Gerald D'Cunha

It is another day…  My wife had to leave for her Yoga session along with the Sun… and, I had to leave for my daily grind so that we don’t go to bed hungry at night.  Morning time is hectic. We go about our schedule almost like a robot, all programmed. My wife had just left for Yoga at 6.45… and after ten minutes, our intercom started ringing. I thought it was my wife… Probably to call from the security cabin, “Darling, I am sorry, I forgot to wish: ‘A happy Valentine Day’!” No, it was another woman!  Someone had parked a car right behind this woman’s car outside her stilt… and, this woman, one of our members, wanted me - the Hon. Chairman -  to fix the problem!  It was a Valentine Day for her, too… So, apart from the fact that I am always gentle and courteous with everyone even if they encroach upon my private space…, today, particularly, I did not want to offend or hurt a woman! It was a Valentine Day, yes… it was! ...

The podium is, really, a lonely place. You may be a speaker or a lecturer, but when you stand there - you stand there, alone. Whenever I find my students insensitive to this reality, I make them aware of it. "Do you know how lonely this place is?" I ask them anguish writ large on my face. "You will know it, only if you come and stand here." Most of the times, that works. Their faces show the transformation. But, there are times, it doesn't. Being vulnerable, only backfires. I still remember an episode. Manish and Gaurav had been giving me a tough time, for some time. For no reason, they would comment, make the atmosphere loose and put some innocents students into trouble. And, that would continue for months, in spite of my requests, and even warnings. They would make even my warnings sound like some jokes, and extract laughter out of them. That was the time I would become wild. "You are going to invite trouble for you," I would caution them. They would...