Gerald D'Cunha

“ If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” -      Banksy P lease read that again… It says not to quit when you are tired! I had taught Nitin*, some years ago, while he was in junior college. His father ran a small grocery shop and they lived in a chawl near their shop… Mother was a house wife. Like all parents dream, Nitin’s parents , too, dreamed about their two boys. They wanted Nitin to become a Chartered Accountant and, their second son, a doctor. They have sent the second son to Kota (The Mecca in Rajasthan!) for preparing for his medical entrance… Nitin was a well-mannered boy and loved the Accountancy subject which I was teaching him. As he had scored 98 marks (out of hundred) in this subject when he gave the twelfth-standard exams, it was clear to him and his parents, that he was capable of pursuing Chartered Accountancy. Thus, he wrote the entrance test (CPT) and scored well in it. Soon after that, he began to study for his I...

“Always remember that you were once alone, and the crowd you see in your life today are just as unnecessary as when you were alone.”  ―  Michael Bassey Johnson D r. Murthy, a very sharp and outstanding scientific brains, passed away some days ago. He went about pursuing his private career, first in the field of Semi-conductors, and, later, in the field of solar energy, after he took VRS from BARC. I had the privilege of being a teacher/coach for his three children. That’s when I had the opportunity to interact with Dr. Murthy… I remember that evening, some thirty years ago. I, with the help of dozens of my students, had just founded The Dawn Club, and was burning with idealism. I was surrounded by innocent college students, who neither had any money nor had any first-hand experience of the practical world outside. They simply clustered around me and followed as if I was the Pied Piper of Hamelin! I knew t...

“I f you really show your desire, determination and commitment,” I tell every young one, “Your parents will support you all the way.” I add, “If you don’t show these qualities to them, you have no right to expect their support.” This, in brief, is the story, today! Why don’t many parents have faith in their young ones? Because, the young ones have not demonstrated enough faith in themselves! My observation has been this: Young kids should learn to discover, early, what they are passionate about in life. Luckily, many parents, too, are able to discover the passions of their young ones… Like, sports, drawing, singing, dancing, music, writing and so on. They, also, encourage their young ones to excel in their passions. Initially, the young ones show commitment. But, as the years pass by, the commitment fades, the desire and determination die… If only the young ones knew how to remain focused… how to keep on pursuing their hearts’ d...

I n Napoleon Hill’s famous book, ‘Law of Success’, he emphasized on many principles (Laws) of success. Essentially, they were nothing but the personal attributes, or, to be precise, the attitudes we needed to succeed. The ones that made a lot of sense to me, when I was ‘struggling and seeking’ in my life, were these two simple personal-attributes: Initiative and Enthusiasm. I was amazed to realize how easily these two attributes could be owned by all of us… How important and effective they were . When we are enthusiastic, we simply glow… It reflects in our speech and action… It is simply infectious! The attribute of Initiative goes hand-in-hand with the attribute of Enthusiasm. It is difficult to tell as to which comes first – Enthusiasm or Initiative… They are twins! Initiative is the quality of doing the work without being told. It’s the quality of going the ‘extra-mile’… doing the work with joy, not for money alone… Both, Enthusiasm and Ini...

“I don’t think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that remains.” –Anne Frank M y knowledge about the New Zealand was, always, limited to its cricket team. Maybe, to some of her places where a couple of our friends migrated for work or studies. But, nothing beyond that. I think, I am not alone in this… Most of us are aware of what is happening in America, UK, Canada, Pakistan, the Middle East, or even China, Russia and Israel. They are, always, in news - good or bad… But, we do get to know what is happening in these and many other countries around the world… Not about New Zealand. She has been a very peaceful country… of gentle and tolerant people, who belonged to all kinds of ethnic back grounds… faiths, cultures, languages, food habits… She has been a loving home for countless immigrants for decades. And, despite this multi-ethnic and multi-religious presence on her soil, this nation was never in the news for the wrong reasons… Yes, for reason...