Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Chetna Shetty Y ears ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found it very useful – was telling a nice story in two tenses… Past and Present. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people who were earnest to improve their English with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and tell it to someone. Today, the English phrase ‘Lion’s Share’ means a ‘bigger share’ or ‘better share’. But, long time ago, it meant ‘everything’. THE LION’S SHARE PAST: O ne day, Lion, the king of the jungle, went for hunting. He took along some of his friends for help. By the end of the day, they gathered a large pile of meat… It was time for sharing. The lion made four equal parts. Pointing at the first share, the lion roared, “I am the king of the jungle. So, this share belongs to me. Any problem… Any objection?” “No sire,” the animals replied. Pointing at ...

Pic.: Azriel D'Souza Y ears ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found very effective – was telling a nice story in two tenses… the Present and the Past. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people, who were earnest about improving their English, with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and, then, tell it to someone… Good, for most of us, ‘The Lion and the Mouse’ story came much early in life… And this one – ‘The Wolf and the Crane’… well, it has come when we really needed it… THE WOLF AND THE CRANE PAST: O nce, a Wolf was in terrible pain... A bone was stuck in his throat. When he saw a Crane around, he pleaded before her to send her long bill down his throat and pull out the bone. The Wolf made a promise, “Trust me, my friend, I will reward you handsomely for your help.” Convinced, the Crane quickly got into action. She placed her long bill in t...