Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Amrita Jeurkar on my way back from the bank, I just saw a couple of young-kids preparing the ‘old-man’. These young kids, literally, live on the streets… Their shanties are built right along the roads and, they have nothing as their roof except some torn plastic sheets… This is biting cold these days, and I see them sleeping at night outside their shanties, right on the open streets…practically, half naked… leave alone the blankets and thick sheets! So, today, when I just saw those young kids stuffing in the old-man’s body with whatever they could lay their hands on, I know, that they, too, are excited as I am to burn behind their past and embrace with hope and open arms the New-Year to come… Yes, like me, they, too, have hopes and dreams… Like me, they, too, expect a bright and prosperous New-Year… Like me, they, too, want to celebrate the coming of New-Year… Will the New-Year be bright and pr...

When someone complains to you about anything, the worst thing you can do is arguing on his complaint. Take it from me, it will ruin your peace of mind! So, the best thing you can do is a gentle listening, without any defenses, without any disagreement with him. Try this trick, the next time you have someone complaining before you… It could be anybody… at home or outside. If he is in front of you, offer him a seat and a glass of water. Then, ask him to voice out… while you show all the empathy in the world… all the attention, all the concern and willingness to help him, to solve his problem. Now, I am not encouraging you to be a hypocrite. No. Be sincere. He has a complaint…and, that’s a fact. He has come to you with the complaint, because, he believes that the solution falls within your purview, within your control… Even if the solution doesn’t fall under your territory, it is best if you listen to him patiently and gently guide him to the one who c...

Like birds, let’s leave behind what we don’t need to carry – Grudges, Sadness, Pain, Fear and Regrets. Life is beautiful… Enjoy it. Happy New-Year .    Of several New-Year greetings that I have received so far, this one made the maximums impact on my heart… It, also, made the maximum sense to my head! I was extremely happy when I saw this greeting on my phone. The sender, a young girl, was my student two years ago, and, presently, pursues her studies in Chartered Accountancy. Life has not been easy for her family. Her father had deserted them when this girl was too small and her mother too young. The mother had neither the means nor the education – not even a proper roof over their head - to make both ends meet. Still, she struggled, with great dignity, to give her only girl a good education, and raise her up with fine values. It was tough for them not only financially… but also emotionally. And, because the girl has been...

In life, everything has two sides to it: a ‘weight’ and a ‘value’. Everything, including our problems in life! I was reading an article this morning, where I came across this advice of Lord Krishna to Arjuna: “A donkey knows the weight of the sandalwood-load on its back,   but does not know its value!” I just stopped reading… and smiled! Something was pressing me so hard, right since I woke up this morning, that I was finding it difficult to concentrate…  L ife means problems… Problems means Life! Both are inseparable…  This means, when we wake up, we should not be surprised to see a new problem standing at our door… Because, such is Life…  A new surprise, for each new day! But, it doesn’t happen that way… We not only get surprised, we also get angry and upset when the new problem is thrust on our back, each morning! So, this morning, when I saw a n...