Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Chetna Shetty F or some days, 18-year-old Ashwin, a student of our on-going PD course, had been persuading me to play in the class a BBC documentary-film titled ‘HIROSHIMA. “Sir, it’s a must watch,” he kept telling me, “I was moved watching it.” Last morning, I watched it on my computer, and, yes, it was, in deed, very moving. On one side, you feel angry at the blind, adamant and insensitive military chief of Japan .... Even after the dreaded Nazi force of Germany surrendered, Japan refused to... and, all calls and threats from the Allied forces, particularly, America , failed. America had entered the long-drawn Second World-War only after she was provoked by the horrible attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor . And, now, in spite of all the devastation wrought upon Japan , and even though Germany and other nations had surrendered to the Allies, Japan had remained ruthlessly adamant... So, as a last resort, America did what it did: history’s first - and pr...

Pic.Rajiv Sharma P auses do to our speech what punctuations do to our writing. “They make a hell of a difference,” I often, yell before our Public-Speaking students, “Use them well to convey the desired message with the right impact.” Invariably, I write on the board, what the Professor in a popular anecdote had done: “Woman without her man is nothing.” “Now, punctuate this,” I give them a minute. Yes, our young-gentlemen in the class do it this way: “Woman, without her man, is nothing.” And, our young-ladies know how they have to punctuate: “Woman: without her, man is nothing!” A hell of a difference? That depends on who you are: a gentle-man or a gentle-lady! A nd, just now, a friend of mine, Kavin, had shared with all his FB friends, this anecdote about President Obama and his wife Michelle. O ne night President Obama and his wife Michelle decided to do something out of routine and go for a casual dinner at a restaurant that wasn't ...

Pic.: Rajiv Sharma T wo days ago, an eleven-year old joined our on-going PD course for Pre-teens. This boy came from a well-off family. Both parents were educated. He went to one of the best ICSC schools. Yet, here in our class, I found him very restless. He was intelligent and articulate, but, the problem was his inappropriate behavior in the class... He would indulge in every kind of negative-attention-seeking behavior. Other students would find it extremely repulsive and I had quite a task in hand to make them understand as to why this boy would take some time to settle down... So, they did their best to put up with all his irritating behavior... For me, all were alike... Because the boy needed help, their parents had entrusted their little boy into my hands. So, I had a huge responsibility... of not over-reacting to this boy’s, almost, eccentric behavior in the class. I blew hot and blew cold... kept gently, firmly and angrily reminding him about what was expec...

Pic.: Rajiv Sharma T oday, during our PD session, the young-ones were talking about their special interests and hobbies. Dhaksh had just attended a week-long photography workshop under a well-known photographer. He shared with us: how he got interested in photography and what it took to be a good photographer. “You need a creative eye,” he said,” You need a very sensitive observation and a good sense of timing.” Samvit loved to play hokey. He told us how he got into it... and, about the kind of practice he had to do to be a competitive hockey-player... He shared with us about the injuries he had sustained - and caused on others, too - all while playing... and, why he still loved playing hockey. Abhinav, the tallest lad in the class, was a passionate basket-ball player. He recounted his story: how he started liking it... the kind of practice he had do... How, apart from Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, some other Greats had inspired him to play basket ball... ...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty I mmediately after the Mumbai Indians clinched the sensational victory against Rajasthan Royals at Wankhade stadium, last night, I saw on TV this tweet from Amitabh Bachchan.   WHAT A GAME ! NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE!  Mumbai Indians at start of IPL had been written off... BUT! What a comeback! I was watching this match with my dad-in-law. He was just discharged from the hospital a couple of days ago; and, normally, he goes off to bed quite early. But, last night, the match was so compelling, that he watched it till Aditya Tare blasted his last-ball-six... He was on his wheel-chair, trying to stand up... while, I couldn’t get myself to sit! Yes, it was unbelievable... Yes, impossible is just another word... Yes, anything can be possible in the game of cricket... Yes, Faith can, in deed, move mountains and calm down the stormy seas! Aditya Tare wasn’t born when a similar dramatic scene had brought the entir...

Pic.: Barkha Manik  “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.” - Paulo Coelho I have, always, felt in my heart the power of my dreams. When a dream is alive in my heart, I feel strong, upbeat and zestful. When dream fades, my strength and zest, too. So, invariably, the secret of remaining young, alive and purposeful is to nurse a dream in my heart and follow it... Fear about future, normally, sneaks in our hearts when we give up on our dreams... when we give up on our hopes... when we have no purpose to live for. We turn cynical and bitter about our future... We turn skeptical and lose our zest. S ome days ago, I had been to an insurance co’s office to pay premiums of some of my exiting policies. While I was there, I was approached by one of the business-development officers, who, in those few moments,...