Gerald D'Cunha

  “A lifetime of training for just ten seconds!” Jesse Owens   E very Olympics medal – whether Gold, Silver or Bronze – matters to us, a lot. We are a country of close to 140-crore people; the second highest population in the world. So, if we come back empty-handed from the Olympics game, it shows us in poor light. As I said, even one or two medals – whether Gold, Silver or Bronze – can give us the relief, that we haven’t come back with a ‘duck’… This explains why the whole nation becomes ecstatic and celebrates with pride, when this simple woman from Manipur – Mirabai Chanu - brings us a Silver medal in weightlifting,   Frankly, I find it silly! Yes, while Mirabai did it, beating all odds, why are we celebrating her victory as our own? There is a lot to take away from every poor Olympics-tally of our country. Is our State doing enough? No. Are we, individually or collectively, doing enough? No. Whatever little we get from the Olympics village, it is broug...

  “The tree leaves die in fire, and my people call it autumn.” Zufishan Rahman, Foxfire – A book of Poem   T his morning, I had called up a gentleman who lived in our neighbourhood. Some years ago, he was by my side when I needed it the most. What’s humbling was this: he had reached out to me even though I hadn’t asked him to! For last one week or so, his elderly father and 40-year-old younger brother are battling Covid in a hospital. Today, during the course of our discussion, I expressed my guilt on not being able to reach out to him when he needed it the most. His response was simple and sincere: “Please do not worry about it; it’s perfectly understandable. It’s been a privilege, that they are in a hospital.” While I was on this call, there was another person trying to call me. There were three missed-calls. So, I called back as soon as the call on hand had ended. This middle-aged woman, was calling to enquire about my and my family members' health… She enquired...

"It’s a sad moment, really, when parents first become a bit frightened of their children.” Ama Ata Aidoo I n Life, the right time to learn ‘acceptance’ is when we are born itself. The reason is simple: We have no choice about our birth and parents! Choices come about later, much later. Being born to ‘wonderful parents’ is purely a privilege.   But, what do I mean by ‘wonderful parents’? Am I referring to their education, economic and social status? Or, am I referring to their behaviour, values, culture, quality of their marriage, outlook towards family and society etc.? Yes, we inherit a lot of things from our parents… including our shyness and confidence. As I said, having wonderful parents is purely a privilege in Life. However, unless we show, that we are worthy of this privilege, it won’t take us far. In fact, it can prove counterproductive. On the other hand, those of us, who are deprived of this privilege, are not condemned to hell-fire… Far from ...