Glorious feat: Tanusya posing with her MBR and ABR awards.
Form Four student writes and speaks her way to the top
WITH just a year left before completing her secondary education, Tanusya Manimuttu is determined to make it all count.
The Form Four student at SMK Damansara Utama in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, recently achieved the feat of writing and delivering a total of 101 speeches, earning her a place in both the Asia Book of Records (ABR) and the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR).
Tanusya won a spot in the ABR on May 31 for delivering the “maximum self-written speeches by a teen” in two hours, 49 minutes and 54 milliseconds.
She was subsequently recognised by the MBR on July 29 for delivering the “most self-written speeches by a teen”.
“It all began with a casual chat with my friends, as I planned on doing something memorable during my secondary school years – something that would stand out,” she told StarEdu.
With a passion for writing and public speaking from a young age, the 16-year-old came up with the idea of writing and delivering speeches to gain entry into the ABR and MBR.
She added that the speeches were centred around teachers because her planning coincided with Teachers Day.
“I wanted to dedicate my speeches to the amazing educators who have shaped my journey,” she said.
Encouraged by her mother, Tanusya pursued the idea and aimed for an individual record, as recommended by a family friend, since she had previously participated in group records – achieving an MBR title for the production of the most Sue Bonnet dolls organised by the Girl Guides Association Malaysia this year, and another MBR title for the construction of the largest origami Malaysian kite organised by the Malaysia Origami Academy in 2019.
Although she had set her sights on the ABR and MBR, Tanusya said achieving them was still a surprise.
“It reminds me of one of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s quotes: ‘The only limit to our realisation of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.’”
Writing from her own experiences proved to be the right approach for Tanusya.
“The ideas just flowed. I wrote about all the educators I’ve met, from kindergarten teachers to my current school teachers, competition coaches, music teachers, and more,” she said.
To complete 101 speeches, she developed 50 themes, with “each theme featuring two speeches, and the final theme featuring three speeches tying everything together”.
Each topic was chosen to reflect the impact teachers have on students, she shared.
Among them were “The Transformative Power of Education”, “A Ripple Effect”, “Impressive Guidance” and “Supporting Student Well-Being”.
Even with a clear plan, Tanusya encountered challenges. The first was aligning teachers with each topic.
“For example, a teacher might teach science and also be a competition coach, so I had to carefully divide the content and experiences to achieve accuracy,” she explained.
The second challenge, she added, was delivering the speeches non-stop for nearly three hours.
“I delivered the speeches in my school library, witnessed by my teachers, fellow students, and the official videographer.
“My throat became dry, and my eyes started to tear up, but I kept telling myself, ‘I have to keep going.’ If I had stopped, I would have had to start all over again. Thankfully, I managed to complete it on my first try,” she recalled.
Through the experience, Tanusya said she learnt the importance of being systematic and structured, noting that preparing a detailed concept paper helped guide her decision-making.
She added that she also discovered the value of persistence and not giving up, even when the outcome is uncertain.
Tanusya attributed her love of writing and ability to express herself to early exposure.
She recalls writing letters as a kindergartener to Disney’s fictional character Olaf during Christmas and sending balloon messages hoping for the safe return of the missing MH370 aircraft.
Her childhood also included contributing stories and drawings to StarChild, a section in The Star that encourages young readers to share their creative work.
“Later, I began writing book summaries for the Nadi Ilmu Amalan Membaca (Nilam) programme in school, which sparked my interest in stories and speeches,” she said.
She also shared that at age 10, she participated in her first international English public speaking competition.
Over the years, Tanusya has won awards at the school, national and international levels in public speaking, storytelling, essay writing, and book reviews.
The Selangor native credited her parents for being her pillars of support throughout her journey.
“They provide valuable insights and help me look at things from different perspectives,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude to her school management and teachers, who played a significant role in helping her achieve her latest feat.
Tanusya is now focusing on achieving the Queen’s Guide Award in Girl Guides.
“It requires a lot of time and skills, but offers huge learning opportunities,” she said.
Encouraging her peers to “pursue your passions with all your heart”, she added, “If you have an idea, share it with the relevant people and give it a try.
“I never thought I’d achieve this, but I took the bold step and it paid off.
“Be courageous, take that leap of faith, and don’t fear failure. This is because failure is key to success.
“No matter what you do, enjoy the journey and always give your best.”
Weng Sam, 21, a student in Penang, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
