Gerald D'Cunha

“The enemy uses those things you are insecure about. Free yourself and take your power back by being secure in who you are - flaws and all.”  ―  Yvonne Pierre ,  The Day My Soul Cried: A Memoir W hy do people play politics? Call them ‘mind-games’ or, as my dear friend, Kavita*, calls it in her frustration – ‘dirty games’. Let me make public a private conversation we had, this morning. She had written to me this… “H ello sir… How to cope up with dirty politics played in school? I just hate it. Some teachers are ready to do anything to mesmerize the Management, and then play dirty games. Sir, I have done my M. Ed; but, I am working with primary section only because I love being with the little-ones... A couple of years ago, I used to teach Economics in XYZ college; but, I left it after a few months because I did not enjoy teaching older group. I sincerely love my school a lot… but, only thing is: I am bad in dealing with t...

“The house of fame, he thought, is built on melting ice, not steel...”  ―  Anya Seton ,  Katherine O n my way back from bank, I met a couple who have been living in New Zealand for more than two decades. I knew this couple well when they were here in Mumbai. Today, the first comment I made to them was: “You haven’t changed at all!” “I was about to say that to you,” said the husband. “I agree,” added the wife. Not changed at all? In what respect? All of us had put on a lot of weight… We all had grayed… and, yes, we all were not looking as young and dashing as we did years ago… Then, why did we all think of each other as ‘Not changed at all”? Probably, because: they had seen me, twenty years ago, without a car or a wrist watch… And, today, they were seeing me without a car or a wrist watch, too… They had seen me, then, visiting my bank, and they were seeing it today, too… Perhaps, they were finding no change...

R obin* is my dear friend. I know he has only one wife!  But, early this morning, when I saw his message on my mobile, I wondered if he had hidden his other wives from me and many of his friends! He had messaged to me: “Are there any Workshops planned for this month? One of my wife’s cousin is looking for Workshops.” What Robin wanted to tell, I could easily understand: “A cousin of my wife is looking for Workshops.” He could have conveyed it in other ways, too. Like: “My wife’s cousin is looking for Workshops,” or, “One of the cousins of my wife is looking for Workshops.” Incidentally, there was another similar message in our Society WhatsApp group. A lady had enquired: “Is anyone taking ABACUS classes in our society? Kindly inform me if you know.” Another lady had replied: “Me as well.” The first lady had reverted quickly: “What age kids you take ma’am?” The second lady’s response was understandably interesting: “Arre , I also need inf...

“I laugh when I hear that fish in the water is thirsty… I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” -           Kabir I have never been to Shirdi. But, I have, always, been awe-struck by Sai Baba’s life and teachings. He and Kabir will, always, remain close to my heart… Last evening, along the Eastern Express Highway, I saw hundreds of pilgrims… men and women, young and old… dozens of volunteers, vehicles carrying food and beverages, medicines and first-aid… saffron flags and silver palki … some chanted… some laughed… some quietly walked… By foot, our driver told us, it would take the padyatris  about eight days to reach the shrine at Shirdi… Many groups across the city organize these pilgrimages, he told us. Faith is purely a personal matter. Right from inside the car in which I was commuting, I remembered Baba’s life… So utterly simple and uncomplicated it wa...

I nvariably, it takes a bigger bully to tame a bully. When a whole nation, the political and social class, media and even little children, all across the nation, join together to condemn in one voice what Shiv Sena MP, Ravindra Gaikwad, did on the Air India aircraft in New Delhi… yes, that’s enough to take the animal force out of the arrogant MP… “I have a return ticket with Air India,” he had shouted, “How can they refuse me to travel… I will create more hangama. ” What happened to the ‘more hangama , sir?” Six airlines of your own country – whose Law-maker you are – in an unprecedented decree, decided to face you, the bully… by not allowing you to fly in their aircrafts… So, what happened to your threat of creating ‘more hangama’ ? I was not at all shocked when I saw the way Gaikwad behaved or bragged about the entire episode. As he clearly chest-thumped, with tons of self-pride – “I am from Shiv Sena’…” Fair enough. It took all the airliners to come toge...

D octors are not Gods or Supermen. Just as teachers, judges, counselors and priests are not too. If God gives life, He takes away life, too. No matter what you and I, including doctors, do… Life doesn’t come with a guarantee. When time comes, you go… do what you like. More than anything else, I am disturbed by the appalling reality of treating doctors as villains. I have several friends and relatives who are doctors… I have my own and my family’s doctors… So many times, a surgery of my dearest and dearest one has been carried out by a stranger doctor who we haven’t met during the rest of our life…  I was a little boy when my dad was saved by a stranger doctor in my village. Dad had ruined his liver by drinking the country liquor. That gave a lease of about 15-17 more years for my dad to live. But, my dad did not stop drinking like a fish ( desi ) and smoking like a chimney ( beedi) … One morning, he died of a massive heart-attack. Nobody had checked the ...

I do not like party politics… But, I do keep in touch with what is happening in and around our country as far as politics goes. I do not know about others, but, I speak for myself: I started liking a particular political party or a particular political leader by watching my dad. My initial political view was, therefore, shaped by my immediate influence. But, as I grew older, I began to examine my mental conditioning… how much of it was subjective and how much of it was objective. So, slowly, I saw myself stepping back and watch things around me… holding back my instinctive reactions… Stopped branding a particular political party as totally corrupt or totally clean… ditto for a particular political leader… I became more and more aware of the way I would be influenced by the media and its endless debates… I could see how my own close friends were found taking their extreme hardliner-stand… Even, today, I find my friends reacting strongly without realizing the truth ...

G od has placed talents in each one of us here…. One talent or the other. If we do not agree with this, we have no business to strive for success… We have no business to dream. To dream, to succeed, we must first of all become strikingly aware of our talents. Well, if I have to speak for myself, I must become aware of my God-given talent – teaching, writing and mentoring. Yes, once I have become aware of my talent, I should believe in my capacity to encash these talents… I must constantly strive to hone my talents into fine skills… Success is always field-specific. In the field of our expertise, we can always shine… provided we give our all… and pursue it sincerely and passionately.  I am never tired of telling young-ones, to get in touch with their talents… believe in their self-worth… and follow their dreams. Many weeks ago, my friend, Jaypee, had shared with me this story of Michael Jordan… M ichael Jordan was born in 1963, in the slums of Brooklyn, Ne...

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; Working hard for something we love is called passion.” - Simon Sinek M any parents have been approaching me for our upcoming PD course. They want their little-ones and young-ones to find motivation in life... work without being told, work hard and work long and ,above all, enjoy what they are doing and succeed in it. When you are hungry, you look for food… When you are thirsty, you look for water. Is not motivation as simple as that? Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? And, hungry and thirsty for what? I   did not know what I wanted to do in my life till I landed in First Year B.Com, that is, till I was 18. When I watched and deeply admired my own teacher, Prof. B.S. Raman, and desired and dreamt of becoming a fine teacher like him, motivation to achieve that dream came along… Nobody needed to tell me ‘Work hard and work long’… Nobody needed to tell me how to find my passion… T...