Gerald D'Cunha

T oday is the last day of the year 2017. Early in the morning, Mr. Amol, a person I admire much had shared with me this wonderful message: “Time has no holiday, Dreams have no expiry date, And Life has no pause button. Live it… Love it… Enjoy each and every moment of your life! Save only those memories which give twinkle in your eyes… not wrinkles on your face! Good morning… Have a fantastic last day of the year of 2017 and look forward to a wonderful 2018! I  really loved the lines: “Save only those memories which give twinkle in your eyes… not wrinkles on your face!” So, today is that day, when all of us have to decide what we should save in ‘our memory card’… and what we should not. Yes, the year 2017 had its own offerings to each one of us… There were joyful moments and there were painful ones, too. We have smiled and laughed a lot many times… and we have cried, feared and sulked a lot many times, too. But, at t...

Pic.: Nicole Gubin “He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” Roy L. Smith   “H appy Christmas to you,” a friend of mine wished me today, “in advance.” “Right in time, not in advance,” I said spontaneously to my friend, “Thank-you so much and wish you the same.” My friend, though was puzzled a bit on my unusual response, “seemed to have gotten the meaning quickly.” Why do we wait for the Christmas to come on 25 th December? Why do we wait to celebrate… attend the midnight-mass wearing our X’Mas best? Why can’t this day be a Christmas day? Why can’t this day be a day of Christmas-mass and celebration? Why can’t every star in the sky be the star of Bethlehem? Why can’t the sweets and wine, the hugs and kisses… why can’t the jingle-bells, silver-snow and reindeers … the Santa, yes, why can’t all of these be the part of my daily life? Why don’t I feel the presence of baby Jesus every day? Why should sweets, cakes...

Pic.: Daniel Pinto ”The proud man counts his newspaper clippings, the humble man his blessings.” -  Fulton J. Sheen T wenty-five years ago, on this day, we – many of my innocent college-students and I – had founded THE DAWN CLUB. All those students, today, are twenty-five years older, wiser, stronger in their lives... They are settled well, all over the world... And, I am 56... Over these years, thousands of young-boys and girls have been touched by the work THE DAWN CLUB has been doing... the wonderful Workshops, the Public Speaking and Self-Growth sessions, the motivational books, magazines and writings. Scores of gifted teachers and trainers have helped me translate what I, as a young-man, had conceived in my mind – to guide, inspire and empower the young and earnest souls... So, twenty-five years is a long time; isn't it? The world calls it ‘the Silver Jubilee’; isn't it? It calls for celebration; isn't it? It has to be ann...

Pic.: Amrita Jeurkar S ome things about Christmas shall, eternally, remain childlike: The Christmas carols, the Santa, the Christmas Tree, the snow, the bells, the gifts, the mid-night mass, the Christmas-best attire, the party, the dance, the Christmas sweets and never to miss the lovely plum-cake… And those star-eyed kids… which means: ALL OF US! The Santa hasn’t grown any older ever since I met him when I was a little baby… Nor has the Christmas Tree… The carols make me dreamy even now as they did when I first heard them some fifty-six years ago… The sweets and plum-cake have not changed their taste… The mid-night mass was, is and will, always, be special… The baby Jesus shall, always, be born only there – in the humble crib… And, Christmas shall, for ever, be celebrated by all of us – irrespective of our faiths, age, class, color and status… So timeless this special season is… And, so, today, I wish to re-present the Post I...

  Pic.: Anand Ashokan “Each day is a new day – the gateway for your tomorrow. Wake up each morning with a resolution to make the day the most wonderful one. Your tomorrow should be founded on such a wonderful Today, Not on an unpleasant Yesterday.” T oday is the day… and, it is sensible to make the most of it… So, ‘Carpe Diem’ … Seize the day! Today is the day to dream, decide, plan and work… Today is the day to trust, hope and soar… Today is the day to amend - let go, forgive and be healed… Today is the day to thank, share and celebrate… Yes, today is the reality - God has blessed you with it, already… ‘The Present’ as they call it… a priceless gift! Today is a new day – the gateway for your tomorrow. If you want to see an amazing tomorrow, make this day – today – an amazing one, first… Wake up each morning with a resolution to make it a wonderful day, an amazing day… Yes, you c...

Like many of my well-wishers, Paul, my friend, too, had sent me B’day wishes, this morning. In the end, he wrote, “I, for one, believe that we should live life as if each day is our B’day.”  I had said the same thing, so often, to so many before! So, when Paul reminded me of it, this morning, I thought I would reflect on it for a while. “Do I live my life as if each day of my life is my B’day?” No sir, I don’t! Honestly, I don’t. Like all of you guys, out there, I wait for my B’day to come… and, when it comes, I cut the cake, blow the candle and have some special time with my family… My B’day is on 24 th July… I wait for the day to come, to celebrate it! No matter how old we are… how rich and how poor, how literate or illiterate, how handsome or how ugly… a B’day is a special day for all of us. When someone calls you or message you to greet, it does feel good. You feel young and counted… cared for and honored. And yes, t...

Two days back,  early morning, a loud sound of crackers woke me up. I quickly jumped out of my bed and went near the window to peep out. The Pundit of the temple in our complex had wished all of us, “A Happy Hanuman Jayanti!” It was Good Friday, too… and, I knew, I had to go about my day wearing the appropriate mood in my heart. Crackers, to me, had to wait till the Easter Sunday… So, though I heard the festive greetings through the busting of those crackers, I, somehow, did not know how to tell my heart to respond.  Hanuman is the symbol of strength and loyalty… Courage, endurance and sacrifice. Millions of my Hindu fellow-beings were celebrating this mighty hero’s birthday. And, here was I, a Christian, all set – that morning – to mourn… because, my Lord, my mighty Hero, had been crucified on the same day! This thought, in deed, had crossed through my mind, when the crackers were going up in the air, that morning:...