Gerald D'Cunha

“The great thing about social media is that it gives everyone a voice. But, the trouble is, it’s, often, a very loud voice.” -      Mark Zuckerberg W hile in college, I remember going to a particular restaurant (in my hometown, Mangalore) to enjoy the tea served there in the white cups. Somehow, that memory has stayed etched in my mind even after fifty years. I think, like this, each one of us has some soft memory spots… Here in Mumbai, after my Sunday Tai Chi session, a friend of mine and I go for a simple cup of tea served in those white cups… Ah, that simple pleasure… those quiet old memories… and, above all, the peace in being anonymous in, otherwise, noisy world around! This morning, I was amused to see a young man capturing his chai moment for his social media status. As I knew him and was connected with him on social media, I smiled when I saw his broadcast soon: “What a delight!” While I am no one to judge this young man –- or any of those who pos...

“You never appreciate your anonymity until you don’t have it anymore.” Jason Priestley   I am conscious of the two movements within me… One is a strong desire to be in the limelight – to be more and more famous, recognized, hailed. The other is an equally strong desire to be away from the limelight – to be anonymous, private and quiet… I think, it’s a strange irony in our lives: When we are away from these big cities, we desire to be here. When we are here, we desire to be away from these cities… Poor want to be rich – famous and powerful. When they reach there - and if they are in touch with the two internal movements I just spoke about – I am sure, they, most certainly, desire to go back to their quiet life… Of course, not to go back to the financial poverty, but to go back to the richness of their spirit… O ne of the things, my wife and I regularly do is walk along the beautiful Marine Drive promenade, mostly in the evenings… It’s packed with tens and thousands of pe...