Gerald D'Cunha

  “Aggression has no ears.” Mahrukh Memon I am a believer in ambition. Honestly, to realize any of our dreams – whether it means academic excellence, good health, good relationships, success in business, or even conquering the world like Alexander-the-Great – yes, the way through is only ambition. Saints and Satans, both, are driven by the same fuel - ambition… But, but, but… The difference in our approach lies in the ‘means’ we adopt to achieve our respective ‘ends’… As Mahatma Gandhi said, our means are as important as our ends. I would go a step further and say, our means are more important than our ends! As humans, you and I want to progress in life. None of us looks below for our inspiration; we all look above. So, the rich and the famous, the bold and the beautiful have always been our weakness. And, along that route, some of us lose our way… Some of us, mercifully, don’t… Dhirubhai Ambani built the largest business-empire in a very short time. But, his means, a...

D o we have to agree with everything everyone says every time? The ‘everyone’ may be my best friend, parents, teachers, authorities and the government? My son is 27 and I am 61. When he was a baby, yes, he agreed with whatever I tried to teach him or convey… It’s no more so, now. And, that’s how it should be… I, seriously, think so. The movies, music, icons, leaders and philosophy that I love, my son may not… my wife may not. But, we are not enemies, we are not each other’s conspirators. In fact, I wonder, at times, if my son and wife had agreed with everything I believed in and every time… what kind of mind theirs would have been! Herd mentality… Just think about it! For thirty years, The Dawn Club has been helping young ones and little ones to speak and debate in public. Our senior Sir, Mr. Ramakrishnan, would, often, use the phrase – ‘The Parliamentarian Language’… to convey to us all, that we should be civil, gentle, graceful and, yet...

“As he was valiant, I honor him…  But as he was ambitious, I slew him.” ―  William Shakespeare ,  Julius Caesar T wo similar events unfolded over past few days… Cyrus Mistry, the Chairman of Tata Group, was sacked. Arnab Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of Times Now, resigned.  Or, was forced to go? For decades, I have been a loyal admirer of both these organization – Tatas and Times of India. Maybe, it is more a kind of sentimental attachment to these names, maybe, I am governed by the fan-psychology, which is more emotion-based rather than reason-based. Yes, with Tatas, I admired the conservative, trust and value based approach to business… Like so many around me felt, I, too, felt that Tatas believed in fair-play and integrity. I abhorred, always, the short-cuts to glory… I abhored making it too big too fast… People like Jamshetji, JRD and Ratan Tata have fascinated me… I have found them to be gentlemen in business. So, when Cyrus Mistr...