Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Gloria Pinto I just came back after visiting Collin, my student, who is down with Jaundice. His parents are abroad and he lives, here in Mumbai, with his uncle and aunt and his adorable grandma. They hail from the same native land, Mangalore, from where I hail. So, they were very happy to talk to me in Konkani; Collins’s elderly grandma was particularly delighted and kept talking to me so much about her good-old-days in Mangalore, which, was some six decades ago! She spoke about the lovely people, the fantastic food, the churches, feasts, fields, streams, hills and above all her wonderful childhood. What a pleasure and pride this warm 80-plus woman took in rewinding her memories… I was her faithful beholder, today! It was a pleasure soaking in her stories… I did it happily. And, then came the important part of the visit: Collin’s aunt proudly laid before me, on the table, some amazing idlies (which we call ‘Sannah’ in Konkani) and so...

“If you think, by being sarcastic, you can come about as witty, funny and humorous,” I made it very clear to a young-man, a while ago, “your thinking is wrong.” “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,” I cited an old saying. When we are sarcastic, we are not direct, not open and sincere. We taunt, we hint, we lie and we hold back… Mostly with the intention of making the other person look stupid, feel guilty and small… We do it to shunt him out… by making others laugh at him. And, certainly, that’s not any decent wit or healthy humor. It cuts through the other guy’s vulnerabilities… Like an arrow, it pierces through his heart… That’s why, in psychology, the sarcastic guys are called ‘Snipers’… They indulge in what is known as an ‘indirect aggression’. Often, the sarcastic people, who indulge in indirect aggression, are detested more than the abusive ones, who indulge in direct aggression. At least, we can openly see and clearly hear th...

Image courtesy: Google Just outside my classes, we have a small garden. For last couple of days, the little kids – Vyomie, Tanish, Vishesh and a dozen others, all between age 10 and 12 – have been planning for their mega-show – ‘Dahi Handi’ .   It will be staged in our gardens, today evening, at 4. Vyomie and gang had barged into my office, last afternoon – throwing themselves out of their school bus, they had straight away come into my office – to announce: “Sir, you have to contribute Rs. 30/- for the ‘Dahi Handi’ ; we are coming in the evening to collect.” “Ok sweet-hearts,” I pulled them close to me, “Shall I give it now?” “No, we will come in the evening,” they said in a chorus… At 5 sharp, in the evening, they were here with a neatly-prepared list. They proudly started from me… So, I am waiting… I am excited! L ord K rishna is a very inspiring teacher - Dashing and dynamic… Practical and tactical… Loving an...

The more dependent we become on others, the less confident we become in life. For over two weeks now, I have been telling this to two of my F.Y. BMS students. “Depend less on me… Go home and find out the answers for yourself.” These two young-girls have joined some of the best colleges in the city. They have studied in the best schools, come from well-off families and are blessed with well-educated parents… Yet, when I teach them, I find them absolutely lacking in self-confidence in the subject I am teaching… Despite explaining the topic in several ways, and despite solving many exercises, they still come out with something so silly or stupid, if I can say so. As a teacher, I am not supposed to degrade anyone’s learning abilities… I should be exceptionally patient and encouraging, empowering. But, my experience, with students like these, is very simple: unless I first help them become self-reliant, self-trusting… unless I encourage them to take risks, mak...