Gerald D'Cunha

 The man who shot dead the young XI th standard student, yesterday, was a senior citizen, a retired customs officer. The girl was not a party to his anger... she did not belong to the family with whom he had picked his fight... she did not even stay there. Still, he shot her down. What was his anger? His reason to kill? He was angry, because of the civil work being carried out at the flat above his own. The work disturbed him... so much... yes so much that it made him pull his revolver and create a ruckus at the society premises... and, finally, kill that innocent stranger-girl. The cops gunned him down, soon after that! It is the death of anger... The end of ego. May the innocent and the ignorant, both, rest in peace. Cops did not gun down Pravin Mahajan, even though he shot dead, in broad daylight, his own brother, his mentor - Pramod Mahajan. What was his reason? His provocation? Whatever they may be, Pravin Mahajan did not think he did anything wrong by gunning do...

The other day, when somebody used the word - 'Compromise', I was quick to respond: "Let us not use the word - 'Compromise'... That is a 'cheap', rather, ineffective word. Let us use the word - 'Peace'." I went on, "Peace comes straight... with out any conditions, with no strings attached." There was no discussion on that. There was silence... It was profound. That evening, I found myself speaking fervently, with all my passion and strength... but, it was all a monologue, rather a soliloquy. I was telling them - the fighting parties, the parties who were unable to find a breakthrough - this. "A compromise comes with doubt, with suspicion from the mind; peace comes with complete trust, straight from the heart. Compromise means, I am ready, but I still don't trust you... I may not honour my promise, in case, you... Peace means, I am ready... and I trust you fully... I will keep my promise, and you too will, I know. I know. I...

One of the most profound, and blinding, realisations in my life is that, the world will go on smoothly - very, very smoothly - without me. This means: My home will run smoothly... The lives of my wife and teenager son will run smoothly. Even if I am the CEO of my Company, the Company will run smoothly without me. Similarly, even if I am the Prime Minister of my nation, my nation will take its own course, even without me. Life is too big, too eternal for me to control. To think that I can change its course, is to be arrogant. Every thing will be fine without me... the flowers in the garden, the fruits on the trees, the animals in the forests, the children in the schools, the machines in the factories, the clouds in the sky... and even the smiles on my dear one's faces. They will all be fine; they will be taken care of... Life is all merciful. It will protect. This morning, I, once again, felt anxious. I yelled at my son, "There are hardly any days left for your exams... Do some...

It is close to twenty, 'long' years! That's for our marriage. The count down has started for our Silver Jubilee. A year is a long time not only in politics, but also in marriage. I remember, just a couple of days after our marriage, my in-laws had celebrated their wedding silver-jubilee. So, for them, it is the count down for their Golden Jubilee. Why do I write about this subject, today? Two days back, Alka had come to see me. "Our marriage did not work; we have separated," she said. There was no hesitation, no sign of any sort of stigma as Alka made that confession. It was plain and simple... I was silent for a while. Just through an empathetic silence, my eyes conveyed to her my feelings: "I am sad; it shouldn't have happened." Alka's marriage couldn't last for even eight months! I still remember what I told them as I wished them on their reception night - "You make a lovely, happy couple... Wish you all the best." Both of them h...

Yesterday, a parent had come with his young son for admission in my class. "He is very intelligent, but does not study. I want you to motivate him to study, get a good performance," the parent told me. If I am intelligent, don't I act responsibly? Don't I choose what is good and what is not good for me, for my growth and success? I am naturally motivated to do a task which I 'choose' to perform. My goals come from my own choices... and the moment I set my goals, motivation comes, on its own. "Welcome to my class," I gave my hand to the young man. "Dad wants me to motivate you for study, to perform well. Do you think, I can do that?" For a while, the young man was confused. "You can, but I must be first of all serious," he said. "So, you have said it," I patted him. "You ARE intelligent," I pepped him. Looking at his father, I said, "Sir, every time I take a student, I make a silent commitment - to give my ...

If you kick a rock, it won't bleed; but, your foot will. How angry you are, how frustrated, how justified... the rock will not understand. You better take your anger and frustration in some other way, try to justify in a saner way. A rock is a rock... It has no blood, no life. You better understand. I thought this way, just a few nights ago. A young couple, who stayed on the third floor of one of our buildings, was kicking the lift angrily, and frantically. I happened to pass by the scene. "What happened?" I asked them. Being the Chairman had given me that licence... at least to encounter gently an agitated member. "What happened?" the couple countered. "For fifteen minutes, we have been stranded here; they do this all the time," the young lady shouted. "Who? What they do?" I asked. "They don't close the lift door properly," the man replied. "But, sir, the lift is down... and the complaint has been lodged...Any moment, the ...

The greatest truths are the simplest ones. Not only that, they are the least complicated ones, too. I have wondered, often, why some teachings are so simple, some dialogues so durable, some songs so immortal, so unforgettable... What makes a speech so timeless in its impact, why some movies stay with us for so long? I heard this famous song last night when some one sang it. I couldn't hold back my tears: "When I was a little girl, I asked my mother what will I be, Will I be pretty, will I be rich, Here is what she said to me. Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be, The future is not ours, to be, Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be. When I was young, I fell in love, I asked my sweet heart what lies ahead, Will we have rainbows, day after day, Here is what my sweet heart said. Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be, The future is not ours, to be, Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be. Now, I have children of my own, They ask their mother, what will I be, Will I b...

About five thousand years ago, the mighty Egyptians tried mercilessly to destroy them. Then, just in the last century, an even more merciless dictator - Adolf Hitler - tried to wipe them off, completely. Now, the oil-rich Arabs and their allies are hell-bent to eliminate them. But, they have survived. They are Hebrews, the Jews. Israel is their nation. They believe, that they are the Jehovah's chosen people... and, their land is the 'promised land'. The Old Testament is packed with stories of how their God - Jehovah - spoke to them directly. He gave them the Ten Commandments to live by... Abraham, David and Moses are their heroes... and, they believe that the Messiah is still to come. To them, Jesus is not the Messiah... not the 'son of God'. So, their hardcore high priests found Jesus's preachings sacrilegious, blasphemous. So, the merciless clergy cried for his blood. They got him nailed to the cross, along with the condemned criminals. It is Lent for us, the ...