Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Neerja Panchal If you ask me, today, as the curtain comes down on 2013, what would be my one prayer before God, I would reply, without even stopping for my next breath: “Lord, help me remain grateful, hopeful and cheerful.” In fact, in life, what else does matter? To wait for the problems in my life to get over in order to celebrate life, is being ignorant about life… As long as my life exists, my problems exist. So, to plead God to do away my problems is totally a wasteful exercise on my part… Perhaps, “Lord, give me strength, give me courage, give me wisdom… to handle my problems, to carry by share of burden in life,” yes, this seems to be a more sensible prayer… The more I look back on my years, the more I get convinced, that my problems have come and gone just as the clouds do in the sky… I get more and more convinced, that just as we should not lose faith in the bright Sun, who is momentarily covered by the Smokey clouds, w...

Pic.: Amrita Jeurkar on my way back from the bank, I just saw a couple of young-kids preparing the ‘old-man’. These young kids, literally, live on the streets… Their shanties are built right along the roads and, they have nothing as their roof except some torn plastic sheets… This is biting cold these days, and I see them sleeping at night outside their shanties, right on the open streets…practically, half naked… leave alone the blankets and thick sheets! So, today, when I just saw those young kids stuffing in the old-man’s body with whatever they could lay their hands on, I know, that they, too, are excited as I am to burn behind their past and embrace with hope and open arms the New-Year to come… Yes, like me, they, too, have hopes and dreams… Like me, they, too, expect a bright and prosperous New-Year… Like me, they, too, want to celebrate the coming of New-Year… Will the New-Year be bright and pr...

Pic.: Neerja Panchal I did not know who Heath Andrew Ledger was until my son told me about him. It was through my son’s highly-charged recounting of the legend of ‘the Joker’ – the character Heath Ledger made immortal and left behind as his enduring legacy - that I was inspired to watch all the Batman movies with my son. Let me tell you, I truly realized why my young son, and millions like him, were so spellbound – almost numbed – by the untimely death of Heath Ledger, barely days before the release of his amazing film! Did Heath Ledger know what a stellar performance he had given in his last movie? A similar thought had passed through my mind when Yash Chopraji passed away after putting his heart and soul into his last movie – ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’… What a title? Just think about it… Till my last breath! Yes, till my last breath, I shall endeavor to do what my heart longs to… and, I will do it with all the passion in the world! I really...

    Pics.: Mehul Bhuva I just read this Good-Morning message shared by my FB friend, Ajit Nair, today: “Half of our sorrows we earn by expecting good things from wrong people; And other half we earn by detecting wrong things in good people.” Nothing can be truer than this! Often, we hear people advising us: “Don’t keep expectations; you will only end up disappointed and in sorrow.” But, if you start your day with this paradigm – not to expect anything from anyone at anytime and anywhere – let me tell you, we will end up with even more frustration, and despair! It is naive to believe that we can live in this world without keeping any expectations from people around us. It is ignorance. So, the message I received from Ajit, this morning, had provided the right perspective: Don’t expect ‘good things’ from ‘wrong people’… Half of your sorrow will end! Stop digging for ‘wrong things’ in ‘good people’… The other half of your mise...

Pic.: Amrita Jeurkar S ome things about Christmas shall, eternally, remain childlike: The Christmas carols, the Santa, the Christmas Tree, the snow, the bells, the gifts, the mid-night mass, the Christmas-best attire, the party, the dance, the Christmas sweets and never to miss the lovely plum-cake… And those star-eyed kids… which means: ALL OF US! The Santa hasn’t grown any older ever since I met him when I was a little baby… Nor has the Christmas Tree… The carols make me dreamy even now as they did when I first heard them some fifty-six years ago… The sweets and plum-cake have not changed their taste… The mid-night mass was, is and will, always, be special… The baby Jesus shall, always, be born only there – in the humble crib… And, Christmas shall, for ever, be celebrated by all of us – irrespective of our faiths, age, class, color and status… So timeless this special season is… And, so, today, I wish to re-present the Post I...

Pic.:Neerja Panchal “O ne dollar and eighty-seven cents." This is how O. Henry's short story - 'THE GIFT OF MAGI' - begins. I am yet to come across a Christmas tale, as moving as this one. It's simply an ageless classic. Simply immortal! It is a story about the true spirit of gifting and sacrifice. It is about the silent strength of true love ... It is about trust, faith, simplicity and, above all, the true spirit of Christmas: the imitation of the Christ! It is, a true challenge ... for any one. Yes, whether you are a Christ's follower or not! This story can not be retold, here, the way the great author had done. Any attempt to do so - is like desecration of the Sacrament! So precious it is. Suffice this much: Only one day to go. Tomorrow would be Christmas. In a small apartment, Della counts her savings. It is one dollar and eighty-seven cents! All those pennies saved over the months, with small little sacrifices, with love, with the sole ...

Pic.: Unnati Jiandani O ne of my friends’ father fought a court-case against his tenant for twelve long-years… and, finally, lost it. The house went to the tenant… My friend’s father couldn’t recover form the shock, till he died! Some years ago, when our servant was doing the house work, our TV fell off its stand and broke into pieces. We not only got mad at our servant, but we, also, kept worrying about ‘our loss’ for al long time! Years ago, a neighbor of mine was fired by his boss. He fought for his ‘job’ for full five years, only to lose at the end. He not only lost his job, he also lost his precious time, money and peace of mind. He hasn’t recovered from it, yet! Why do we cling, so desperately, to our material possessions… to our status, our positions? Why is it so difficult to love these things, yet, remain free from their bondage? Does attach...

Pics.: Rajiv Sharma I narrate an incident – I want their attention; I crack a joke – I want them to laugh; I talk seriously – I want them to listen seriously; I greet ‘good morning’ – I want them to return my greetings; I smile – I want their smile back; I invite them to my house – I want them to invite me, too, to theirs; I go to church – I want the Father to notice me, mention my name; I donate – I want my name to be announced, printed; I phone my friend; he says, “Can you please call me, later?” – I am upset – “Why did he say so?” I go to buy something from my client’s shop… He does not give me ‘a special attention’ - I grumble. Whenever I say something, my spouse doesn’t take me seriously - I burst at her: “The whole world respects me, adores me… and you?” W hat am I expecting from them – my friend, my spouse, my client? Why am I so upse...

Pic.: Neerja Panchal A t our home, there was this Bible-reading every night. Too often, we used to   read the passage: ‘Let your left hand not know what your right hand gives.” Yet, countless times, we would hear our parents yell at us: “We have done so much sacrifice for you, and, in return…” I neither understood Christ’s words, nor the outburst of   my parents… I was immune to both! When I became an adult, I, too, used to help others, a hundred times… and, later, I would grumble and crib about it, just the way my parents did… Now, when I read the passage from the Bible, I understand its significance, its relevance. S acrifice can be done only in silence… Be it my weekly fast or the occasional charity; Be it towards my children or my partner, or, towards my nation… Yes, Sacrifice is giving in gladness… As ...