Gerald D'Cunha

S ix years ago, I had posted a blog and captioned it as ‘Gessler’s Hat’. Today, I am reposting it, again… For, the story of William Tell’s legendary defiance is so timeless, and so inspiring… that, I am prompted to recount this tale, today…   THE GESSLER'S HAT January 09, 2020 “Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom.” -      Dalai Lama I  do not know why they had included the story of William Tell in our higher-primary school text. Perhaps, to inculcate in us — the little children — the importance of knowing what is right and what is wrong… what is just and human and what is unjust and inhuman. When I look back at those days — late sixties — I was, perhaps, of the age of William Tell’s son. And, imagine, the impact of this story on a young mind! We, also, had, in our History textbook, the story of Martin Luther King, who had revolted against the unjust and inhuman practices pre...

  “The most critical time in a battle is not when I’m fatigued; it’s when I no longer care.” Graig G. Lounsbrough   O ne of the powerful imageries, deeply imbedding in my mind, relates to this period of Lent... Jesus Christ’s prayer at the lonely place – Gethsemane Garden. He knew, what’s coming upon him... He had lost his courage... He was feeling his humanness completely... Thus, He had gone, accompanied by a few trusted disciples, to pray for courage... That prayer was so intense, the Holy Book says, that Jesus sweat blood... Down on His knees, He had prayed: “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt.” It wasn’t possible for Jesus Christ to arrive at this crucial stage before he could experience the courage and peace... He prayed hard before acceptance brought in Him – peace... Now, He was unafraid, he was ready to face whatever was supposed to befall upon Him... In Lent, we ...

“When things are bad, it’s the best time to reinvent yourself.” George Lopez   R ecently, when Amitabh Bachchan ended his 17 th season of KBC, I went into a reflective mode: “What a man! What a man!”... Yes, I kept saying this to myself. I had first read a small article about this tall, awkward-looking newcomer in the Hindi filmdom in an unknown magazine in our school library. I must’ve been in my 8 th   standard, and Amitabh Bachchan must’ve just completed his first film, ‘Saat Hindustani’... Yes, Amitabh was just one of the ‘seven’ actors in this K. A. Abbas film. But, somehow, I fell in love with this lanky star and kept following his career path – almost every milestone, every crossroad – his ups, his   downs... his rise and fall, and again his phoenixlike rise... This, once awkward-looking man, when he concluded his latest KBC season, was an incredible magnet -   yes, even at 83! Now, why do I remember Amitabh Bachchan in my today’s Post? A n...

“Either you vegetate and look out of a window; or you activate and try to effect change.” Christopher Reeve   M y wife and I have watched on last two Sundays, back-to-back, two out-of-this-world movies – ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ and ‘Superman’. You see, it’s best to get lost in these fantasy worlds, now and then, knowing very well, that neither the dinosaurs nor the Superman live in this ‘real world’. But, when you wear those dark 3-D glasses and transport yourself into the fantasy worlds – yes, yes, yes, it can be the best medicine for  your worried and wounded souls… The Jurassic Park and the Superman movies we had watched years ago – for the first time – and, now, these latest ones – yes, they did succeed in captivating our hearts. May they continue to do so for centuries to come… The child in me doesn’t want to grow up… That’s something nice, na? L ast evening, on our way to the multiplex to watch ‘Superman’, I fondly remembered Late Christopher Reeve. He was the first Sup...

  “A butterfly did not touch earth by her eyes; because she showed an irresistible fluorescence colour of shyness.” Petra Hermans   S ome things about us will, always, remain with us… One of them is our shyness. I have been saying this, with conviction, for decades. And, at 63, and after helping myself and thousands of shy people like me, over these years, I still say this: Shyness stays! Before we get into unnecessary arguments, let me state a few facts... about me. As far as my memory goes back, I have been a shy kid, always. When I became an adolescent, I became more and more self-conscious, and more and more withdrawn. The self-talk, that everybody was watching me, judging me, accepting or rejection me (mostly rejecting), I was not up-to-the mark, I always lacked something and others were always better than me… my looks, speech, dress, family status – everything was inferior compared to the ones around me… etc., etc., etc. Yes, I remember these thoughts cri...

  “People pay the doctor for his trouble; for his kindness, they still remain in his debt.” Seneca   T wo things I know about every doctor – even if he/she is world’s most renowned and acclaimed doctor. One: doctor is not God; just a human being, like the rest of us. Two: doctor, too, gets anxious and worried and prays to God in times of his/her distress, like the rest of us. Thus, when we trust a doctor to help us out of a disease, by medicines, surgery or any kind of treatment, we have to trust God, too. Just like anything else in life can go wrong, a doctor’s treatment or surgery, too, can. As a teacher, I may think, that I have taught my students with all my heart and skills. But, sometimes, my students can fail, or get low marks. The best of the best lawyers cannot guarantee to their clients a favourable verdict… No matter how fat a sum he has received   as legal fees. The best lawyer can only do his best… That’s all! And, so is the case when it comes...

  “Isn’t it rich? Are we a pair? Me here at last on the ground You in mid-air Send in the clowns… Where are the Clowns?”   (From the song ‘Send in the Clowns’ by Stephen Sondheim) S ometimes, it becomes easy for me to identify where in this world I belong. Let’s divide the people of this vast world into two kinds – Those who are naturally confident. And, those who aren’t. And, where do I belong? Living my life for close to 63 years, I am comfortable in saying, that I belong to the category of people who aren’t naturally confident. That said, I do not feel bad about this state – a state which keeps me eternally on the edge, or, shall I say this – on my raw nerves… nervous? Making peace with my shyness and nervousness hasn’t been easy for me, at all. Nobody likes to see himself in awkward positions in a group. Nobody likes to see himself trembling, going blank… worrying endlessly about facing an audience. Nobody likes to experience that deep feeling of bein...

  “Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.”   Japanese Proverb   D o we all have some regrets in life? Like “If only I had not done that.”… “If only I hadn’t taken that decision.”… “If only I hadn’t worked for that person.”… “If only I hadn’t married that person..”… “If only I hadn’t invested in that Stock.”… “If only I was employed and not self-employed.”…"If only I hadn’t trusted that person so much.”… “If only I did not live at that place.”… “If only… “If only…” “If only…” Often, we are advised not to keep any regrets in life. Yes, that’s a sane advice. However, the reality is, that we do have many regrets in life. Not having any regrets means, that we haven’t lived at all… haven’t made any mistakes… haven’t taken any wrong decisions… haven’t had any bad relationships… haven’t burnt our hands… haven’t lost any money… haven’t come across any wrong people… haven’t eaten any junk food… haven’t ignored our health… etc. etc.   etc.… And, if we haven’t ‘commi...