritika tried to change the topic of the conversation.

Dr. Bakshi, as a psychologist, knew how important it was to speak one’s heart
out. He had known Kritika for a month now while preparing for the project. She
was a strong girl and always tried to stifle her emotions. As time goes on, it
won’t fare well for her. Along with that, this project will need a lot of her
attention and feelings, and any form of distraction would only act as a barrier.

The professor walked over to SAMA, who was set on a stretcher. Wires were
attached to different parts of its metallic body.

“You know Kritika, over the course of my profession as a teacher, I have

multiple students who would go through stress, anxiety, heartbreak and tend to
keep that all within themselves. They feel that the world won’t understand their
plight; that strength lied in nonchalance. But, I have only seen them growing
weaker - mentally and physically. I am your mentor, but along with that, I am a
psychologist. I know for a fact that unless you resolve your personal issues, you
will not be able to concentrate on this project. Whether it is me, or your close
one, find someone you can share your worries with. You will feel lighter.”
Kritika looked at the professor. Over the past month, he had indeed turned into a
father figure to her. She found in him what she could never find in her own
father.

“It’s my dad.” She started slowly. “He left my mother when I was only seven. I
had been brought up by a strong woman who always tried to fill the gap that the
absence of one parent could bring. But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t
forget how it felt to have a dad in my life. I had some amazing memories with
him. But ever since the divorce, he changed. He became only a man in my life,
no longer a father. My mother tried to keep him in contact with me, but it’s like
he has left me along with her. How can blood turn so thin?”

Kritika sniffed, “Throughout my life, I had changed myself, thinking that

something will get me my dad’s affection. Nothing worked. Last day, we went to
my step-sister’s wedding. I saw in his eyes for her everything I wanted to see for
me. I don’t know where I went wrong. I feel so pathetic.”

As Kritika broke down into tears, Dr. Bakshi stayed silent, letting her cry her
heart out. Once she calmed down, Dr. Bakshi spoke, “Here is the thing SAMA
needs to learn first, how to build a relationship with self.”

Kritika looked at him dumb-founded at the sudden change of topic.

“Take note, Kritika.” Kritika turned to her desk, a little angry. He didn’t have to
ask her if he never meant to help. “Most often, we forget that we have a
relationship with ourselves. All throughout our lives, we travel from one
relationship to the other - from parents to siblings, to friends, and lovers, and
children - seeking happiness in their actions and reaction. We forget the only
person who can give us any form of happiness is our own self. We create our
own happiness.”

“Our happiness and sadness are not always given to us by someone else but are
rather an interpretation of our relationship with them. Take it as your relationship
with your father. When he gave you good memories, you remember your
emotions related to that memory and not his. He might have been miserable that
day, but the moment he spent playing with you became your good memory. In
the same way, when you went to your step-sister’s wedding, your sadness wasn’t
something he gave to you. He probably had no idea you were sad about
anything. He sought his own happiness and went away from you; I am not
justifying his role as a father, but rather stressing that your happiness is not
someone else’s responsibility. It’s your very own.”

Kritika turned to look at the professor, her anger long forgotten. The professor
continued.

“If we can maintain a permanent and stable relationship with ourselves, our
strained relationship with others will no longer affect us. And even if it does, it
won’t overpower us as it does now.”

“How can we maintain this relationship with self, professor?”

“While SAMA won’t be actively doing this, make sure you program it in and in
yourself as well. You can meditate, do yoga, go for a walk or a jog - alone. Even
if you choose to do it in a group, make sure you still find your lone time within
yourself. Do not let unnecessary conversation, music, or the noise of the world
distract you from your time with yourself. You can also maintain a diary or a
daily log; these few hours are to be spent in your own company. You need to
listen to your own thoughts, have a conversation with yourself. What is it that
your body and mind need? At this time, let your mind tell you what you are
missing. Treat it like you would treat someone dear to you. Listen to its worries
and offer solutions. Once your relationship with self is strong, your relationship
with others will strengthen, and you would no longer need them to fill your
void.”

“Attract positivity, happiness & satisfaction to yourself, and once you have
enough, you can share it with others. Think of yourself as the sun. The sun gives
out its light, warmth, and energy to other planets and lives, only when it has
enough to sustain itself.” The professor paused. “Tell me, Kritika, are you happy
with yourself? Do you feel complete without others?”

Kritika thought for a while before answering, “I have no reason to hide anything
from your professor. To be honest, I don’t have time for myself. I work till late at
night and have to get up early to come to work. I barely have time for breakfast.
It has been so long since I have taken a long relaxing walk without the need to
rush somewhere. Now that I think of it, my relationship with my father wasn’t
always terrible in my mind. The good times were probably when I used to write
a diary and give myself time to unwind from the day’s worry. Ever since my
world fastened, my relationship with others strained too. My father took the
brunt of the situation. I can see myself detaching from my mother as well, but I
have fewer things to blame on her. I can’t believe how blind I was. How do I get
it back?”

“To start with, you need to develop such a strong relationship with yourself that
even if you were to have no one to talk to or spend time with, you would still
feel complete and fulfilled without the need of any external stimulation, not even
music or our phones. You can start that by closing your eyes for a few minutes
every day. It will be difficult initially, but you will start enjoying it as you get
accustomed to that peaceful emotion. Slowly, you can set a particular time in the
morning to exercise or meditate. If you are in a position to meditate while
travelling, you can use that time as well to spend some hours with your eyes
closed and attaching yourself to your thoughts. And since you used to write a
diary, it would be a good idea to start doing it again whenever you get the time.”

Kritika nodded her head, writing down the instructions.

