Gerald D'Cunha

  “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.” Robert T. Kiyosaki   I was blissfully unaware of the (ongoing) T-20 World Cup till last night. Someone had invited my family for a Diwali dinner, last night. And, except my wife and I, everyone else over there sounded ‘very informed’. That’s the time we learnt, that our team had just clinched a nail-biter. It was India-Pakistan cricket match, you see… Nothing short of a war between these two neighbouring countries… And imagine when you win a match which you were almost losing… and, that last-run-last-ball victory! Yes, it’s something to set the animal in you free… Last night, our Diwali-dinner discussion was lavishly flavoured with this sweet victory… “What a match, man!”… “What a player Kohli, bro!” etc. etc. … I t, always, feels great when India wins… There is something exhilarating in every kind of victory, for that matter. Why matches alone? Why elections alone? Why reality shows alone? Why exams alone? In every kind of...

  “Man starts all over again every day, in spite of all he knows, against all he knows.” Emil Cioran S omeone has said, “Every day may not be a good day; but, there is something good in every day.” This morning, this statement came back to me with a fresh meaning. I had gone off to bed quite early, last night… at 9, to be precise. Surprisingly, I slept well and slept long only to be woken up at about 7.10, this morning! My first reaction on opening my eyes was, “Oh my God! I am late!” I was late from my usual standards. I had to reach my work place at 8, when my first batch of students was expected. I had to hurry up… Do everything with a frantic speed… Shave, shower, tea, breakfast, packing up my tiffin… everything. Meanwhile, my wife was getting ready to leave home to join her Yoga session at 7.30 (in our own complex). Thus, I had to deal with my situation myself… “I am late,” my wife heard me complain. “Don’t say ‘I am late today’, say ‘I slept well last night’… S...

  “So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings.” J.R.R. Tolkien   S taying relevant till the ripe age of 80 – and be able to continue doing what you are passionate about, that too, remarkably well, and, that too, in a cut-throat glamorous industry -   is not possible for any one, unless he or she is an Amitabh Bachchan! When Amitabh turned 80, on this October 11, I wanted to write something about him. But, then, what is left ‘new’ to write about this ‘One-and-only’? Whatever I wanted to write had been already written by countless number of his admirers. I, myself, have written about him so many times in my past Blogs… So, what is new, now? Nothing! E very time I feel tired – both physically and mentally – I look up to Amitabh Bachchan. Every time, I feel scarcity in my mind – that, I may not be able to find ‘work’, earn my daily bread, manage my home etc. – I look up to him. Every time, my boat gets caught up in a storm, every time I hear...

  “Do not cross the bridge till you come to it.” A proverb   I t’s said, that worrying is like trying to cross the bridge before it comes. Today, suddenly, a couple of things have started occupying my mind space… I, suddenly, feel overwhelmed by these thoughts and find myself worrying. Interestingly, these things, which are weighing me down, lie in the future. When I calmly look at them, I am able to see the reality, that worrying about them is simply going to drain my energy… It’s not going to help me. Instead, if I slowly and steadily approach towards this distant bridge, I will be able to find strength to cross it… And, cross I will… For, I have crossed many, many such ‘distant bridges’ in my past, too… However, there is merit in being aware of these distant bridges… When I know, that I will have to cross them, whenever I come to them, it’s important to stay vigilant. Through this, I am able to prepare myself to cross it. Yes, burying my eyes in the sand and...

  “When God is at the center of your life, you worship; When He’s not, you worry.” Rick Warren S ome days ago, I was sitting with a young couple. In the course of our discussion, they were describing to me about how the conflict between Israel and Arabs had originated. The couple was in the early thirties, and I was amazed by the ‘knowledge’ they possessed. They sounded very authentic in their knowledge about different religions, particularly Judaism (Religion of Jews), Christianity and Islam… I suddenly felt how unaware I was about my own religion for all these years and still claimed myself as a ‘Christian’.  So, that evening, I just remained quiet and listened to this young couple… After the couple left, I was asking to myself: “Do we need to ‘know’ all such things in order to ‘know’ God?” I was not asking this to defend myself or justify my lack of knowledge on historical facts about my own or my fellow-beings’ religions. I was asking this question to make sure...

