Gerald D'Cunha

  “We cannot do great things… only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa   I t can be quite addictive when you hear someone say to you, ‘You are great!” Last morning, someone said that to me, “Sir ji, you are great!” Now, I knew, how lulling and killing those words were! Without allowing them to go up into my head, I replied to the lavish donor – “Sir ji, we all are!” I had shared a favourite video of mine to this person, in response to which, he had showered 'greatness' upon me... I have shared this video with scores of people – both young and old. Particularly, I have played this video in our Personality Development sessions… Yes, hoping, that our young kids would take away something from it. “Can we all do such simple acts, spontaneously – and quietly - demonstrated by this little kid?” I have asked after showing this video. “Yes Sir,” has been the resounding answer. “And, do we do them?” I have asked. The response has been weak! T he seed...

  “If you cannot feed a hundred people, feed one.” Mother Teresa   T he idea of   making a difference in this world is a noble one. No doubt about it. So, when most of us have this desire in us to make a difference in this world, there should not be any surprise, too. What should be surprising is this fact: Often, our idea of ‘making a difference’ is a ‘grand and glamorous’ one. In other words, it seems unfashionable to go about making small differences and quietly. That’s why, perhaps, every Pageant Queen – be it Miss Universe or Miss World – gets the loudest applause when she declares from the glittery stage – “The person who inspires me the most is Mother Teresa’! “Where are all the Beauty Queens – Miss Universes and Miss Worlds?” I, often, wonder. They may have become rich and famous by becoming movie stars or whatever – but, none of them has ever walked the footsteps of the ‘Simple Saint from Calcutta’… It’s tough to give with   my right hand and let...

“Because, that’s what kindness is. It’s not doing something for someone else because they can’t; but, because, you can.” Andrew Iskander M any years ago, when Mother Teresa was alive, a famous personality had made a statement, whereby, he called her ‘the most selfish person on earth’! It was several years ago, and social media was not yet born. So, the reactions to this ‘provocative’ and ‘blasphemous’ statement appeared on some sections of the print media and, finally, everybody forgot about it… Mother Teresa’s work continues as usual with least noise… and, I do not know what happened to the ‘famous personality’ who had stirred the hornet’s nest… But, ever since I heard it first, one thing keeps happening inside my heart, whenever some of my admirers praise me for my ‘selfless work’. Today, early in the morning, Sudha, one such soul, sent this message from Dubai: “Hello Sir, how are you? I was watching ‘Kindness Dairies’ on Netflix.  It connected m...

W ho is the richest man on this earth? Who is the strongest? Who is the most intelligent? And, who is the most beautiful woman in this world? Who is the fairest? Tallest?Wittiest?... All that rubbish, I say. This world has more than 7.6 billion people, today… and, I am supposed to vote for the richest, the strongest, the most intelligent, the most beautiful, the fairest, the tallest and the wittiest… Right? The wealthiest men do not flaunt their wealth, nor do the strongest men flaunt their bodies… The most intelligent men and women do not take part in the IQ and JK contests… nor do the most stunning women walk the ramp… Beauty, always, lies in the eyes of the beholder… Some of the tribal women are the most beautiful creations on this planet… While the wealth made of gold, stock and cash can corrode, the wealth made of intangible substance cannot… And yes, self-confidence can be the best attire we can ever wear… Ironically, our shyness can be th...

“Hands that serve are holier than lips that pray” - An old proverb I am a great admirer of Dr. Devi Shetty, the renowned heart surgeon of our country. He is different… he is extremely sensitive and human… and, above all, he is spiritual. People call him, ‘A heart surgeon with a heart’! Now, I do not intend to write this Post talking about Dr. Devi Shetty… Yes, he has carried out more than 15,000 heart surgeries so far (he is 64), some of which have been most complicated ones… He believes in affordable heart-care and, hence, he has been aggressively propagating this cause by setting up finest health-care facilities across the country… Here alone are carried out more than ten percent of our country’s heart surgeries! He had carried out heart surgery on Mother Teresa and served as her personal physician, in the process, getting hugely inspired by her work… Rightly, the nation has bestowed upon him a Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan… What I intend to conv...

Image: Internet W hen Mother Teresa was alive, the world had already hailed her as a ‘living saint’. So, today, as Mother was officially canonized as a ‘Saint’, for most of us, it did not come as a goose-bumps moment… When Mother lived here in the slums of Kolkata – doing what she did for decades – she gave us enough of goose-bumps… She humbled us, challenged us and yes, inspired us with her life… I have written about Mother Teresa in many of my blogs earlier… Today, I just wish to share a few quotes… just  to remind myself as to how ‘small’ I feel even when I think of her life… But then, I know, that’s how Mother said she felt as she knelt alone before the Crucifix at 5 in the morning, everyday… and for decades! Here are some of Mother’s quotes… “We ourselves feel that what we are doing  is just a drop in the ocean.  But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” “We need to find God,  and he cannot be fou...

Pic.: Nirmala Sundar E arly this morning, I called up my younger brother, Vivek, and expressed my concern. Rather, I cautioned him! Vivek is a very affectionate, generous and soft-spoken soul and surrounded by loads of friends, mostly non-Christians. He is married to Gauri, a Maharashtrian Hindu, and they had both Church and Temple marriage ceremonies. Ditto was the case of Melvin, my wife’s brother, and his wife Amrita, a Maharashrtian Hindu. They celebrate at home both Hindu and Christian festivals… and the beauty is: for them, their parents and children, the religion doesn't matter at all… It has never been an issue for so many years! Honestly, I find my two sisters-in-law, both Gauri (Vivek’s wife) and Amrita (Melivn’s wife) to be the most wonderful, the most loving women in this world. All our relatives love them… and, Vivek and Melvin, both, have been accepted and loved immensely by all relatives of Gauri and Amrita… Their respective chi...

Pic.: Alwyn Mathias T oday, my student, Kevin, had received his holy sacrament of ‘Confirmation’ in their church. His mother had come, yesterday, to invite me and my wife to celebrate the same. She had, also, asked me to say a few words, as his teacher, on the occasion. “Kevin, you must’ve been fed-up of my daily long-sermons in the class,” I told pulling him close to me, “So, chill… I won’t be giving you a long sermon today.” ‘Celebration of Confirmation of Faith in Jesus”… I pointed to this line, which was prominently displayed on the stage-backdrop, and said, “I believe, the best way to confirm our faith in Jesus is to follow one of his famous advice: By living our talents to the fullest. “Your talent is like a lamp; “I recalled Jesus’ inspiring words, “Nobody lights a lamp and then hides it under a basket. It is supposed to be kept at a high-stand, and it is supposed to spread light to everyone around.” Kevin has been blessed with a rich, distinct voi...