Gerald D'Cunha

“No one has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” -      Anonymous I f you ask me, how was ‘ Thappad ’ - I mean, the movie ‘ Thappad ’ - I would say, without even blinking – ‘Excellent’! Now, you may give me a tight ‘Thappad’ for saying so… Because, you may come out of the theatre saying – ‘Bakwas’ ! So, there we are – we may love ‘Thappad’ or hate ‘Thappad’… but, we cannot ignore it… We will come out of the theatre with one of the two extreme reactions… I am very fond of Anubhav Sinha’s craft of story-telling… His movies always challenge us, provoke us, make us even guilty and ashamed of our prejudices. In ‘Article 15’ and ‘Mulk’, we did experience this inner stir in us… Now, with this movie – ‘Thappad’, Sinha does it to us, once again. Yes, at the core of the movie lies that one single – unintended, accidental – ‘Thappad’, which this young husband gives to his wife in the heat of t...

“Hope fills the holes of my frustration in my heart.” - Emanuel Cleaver B oredom and frustration. A deadly combination that is! I was teaching Kavish, today morning. Kavish had to do a lot of monotonous work and I could sense his frustration and boredom. “Sir, can I do it at home?” Kavish asked me, at one stage. “No Kavish, “finish it here itself. “Okay sir,” Kavish said obediently and continued with his work. But, soon, I could sense the reluctance which was telling in his work. I knew, it was best if he did it at home instead of doing a shoddy work like this. So, I said, “Okay Kavish, do it at home.” “Thank you sir,” Kavish was relived… “Kavish, let me tell you something before you go,” I said. Kavish was willing to listen… “Kavish, you are very fond of physical fitness… you do Yoga and jogging regularly… You play football and you are obsessed with it. Now, you can relate to what I am telling you: If you learn to h...

    Pic.: Bhushan Thakkar “Never make a major decision in a valley.” From the book ‘Three Feet from Gold’ by Sharon L. Lachter and Greg S. Reid with Napoleon Hill Foundation. W hen our chips are down – when we stand and stare from the bottom of our valleys -    everything around us looks gloomy and insurmountable to us… The time when we are overwhelmed by fear or grief is the worst time to take any major decision for our lives… We need to stand there, mustering all the courage we can, and allow the time to heal us… the fear to dissolve, the grief to pass… Yes, we should wait for the Sun to emerge from the dark clouds… And, no one knew this truth better than Napoleon Hill did. The time was during ‘The Great Depression’. People, all over the world, particularly in America, had hit the rock bottom of their lives… They had lost every penny they possessed, and they were throwing themselves out to ...

If everything in life is in a state of constant flux – ever changing, I would be a big fool if I hold on to my state, forever! As a young man, I, too, was hugely influenced by the famous lines: “A winner never quits… and a quitter never wins.” Today, when someone comes to me with that quote, I tell him, “Dear, in Life, there are times to stay put, and there are times to quit… A winner knows when.” No doubt, holding on is the mark of a successful man, a winner. They call it perseverance, persistence… the staying power… the stick-on strength. Well, the brave have it in their heart. They don’t give up easily… They endure… They stay long in the battle ground. It is only when we are challenged, driven to the wall, we tap on our reserves… the strength hidden within. Yes, unless we are challenged, we will never know what a powerhouse the heart is! Still, it is wise to know when to quit… when to give up. In Life, some struggle ...