    “With life as short as a half-taken breath, don’t plant anything but love.” Rumi   O ne of the things I have been poor at – and blissfully ignorant about – is how to make the best use of changing technology. I used to write   my daily notes in dairies. There was an office   assistant, and hence, I never learnt to turn on and off the computer. Then, one day, he quit to join a better job. I decided to turn on the computer… So, since, 2008 or so, I have been directly typing my daily notes. I began to call them my ‘Blogs’. That’s, also, when I decided to join FB, with the sole objective of sharing my Blog posts through this platform. A couple of my students had helped me to start my Blog, while my son had helped me to join FB. I remember his words: “Dad, you are joining Facebook when our generation is quitting it (to join Instagram).”   Well, I did not know what that meant… It’s about fourteen years since I joined FB… and, I still continue to ...

  “Children see magic, because they look for it.” Christopher Moore   I had been to a friend’s place, last evening. As I got off the lift, I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my ex-students (she had also attended our summer programme on Personality Development) with her little girl on a three-wheeled cycle. “Hello sweetheart,” I greeted the little child, “can I sit on your cycle?” The little girl looked at her mother! I did not know, that my ex-student lived on the same floor as my friend did. After chatting with her for a few minutes, I proceeded towards my friend’s flat, which was on one end of the floor, while my ex-student and her little girl on cycle proceeded towards their flat, which was on the other end of the floor. It was a large floor with at least eight to ten flats on it… As I was waiting for someone to open the door from inside my friend’s flat, I overheard a conversation between my ex-student and her little girl on cycle… “Mummy, who was that ...

  “Abundance is not what you hold in your hand. Rather, it’s what you have in your heart. Until we realize this, both will feel empty.” Graig D. Lounsbrough   T he more I feel grateful for Life and its privileges, the more peaceful I become. This life is a true gift, a blessing. And, I say this not as a cliche… Life ‘is’ a gift… “Thank you, Lord”! When I truly feel grateful to God for this life and its privileges, reaching out to people in need – not necessarily through money – becomes easier. We give joyfully and we give with our blessings, too. Sometimes, when I sit alone near the vast sea, watching the setting sun and swiftly-changing hues on the sky, listening to the rhythm of the waves, I get to realize how vast and kind this Universe is… I get to realize how abundant the Life is! So, when I reach out to someone, through whatever manner, what I am truly able to experience inside me is, that the Universe within me can only keep growing. I am able to realize...

“Your career is what you’re paid for; your calling is what you’re made for.” Steve Harvey I just asked one of my eleventh-standard student: “So, what is the plan after twelfth?" “I don’t know, Sir,” the girl said quite sincerely. The last thing I wanted to do was to make this bright girl feel guilty about it. I was clueless about what I wanted to do in my own life till I landed up in first-year B.Com. I knew how I had gone about my own career choice. So, I said to this girl, “It’s okay if you do not know what you should do after twelfth. But, you should know what you should do now about it.” I pointed to the difference between my situation at her age and hers… I grew up in a village, where my parents were not educated. There was ignorance and lack of means… My self-confidence was extremely low and social skills were poor. I was not into reading; nor I was aware of any motivational programmes. Everything began to change during my B.Com days, when I dreamt of becoming ...

  “Sometimes, when you lose your way, you find yourself.” Mandy Hale   W hen the roots are strong, the tree, invariably, grows strong. When we take good care of the saplings, they, invariably, grow into robust trees. That’s how our lives, too, shape up. The reason why we all try to provide our children with fine values and discipline is, precisely, for this reason – we want them to grow up into fine adults. Every generation of parents has been doing it. But, one thing has, always, mystified me… The destiny is shaped by multiple factors. Sometimes, despite utmost care of the saplings, the trees grow crooked. At some other times, despite lack of care for saplings, they grow up into fine trees… The struggle, rejection and personal quest are incredible character-shapers. Hence, I hesitate to foretell the fate of a sapling… John Lennon said, “There is nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.” Y esterday, I had been to a school for the underprivileged kids. ...

  “We cannot do great things… only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa   I t can be quite addictive when you hear someone say to you, ‘You are great!” Last morning, someone said that to me, “Sir ji, you are great!” Now, I knew, how lulling and killing those words were! Without allowing them to go up into my head, I replied to the lavish donor – “Sir ji, we all are!” I had shared a favourite video of mine to this person, in response to which, he had showered 'greatness' upon me... I have shared this video with scores of people – both young and old. Particularly, I have played this video in our Personality Development sessions… Yes, hoping, that our young kids would take away something from it. “Can we all do such simple acts, spontaneously – and quietly - demonstrated by this little kid?” I have asked after showing this video. “Yes Sir,” has been the resounding answer. “And, do we do them?” I have asked. The response has been weak! T he seed...