Gerald D'Cunha

  “The tree leaves die in fire, and my people call it autumn.” Zufishan Rahman, Foxfire – A book of Poem   T his morning, I had called up a gentleman who lived in our neighbourhood. Some years ago, he was by my side when I needed it the most. What’s humbling was this: he had reached out to me even though I hadn’t asked him to! For last one week or so, his elderly father and 40-year-old younger brother are battling Covid in a hospital. Today, during the course of our discussion, I expressed my guilt on not being able to reach out to him when he needed it the most. His response was simple and sincere: “Please do not worry about it; it’s perfectly understandable. It’s been a privilege, that they are in a hospital.” While I was on this call, there was another person trying to call me. There were three missed-calls. So, I called back as soon as the call on hand had ended. This middle-aged woman, was calling to enquire about my and my family members' health… She enquired...

  “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln   I PL games are thrillers, action-packed. But, what I am amused most about these games – oddly, you may say – is this concept of ‘Strategic Time Out’. Presently each side – the bowling and batting side – gets two-and-half minutes as STO to reformulate their strategy, mid-game. Fans may complain, saying it ruins the flow of the game… Critics may complain, saying that’s a smart way of generating more revenue from commercials. But, whoever says whatever, I think, in Life, everything that is fast and furious needs these priceless STO’s… As kids, we called them ‘Recesses’ in our school; didn’t we? The school life was a grueling one, right? Think of the concept of sleep, siesta, cat-naps and power-naps? What are all these for? Why are there retreats in every religion and culture? Why do people take breaks… go on a vacation? Life is hectic… Fast and furi...

  “Dhuki jan ko dheeraj do Haare nahin woh kabhi   duhk se Tum nirbal ko raksha do Reh paaye nirbal sukh se Bhakti ko shakti do Bhakti ko shakti do.” (From the song ‘O Paalanhaare’ Film ‘Lagaan’)   I have watched the film ‘Lagaan’ many times over. I am watching it again, now; and I needn’t tell you why… ‘Lagaan’ is a story of resilience. It’s also a story of trust, faith, hope, integrity, teamwork, leadership and, above all, love. Human resolve – what is, commonly called ‘Determination - yes, this goes without saying. And, as Life is, the story is incomplete without betrayal and discrimination… and triumph of earnestness. The simple village folks of   Champaner are staring at a blank sky… Rains have cheated them… Drought has crushed them… They are unable to pull along… They are gripped with anxiety as they are unable to pay the harsh tax from their British masters…   They are praying… ‘O Paalanhaare, nirgun aur nyaare (2) Tumre bin hum...

  “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, tragedy and comedy, humour and hurt.” Erma Bombeck   T he need to write something every day – something ‘positive’ – has been a very old need in me.   Presently, I struggle to stay positive. In such a state, to tell everyone around me, that all is well or all is going to be well, yes, it sounds quite empty to me. How can you tell a grieving person, who has lost his dear ones or livelihood, who sees no light in the tunnel - ‘Brother, don’t cry, don’t panic… All will be well?” Actually, we all know, that, sooner or later, all will be well… that, tunnels do have an end… that, we do see light, eventually. But, if I am grieving, I   need to go through my grief… I need to experience fully my anxiety, fear, anger and self-pity. Because, only when I complete this journey through grief, I shall be able to rise up stronger… Not before that… I believe, that grief and the associated feelings such as anxiety,...

  “And we will lie down on the ground and have conversations with the   grasses and the flowers.” Avijeet Das   I had taught Pooja, now a dear friend, right through her junior and degree college days. It was more than twenty-five years ago. She was extremely committed, focused, and, yes, ambitious. These attributes rewarded her with success she deserved… She became a CA at a very young age, added many more specialized degrees… authored a couple of books on Financial subjects, lectured extensively at many premier institutes… and, for reasons best left tucked in her heart, she chose to remain single… Is she happy in life? I haven’t asked Pooja… Nor has she asked me the same question after thirty years of my own marriage… “Sir, are you happy in life?” Some months before the Covid situation broke out, Pooja had moved to Chennai on a lucrative assignment. She is still there. Presently, she has been sharing with us the pictures and videoes of her latest ‘achievem...

  “Some of us are busy doing things; Some of us are busy complaining.” Debasish Mridha   I t was late in the night… around 11 to be precise. In one of the WhatsApp groups, to which I belonged, the Admin made the sad announcement of the demise of   a fellow-member’s father. The deceased was a senior citizen, who had some health issues. But, he was an affectionate soul. As is the case in such situations, the members of the group instantly started posting RIP’s and Om Shanti’s… from all sides. Not even ten minutes had gone by, the Admin made one more announcement… This time, about the shocking demise of a 43-year-old lady. She and her husband were in a critical condition battling Covid. She succumbed. The group members, once again, started posting RIP’s, Om Shanti’s “Shocked!”… “Cant’ Believe”… “Sad” and so on. Not even another five minutes had passed by. A young member, who is a chronic cribber in the group, came out with a very trivial complaint… Instantly anothe...

A gentleman shared this wise thought in one of the WhatsApp groups I belong to: “Quarantine the media for 14 days and 80% of our problems will go away.”   Instantly, a dozen fellow-members in the group responded with thumbs-up. Of course, that statement made pure sense. But, then, I wondered: How many things can we quarantine from our life? Every WhatsApp group or other social media group I belong to, is bombarded with forwards, and about 99% of them is utter rubbish! The members who had greeted the statement with instant thumbs-up were the ones who have been blindly forwarding the rubbish stuff, round the clock, and round the year! So, which ‘media’ have we to quarantine for 14 days?   Obviously, the statement is referring to the relentless TV news! But, when we shut the TV, the ‘crap’ still comes from our own li’l mobile screens, you see… Therefore, just as we shut the windows before the night falls, so to keep the mosquitoes away when we go off to sleep...

  “Isn’t it rich? Are we a pair? Me here at last on the ground You in mid-air Send in the clowns… Where are the Clowns?”   (From the song ‘Send in the Clowns’ by Stephen Sondheim) S ometimes, it becomes easy for me to identify where in this world I belong. Let’s divide the people of this vast world into two kinds – Those who are naturally confident. And, those who aren’t. And, where do I belong? Living my life for close to 63 years, I am comfortable in saying, that I belong to the category of people who aren’t naturally confident. That said, I do not feel bad about this state – a state which keeps me eternally on the edge, or, shall I say this – on my raw nerves… nervous? Making peace with my shyness and nervousness hasn’t been easy for me, at all. Nobody likes to see himself in awkward positions in a group. Nobody likes to see himself trembling, going blank… worrying endlessly about facing an audience. Nobody likes to experience that deep feeling of bein...

    “Someone is sitting in the shade today, because, someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Warren Buffet     O ne of the most-visible side-effects of this virus-infected Pandemic is, that more and more people – particularly the young ones – have suddenly become aware of money-matters. What, traditionally, was called ‘Financial Literacy’. A young man or a woman rarely cared much about the future. That age was the age of reckless spending… to live life as if there is no tomorrow. At least, a large section of young people loved to live life this way. King-size! But, now, as the jobs and businesses have been hit hard by the Pandemic and the flow of income has either dried up or dwindled, I get to see lots of young men and women become money-alert. I get to hear from many of them the famous words of Warren Buffet: “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you’ll work until you die.” Well, let’s mull over those words, once again… I don’t think, War...