“Make sure you attach the importance of this lesson to SAMA’s code. If one is
not happy with oneself, he will want others to fulfil his need for happiness and
will surely return disappointed most of the time. Others are not in this world to
take care of your happiness; they are here to take care of theirs. Also, Kritika,
don’t beat yourself up about the past. You did what you had to do; based on your
understanding of that time, you have no reason to feel guilty about that. Guilt
will not let you have a healthy relationship with yourself, lest with others. If you
can’t do anything about that past action, like apologise, then just let it go. You
don’t have any time machine to travel back in time and change it, so it’s better
not to dwell on it. Take your past as a lesson for a better tomorrow. Be a better
person today. You have 24 hours each day; separate it from your last day. Every
day is a new life, and when you live it like that, you will feel happier, more
stable.”

“You’re right, professor. It’s time I mend myself and my relationship with my
father. Apologise to my parents and me as to how I treated them all these while. I
didn’t realise this project would give me so much. I will, then, get back to work,
professor. I feel much better.”
Kritika turned back to her computer, a smile dangling on her lips, her heart a lot

∞∞∞
 Importance of Backdrop

he duo had been working hard on the project. Kritika was close to
T completing the software upgrade with the latest information Dr. Bakshi had
provided her with while the professor had been out to appear for a class and
later updating the ongoing daily progress.

It was a rather hectic situation. The project needed to be completed soon, but
with the hardware coming in late, they were already running behind schedule.
After working nonstop for hours, Kritika turned to Dr. Bakshi.

“Professor, would you like to have a cup of tea? My head is jam-packed at the
moment, and it could use a break.”

The professor put down his pen and turned to his apprentice, “I have a better
idea. Why don’t we stroll down to Sukhna Lake? It will clear our head, and we
could have tea by the lakeside.”

Kritika agreed; after all, she had spent so many good hours near the lake. Sukhna
Lake was only a few minutes from her College, and it happened to be the place
where all her friends would come to unwind after a long day of class. It was an
artificially created lake, but the beautiful scenery it made had no artificiality in it.

They reached the venue, which was packed with people from every walk of life.
While Dr. Bakshi took up a spot on the lake pavement, Kritika went on to get
tea. The tea and the lapping of the lakeside soon lightened up the day for them.

“You know, Kritika, it would be a good idea to bring a few colourful pictures to
the lab. It will freshen the atmosphere there and boost our productivity. I can’t
believe I hadn’t thought of this before.” Dr. Bakshi mused.
“Indeed, professor. To be honest, this would have been a perfect place to work if
our project had permitted us to do so.” Kritika looked around. Even with so
many people on the lakeside, it didn’t lose its peace or beauty. Everyone here
appeared to be in a good mood. Children played in the swings nearby, families
had gathered around eateries, college students were sitting on the pavement
gossiping, couples were on their boat rides, joggers, artists, dreamers - everyone
found their place here. It was lively yet so calming.

“Professor, I don’t know if this is true in any way, but do our surroundings have
any impact on our mental health? I was not having the best day today, but
somehow by being here, every bad thought seems like a distant dream.”

“Yes, indeed. I shouldn’t be surprised that you stumbled across this thought here.
The place we communicate is as important as the communication itself. Our
surroundings act as an agent of good communication. Not only that, it helps your
ideas flow.” Dr. Bakshi began. “Ever realised why artists and writers would often
seek situations or locations that would merge with their creation. If you are in a
place like this, your art will be lively and colourful, portraying your emotions;
similarly, a dark, dingy room will create darker pieces of art. It takes a lot of
effort to oppose the influence of one’s surroundings actively.

Look at this park. Everyone around is having a lively discussion. The aged group
in the corner is enjoying their evening tea and a stroll in the park. The
youngsters, after a stressful day, might have come here to relieve their
exhaustion. The children are playing, and the families are spending some quality
time. One solo guy is sitting alone, lost in his thoughts, not caring about the
hustle and bustle around him. Do you think everyone would be having the same
reaction if they were in a mall? It probably wouldn’t be as carefree as it is here.
Their conversations are linked to this very atmosphere of Sukhna Lake.”

“That’s an interesting observation. Can this very idea of backdrop change the
way we communicate with ourselves as well? Like our inner thoughts?” Kritika
intervened.

“Indeed. The best thing about communication is that we never stop doing it.
Communication experts have said that we are always in conversation, whether it
is with our own selves or with others through thoughts, gestures, or speech. Like
that young man sitting on the pavement alone, he is lost in his thoughts, and in
some way, the surrounding is aiding his ideas. With the calm scenery and chaotic
background, he might be lost in nostalgia; it’s only a guess. If he were alone with
only silence and no colours around, he might possibly have had chaotic and
darker thoughts visit him. Studies say that we tend to overthink in silence and
find peace in chaos. Ironic, isn’t it?”

“How do you suggest people should set their surroundings then?” Kritika asked.

“By understanding the nature of our work, and the type of communication we
need to have there.” The professor answered. “For example, to have productive
office hours, it’s best to have a clean area with interior decorations related to the
work. Creative work will be fueled with colourful portraits; a serious
environment will welcome motivational quotes, statues, and plants to influence
the surrounding. Additionally, good fragrance and soft music could give a
calming feel.

Students find it easier to study in such a type of environment as well. A

designated work area directs our muscle memory to get into the work or study
zone as soon as we sit there. White noise, binaural beats, or natural sound often
aids the creative procedure of writing or creating artwork.

Nowadays, the digital interaction scene is on the hype. A plain wall background
will give a rather dull and atmosphere than one with pictures on the wall; a
location of perfectly-placed furniture will provide an official and homely feeling.
While in text messages, emoticons will act as the bridge to portray the intended
emotions. Additionally, a good internet connection and prompt replies ensure
that the conversation between the two parties is devoid of any unnecessary
intervention.

There is another interesting thing that is becoming very common. Books and
coffee cafes merge the two most exciting things for introverts and book
enthusiasts alike. It creates the perfect atmosphere to assist both the needs - it
has a library feel with the addition of soft music and livelier surroundings.

