THE LANGUAGE OF OUR HEARTS

 



“Funny, how a beautiful song can tell such a sad story!”

Sarah Desen

 

Some ten days ago, Ameya got in touch with me. He had attended our Personality Development programme in 1997. Now a married man, he was asking me if there was something to help his nephew Darshil (14) and niece Tirtha (11). He was very keen, that the kids had to get something from me to help them in their development… Whatever that might be. ‘Whatever’, I said.

Because it was ‘whatever’, that Ameya was looking for, I said ‘Yes’ and took the two angels into my fold. We also decided, that their parents, as well as Ameya and his wife – all would join the online sessions…

Today we completed six of the twenty sessions, and, I am extremely satisfied the way they are going…

When it comes to communication, in whichever form it may be, I encourage everyone to communicate not only with their mind, but also with their heart. While head may project you as an intelligent person, it’s your heart, that helps you connect to your audience, readers or whoever you try to communicate with. If you do not use emotions and feelings rightly, you simply cannot connect… cannot touch people. Therefore, I emphasize, tirelessly, on telling everything as a story… A great story!

Luckily, many understand this need quickly. In my sessions, I show them scores of videos, writings, songs, movie clips, speeches etc., where they can easily make out, that effective communication is all about telling their stories well. That’s all!

 



Last evening, I had shared this beautiful song with Sudha, who lives in Singapore. She is a regular reader of my Blogs and, always, tells me, that she loves my storytelling…

 



I had, also, shared with little Darshil and Tirtha, and all the adults in that group, this amazing ad from Google:




In the very first session, while I was asking Darshil and Tirtha to tell  us about their one or two God-given talents, Darshil had told us, without even blinking: “I love editing videos.”

Whatever that we simply enjoy doing, without being taught or told, is our talent. It is a gift from God – an endowment. Some of us recognize our talents early and go about converting them into fine skills. In my case, when I watched my own idol, Prof. B.S. Raman, in my degree college, I, suddenly and silently, woke up to my talent of teaching and writing… I dreamt of becoming like my idol – a fine teacher and a writer. So, all that I had to do was to follow my heart’s calling – my passion. I had to convert my talent into a fine skill. During this process, one of the things I discovered was this: I had to tell stories from my heart… My teaching had to be great story; my training and writings had to be exactly that…

So, this morning, I was telling my little students and my grown-up students the same thing: Everything in life is a story… Tell it well; tell with all your heart…

One of my favourite films is ‘Sairat’. It’s a Marathi film. I am not at all good in this language even though I have lived in Mumbai for over four decades and even though Marathi is quite close to my mother tongue, Konkani. But, ‘Sairat’ doesn’t need the language of  any region. It is a very simple, rustic story, told powerfully, with the language of heart. The script, plot,  songs, lyrics, direction, music -  everything about it is topnotch. Above all, its ending… It leaves us all numb for hours after we leave the cinema halls! Just sharing the  song ‘Yaad Lagla’ … Look how the all-familiar feeling of being in love – insanely – is projected through an amazing piece of music, acting and direction…

 



Heart is the most important organ, that helps all of us to communicate well… Connect us to others with our stories. Let me rest my case with this popular act of Johnny Liver on the sets of Kapil Sharma Show… Watch the transformation of emotions from casual comedy to something profound…




Yes, when that transformation happens, it means, that you have communicated well… Told your story well.

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: Pixels 1. Josh Willink  2. Daria Shevtsova

Videos: 1. Katie Melua  2. Google India                        

             3. Zee Music Marathi  4. Tech Pin2

 

 

Comments

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

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 ...
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 pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...