Gerald D'Cunha

For the past one week or so, many of my FB friends and their friends – in fact, the whole world – had been spreading the message: ‘Kill Kasab’! Well, I did not register in my mind what that message actually signified, nor did I send it to any of my FB friends. Then, last night, I came to know from someone from my Society that the death sentence had been served on Kasab. The man who told me this was very happy and proud. “It is the end of terrorism,” his relieved look seemed to tell me, “All our problems are now over.” About two years ago, I had blogged on the subject. “We have pinned high hopes on Kasab,” I had written, “that, when he is hanged, the terrorism would come to an end… that, we would be able to live peacefully!” Now, this man, Ajmal Kasab, is going to be hanged. So, the terrorism is going to go from   our land… there will be peace! Is it something like that? “Kill Kasab!” I still wonder what that...

It is past 10 in the morning; still, it is very dark outside… It has been pouring relentlessly. My mood is definitely affected by the way the Nature behaves with me… Frankly, I do not like this gloom outside… “Can you be a little brighter?”    I hear me say in my heart, “Can you make me smile?”   “Everything in life is communication?” I was telling someone, last evening.  “The mother who prepares our supper at night… or the father who returns home after slogging hard through the day… or the little fellow, who,   with his school uniform soaked in muck, storms into the house like Napoleon Bonaparte… Yes, they all communicate… The Director who projects on the giant cinema-screen the hues of drama-in-real-life… the woman who sings, without words, her opera as if in a trance… the clown who makes you laugh under the circus tent… the villain who makes you scared as you read the fiction on a starless night… Yes, they a...

So, today, I am writing about another Armstrong. And, for another reason.  I had turned 11 in the same month, July 1969, when Apollo 11 had landed on the Moon. I was in fifth standard studying in a local school…  And, I still remember how I was coming back home, all jumping with my friends… Hey, we were given a holiday! The reason? Man had landed on the Moon! And, Neil Armstrong was this man! No Television sets, dear… still we kids knew how a man had landed on the Moon! My dad was a huge fan of J.F.Kennedy. He kept telling us that it was President Kennedy’s dream to send Man to the Moon, before the decade ended, and bring him safely home.  President Kennedy did not live to see his own dream come true… “He is watching it from right up there, sitting on his rocking chair!” our dad would beam as he dramatized. We kids simply believed in what our dad would tell us! “A small ...

One morning, in the summer of 2007, Apurv Verma, who was one of my students in 1983-84, just appeared before me in my office. I was pleasantly surprised to see him after so many years.   When Apurv came to me, I was putting together an inspirational book titled – ‘The Cheetah’ to be released in June that year. I knew someone would appear, from nowhere, to help me up financially. My heart opened up before my dear student, and Apurv, who was then a Vice President of one of the multinationals, said ‘yes’ without even blinking. So, on June 10, 2007, on the annual Graduation day of THE DAWN CLUB students, we held a book-releasing ceremony. During the function, I put my arm around Apurv and spoke fondly about him to the audience. In response, he spoke kindly about me and, showed every one two books that had left a great impact on his life. He had brought a copy of each book to gift me, and he spoke something about the books and their author. ...

If g rowing-up is fun, then, there should never be a dull moment in life! Because, growing-up is a life-long experience… This morning, I caught myself giving a long sermon to a group of six students of twelfth standard. Suddenly, it struck me, in the midst of my sermon, that some twenty-five years ago, incidentally, I had taught either one or both the parents of all these six students! And, I realized that I used to sermon the parents of these young ones, those days, as animatedly as I was doing this morning! Yes, the same fire and passion… same temper and language!  “Hey, now listen to me, you guys,” I found myself telling my ‘faithful’, “a quarter-century ago, I used to lecture your dads or moms exactly the way I am doing to you now!” They giggled! My sermon ended! “I will tell you guys,” I shook my head with a lot of contentment, “there has never been a dull moment in all these years!” Honestly, I meant every bit of th...

Presently, there is terrible turmoil in Assam. The state is in a mess. Yes, I read the news reports… watch the endless stories and gory images on television… and, start reacting in my mind.  What is happening out there in Assam… I do not like. It disturbs me… But, what can I – an ordinary citizen from one corner of far-away Mumbai - do about it? It is just like watching on the television the horrifying images of the Twin-towers of New York City collapsing! It is just like watching the frightening scenes of tsunami or earthquakes somewhere out there in the world… It is just like watching the American fighters bombing the cities in Iraq or Afghanistan… It is just like watching the chilling sight of a gunman shooting down dozens of innocent children in a school… The mob goes on a rampage at Azad Maidan… The terrorists storm luxury hotels and hold the nation at ransom… A desperate young watchman sneaks,...

  “Who is my best friend?” Last night, this question kept haunting me over and over again. And, in the process, I found myself quite disturbed. Not because, I did not have many good friends… There are. The disturbance was essentially linked to this thought: “Would I stand by my friend, when the chips are down for him?” I really felt scared to think too deep into this question… “Would I be with my friend, when the times are difficult for him?” Would I? No one else could answer this question for me… Yes, in my life, there have been some friends, who have stood by me when my own chips were down… Most of the times, it is the moral support that matters in such times… Some patient listening, some timely, sane advice, some re-assurance, that, things would be normal soon… That I can count on them any time… And, yes, I too have stood by some of my own friends when times were tough for them… and, yes, most of th...