Speaking of livelier surroundings, this is also why international conventions are

held in big cities as they offer the panellists and the visitors plenty of places to
explore. It’s clean, better organised, and has lots of recreational areas to spark
their interests. People inherently understand the type of environment that is
suitable for their sort of work; it’s only that they fail to utilise it in their lives in
the most effective manner.”

“That’s so true, professor. It’s only in the laboratory where I can get my work
done. It’s like I have functioned myself to that surrounding. However, a beautiful
picture could surely aid my eyes with some variation. On that note, how can
SAMA use this knowledge?” Kritika said as she took in the knowledge Dr.
Bakshi so simply conveyed.

“SAMA can add the simulation of its surroundings to aid its conversation. In a
simple manner, it will understand what sort of surrounding requires what
response. In a marriage, the conversations must be uplifting, while in a funeral, it
must be sombre. With close ones, it should be loving, and in an official
surrounding, it must be professional. It’s also something that humans can
understand. We are so indulged in our personal lives that we forget how to
respond to situations without our personal emotions getting in the way. Kritika,
while it is personal to you, I hope you understand what sort of atmosphere it
must be when you speak to your father about your worries.”

“Yes, professor. I understand now. I just hope for things to work out well.” As
the sun dipped beneath the horizon, Kritika was enlightened with a new
understanding of her emotions and the ways to communicate them. She couldn’t
wait to work on the project; it was like she finally understood why SAMA was
necessary for this world. There is so much the world needed to realise.

∞∞∞
 Image of Others

ritika entered the lab early the next morning. She felt a whole lot better
K than she had felt the previous day. She had managed to sleep early last
night and had apologised to her mother about her recent behaviour. It
would take her some time to talk to her father about it; the wounds were still
fresh, and she hadn’t found the perfect situation to let her father know. But it
didn’t matter as much anymore. She knew she had it in her to move on from her
past.

“Good afternoon, professor. I wasn’t expecting you here on the weekend.” She
greeted the aged man, who was speaking to the active SAMA, probably running
a stimulus.

“Neither was I. What are you doing here, Kritika? You do seem in a jolly mood
today.” He smiled.

“Things are falling in place, thanks to you, and this project is too intriguing for
me to take a break. I suppose you have already checked the ‘Relationship with
Self’ software that I have uploaded in SAMA. I hope it’s working well. I might
have to tweak it a little to perfect it. I only have to add the Backdrop software to
it. Speaking of that, I love the new picture; it sure brightens up the place.”
Kritika smiled as she saw a picture of Sukhna lake hung on one of the laboratory
walls.

“I am glad you like it; it seemed to be the perfect one to capture the essence of
our conversation. And yes, SAMA is indeed responding well to my questions,
although it doesn’t have the understanding of how to deal with other humans.
How about you set the next software alongside the current one? It is related.”

“Is the next software based on the study material you sent me last night? They
were interesting, but I feel you explain them a lot better than the articles could.”

The professor laughed at Kritika’s words. “You seem to like my lectures, unlike
my students who seem to wait for the lecture to end! I have to go to the
Communications Club in 15 minutes to deliver a speech on the topic ‘Image of
Others’, the same articles I sent you last night. Why don’t you accompany me
there? It’s only a few minutes’ drive.”

Kritika readily agreed to the proposal. She collected her work diary, turned off
SAMA’s hardware, and exited the laboratory premise to reach the
Communications Club. It didn’t take them much time to get there. The Club was
a branch of a giant company that gathered every Saturday after lunch hours to
discuss communication and help each other communicate better. Dr. Bakshi was
a well-known figure in the Club, and they would often invite him to deliver a
speech. It was one such occasion.

The duo reached the venue in no time and walked over to a hall marked as the
‘Communication Center’. As they entered, Kritika noticed people from almost
all walks of life present there. From old to young, man and woman - everyone
was eager to learn the very essence of society.

As soon as the organiser noticed Dr. Bakshi, she walked over to the professor
and welcomed him to the center of the group. It was a relatively informal setting,
almost like a therapy session. Everyone sat in a circle; Kritika occupied one
chair while the professor took his place at the centre.

Clearing his throat, he began -

“As I had said during one of my earlier conversations with you all about the
importance of our relationship with self, today I will move forward and speak of
the Image of Others. The knowledge on this topic will help create better
interpersonal relationships. I’m sure you had times when you found it
challenging to converse with people, unable to communicate your thoughts
properly, and it all happens because we fail to understand the very topic of our
Image of Others.

How can we utilise this lesson? How can we develop an Image of Others in our
mind while at the same time creating an image of Us in theirs? For this, I will
introduce you to four simple ideas-
The first is, Respecting Others . Often we tend to think that certain people
deserve our respect and others do not. Such as youngsters should respect elders;
someone from lower stature must respect a person of higher importance; an
employee should respect his boss; rich has more respect than poor - but that’s not
the way the social, communicating world must function. Respect is a mutual
thing, and only when it is mutual, there arises the option of healthy
communication. Everyone has something valuable in him/her, and it’s crucial for
us to realise if we were to develop a respectful relationship with each other.
Suppose youngsters are more technologically advanced than adults. In contrast,
adults have better understanding of life, and they can only share that knowledge
when they respect each other mutually without thinking one is better than the
other. An employee can have better experience and expertise than his boss and
still work as an able part of the workforce. Respecting each other will ensure that
the results are more fruitful. In every aspect of our life, we must maintain this
idea of respect. There is so much to learn, and so many people we can learn from
if we are willing to.

The second is Differ in Views but not from a Person . As I said earlier,
everyone has something different they can teach us, which means they might
also have views that might differ from ours. It is a natural thing in
communication where we tend to accept that information that aligns with our
ideas on somethings and ignore everything that opposes it. But in the case of an
interpersonal relationship, a smooth communication is a result of understanding
each other’s views. We might not agree with everyone, but we shouldn’t
disrespect others nor ignore their existence because of their opposing views. At
times we have nothing in common with a person, which makes conversation a
lot harder. At other times we have few commonalities, which makes the process
easier - whatever be the situation, discussions can only be carried out when we
realise that people are all the same; it’s our thoughts that are different. Thoughts,
which fluctuates every now and then.

