Gerald D'Cunha

  “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”   Mark Twain W hen American writer, essayist and humourist, Mark Twain, lived, he must’ve imagined, that a motor car, rail engine, telegram, a steam ship and some more technical innovations were a near possibilities. But, internet, mobile phones, zoom and its cousins, social media, YouTube, Uber and Olas, Swiggy and Zomatoes, Wefast (now Borzo) and its cousins, remotely-performed robotic surgeries, and, above all, the all-conquering AI – yes, the great Mark Twain, by any stretch of his wise, wild imagination, must’ve never thought, that they would soon be coming to ‘disrupt’ human life... Did I say, ‘disrupt’? Yes, I did... A week ago, my wife and I were to visit our elderly uncle and aunt who we lived in faraway suburbs. We had organized some delicious food to carry and have lunch together at their place. But, as we were about to book an Uber to proceed to their place, we received a c...

“When things are bad, it’s the best time to reinvent yourself.” George Lopez   R ecently, when Amitabh Bachchan ended his 17 th season of KBC, I went into a reflective mode: “What a man! What a man!”... Yes, I kept saying this to myself. I had first read a small article about this tall, awkward-looking newcomer in the Hindi filmdom in an unknown magazine in our school library. I must’ve been in my 8 th   standard, and Amitabh Bachchan must’ve just completed his first film, ‘Saat Hindustani’... Yes, Amitabh was just one of the ‘seven’ actors in this K. A. Abbas film. But, somehow, I fell in love with this lanky star and kept following his career path – almost every milestone, every crossroad – his ups, his   downs... his rise and fall, and again his phoenixlike rise... This, once awkward-looking man, when he concluded his latest KBC season, was an incredible magnet -   yes, even at 83! Now, why do I remember Amitabh Bachchan in my today’s Post? A n...

“Sometimes, the most beautiful truths aren’t ahead  but beside us, waiting to be noticed, to be cherished, to be seen.” AshRawArt   A dear friend of mine retired, a few years ago, from BARC where she worked for several years as a senior scientist. In an organization like BARC, the tag ‘Scientist’ or a ‘Scientific Officer’ makes no one raise his/her eyebrows... Every other person working there wears that tag. And, yes, hardly anyone is impressed by the crown – ‘a PhD’... You are only one of the many out there... Now, this Post is not to belittle a Scientist or a PhD... It’s to show my appreciation for the ‘never-say-retired’ sprit of my friend. “I am retired, but not tired,” she loves to say. Just as a famous person said, “Retire from work, not life.” Two days ago, I was talking to this friend about her recent trip to Cambodia. “Did you cover Vietnam, too?” I asked. “No, I don’t like to rush through my trips... I don’t like to pride myself saying, ‘I covered five...

  “That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.” Etty Hellesum   T oday is 7 th Jan., exactly a week since the advent of new year 2026. In the evening, I received this message from my dear, old student, Rekha: “Good evening Sir, wishing you joy, prosperity and endless blessings in 2026. A Happy New Year to you and your family.” She added, “Sorry for the delayed response, Sir. Your new-year message, somehow, got lost in the mountain of messages!” I loved that imagery – ‘lost in the mountain of messages’... My reply went to Rekha, instantly: “HaHa... ‘Lost in the mountain of messages!’ Rekha, I found the title for my next Blog.” “All the best for your next Blog, Sir,” Rekha cheered. Rekha and Srikar were my students when they were doing their TY BCom. They were in love... Soon after graduating, they got married... and, they never forgot to invite me for their wedding reception... A few years later, their little girl Sharika was born, ...

  “Doing something for yourself gives you motivation; but, doing something for others gives meaning.” Maxime Lagase   T here are our own ways through which most of us help others. Whenever we hear the word ‘help’, we tend to think of helping with money. No, help is not just with money. There are a hundred ways, with which, people out there need someone to help them. And, all of us, out here, are ready with our own way... Now, when I say, “All of us, out here” – yes, is each one of us here really ready to help someone out there – in his/her own way? Is it really so? I would love to think so, even if that makes me sound very naïve... Our hearts resonate with someone’s ache in our own way... Y esterday, a dear friend of mine, shared a post on her social media platform. She was promoting some healthy, home-roasted nuts and seeds which were beautifully prepared by one of her nieces. A pack of 250 grams was priced at Rs. 300. And, there was a line at the bottom: ‘Pro...

  “You can give without loving; but, you cannot love without giving.” Amy Carmichael   K ahlil Gibran says, “ You give but little when you give of your possessions. It’s when you give of yourself, that you truly give.” I do not know, how to convey this truth to a young one who wants to know how to shine in life... “By giving, and by giving more and even more,” I say to every young one. Now, you can understand, why Gibran talks about ‘giving of yourself’ – and not ‘giving of your possessions’... The wealthiest man in this world may not know what giving is... and, as Amy Carmichael says, “You can give without loving; but, you cannot love without giving.” S ome days ago, a young man – a very creative, very gifted soul – wanted to know from me how to find true happiness in his life. Well, I knew, that happiness was not any destination; but, only a continuous journey... It’s along this journey, that one could hope to experience happiness. So, I said to the young man...

  “There is more treasure in books  than in all the pirate’s loot in Treasure Island.” Walt Disney   “W ho reads books these days?” “Khushika does,” I said without blinking my eyes. “Who is she?” “One who reads books voraciously.” The above conversation took place yesterday between me and a 40-year-old man, an MBA, and works for a large organization. When I was excitedly sharing with this man about my plans to come out with ten books (in coming two years) from hundreds of blog articles posted by me over several years,  the man wasn’t impressed. “Who reads books these days?” was his question. There are many, many, many people, out there, who simply love reading books... I know there are ... O n last Sunday, my wife and I had attended a grand wedding reception in ITC Grand Maratha hotel near Mumbai International airport. While there, we bumped into an old friend, who was there along with his wife, daughters, and son-in-law. But, the center of atten...

  “The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.” Henry David Thoreau   O n every Christmas and New Year, I have posted something. But, of late, writing for the sake of writing – no, I simply don’t like to do. I come to know, inside my heart, if the words come to me from the depth of my soul, or from the tip of my tongue... Yes, Christmas and New Year have become quite a quiet time for me... a more reflective time. But, let me tell you this: there were many touching stories if I wanted to share in my blog... But, as I said, I simply let them be... Every story need not be shared... There is a time to simply ‘be’... A n elderly aunt of mine, shared this beautiful Post on the Christmas day. I am sharing it here, not because I am an old man or something like that. But, because, the more I think about Christmas and New Year, the more I become convinced, that these are times to reflect and evoke gratitude in our souls. Else, they are just two popular d...