Gerald D'Cunha

  “Go back; don’t throw back.” Darnell Lamont Walker   M any years ago, I had attended a wedding of one of my cousins in my hometown, Mangalore. A couple of years ago, I happened to see a picture shared by this cousin on FB… It’s the traditional ‘family picture’ captured on the belief: ‘Bigger the size, the better the picture!’ So, they would stuff, in one frame, almost a few dozen… parents, grandparents, great grandparents, cousins – first, second, third… uncles and aunts, both, from dad’s side and mom’s size… Imagine the size, if the families of groom and bride both made to fit in! So, my friend Joe, who is known for his wicked humour, commented on the picture shared by my cousin. He wrote in Konkani: “Maplyacha kaantinth tharlayaso mando!” ‘Maplyacha’ meaning the Muslim fish vendor’s… ‘Kaantinth’ meaning in the huge fish-basket… ‘Tharyaso’ meaning of Sardine fish… ‘Mando’ meaning head… All put together, my friend wanted to tell me this: “I can see th...

  “Try not to become a man of success; rather become a man of value.” Albert Einstein   W hen I was a teenager, Rajesh Khanna was the Super Star. If fame, insane fanfare and box-office collection were the yardsticks to measure a film-star’s success, then, one had to stop at Rajesh Khanna… He had achieved all of these and was riding on the crest of success-wave… But, then, a wave is just a wave. More than anyone else, Rajesh Khanna knew, that the wave he was riding on would, soon, crash… Fame and fanfare would, soon, fade away… Just like the stars in the sky did. Apparently, this realization – that success was transient – prompted him to keep repeating, with the desired effect, his own dialogue from the film ‘Daag’ (Brilliantly penned by Sahir Ludianvi)… “Izzaten, shohraten, chahaten, ulfaten… koi bhi cheez duniya mein rahti nahin; aaj main hoon jahan kal koi aur tha aaj main hoon jahan kal koi aur tha… Ye bhi ek daur hai woh bhi ek daur tha.” T he beauty ...

  “A lifetime of training for just ten seconds!” Jesse Owens   E very Olympics medal – whether Gold, Silver or Bronze – matters to us, a lot. We are a country of close to 140-crore people; the second highest population in the world. So, if we come back empty-handed from the Olympics game, it shows us in poor light. As I said, even one or two medals – whether Gold, Silver or Bronze – can give us the relief, that we haven’t come back with a ‘duck’… This explains why the whole nation becomes ecstatic and celebrates with pride, when this simple woman from Manipur – Mirabai Chanu - brings us a Silver medal in weightlifting,   Frankly, I find it silly! Yes, while Mirabai did it, beating all odds, why are we celebrating her victory as our own? There is a lot to take away from every poor Olympics-tally of our country. Is our State doing enough? No. Are we, individually or collectively, doing enough? No. Whatever little we get from the Olympics village, it is broug...

  “Everybody is uninformed just on various subjects.” Will Rogers   F or a Commerce student, the accounting terminology, such as   ‘Carriage’, ‘Freight’, ‘Cartage’ or ‘Coolie Charges’ is a routine terminology. If an enterprise pays on transportation of goods, this expenditure is known as ‘Carriage’ or ‘Freight’ or ‘Cartage’ or ‘Coolie Charges’, depending upon the mode of transportation.   If it is incurred on goods purchased, it is known as ‘Carriage/Freight/Cartage/Coolie Charges inward’. On the other hand, if it is incurred on goods sold, it is known as ‘Carriage/Freight/Cartage/Coolie Charges outward’. Every Commerce student learns this in eleventh standard itself. However, when I teach my final-year-degree students the distinction between ‘Carriage’, ‘Freight’, ‘Cartage’ and ‘Coolie Charges’, I, invariably, see a sparkle in their eyes… “We never bothered to know this distinction, Sir,” is their confession… “Not to worry, dudes,” I comfort them, “It’s mornin...

  “Count your many blessings, Name them one by one; And it will surprise you What the Lord has done.” From the song/hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’   I think, one of the greatest blessings in life is to be able to ‘stay relevant’ as you age. By this, I mean, to be able to keep ‘contributing’… keep ‘giving’. There is something of value in all of us, which God has placed in all of us. Now, that ‘something’ can be one or two talents, skills or strengths of ours. Most of us think, that, while our talents are God-given, our skills and strengths are our own. But, the more we reflect on this, the more we realize, that even to own some of our skills and strengths, we need God’s grace. When we acknowledge this truth, we feel confident and peaceful. I completed 63 yesterday. A thought dominates my mind and heart: “Have I been able to stay relevant, by being able to keep contributing and giving through my God-given gifts?” When my mind and heart say ‘Yes’, I feel the surge...