The next is to be Genuinely Interested in Others . Don’t you love it when

others show interest in your life, what you do and what you like? Don’t you want
to share your interests with others as well? We, humans, have a need to share our
interests and stories with others. And through the communication of this interest,
we find close friends among strangers. In most cases, it’s not that a man’s
company is exactly like him; it’s because he shares common interests with them.
That’s how you make friends and acquaintances.
The initial thing is to keep our curiosity alive about the person we are conversing
with. By asking them about their life stories, experiences, likes and dislikes, we
make them feel special, which is something everyone enjoys. This, in turn, helps
create a great bonding. If someone doesn’t show any interest in you, you won’t
feel like speaking to them after the initial introductions.

This aspect is also the speciality of interviewers. Suppose you are interviewing a
person or meeting someone for the first time; you need to do some background
research about the person to find things to talk about. Say if it’s a celebrity, you
google about him or her, check articles and older interviews to understand what
things they are comfortable with, in what setting they open up more, are they in
their comfort level or not. These few things make a good interviewer different
from a bad one.

If it’s not a celebrity, which is the case with most people, you still need to go
through a background check either through social media or by asking common
friends about the person. It’s also the perfect way to avoid awkward silences and
loss of words. When you know something extra about the person, you can use
that to keep the conversation going. Not only that but knowing a person’s
interest and ideologies beforehand can help us prepare ourselves for the kind of
relationship we would prefer to have with them.

The last concept is to Understanding others' Viewpoints . This is a kind of

extension of differing views. To have a deeper relationship with someone, say
your colleague or your classmate, maybe even your family, with whom you have
to spend a lot of your time despite your varying views, it’s essential to truly
understand where they are coming from. Again, we may not accept their
opinions, but unless we are in their shoes and see the world from their eyes, we
cannot connect better. Sometimes, we need to form a relationship for an easier
everyday life; there is no choice to avoid it. In such a case, we must understand
their motivation.

Motivations can be many things - their family values, the place they were
brought up in, social status, life experiences, earlier companion, and more. Even
if we can understand a few of the aspects, we can appreciate their influences a
lot better. This will also allow us to make a conversation more comfortable by
avoiding topics that might bring awkwardness and welcoming issues that will
lighten the mood. Remember one thing - we will always find something or the
other common with the people around us; we just need to be interested enough to
see it.

In this world of increasing digital context, we forget these steps. Especially in

the pandemic, we have forgotten how to connect to people. So before we are too
late, we need to bring back the ‘social’ in real life; social media can wait for a
little while.” Dr. Bakshi ended his speech which was met with much appreciation
and applause.

After a short Question and Answer session, followed by discussion and lunch,
the duo found themselves back in their vehicle.

“Thank you for letting me be a part of this. I feel this new information will help
us make a big stride in SAMA’s communication software.” Dr. Bakshi had
offered a lift to Kritika’s home. “It’s strange to think that we need a robot to
teach us about communication, but indeed we have completely forgotten the
means to communicate…”

The world had opened to new possibilities of communications with SAMA. Dr.
Bakshi knew that they had to work quicker. In a few days, SAMA had to be
presented for its first trial. While most of the lessons of communication were
already set, only proper interaction with the robot will convey how successful
they had been. The following week spelt a lot of new challenges.

∞∞∞
 What to Say

he next few days passed away in a blur. The trial day was fast approaching.
T Scientists, researchers and top engineers and psychologists were coming to
Punjab University for the trial session. The entire project would still be
kept under wraps, but it was necessary to go through the assessment to
understand SAMA’s progress.

Dr. Bakshi had tested SAMA on its response and felt rather pleased to have
accomplished what he did within the time constraint. Kritika, on the other hand,
was terrified. It was the first major project of her life, and while SAMA was
responding well now, there was no knowing how it would perform in a new
environment among strangers. They would be throwing questions at it, not easy
ones, indeed. SAMA had been fed with real emotions, and things could go
wrong depending on its response guidance.

The day arrived faster than the duo would have liked. Dr. Bakshi had gone to the
airport to receive the dignitaries while Kritika went through a last-minute check
on SAMA’s software updates. There were 11 panellists in total, each the best in
their fields. Kritika still felt unsure. She had carried out stimulations multiple
times, but the uneasiness never truly left her. She was re-testing it for the third
time that morning when the University peon knocked on the lab’s door
announcing the arrival of the dignitaries.

Kritika breathed in deep and set SAMA in transport mode, meaning that it could
walk by itself. It was a Sunday, and the college had been asked to be strictly kept
shut for the day. Except for a few official staff, there was no one present. Many
pairs of eyes won’t notice a quick walk to the auditorium with a metal-clad
skeletal robot.

They reached the auditorium in no time. SAMA was well-equipped in its

features and appeared human-like if not for its iron-clad body. As soon as Kritika
and SAMA entered the hall, all eyes set on them. Dr. Bakshi stood at the centre
of the dias as the duo walked over to him.

“A very good morning to the esteemed scientists, fellow psychologists, scholars

and engineers. I have been working on procuring human emotions in the
humanoid robot SAMA for a few months now. From creating an engineered
structure to adding in the software to make it as it is today. If our endeavour is
successful, we might be able to step into a new phase of human life. With better
communication, human beings might be able to prevent a lot of mishaps in the
future. Without further ado, I present to you SAMA.”

Claps thundered across the hall as SAMA stepped forward on its own. “Good
morning, kind gentlemen. It is a pleasure to be here among you. I am SAMA -
the world’s first communication-specialised humanoid robot. I am here to take
on your questions as Dr. Bakshi had briefed me about it.”

