Gerald D'Cunha

“When the last female dies, the gateway to the earth closes to man.” ―  Ernest Agyemang Yeboah M rs. Sodhi lives in our housing colony. Her husband is a friend of mine.  Their daughter, Baani, got married two years ago, and their son, Govind, is now in tenth standard. Govind’s school bus comes at 6.20 every morning when it is still dark outside. What is delightful to watch is: Mrs. Sodhi comes to see off Govind every morning! So? “He is a smart, confident, young lad who will be appearing for his SSC Boards in a few months,” I have wondered many times on seeing Mrs. Sodhi waiting with her son for the school bus to come, “Can’t she leave him alone?” It took some time for me to grasp how some mothers make such choices… It dawned on me when I thought over the fact, that, for Govind, his mother has been doing it right since he was in nursery… 13 years, that is! Before that, she had done it for her daughter, Baani … Yes, every morning, every y...

Pic.: Rajiv Sharma T wo days ago, an eleven-year old joined our on-going PD course for Pre-teens. This boy came from a well-off family. Both parents were educated. He went to one of the best ICSC schools. Yet, here in our class, I found him very restless. He was intelligent and articulate, but, the problem was his inappropriate behavior in the class... He would indulge in every kind of negative-attention-seeking behavior. Other students would find it extremely repulsive and I had quite a task in hand to make them understand as to why this boy would take some time to settle down... So, they did their best to put up with all his irritating behavior... For me, all were alike... Because the boy needed help, their parents had entrusted their little boy into my hands. So, I had a huge responsibility... of not over-reacting to this boy’s, almost, eccentric behavior in the class. I blew hot and blew cold... kept gently, firmly and angrily reminding him about what was expec...

  Some days ago, a parent had come to me to enroll her young son in my class.  “Ma’am where is your son?” I asked her, “I wanted to talk to him.” “Sir, he doesn’t listen to me," the lady told me sounding a lot irritated.  She continued,"For the last one week, I have been asking him to come along with me; but, he is simply not bothered... Finally, I came today."  She declared, almost defeated, "I have given up on him!” I smiled and consoled the lady, “Don’t worry, ma’am... he will do well in life.” “I hope so,” the mother took her handkerchief to her welling eyes, “I am sorry sir.” Has the mother really ‘given up’ on her young rebel? No… Definitely not. Will the young rebel really ‘do well in life’? Oh yes! He will…  Who says so? I do. How am I so sure? Well, I am sure, because: every mom had, has and will have a rebel son or daughter! ...

When I was in Second-year B’Com, I came across a man in my life. His name was  Norman. I was 19 and he must be 30. He had come up in life the hard way and was a compassionate soul. He showed a great deal of interest in me, in my progress… So, he kept directing me, motivating  me, even helping me financially.  But then, as months passed by, I felt a lot suffocated by his approach… Norman was dreaming for me, planning for me and even funding for me. Initially, I felt very cared for and loved… I felt a lot grateful to this soul. But, as I felt the strain of being trampled upon my individuality and freedom, I began to feel the irritation and resistance in my heart. It was simmering within me for months. Then, one day, around ten of us had been for a picnic. There, some statement this man made towards me triggered off my rebellion. I voiced my discomfort, my loss of freedom – and I found myself bluntly telling Norman : “Don’t manipulate me… Leave me alone!” ...

All of us are concerned about the safety of our dear and near ones. We express our concern in many ways. “Take care,” is a very, very common phrase we use, time and time again, to do that. I do it every day, so many times… and for so many dear people in my life. Some months ago, a very dear young-student of mine was travelling alone to Pune. When the bus started, she sent me a sms saying that the journey had just begun . She was very excited to travel by the Expressway and all alone, particularly.  “Take care,” I instantly replied, “Be careful with the strangers.” “Don’t worry sir,” the young one quickly consoled me, “I am sitting next to an elderly lady!” I sent a smiley to this dear student of mine. But, behind that smiling face, hid a little bit of my embarrassment. “How much protective we are! How low is our trust level!” I wondered. But then, I also felt a lot happy for what I had done and said to this dear one, so spontaneously. I meant well for her...