Gerald D'Cunha

“If you burn your neighbors house down, it doesn't make your house look any better.” -       Lou Holtz B enjamin Franklin said, “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours.” Now, who are our neighbours? Are they the ones who live next door? Or, the ones who live in our housing society? Or, in our locality, town, city, state or the country? Or, as Ana Monnar said, “All human beings are my neighbours; we share the same planet,”… Is that so? Let’s be a little practical, here… Let’s talk about our immediate neighbors – the ones who live on our floors, in our buildings and in our housing complexes… That’s enough. If we can learn to live in peace and harmony with these neighbours, yes, I think, that’s enough… City, State, Country and the Planet – these are quite far. In fact, if we learn to live in peace and harmony with our immediate neihbours, we will be able to live in peace and harmony with our distant neighbou...

T here is an old Arabian proverb. It goes like this: “Both, the fast and the slow, will meet each other on the (same) ferry boat.” I get the point… I miss the point! Obviously, when I see myself on a fast lane, it’s clear, that I have missed the point. And, when I see myself on the slow lane, yes, it’s clear, that I have got the point. Life has been like this, to me, all through my six decades… Run, only to realize, that, no matter how fast I run, in the end, I will have to meet my slow-counterparts on the same ferry boat… So, why run, at all? But, I run… Because, I live! Then, some wise soul comes along to show me the amazing beauty of bird-nests… How slow and steady, always, do it so amazingly… And, even if the big birds and big humans destroy their homes in a blink… They, will patiently build it again! M y wife and I have just returned from a two-day Tai Chi camp at Lonavala. As we stepped out of the Tai Chi hall,...

“Dharma is not about believing in God. It’s about making the right choices, doing the right things and leading the right life.”  ―  Anurag Shourie,  Half A Shadow I love the expression ‘Dharma’. Frankly, to me, it’s much, much, much more than the typical expression, which, most of us use   grossly, loosely and irresponsibly – ‘Religion’. To me, that word - ‘religion’-   is dead wood! Yes, ‘Dharma’ has a lot of life in it! So, when we reflect on the essence of all our holy texts – be it Gita , New Testament, Quaran or any holy text – they give us insights to live   a harmonious and principle-driven life. Period. The rest is ugly… contaminated… born from human greed and selfishness. In fact, what goes on in the name of God and religion – a huge part of it – is harmful for our co-existence. What was supposed to unite us and make us sensitive human beings, only ends up s dividing us and make us insensitive...

Pic.: Alwyn Mathias I am surrounded by people of every religious faith: Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. I have friends who are Jews and Parsees, too. Come on, never, ever has any one of them  made me feel that I am different from them – yes, just because I pray to different deities and saints, read different Scriptures, follow different social and religious customs, or eat different food… fish, chicken, mutton, beef or pork… snail or  snake, dog or cat… spinach or grass or brain! Likewise, I haven’t ever allowed that thought to creep into my own mind – what my Hindu or Muslim friend or neighbor, my student or associate eats or who he worships. Come on, is it not something so beautiful about co-existence… that, my Hindu friend calls his God Krishna, and I call mine Christ or my Muslim friend calls his Allah? Why should I worry about what Holy Book he reads? What food he eats? What he wears on their weddings ceremonies? Some of the most be...

  Pic.: Mehul Bhuva “True happiness and success in life will come to you If you learn to live harmoniously with others. Love, Trust, Compassion, Forgiveness, Tolerance – These are pillars of peace.” T here is an old saying, “If you are comfortable with yourself, you are comfortable with the world .” This means, if you are in peace with yourself, you are in peace with the world… The harmony within alone can ensure harmony without. So, what is your success for, if your heart is in constant turmoil? How can you relish, truly, the fruits of your success, if you are unable to feel the quiet happiness within your own heart? So, the more you strive to bring forth the harmony within, the more you will be able to strike it with others… You will learn to live in harmony with others. In fact, your inner harmony will automatically reflect in your outer harmony. If you really love, trust and accept ...

Pic.: Anima D'Cunha The main reason why the story of the ‘Mahabharat’ is still popular today is that it is such a true story! What happened thousands of years ago, in the lives of Pandavas and Kauravas, happens today, too… and it will continue to happen… Love and hatred… Courage and fear… Large-heartedness and jealousy…   Righteousness and wickedness… War and peace… And, what is so endearing about this story is Lord himself comes among humans, the mortals, to teach them how to deal with their difficult times… how not to get panicked, cynical and cowardly in life. Yes, how to stay strong and stay long in the battlefields… Krishna came on the Earth just as Christ did… It is something very reassuring… and, I think, that’s the main reason why we still go back to the stories of the Mahabharat and the Gospel. We brothers fight, just the way the sons of Pandu and Dhritarashra did. And, like them, we are either the ones who star...

Pic.: Gloria Pinto For all seven days of Ganeshotsav in our Society, our Youth line up very exciting events for young, old and the little-ones. The prayer, fun and food are a very good combination… It brings all of us together… helps us forget that we belong to different castes, classes or even ages. If such get-together can enhance the quality of our lives… help us bond, forget our differences… if it can provide the little-ones, young-ones and ladies opportunities to express themselves, develop their confidence and talents… why not embrace it? Well, whenever I am there around any festival celebration, I see this bright side of the story. God is a happy God for me… not a serious one… Not the one who stops me from bonding with people of other faiths… Not the one who doesn’t want me to honor and celebrate our differences. Last night, I was with a group of our Society members and watching the brilliant show – singing and fashion show – of our little...