Its voice was crisp and clear. The voice modulation appeared almost human-like.
The few dignitaries who hadn’t met SAMA previously were left awed.

“SAMA, it’s nice to meet you finally. Dr. Bakshi, before we begin our
questioning, I would like to ask if you have given a thought as to how SAMA’s
exterior would be - that of a female or a male?” One of the dignitaries
questioned.

“Since SAMA appears to be more of a feminine name, we had decided to go

with it. Additionally, SAMA’s female voice modulation appears to work better
than the male counterpart for now. So, you may address SAMA as ‘she’, if you
choose.” Dr. Bakshi said.

“Okay, SAMA. Now, I will give you a situation; feel free to answer me by
imagining yourself in that space. A mother has given birth to a still-born. You
have to communicate the message to her. How would you do so?”

SAMA said, “I assume the atmosphere around me is not one of celebration. I

will make sure that she has plenty of privacy around to express her grief. I will
say, ‘Sorry to inform you, but your child is dead. Feel free to express your grief.”
A silence reigned down on the hall. Dr. Bakshi and Kritika appeared detested.
“Well, I suppose she still has a lot to learn.” The questioner said. “It’s the first
trial. I hope Dr. Bakshi can work on her responses.”

“Yes, definitely. We will teach her what to say, depending on the situations. It’s
not something we have been able to explore yet. Apologises for the same.” The
professor realised his work was cut out for him. He knew what SAMA was
missing and hoped that the rest of the interview would go smooth enough for the
panellists to allow a second chance.

Fortunately for them, the rest of the interview went smoothly. SAMA was
equipped with most aspects of communication except for the responses to certain
situations. Thankfully, the group agreed to another chance and a final trial after a
few months.

After a few more hours of discussion about the current and the adjacent projects,
Dr. Bakshi and Kritika returned back to the laboratory.

“Will they take away the project from us, professor?” Kritika asked. She didn’t
want to lose the most important project of her life so quickly.

“No. We have a few months to work on it. Why don’t you take some rest and we
will start early tomorrow? The next part might take a good part of our time.”

-----

Kritika arrived in the office early the next day and saw Dr. Bakshi working on a
whiteboard.

“Good morning, professor. When did you arrive today?”

“I never left. I was too bothered to go back home. I will order two cups of
coffee, and we can start. As you might have already guessed, the lesson for today
is the Topic of Communication , in Layman’s term, What to Say . You may
turn on SAMA while I explain. She has the capability to understand and register
the information, and it might aid you if you miss anything while coding.” Dr.
Bakshi got back to his board.

Activating SAMA and a cup of coffee later, Dr. Bakshi began his explanation of
the concept.
“The best way to communicate is by speaking the right things in the proper
manner. It seems really easy and insignificant, but as we had already seen with
SAMA yesterday, it’s a bit tricky. Even for humans, we tend to say things we
don’t mean or say in a way that is not appropriate. Today, I will try to cover the
things we need to keep in mind while speaking. It’s already a well-known fact
that we must Think before we Speak. So, the process of thinking must contain
three things - the Motive of the talk, Contents of the talk, and the Structure of
the talk.

The first thing is to have an objective in mind, a motive behind any

conversation. When we speak to someone, we are doing so to fulfil some notion
- be it to develop a closer relationship, which we do with families, discuss a
topic to understand it better, learn something out of it or just fill gaps in between
more significant segments of conversation. Our ‘small talks’ are meant to
diminish the awkwardness. Even in ‘casual talks’, we have a motive - it can be
to bring about a deeper relationship, time-pass, to ease our emotions, and more.
We greet to be polite; sales associates converse to sell, doctors to diagnose,
teachers to teach, and so on. Everyone needs to have a proper objective. But, we
don’t pay as much attention to this aspect as we should, which gives rise to
uncomfortable and directionless conversations. The pre-set motive in our mind,
no matter how insignificant, make sure that our communication process is
smooth. That we don’t fumble with each word and definitely, don’t say
something that we don’t mean.

Following on the objective that we have set for the conversation, we need to
organise our thoughts into proper words, that is, setting the content of our
discussion. For example, we want to sell something to someone, an idea or a
product - we tell the positives, then the negatives, balance the product to the
consumer to allow them to make an informed decision. If we do not broadly
organise the thoughts in our mind, we are bound to miss out on the important
stuff or fumble with what to say, ultimately losing out on the entire objective. If
we are to motivate someone, we are supposed to turn to the positive sides of
achieving something; if we are to warn someone, we poke into the opposing
sides of things to convey that objective.

Now, the conversation can take place in multiple ways. Interpersonal, group,
public speaking; it can be face-to-face, over a call, text or email. Depending on
how, to whom and through which means we are communicating, we need to set
our thoughts accordingly. The difference between an impromptu and a planned
speech is very evident. For spontaneous ones, we repeat topics, return back to
the same point because we missed some points, jump from topic to topic based
on where our mind takes us, and ultimately can easily make a straightforward
objective extremely difficult and confusing to understand.

On the other hand, if we have planned it beforehand, something that most people
when they give speeches do, we can express ourselves systematically. Right
before you came, Kritika, I had set my objective and organised my thoughts, so I
know which point will follow next. It cuts down on filler words like ‘um’, ‘uhh’,
‘hmm’, which are very distracting, and instead allow for a very eloquent speech.

Organising a thought is not an easy thing. Look at how, when we write

something, say an essay, we edit it multiple times, have numerous drafts before
producing the final manuscript. But, when we are speaking, we can’t actively
erase something we have already said; if we try to do so, we end up confusing
the other person or persons. Words, once spoken, cannot be taken back; once
written, they can be edited. Then, how do we organise it properly? To do so, I
suggest something I call - Organisation by the Rule of 3 .

