WHAT WE MAKE OUT OF GOD'S GIFT


 

“Your talent is God’s gift to you.

What you do with it, is your gift to God.”

Leo Buscaglia

 

Recently, when I had been to my hometown (to attend my younger brother Harry’s funeral), I was happy to meet Alwyn, one of my schoolmates, after almost five decades! It was just after I had spoken a few words in my eulogy for Harry. This friend of mine introduced me to his young daughter, who seemed extremely shy and overwhelmed by things around her. I could easily empathize with her, because I was exactly like her when I was of her age… feeling caged and tongue-tied! So, without being asked to do it, I was making her feel comfortable and reassure herself: ‘It’s okay’… ‘It’s okay’!

Three days earlier, on the night of the funeral, when a few close family members and friends had gathered at Harry’s place, Kenneth, Harry’s son, brought his close friend, Roel, to introduce me to him. We quickly got connected, as our interests matched. Roel loved writing short stories, which he regularly shared in his Blog. Kenneth had already told Roel about my daily writings. Yesterday, after reading his latest short story, I felt like talking to Roel. For a long time, I spoke to him about my own experience on the writing process. Unwittingly, I was sharing a lot of my own experience with this young man. He hadn’t expected it; but, still, it was there for him. He was profusely thankful and let me know how elated he was feeling!

Now, I am not mentioning about these two mundane episodes to tell you all how ‘Mahaan’ I have been. But, yes, I am doing it, here, to tell you this: Teaching, guiding, mentoring, motivating others – these things come very, very naturally to me. I know, today, that it is my talent – a gift from God!



As a young boy, I wasn’t aware of the presence of this endowment from God within me. I was constantly battling with my inferiority complex… till one day, when I watched my own teacher - who became my idol – Prof. B.S. Raman, and woke up to the dream blazing silently within me. Teaching and mentoring, from then on, became my sole mission… I did it to feel good about myself… I did it to come out of my own fear and inhibitions… I did it, because, I realized, that was the only thing God wanted me to do in my life…

So, what Leo Buscaglia says is absolutely true:

“Your talent is God’s gift to you.

What you do with it, is your gift to God.”

 

In my daily writings, I still see myself as a teacher, a mentor. It has enabled me to reach out to hundreds of my fellow-beings – little ones, young ones and elderly – from near and far. I earn nothing from this daily activity. But, paradoxically, that’s my most priceless earning, too! The thought, that I am useful to someone… that, I am able to still contribute through my Gift… yes, this thought is incredibly empowering one!

Many years ago, someone had given me a beautiful gift: The gift pack contained two CDs of the film ‘Taare Zameen Par’ together with the iconic souvenirs from the film – the Flip-book of Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary), his prize-winning painting and, most importantly, the surprise portrait of Ishaan by his teacher and mentor, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan). For many years, I would play those CDs in our Personality Development sessions. Little ones would sing along all the songs… the young ones and old ones would get choked watching some of the scenes from the film… Everyone knew why so!

After a couple of years, I simply gave away the items from this precious gift to some lucky little-ones – The film CD went to one of them, the music CD to another, the Flip-book, and the two paintings, each, to some others…

The glow on the faces of the lucky recipients still warms my heart!



Blessed are those who wake up to their talents early in life. And, even more blessed are those, who keep honing their talents as their fine skills… And, Dhanya Ho… Dhanya Ho… when, what we do with God’s gifts, goes back to God as our own gifts to Him!

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic.: Taare Zameen Par

 

Videos: 1. Heavy Graphics Marketing 2. Taare Zameen Par/Arun Sudarson

Comments

Roel D'Souza said…
Wow!!! Loved this post
January 3, 2021 at 2:08 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...