Gerald D'Cunha

M any years ago, in one of my booklets – ‘THE LATE BLOOMER’ – I had written this: “If God was to judge me by my thoughts, He would have thrown me into hell, a long time ago.” The fact,   that I am still not in hell, does not prove, that my thoughts are ‘pure’; it only proves, that God has been merciful… that, He has given me innumerable chances to make amends, correct my course of actions… start afresh. The fact, that God has not yet thrown me into hell for my sins, also, means, that He knows that no one can live in this world without committing sins; at times, grave ones… even sacrilegious… sins against God. Every time I am tempted to judge someone for his or her sins, my conscience only ends up getting pricked: “Hey, who are you to judge another soul? It’s not for you to do that… It’s for God!” But, such ‘ignorant’ souls we all are, that we think, God has given us the moral right to cast others in to the hell-fire whenever they commi...

“May the gratitude in my heart kiss all the universe.” — Hafiz A mitabh Bachchan, at 77, is one of the busiest persons in our entertainment industry. There is no sign of slowing down, leave alone hanging his boots. Today, after receiving the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the most enduring superstar of the Indian film-industry thanked the government, Information & Broadcasting ministry and the jury members of the National Film Awards for naming him the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient. He added, “God has been kind. There have been blessings of my parents, the support of the directors, producers, co-actors from the industry, but I am most indebted to the love and constant encouragement by the Indian audience. That’s the reason I am standing here. I accept this award with utmost humility and gratitude,” he added. My post is not about Amitabh Bachchan… It’s about you and me. You and I have come this long, many o...

“The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.” – Abraham Lincoln M y wife and I watch dozens of videos and, of course, get tutored in the famed WhatsApp University, willy-nilly. Gone are the days when we proudly claimed, “We don’t watch TV at home (Which simply meant ‘We are a different – an evolved – breed’). Hello, no one needs that Idiot Box in homes, anymore… Everything – every piece of junk – is there on our little mobile-screens… and, we know it, very well, that it’s there 24/7/365… and, it’s there not just confined to our drawing rooms or bedrooms! So, despite having been tutored by those million tutorials, I was still unable to get a proper lesson on what are these NRC and CAB all about. Like the rest of my fellow citizens, I love my country and the privilege of democracy it brings along. I know I should be informed enough about the laws passed in our Parliament… For, they affect our very existence....

M usic and mediation! I, often, wonder if both are same… Early this morning, I was listening to Yani’s popular piece – ‘Nostalgia’. Frankly, when we soak in this kind of music, there is no need to meditate separately… For, music is mediation! Let me share with you some of my favourite quotes on meditation alongside some my favourite pieces of music from Yani… Hope, you, too, will say ‘Music is meditation’… “I said to my soul, ‘Be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love for the wrong thing; there is yet love, but faith and love are all in the waiting; wait without thought, for you are not ready for the thought. So, the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.”   - T.S. Eliot “Mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With ea...

"And no one will listen to us until we listen to ourselves.” -       Marienne Williamson O ne reason why I took up teaching was to overcome my shyness and stage fear. The same was the reason why I started THE DAWN CLUB and have spent about three decades helping little ones and young ones to overcome their shyness and stage fear… I still teach… I still help… yes, for the same reason. What is the use of our education if we are not able to face our own fear of speaking in public? I haven’t overcome my own shyness and fear fully… I still feel nervous and anxious. But, that very state keeps me alive and going! A greater section of mankind has the fear of stage. The ones who don’t have it… well, I consider them, really, fortunate! I am nor a psychologist. Hence, I will not speak from that perspective… I will speak from my own experience and struggle. I had a childhood - and, particularly, youth ...