Why do we need to do that? Because most of our thoughts are intertwined, they
can have multiple subheadings, so the idea is to arrange all our thoughts under
three broad headings. We can even state while giving a speech that we will be
dividing the topic into three parts; even while explaining something casually or
through text or email, we can use this method. Having just three big headlines is
helpful because it is neither underwhelming nor overwhelming. To better use the
Rule of 3, we can pictorially imagine the three sections in a left, centre and right
format. The format of introducing, body and conclusion also conveys the same
rule, theoretically. It is perfect for conveying any objective, hasslefree and
perfectly. The Rule of 3 can flawlessly encapsulate all our thoughts in a
systematised manner, leaving behind the feeling of impactful communication.

A bad conversationalist is someone who speaks only about themselves. It’s no

surprise that most people love to talk about themselves - boast about their
achievements, talk about their experiences and so on; like in a list of names, we
look for ours first before searching for someone else. But when we try to
establish a connection through conversation, it is better to talk about the other
person. Everyone wants to feel special about themselves. So, in order to show
interest and keep the conversation going, we should ask about the other person -
their day, their experiences, their life journey and their future plans. It
strengthens the bond. No one likes a person who speaks only about themselves.
Initially, others will try to be polite before they get tired and blatantly start
ignoring or lying to get out of having a conversation. There is no reason to boast
about ourselves to others; it just makes us appear narcissistic. It’s advisable to
speak about ourselves only when asked and when it is necessary to do so. When
you are interested in others, others will be interested in you.

Another exciting thing is the Rule of Yes . It’s always better to have a positive
tone in any conversation. Even if we differ about a thing from the other person,
we must try to start our discussion but agreeing to their opinion, instead of
turning it into an argument. It is to show that we understand and respect their
viewpoint.

For example, someone said, ‘Dieting is better than exercise for losing weight.’
You do not agree with that. Instead of saying ‘no’, say ‘Yes, that’s a possibility,
but I feel that exercise might be a better substitute because…” It gives a vibe that
we are open to conversation, even in disagreement. We can also use the Rule of
Yes to make someone agree with us by asking simple questions. Suppose you
want to go to Manali while the other person wants to go to Shimla. So, you start
with simple questions that end with a Yes like ‘Do you want to visit a hill
station?’ - Yes. ‘Do you want to visit a less crowded place?’ - Yes, and so on.
Most people tend to agree with our proposal if they find enough commonality.

I hope you were able to follow what I was trying to say, Kritika?” Dr. Bakshi
ended his lecture.

Kritika, who was busy noting down specific points, looked up from her
notebook, “Yes, professor. You made it pretty clear. I feel there are a lot of things
we tend to do without realising them. Like a lot of people talk or complain about
themselves a lot without necessarily realising that they are doing so. I have had
friends like that, and no matter how understanding I tried to be at the end, I
ended up losing interest in speaking to them. Is there any way I could have
salvaged the relationship?”

“When people tend to brag or boast about themselves a lot, it’s usually a sign of
insecurity. It is also something that shouldn’t be encouraged. One thing that
could have been done is to directly communicate to that person, if you are close
enough, without belittling them, about what you feel about their bragging. If you
aren’t close, you can try to divert to a different topic every time you feel they
might be overdoing it. Trying to brag yourself in order to show them how it feels
doesn’t help because most times, they might not even realise they do. Ultimately,
it’s a thing that an individual can change only if they want to.”

“Thank you, doctor. That really helped. It might take a few days to process it all
into SAMA. I feel she might have understood most things, but turning it into the
software will make it permanent in her programming. I will get to work on it
then.” Kritika turned back to her desk while Dr. Bakshi went back to his desk.
There was still one lesson that needed to be conveyed, but overburdening
someone with multiple assignments wasn’t the way to go.

∞∞∞
 How to Say

t was weeks of inserting software, writing, editing and re-editing them,

I continuously conversing with SAMA to test her skills, before finally, Kritika
finalised the completion of the last program. She didn’t want to make any
errors. Of course, some niches would require attention now and again before the
panel decides for the second trial, and hopefully the final one, but it didn’t mean
she would keep the errors to be corrected on a later day. As the days were
approaching, so was her anxiety. Dr. Bakshi had mentioned that they need to go
through one final lesson, after which SAMA will be ready to be presented, and
she couldn’t wait to start that.

Kritika was conversing with SAMA, asking her casual questions to register her
progress, something she did every day when Dr. Bakshi entered the lab.

“Good morning, Kritika. How is SAMA’s response today?”

“It’s perfect, professor. Her response has improved drastically over the weeks. I
had been talking to her like a friend every day, and it seems she is registering
that communication perks as well, and also I have been tweaking the software
wherever I feel a little snag.”

“That’s amazing. It seems like she is ready for the final stage of the project.
Would you like to start now?”

“Yes, definitely. If I’m not wrong, it is about the Way of Communication .”

Kritika took her seat in her usual chair while SAMA sat on one beside her.

“That’s right. The last time I spoke about What to Say, today I will be giving you
a lesson on How to Say it.
While we are speaking to someone, certain nuances make a conversation more
effective. It can be our facial or verbal cues, our response to the words of others,
or our way of saying something.

The first thing is Energy . Whenever we speak to someone or meet someone,

our energy must be high. We must talk to them happily, stand straight, a firm
handshake, smile and converse with enthusiasm. Our energy level also shows
how much we are interested in speaking to someone. While a high energy level
makes one eager to talk to us, a low energy level repels one from a conversation.

I will give you a simple example - you must have come across certain teachers
whose lectures you absolutely enjoy while there are others you feel sleepy and
try to avoid. If you might have noticed, teachers with an energetic tone fall in the
first category. Their enthusiasm about the subject they are teaching rubs on the
students, and they become interested in the class as well. On the other hand,
when a teacher has low energy while teaching, they neither feel the excitement
to teach, nor do the students feel any form of eagerness to learn the subject. It
can also turn a very interesting subject boring. The most common one is
mathematics. It is a complex subject, but an enthusiastic teacher can turn it into
an easy walk, but a boring teacher will make the subject very difficult to
understand. Energy is not something that we need to have in face-to-face
communication; even when we are speaking over a call, a person can sense our
energy. The same is the case when we are chatting over text. It might seem that
eagerness cannot be conveyed via writing, but if you notice closely, our
vocabulary changes from bright to dull depending on our mood. That very
emotion is transferred to the other person who is reading our texts.

