Gerald D'Cunha

  “Let this Diwali remind you, that hope is the brightest light in the darkest times.” -      Unknown   Y esterday was a Sunday… the day of Diwali. Our Tai Chi session was held as usual at 8.15 in the morning. Only four of us were present besides our teacher, Mr. Rakesh Menon. But, then, whether four or forty –- our teacher, as always, went about guiding us with the same love and dedication… After the session, my friend and a fellow learner, Dr. Shankar Chawla, went for our cup of tea. For a change, he suggested a different tea stall… As we settled with our cups, I heard him asking a poor woman, “Chai chahiye?” He had noticed this poor woman with her hand stretched with a request for tea… The woman nodded; but, said, “Lekhe jaaneka hai.” My doctor friend ordered for a couple of cups, handed the parcel to the woman with the greeting, “Happy Diwali.” The glow on woman’s face made us both feel the ‘happiness’ of the greeting –- ‘Happy Diwali’… ...

  “At the heart of all anger, all grudges, and all resentment, you’ll find a fear that hopes to stay anonymous.” Donald L. Hicks   “H ow’s is your health?”… a woman asked me, gently, a while ago. I had many options to choose my reply from: “Not so good”… “Doctors say this and that”… “Reports say this and that”… Well, these kinds of responses come quite easily… Complaints immediately draw sympathy, you see. And - we may not like to admit it – we long for sympathy from others. But, then, if I had replied to the question – “How’s your health?” – saying, “It’s Great!”… that’s not the truth either. Telling someone your health is ‘Great’, when it’s actually not, is a lie. You are deceiving not only others, but also yourself. So, this morning, I, instantly, replied to the woman, when asked gently – “How is your health?”, “It’s good, no complaints.” The woman, who asked me the question, seemed impressed by my rejoinder - “No complaints”, and said, “I like that phrase...

  “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Maya Angelou   I did not know who this singer, by the name Justh, was, nor did I know about his song – ‘CHOR’. It was early this morning, that I learnt about the song and the singer, both. It was while looking for a meaningful song to use for the picture story of our 2023 summer-program. My ex-student, Satnam, who is a creative young man, helps me every year to make a catchy story out of some 100-odd pictures shot during our summer certification-programme (Personality Development programme conducted by The Dawn Club Centre of Excellence). Like any other creative young one, Satnam is ‘busy with doing nothing’ – which means, he is flooded with a million dreams in his head (Here, I am using a paradox). Hence, I don’t push myself to get him do our ‘honorary’ work… I understand such headspace… which, to the world looks so weird, so often. The writers...

  “To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.” Confucius   I don’t think, that, there exists a single soul on this planet who hasn’t been hurt by someone, or he/she hasn’t hurt someone. “To err is human.” This statement hasn’t been tossed around as just one more proverb. We are humans; hence, we err… We hurt others, including our own. And, others, including our own, do hurt us. That fact said, and that truth accepted, now what? Should we hold on to those hurts? Keep remembering, reminding, digging, re-digging those painful memories? Let’s pause for a moment and recall: Has digging, re-digging, remembering, reminding – accusing, blaming, screaming, swearing, threatening, emotional-blackmailing… yes, has any of these, which seems so familiar a thing for each of us, really helped one bit? Or, have all of these only added more mess and turmoil into our already turmoiled lives? F unny it sounds! We want peace and happiness; we want to walk light and f...

“Getting stuck in the past is like guarding a cemetery.” Hugo Pratt   I n one of his inspiring books, Dr. Wayne Dyer narrates a moving story from his life. By this time, the famed author, counselor and motivational guru, was a young doctorate in psychology and had touched lives of millions of people through his books, talks and insights into human mind. But, something inside his own mind was weighing upon him like a heavy rock. Rather, it was holding him back in chains, like a prisoner of his own mind. It was his anger, hate and inability to forgive his own father, who had deserted Dr. Dyer’s mother and three little children (Dr. Dyer being the youngest of the three) years ago. This episode had, obviously, brought upon the family a great deal of pain and suffering. As a little kid, left to live in an orphanage, the experience had left a lasting   negative-impression on him. Years rolled by… Dr. Dyer became a doctorate in psychology… Started healing people… Wrote seve...

  “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.” Old Proverb   M any years ago, I had a poster displayed in my classroom with the above message. Young boys and girls, would get puzzled… “If you love ‘someone’,” they would understand it that way. So, the advice to set him or her – who they were madly in love with – free would not go down well with them… Detachment is for the old and the sick… This was their (Young ones’) age – the age of attachment. So, after some time, I stopped displaying this message… “Let them enjoy life… Detachment can wait,” I concluded. Attachment mercifully comes in many forms: Attachment to wealth, people, beliefs, ideas, ideologies, opinions, places, creations and so on. I don’t think, it is possible – rather practical – to rid of our every attachment. Yes, as an ideal -   as a philosophy - detachment is very sublime. But, every one of us is a mortal here on earth; therefore, attached ...

“A shot to kill the pain. A pill to drain the shame. A purge to end the gain. A cut to break the vein. A smoke to ease the crave. A drink to win the game. An addiction is an addiction, because it hurts the same.” Unknown M y youngest brother, Vivek, was one of those hyperactives on social media, particularly on various WhatsApp groups. Known in family and friends circle for his sociable nature, he loved the constant social conversation. In addition, he loved all sorts of jokes, which he would share, like crazy, on WhatsApp groups. His comments were instant and insane, very entertaining and even provocative. And, all of a sudden, the messages, jokes and forwards stopped coming from my brother… There was no response from his end for the messages, jokes and forwards sent to him. He was off the radar, all of a sudden… Days went by, weeks and then months. “What happened,” I wondered. It took his wife to tell us wh...

"The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than them.” Chinese Proverb “W ish you all a Blessed Holi dear friends,” I just responded to the Holi greetings in a WhatsApp group consisting of some close friends of mine. Late last night, I had shared in this group a news report about a certain individual, who had tortured some of the group members relentlessly over a long period of time. Now, this individual – the tormentor- was caught up in a huge scam and was facing the real taste of his own medicine. So, after I shared that report, responses started pouring in… “God sees the truth… But, waits!” … Yes, this’s how we all felt and went off to sleep… When I shared that report, last night, several other friends of mine were sharing on FB and WhatsApp the videos of the auspicious moment of Holi bonfire in their respective housing colonies… And, what a time it was to think about one’s tormentors!... What a time to think ab...

“He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.” ―  Aristotle S ome days ago, when Hollywood actor Martin Sheen (during his speech at the weekly Fire Drill Friday protest against the climate Change in Washington DC.) had recited Rabindranath Tagore’s inspiring poem – ‘Where the Mind is without fear’, it caught the imagination of millions of people, all over the world. Tagore had initially penned this poem in 1910! Imagine, even after one-hundred-and-ten years, it resonates with us… It fills us with not only courage, but, also, gives us the much-needed wisdom…   And, what a time we all now live in! The poem is needed now more than any other time… Frankly, I did not feel like blogging during past several days… The mind needed clarity and wisdom… the heart needed courage. So, in a state like this, the best thing, I thought, I should do was to keep silent and pray… seek for guidance… Tagore’s ...