Gerald D'Cunha

C hristmas Eve has been a special time for most of us. Many of my non-Christian friends look forward to this day. The night mass (which is still referred to be ‘The Midnight Mass’, though in most of the cities, it gets over before midnight) is one of the many things they look forward to attend… “My son has come on a Christmas vacation from Australia,” Kannan said to me when we met in our Tai Chi class, today, “He, my wife and I have always loved to attend the Midnight Mass on the OLPS (Our Lady of Perpetual Succor) grounds… We are excited to be there tonight.” Kannan also recounted their visit to the Shirdi shrine some days ago. I love his open-mindedness when it comes to religious beliefs and practices. I have heard him speak with loads of respect whenever he would speak about faiths other than his own. “When my son was leaving the country, for the first time, to pursue his higher studies in Australia, he asked me to take our car to OLPS church. He wen...

Pic.: Asha D'Souza M ore than half of the class was empty, last evening and this morning. And, my blood was boiling inside. “How can they behave so insensitively,” I was seething, “even after repeatedly reminding them not to miss.” Many of them were serial offenders… They would do exactly what they wanted to… bunk or attend my class not as I wanted them to, not as their parents wanted them to… but, as they wanted to… But, then, my mind was unwilling to come to terms with this reality: “I am the one who they should listen to, not the other way around,” the argument went on in my mind, “They must be made to understand their mistake… If gentle words don’t enter their thick skin, I should use the harsh ones… Some shock-treatment!” So, all through my lectures, both last evening and this morning, I was boiling within… “I will call them today, and give them a piece of my mind,”… “I would make them sit extra and complete the work in ...