Gerald D'Cunha

  “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” William Shakespeare, ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’   A re we all these little frogs blissfully living in our ponds? One of my pet phrases, with which I often find myself trying to motivate my students, is ‘Don’t be a frog in the pond’… Obviously, when I put it so forcefully, my intention is good: I want my students to go beyond the books… Think practical, be in touch with what’s happening around them, etc., etc., etc. Some of my near and dear ones – including my wife and son – often tell it on my face: “Yours is a one-way traffic… You preach, and your students listen to you, mutely.” Only those who love you, know you and care for you, can tell it on your face… It doesn’t mean, my students don’t love me, care for me and know me… They just don’t want to ‘invite trouble’ by telling it on their teacher’s face… They know what a ‘great frog’ their teacher is… particularly when it comes to the ‘information technology’! I was ...

“Crippled things are always more beautiful… It's the flaw that brings out beauty.” ―  Holly Black ,  Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale O ne of the biggest sources of stress for a householder woman is: Maid Management. Man, though takes this stress indirectly on his head, it is she who deals with this problem called – Maid Management – directly on a daily basis. My wife and I are not spared from this problem and its consequence: stress. They don’t stick… They make fuss… They are unseasonable in their demands… They don’t turn up on the day we need them the most… They speak rudely… They get influenced by other maids… Their work is shoddy… They are ‘kaam-chors’ … They are not dependable and trustworthy… They should know who is their ‘Boss’… and etc., etc… “Don’t look for perfections,” advised Bhadekar madam, one of the elderly members in our society and one who has vast experience in this management stream: Maid Management. Every day on conclu...

Pic.: Avinash Mantri 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. The English phrase ‘Crocodile tears’   (false tears/ insincere display of emotion)   derives from an ancient belief that   crocodiles   shed   tears while consuming their prey. But, then, I would love to believe that our own popular Panchatantra-story has something to do with it… CROCODILE TEARS PAST: O n the banks of a river stood a huge mango tree. On the tree lived a monkey. A crocodile often came near the tree to eat the mangoes dropped by the monkey. The monkey and the crocodile became good friends. One day, the crocod...

Pic.: Vincent D'Souza 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. Well, don’t tell me “I know this story.” WHO WILL BELL THE CAT? PAST: T here was a grocer’s shop where a large number of mice resided. The mice feasted on fresh cheese, biscuits, wheat, rice and sugar and lived there happily. But, the grocer was a worried man… He worried about his losses and thought of putting an end to the mice menace. Thus, he brought a hefty cat and placed it in his shop. The cat began to catch and eat mice one by one… The mice were so terrorized that they dared not to come out of their holes. Then, one day, when the ca...

Pic.: Anima D'Cunha 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… Here is a little story that comes back to me, again and again, with the warning sign - ‘DANGER’… yes, every time I am about to lock horns with another goat right in the middle of a narrow bridge… TWO GOATS PAST: T wo   goats lived on either side of a mountain. Every day, they left home looking for pastures. On their way, they had to pass through a very narrow bridge that stood over a deep river.  One day, the goats faced each other right in the middle of the narrow bridge… and both were unwilling to make way for each other. ...

Pic.: Vincent D'Souza L ong time ago, once, 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 the mouth of the Wolf and took out the bone, quite effortlessly. The Wolf was relieved. “Thanks for your prompt help,” he said to the Crane and began to dash off his way. “Wait a minute, my friend,” cried out the Crane, “What about my reward?” “What about your reward?” the Wolf turned back to answer, grinding his deadly teeth, “Well, my friend, you have won a good fortune, already. You can, now, go around boasting before the whole world, that you had the grit and the gumption to put your head in a Wolf’s mouth and yet to walk away scot-free!” ...

Back in my home town, Mangalore, when I was in school, I had a friend. They lived in a small rented house and his parents had financially tough times. My friend had two brothers and three sisters. The eldest sister had married a gentleman from Mumbai and was settled here, in Mumbai. This gentleman – a very cultured, generous soul – was very concerned with his wife’s family. Having no children of their own for many years, this man and his wife took exceptional care of the rest in the family. I remember how my own friend was helped in every respect. When he passed his junior college, he, and his youngest sister, who had just passed her tenth standard, were called to Mumbai. Here, both of them were sent to the best institutions. When they became graduates, they were also helped to find good jobs… The sister was married into a good family. Back home, two other brothers and a sister were helped in every possible manner. The elderly parents were also taken care of financially...

It was a cold night. In a jungle, a monkey was jumping around some red seeds, crying, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!” He was warming himself mistaking those red seeds to be balls of fire! From a nearby tree, a little bird saw what the monkey was doing. She said, “My friend, those are not balls of fire… they are just red seeds.” “Shut up, you silly bird,” the monkey yelled, “Mind your own business.” He continued to jump around the seeds, screaming, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!” The little bird felt sorry for the monkey. She tried to explain to him, once again, “My friend, I am telling you, they are not fire balls… they are our jungle seeds.” “I have warned you once, and I am warning you again,” the monkey blasted, “get off my way, you dumb bird!” Then, he continued to warm himself, jumping and shouting, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!” The bird couldn’t see it, any more. She cam...