Gerald D'Cunha

  “Every challenge, every adversity, contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth.” Roy Bonnett   I n 2024, I lost my Mom. But, she lived close the age 90. Dad had passed away in 1983. Mom became a widow just after she had turned 48… But, she continued to live, with grace and grit, for the next 41-plus years. When Dad passed away, due to a massive heart attack, Mom – like any one lese in her place – wasn’t ‘prepared’ to absorb the shock and pain. Dad had left behind a huge challenge for her: to rise from the ashes or just perish… Mom chose to rise… But, Mom’s sweet sorrow – the sweet memories of Dad – she continued to bear in her heart till her memory was intact. Dad had passed away on the 2 nd Jan, a Sunday, early in the morning. So, for close to 40 years, since then, Mom would remind her sons, when they called her to wish ‘A Happy New year’ – “Tomorrow will be 10 years… 20 years… 30 years… 40 years… since Dad passed away”… Imagine, she started remindin...

  “The goal is for your midlife crisis to turn into a midlife discovery.” Joan Anderson   “T ime and tide wait for no man.” Woman also knows, that this old message applies to her, as well. A couple of days ago, Ratna* had excitedly shared how happy she was to tell me, that her second son (Class 10) had been selected for an important stage event in his school… I had taught Ratna, some thirty-two years ago, while she was in her TY B.Com. She is a dear friend, now. Besides being a bright student, she was also a talented trained-singer. After completing ICWA, she worked for a big company for some years as a Costing professional. She had married to her college sweetheart, who was busy establishing himself as a Chartered Accountant. Eventually, they moved abroad, gave birth to two sons… Ratna’s life began to revolve around her husband and two little sons… Meanwhile, Costing and Singing sat quietly on the backburner… “O nly mud settles in life,” my dear friend Dr. De...

“Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly.” Khaled Hosseini   S ome days ago, when my friend Jayaprakash invited my wife and me to attend his father’s 80th birthday celebrations (scheduled to be held today), I heard, for the first time, the beautiful idea of man being able to see ‘Thousand Full-Moons’ in his lifetime. Considering the fact, that it takes around 28 days for a full-moon cycle, I learnt, that man has to wait a few more months after completing his 80 th birthday to claim, that he has lived to see thousand full-moons in his life. I, also, learnt, that it’s an important milestone in a man’s life, and as per the Hindu/Tamil tradition, it’s, generally, celebrated grandly only when his spouse is alive…                                                       My friend’s parents: Mr. & Mrs. Rajangam           ...

  “And we will lie down on the ground and have conversations with the   grasses and the flowers.” Avijeet Das   I had taught Pooja, now a dear friend, right through her junior and degree college days. It was more than twenty-five years ago. She was extremely committed, focused, and, yes, ambitious. These attributes rewarded her with success she deserved… She became a CA at a very young age, added many more specialized degrees… authored a couple of books on Financial subjects, lectured extensively at many premier institutes… and, for reasons best left tucked in her heart, she chose to remain single… Is she happy in life? I haven’t asked Pooja… Nor has she asked me the same question after thirty years of my own marriage… “Sir, are you happy in life?” Some months before the Covid situation broke out, Pooja had moved to Chennai on a lucrative assignment. She is still there. Presently, she has been sharing with us the pictures and videoes of her latest ‘achievem...

I s the playful, curious and enthusiastic child in us responsible for our zest for life? I think, he is. The moment that inner child in us ceases to be playful, curious and enthusiastic, we all cease to live zestfully… Last night, like millions all over the world were, I, too, was hugely impresses and inspired watching 87-year-old Mrs. Charulata Patel cheering for India from the packed stadium in  Edgbaston… She was wheelchair-bound… We learnt later, that she had undergone a bypass surgery of the heart twelve years ago, had a pacemaker planted inside her chest, had got her hipbone broken and fixed -   but, all this had not stopped her from   ‘participating’ in life like a young kid did… blowing horns, clapping, cheering, waving Indian flag. As much as the Indian team won our hearts, last night, Mrs. Patel won our hearts, too.   Yes, age is just a number. Zest for life is everything. Some people live long, but they...

“Don't ever save anything for a special occasion… Being alive is the special occasion.”  ~Author Unknown W ell, this Post is not about dying… It is about living… living with gratitude, joy and no regrets… Yesterday, in our Tai Chi class, we saw our oldest (youngest!!) student Sundandaji – who is some 80-plus – after a long absence. As soon as she arrived, she handed to our sir, Rakesh, an envelope containing fees and started explaining to him why she had been absent for such a long time.  There were so many genuine reasons… Sunandaji lived alone… Despite two maids at home, the situation was as good as having no help at home… “I end up doing everything,” Sunandaji told us. Rakesh sir doesn’t make any fuss about our absenteeism, even though commitment and continuity are of utmost importance in his view. When we all come out with our excuses for our absence, he is really cool about it… “Now that we are here, let’s make the most of it”...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty "If I were to say, 'God, why me?' about the bad things, then I should have said, 'God, why me?' about the good things that happened in my life.” -        Arthur Ashe S ome people can charge you with energy, life. Kannan, who must be older than I am (I am 57), is one of them. You can feel he is coming from yards and yards of distance… You can feel his energy. And, he can regale you with his stories – most of them revolve around his countryside adventures… “When it is pouring, I get into my car… and drive for miles,” he told us this morning in our Tai Chi class, “I love the interiors, the rustic landscape… simple life, simple people and simple pleasures. You shouldn’t plan too much, just get into your car and go… Let the road take you!” I loved the last line: “Let the road take you!” Kannan had to battle Prostate cancer. He had started Tai Chi as per his doctor’s advice. Yes, he has immensely benef...