  “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” William Shakespeare, ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’   A re we all these little frogs blissfully living in our ponds? One of my pet phrases, with which I often find myself trying to motivate my students, is ‘Don’t be a frog in the pond’… Obviously, when I put it so forcefully, my intention is good: I want my students to go beyond the books… Think practical, be in touch with what’s happening around them, etc., etc., etc. Some of my near and dear ones – including my wife and son – often tell it on my face: “Yours is a one-way traffic… You preach, and your students listen to you, mutely.” Only those who love you, know you and care for you, can tell it on your face… It doesn’t mean, my students don’t love me, care for me and know me… They just don’t want to ‘invite trouble’ by telling it on their teacher’s face… They know what a ‘great frog’ their teacher is… particularly when it comes to the ‘information technology’! I was ...

  “I don’t go with the flow, nor do I go against it. I create my own.” Laurie Buchanan T he very thought   of ‘Going with the flow’   has a very calming effect on our minds. I am talking about very simple situations in our daily lives (like arriving at some consensus), as well as complex situations which are beyond human control (like calamites such as Covid, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes etc.) While the former offers us the options to go or not to go with the flow, the latter   (calamities) offer no options to us, but to go with the flow… But, wait a minute: Even when calamities like floods, tsunamis, earthquakes or Covid strike us, do we passively declare, “Take us – Thy will be done?” Or, do we try, with all that we possess, to fight, to survive and to outwit the current? That’s where, I think, we need clarity on the idea of ‘Going with the flow’. When we use this phrase, we should be aware of what we are saying… In all life-situations, whether within ...

  “There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.” G.K. Chesterton   “I am a human, not a stone.” I keep reminding it to myself, whenever I feel bored. Like everyone else, I, too, had invested so many years of my energy and time pursuing things dear to my heart. And, suddenly, like everyone else, I, too, felt disoriented and helpless during these uncertain months of   pandemic… But then, is my situation as bad as so many around me? I am 63. What about those kids, young ones and the middle-aged? What about the very elderly and the sick? It’s easy to say “I am bored” or “Life is boring”… Very easy. But, what benefit does it serve? Boredom is a natural state. As I said, if I am not a stone, I would experience it, now and then. But, if I complain about being bored, endlessly – and whether during the pandemic or normal times -   then, I say, that it’s sheer lack of zest for life… Life is unpredictable. If we just accept this truth with o...

  “How a person wins and loses is much more important than how much a person wins and loses.” Tom Krause   O ne of the things I dreaded, when I was in school, was when I was called to the Headmaster’s/Principal’s office on any complaint from my teachers. The thing, that I dreaded the most, was when my parents were called to school! Both, my father and mother had not been to school like they wanted their sons to… They were simple folks. About my relationship with them – well, I was their favourite… They, always, believed, that I was the good sheep in their pack and wouldn’t let them down. Maybe, this was the reason, why I was most scared to tell them, that the Headmaster/Principal wanted to see them! Did my parents, always, try to inculcate good values in me? Well, which parents wouldn’t? I don’t think, we learn to imbibe good values in life, because our parents, teachers and mentors try to inculcate them in us. I think, we learn to imbibe them, when we learn to...

  “You shouldn’t expect to grow on compliments alone.” Ojingiri Hannah   T hey say, the ‘Magic Mirror’ on the wall, made popular in the endearing fable ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, keeps shifting its position… Sometimes, it rests on the wall; sometimes, on a high stand; and, yes, at other times, it rests even closer to the eyes – in the hand! Where does the Magic Mirror rest? It’s not important. Whether it exists or not – yes, that’s important. Do we all like to look in our own Magic Mirrors – over and over and over again – and ask, “Tell me mirror, who is the fairest one of all?” If not like that, “Magic Mirror, tell me, am I the fairest of all?” If not even like that, “Mirror in my hand, mirror in my hand, tell me, if I am as fair as them?” Ah! That Magic Mirror! T he need to be complimented runs deep in our DNA. The depth may differ… And, our admission and the denial of this need – both may differ from person to person. For example, I don’t like to take ...