Next is to maintain Eye contact while speaking to a person. Initially, it might be

challenging to do so if you have low confidence, but a little practice can help.
You can practice in front of the mirror or with family and friends to maintain eye
contact. If you are talking to a small group, try to alternatively look towards each
person to make them feel welcomed into the conversation. Here, you can also
take their names and recall an incident to create a connection to the group. This
way, we can maintain eye contact as well as personal contact with them. A good
communicator takes care that no one feels excluded. If it is a large group, a
public speech, you might want to pay attention to the audience in the corners as
well. Make a letter ‘M’ or ‘W’ with your eyes to cover all sides of the hall. When
someone gives such a speech, they tend to look at the centre and ignore the
sides, making the people in the corner lose focus on the subject at hand.
Now, when the role is reversed, that is, you become the listener and they the
communicator. In that case, you must give them full attention and not look
distracted. If an audience appears oblivious, the communicator, in turn, also gets
distracted. To show that you are a part of the conversation, nod your head at
times to say that you understand, say ‘hmm’ or ‘yes’ to convey the same. Saying
‘yes’ not only shows your involvement, but it also creates a positive,
acknowledging feeling. Gently smiling at the communicator also brightens up
the communication process. Actively creating a positive atmosphere through
these means is extremely important when you are playing the other party. It
shows that their views and ideas are as important as yours. You should listen
patiently.

I will, again, bring the example of the teacher and students. If, as students, you
try to pay attention to a boring lecture, you will notice that you understand a lot
of the concepts that you thought you are unable to. While an enthusiastic teacher
can grab the attention of an uninterested student, an interested student can also
turn a boring lecture fruitful. In the end, communication, as such, won’t be
smooth, but it can still serve the purpose for at least one side.

The final thing is to utilise standard conventions of ‘Sorry’ and ‘Thank you’
generously. Yes, there is a famous dialogue that ‘there is no sorry and thank you
in friendship’, but there is ample amount of it in communication, and it keeps a
conversation healthy. Showing gratitude and apologising for our errors not only
makes us better humans, but it strengthens our connection with people. These are
virtues, and with passing days, we are forgetting them on our march towards
non-vulnerability.

That’s about all. Is there anything you need to know, Kritika?”

“I understood everything, professor. But I was curious about something,” Kritika

had a good habit of waiting while the other spoke. She rarely interrupted, which
pleased Dr. Bakshi immensely. “It is not exactly linked to how to communicate,
but even before the process starts. There are times when I have to meet someone,
but they arrive late to the spot, and that delay tends to spoil my initial
enthusiasm. If they are too late, I completely lose interest in the person and the
conversation I was hoping to have. The entire atmosphere turns bitter. How do I
cope up with that?”
“That’s an interesting question, Kritika. Now, waiting time is not confined to
only when you are meeting someone outside; it can also be a waiting time you
face when you call someone or visit someone at their house. Their phones might
be busy when you call, or they might take time to answer it. They may answer
the door late or ask you to wait in the hall before they come to speak to you.
There are multiple times when you might have already faced it, and there will be
more times when you will encounter it, so you need to learn how to adjust to it.
A few things you can do are notice your surroundings, like look at how they
decorated their house, the books they have in their bookshelves, the scenery
outside their windows, or maybe, savour the food they might have served you. If
it’s a call, try to read a book or work on something while you are on hold;
sometimes, the caller tunes can keep you company. The ultimate aim is to keep
yourself positive by not concentrating on the wait, instead enjoying the free time.
You can also go over the motive behind your conversation or distract yourself
with good thoughts.

If the waiting time is too long, it’s better to bring a book with you or listen to
some music. You must not do anything that will take too much of your attention,
like watching the news or a movie. A heavy job taken up during these times can
take away your focus, ultimately making the communication complex.”

“I understand, professor. I have to visit the bank tomorrow, and it looks like I can
use the advice well. If there is nothing more, I think I can add it to SAMA’s
software. After all the complex things that we have managed to set into her, this
lesson won’t be a difficult one.”

“I think so too. Once you are done, we can have some mock drills with SAMA in
the auditorium to check her responses in a different environment. Eventually, we
can take her outdoors and see how she reacts in an unfamiliar environment
where her senses will attract more distractions.” Dr. Bakshi was excited to get to
the final testing stage.

The next few weeks until the second trial, which they sincerely hoped to be the
final test, was spent polishing her skills. This time Dr. Bakshi expanded the
setting through video calls, phone calls and stimulated group calls. He had even
called up a few friends who were a part of the earlier panel to converse with
SAMA to check her response. So far, things have been going well.
∞∞∞
 Epilogue

t was a clear, bright morning, one that spoke of hope and peace. It was the
I kind of morning that seemed auspicious, like nothing could go wrong. Kritika
was ecstatic and nervous, more so the former. The project has given her a lot,
and she had a feeling that it would get passed today.

Kritika looked at herself in the mirror. Dressed in a pant-suit, she looked

confident, and the radiant smile on her face was a cherry on top. Last night, she
finally got the courage to talk to her father about her feelings. Her father
apologised to her for making her feel that way and told her that the only reason
he tried to stay away was because he thought his presence would only make
Kritika hate him more. Somewhere, Kritika’s initial anger towards him had
pushed her father out, and his attempt to not bother her had pushed her away.
Oh! What the absence of communication did to a loving bond.

