Gerald D'Cunha

  “We see truth through the eyes of our biases.” Charles F. Glassman   O ne of the most liberating feelings comes in me when I honestly see my own biases. I have many unconscious layers of biases… I may try to hide this fact from the eyes of others; often, camouflaging through my justifications and, even, arrogance. But, I cannot hide it from my own conscience… I know when, where and how I am biased. It’s only, that I am not honest enough to accept this fact. So, what I tend to look for in other people is ‘company’…   alikeness. Yes, like-minded people make a great company. But, if I surround myself with people who are similarly biased as I am, what kind of community it is going to be? Frank A. Clark reminds us: “We find comfort among people who agree with us, growth among those who don’t.” Our biases shunt our growth, Sir. Yes, they do! Let’s take, for example, the news and videos we tend to watch.   What kind   of   stories are those? Simple: The stories we ‘want to hear’

  “I am black or white; I will never be grey in my life.” Diego Maradona D iego Maradona died yesterday, at the age of 60. Being his ardent fan, I couldn’t bring myself to accept the way he looked, now… He had bloated like a huge football, and when he walked, I, literally, closed my eyes! The images of charismatic Maradona of the eighties had been robustly embedded on the minds of most of his fans, including me, who watched him in the field with his lightning speed and magical skills… That was our Diego Maradona: The God of football!   “To see the ball, to run after it, makes me the happiest man in the world,” Maradona once said talking about his love for football. This statement speaks on behalf of every man or woman, who rise to the top in their respective fields – sports, music, acting, business, painting … any field, any profession, any game. There is no alternative route to excel in your ‘game’. As Maradona said, when you see the ‘ball’, you’ve got o feel super-excited… and

“I tell the kids: Somebody’s gotta win, somebody’s gotta lose; Just   don’t’ fight about it… Just try to get better.” Yogi Berra   E very sports person – be it a Sprinter, Boxer, Baseball or Basketball player, Tennis or Badminton player, Cricket, Hockey, Football, Pole Vault, Horse-riding, Swimming, Cycling, Motor bike, Boat or Car race whatever be it – knows this: 1.     He has to be in his best form, and he has to, always, play to win. 2.     He can’t win in every game… Sometimes, he can lose. 3.     When he wins, he should be humble and magnanimous in victory. 4.     When he loses, he should be graceful and respectful in his defeat. 5.     Conceding defeat and congratulating the winner are part of every championship. 6.     Finally, a game is only a game; it’s not Life, or the end of it! As a spectator, we all tend to involve intensely in the games that we watch. Yes, we take sides – root for a particular side to win. Obviously, when that side wins, we get ecst

  “ All the shine of a thousand spotlights, All the stars we steal from the night sky Will never be enough Never be enough Towers of gold are still too little These hands could hold the world, but it’ll Never be enough Never be enough.” ‘Never Enough’ from the movie ‘The Greatest Showman’   I am very fond of Elvis Presley’s songs and, particularly, his performances on stage… He was blessed with a velvety voice and mesmerizing looks… He was charismatic, just electrifying! Now, when people like you and I deeply admire glamorous superstars like Elvis, we unwittingly let the Law of Attraction operate in us… We quietly attract the qualities of the stars who we idolize… We long for fame and success… If not as much as Elvis achieved in his 42 years lifetime, a tiny percentage of it, at least ! But, then, loving Elvis’ songs and performances is one thing. And, loving to be like him, is different altogether. With his phenomenal success and fame, Elvis’s life was plagued

  “I don’t need fortune and I don’t need fame; Send down the thunder, Lord, send down the rain; But when you’re plannin’ just how it will be, Plan a good day for me.” From the song ‘Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good’ by Don Williams.   I was first introduced to Don William’s Country songs by my elder brother Franklin. I was in my Final year of B. Com, and my brother had brought home a tiny cassette-player. Along with it, he had, also, brought a couple of popular cassettes: Neil Diamond, Don Williams, ABBA, BoneyM and our own Mukesh (Hindi) and Jerome (Konkani). Those were his favourites, which, later, became my favouites, too. It was 1978-79. In these forty years, so much has changed and so fast. Nobody uses cassettes, LP’s, CDs anymore… Nobody uses those two-in-ones, three-in-ones or four-in-ones any more. Everyone uses his or her fingers just to click. For that matter, even the fingers are slowly vanishing… One just has to say: ‘Alexa play "‘Sing Me Back Home' by Don

  “Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse.” Sophocles   M ahima*, my eleventh-standard student, has been very particular about her commitment to my Zoom sessions. Also, she has been very particular about doing her homework. Ditto, I learnt, has been her commitment to her college and other tutors. So, last afternoon, when she did not connect on Zoom, I and some of her fellow students kept calling and messaging her – ‘What happened’? … ‘The session has started’… ‘We are waiting’… ‘Please join’…!” But, the messages were left unread and the calls were left unattended. Knowing her well, I concluded, that she must be really unwell. Thus, we continued with the session without Mahima. This morning, there was a short e-mail from Mahima: “Good Morning Sir, I hope, you are doing well. I couldn’t attend any class yesterday; or, even for that matter, I couldn’t use any device, as it has a screen. I was having a severe headache and doctor told me to take rest and not