Gerald D'Cunha

  “Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.” Gary Snyder   S rinath Shetty was my student when he was doing his T.Y. B.Com some 38 years ago. He came from a working-class family with zero business background. But, being a disciplined and determined young man, he went about acquiring one of the chemical factories his uncle had built… and, from there, he never looked back. Yesterday, Srinath and his wife Neeta had organized a puja to celebrate the house warming of their new abode… It’s a massive mansion with more than 4,000 S.F. From the 23 rd floor height, the large windows treated the beholders’ eyes to some of the breathtaking expanse… One could stand there and get immersed in the stunning silence, feeling small… I said – ‘Feeling small’… I expressed my joy and gratitude in a message I had typed on my way back home… Such an exclusive spread of delicacies… and such genuine warmth. Srinath had worked hard to deserve this height –- literally –- thr...

  “Values aren’t buses. They’re not supposed to get you anywhere... They’re supposed to define who you are.” Jennifer Crusie   I n his last episode of KBC, I saw Amitabh Bachchan calling on stage his loyal hair-stylist, Deepak Sawant, and speaking about him (Deepak Sawant) very emotionally. It was, most probably, Amitabh Bachchan’s last KBC episode. Considering his age (83), I don’t think, he might take up a high-pressure assignment like KBC anymore. But, who knows about tomorrow? During more than half-a-century of his career – from acting to hosting, from voiceovers, commercials to trying his hand in politics and business – I have seen, more than once, Amitabh ‘stepping aside’... calling it a day... only to reinvent himself – and make a triumphant come back! And, through it all, there was one man in his life who stood behind him, like his constant shadow – and, that man was Deepak Sawant... Yes, though thick and thin, as it’s said. In professional life, Loyalt...

  “Some days, there won’t be a song in your heart...                                                     Sing anyway.”         Emory Austin   F inally, my wife and I decided to watch ‘Kantara – The Legend... Chapter 1’ in one of the local multiplexes. A couple of days ago, our son insisted, that we should watch it in NMACC’s IMAX screen to get the full movie-experience. But, my wife and I were against that idea, and, finally, last afternoon, without pre-booking our seats, we both landed at the ticket counter of a local multiplex. “Sorry Sir, all sold out,” the young man at the counter said. Helplessly, we called our son. “Let me check,” within in minutes, our son booked online at IMAX Wadala (Now, Miraj Cinemas)... We reached there an hour before... When the movie started, it was a full-house! A s I ...

“None can destroy iron, but its own rust can. Likewise, none can destroy a person,   but his own his own mindset can.” Ratan Naval Tata   F ollowing the demolition of Babri Masjid (on 6 th December, 1992), communal riots broke out in Mumbai (Bombay) and destroyed the delicate social fabric of brotherhood… Scores of lives were lost and crores of rupees, too… Communal clashes are clashes between two communities – who follow two different faiths. But, imagine, you and I burning down each other’s homes, killing each other’s families, looting, raping, lynching – imagine getting reduced to such levels, just because we are instigated against one another… It's the worst form of living… The darkest form of worship! The communal riots had left so many citizens, who truly loved the secular spirit of this city, deeply moved.   Mr. Ratan Tata, who was young and energetic then, wrote a moving piece in a leading English daily – visibly shaken and saddened. From my s...

  “The toughest opponent you’re ever going to have to face is in the mirror.” Rocky Balboa S ince last evening, I must’ve watched this video, at least, half-a-dozen times…  And, let me confess: I did so for Pete Seeger! Pete Seeger was 90 when he was pumping life into that mammoth crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C, in Jan., 2009. It was at the inaugural concert of Barack Obama’s first Presidency. I bet, almost the entire crowd was made up of people around a quarter or a third of Pete's age! During his lifetime, about two dozen Presidential inaugurals came and went, two devastating World Wars exploded, apart from many more wars his country plunged into… He lived through the Great Depression… the Cults and the Isms, the Godliness and the Godlessness… And, through it all, he survived with his songs and music… Yes, I watched the video – ‘This Land Is Your land, and This Land Is My Land’ - just for Pete Seeger, the Legend… Yes, I prayed, as I watched it ov...

“The things you are passionate about are not random… They are your calling.” -       Anonymous E ven though I know, that our talents help us feel self-confident in life, I will never say, that our talents alone can help us in this. In fact, unless a talent becomes a fine skill, talent is of no value… It’s a waste. And, the process of converting our talents into skills calls for real discipline… we need the burning desire, dogged determination, sagely patience and perseverance, and, above all, some luck – call it God’s grace, if you like. But, unless our talents become our skills, it’s just not possible… The talent, which makes Amitabh Bachchan a legend, is his acting talent… Not any other talent. The talent, which makes Lata Mangeshkar a legend, is her singing talent… Not any other talent. The talent, which makes A.R. Rehman a legend, is his talent of music composition, above anything else… Take any one else...