The discussion had ended with tears and hugs and a promise to mend the
relationship. It was not mere words, though; they had actually planned a movie
night - mother, father and daughter. And dinner with the entire family, and
maybe this time she would feel much more happier to see her stepfamily. Life
was finally getting better. She was sleeping better and waking up more content.
Communication really did help, and she hoped with SAMA it could help the
world to understand it better as well.

She reached the laboratory in no time. She was shocked to see SAMA. Instead of
its iron skeleton, it was dressed in artificial skin, fake hair covering its wired
brain and a posh pant-suit. She looked like any normal, beautiful human girl. Her
tall figure was casually walking about the lab, speaking to Dr. Bakshi like it was
any other day.

As soon as she saw Kritika, she greeted, “Good morning, Kritika. I was just
telling Dr. Bakshi how helpful you had been in teaching me the lessons he
passed on to you.” SAMA smiled.

Kritika walked over to SAMA, “I’m glad I could be of help. It still feels out of
this world to see the marvellous creation you are. I hope you are all ready for
today. It is really important.”

“Don’t you worry. I’m all set. Dr. Bakshi had been here since early morning,
going over my programs.” SAMA then turned to the professor, who had a big
smile on his face, amused at the interaction. “Dr. Bakshi, the dignitaries have
arrived. You just received a message from the dean. They are all waiting in the
hall. Shall we proceed?”

Dr. Bakshi nodded, and SAMA successfully managed to capture the facial
indication. They walked over to the hall. SAMA looked around the campus,
making small talk, “It is a beautiful day indeed.”

As soon as they reached the murmuring hall, silence descended on the crowd.
Just like the last time, the dignitaries were in awe of SAMA. Her human-like
appearance, more so today, was nothing sort of a miracle to them.

“Good morning, respected panellists. Ever since we all met last time in this very
hall, Kritika and I had been working on our shortcomings. We had heeded all
your suggestions on ways to improve SAMA’s programming. I thank you all for
giving us the opportunity and time to work on this project and for helping us
along the way. I present to you, SAMA - a miracle in itself. Today, I stand before
you with confidence in my creation.”

Claps echoed in the hall, and SAMA stepped forward. “Thank you, Dr. Bakshi,
for your glorious words.” Her voice rang through the hall, clear and in perfect
modulation. “I am SAMA - the world’s first communication-specialised
humanoid robot. Over the past few months, I have gone through multiple
modulations and trials, perfecting my skills enough to be presented before you.”
Her eyes scanned over the hall, paying attention to every individual present. “I
presume you have questions for me, and I would love for you to ask them. You
may start with your enquiries.”

One of the panellists from the corner stood up, SAMA eyes instantly set on him.
“It is a pleasure to converse with you, SAMA. For my question, take some time
to imagine yourself in a situation where you are communicating with another
individual who is extremely angry with you and is not ready to understand your
perspective on a topic? How would you tackle such a situation?”

SAMA answered, “Thank you for your question, Dr. Mehta. The first thing in
this situation is for me to understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion,
which is an influence of their lifestyle and upbringing. I'll keep calm and try to
see the situation from their point of view as well. It is only when I understand, I
will be able to direct where they should go, as in I will be able to explain my
side in a way they will understand. All the while, I will smile and be positive in
my communication. Sending good intentions is a must in such a scenario. I hope
that answers your questions.”

To say the least, Dr. Mehta was really pleased. This time, a woman panellist took
up a question, “What if you face a situation where someone is speaking ill about
your enemy, or someone you dislike, to you behind their back. How would you
respond to that situation?”

“It is indeed an interesting question, Dr. Choudhury. As far as I had been

programmed, I do not feel comfortable speaking ill of someone. It creates an
unpleasant feeling in me, something I connect with a human's conscience. I
would follow that vibe of my programming as a signal of something I should
avoid. Irrespective of my relations, if a talk is negative and toxic, I will avoid it
by either telling the person that I am not okay with the discussion or change the
topic to a different discussion. Encouraging the other person in their charade will
only create a negative atmosphere. Our topic of discussion should always be
positive, creative and progressive. We must not indulge in backbiting or
disrespecting someone even if it seems interesting and gives a sadistic feeling of
pleasure. Nothing good comes out of such unproductive and negative gossip.”

As soon as SAMA completed her answer, Dr. Singh stood up, “Apologies for not
giving you a moment’s rest. I would like to ask you a question - if you randomly
meet a person on a bus or a train, what will you talk about? Politics, weather,
profession?”

“That is absolutely alright, Dr. Singh. I am glad you are enthusiastic about our
conversation. To answer your question, initially, I would choose the option of
keeping quiet. I would like to treat those few minutes as leisure time to think
progressively or listen to my thoughts. I could even read a book or listen to
music. But if the situation demands me to break the ice to smoothen a long
journey, I will start with questions about their hobbies, skills, experience and
future plans. It will be good for both of us as the person will feel special, and I
will gain some good knowledge or experience.

On the other hand, Backbiting, arguing about politics or passing judgements on

government actions maybe some of the worst things to do. It will only create a
hostile atmosphere, and in case of a difference in opinion, will make the journey
rather unpleasant.”

Dr. Singh was greatly pleased by the response. One after another, the panellists
threw questions at SAMA, and she tackled it perfectly. Dr. Bakshi’s heart soared
with pride; Kritika was almost on the verge of tears. From last time's disastrous
experience to this time’s perfect one, they had travelled a long way. SAMA had
managed to learn a lot in a short time, and they had been able to deliver
something deemed impossible. The duo could teach a robot to feel and respond
in a way even humans of today find difficult. Empathy, kindness, solidarity -
strange to say, the robot had it all. It definitely poked at the question, how did we
humans manage to lose it? Something so natural to us, something that makes us
humans, how did we manage to let it go?

All was not yet lost. As Dr. Bakshi looked at SAMA, he knew he could make a
difference - whether big or small, it would be significant.

SAMA passed the trial. She was ready to teach humans how to be humans again.

∞∞∞