Gerald D'Cunha

“May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.” George Carlin   T oday, we talk a lot about Good over Evil . Lord Ram’s triumphant victory over Ravan is what we celebrate, today. Well, to many of us, it’s symbolic… Ram and Ravan, we believe, lived on this earth thousands of years ago. But, the idea of Good and Evil still lives in this world, today… And, importantly, it lives within our hearts, right here, right now… Yes, it’s a constant personal battle you and I have to engage in… It never ends. I think, that’s why we celebrate Dussehra – to remind ourselves to stay vigilant… To choose Good over Evil in every step we take… It’s a tough choice… but, the right one to make… Incidentally, today is, also, Gandhi Jayanti … Bapu ’s last words keep haunting us: “ Hey Ram !” E ach one of us has spent these ten days in his or her own way… My colleague, a college Professor, has lived on only water – no food at all – only water… and, he has walked barefo...

  “Sometimes, truths are what we run from; sometimes, they are what we seek.” R. D. Ronald   “L ook at me when I teach; your eyes listen more than your ears.” Invariably, I say this to my young students, a dozen times, every day. From my teaching experience of nearly five decades (I started teaching when I was about 17… and, this month, I will be 67!), I have come to realize this: We fully ‘listen’ when our ears and eyes both pay attention. In fact, eyes do a better job… But, then, I have realized this, too… The ears may hear and eyes may see, but true listening takes place only when our hearts are open, only when we listen from our hearts… So, fifty years or hundred years – I wonder, how many of my students have really ‘learnt’, really paid attention to my teaching… And, that applies to me as well - to their teacher… F or fifty long years, have I taught those thousands of young kids with my full attention… with the clean intention to help them, guide them, emp...

  “Afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” Robert Frost   T he morning, soon, becomes the afternoon, you see! We grow old… It’s afternoon, now… What the morning suspected, yes, the afternoon knows… That’s something so beautiful about Life… With age, we mature like good wine… That’s something so beautiful about Life, too! So, when I complete 64 tomorrow, how shall I celebrate this milestone? Do I know, that some hours are still left for the celebration, and, anything can happen in those few hours? I think, this tendency of counting our age by the number of years simply drops when we begin to value each blessing in our lives. Rightly, it is said, “Count your age not by the numbers, but by your blessings.” So, I ask myself on the eve of completion of my 64 years on this planet, “Can I start counting, at least, 64 blessings in my Life?” It sounds silly! Like everyone else, I, too, have never bothered to count my blessings. I know, I will get ti...

  “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln   I PL games are thrillers, action-packed. But, what I am amused most about these games – oddly, you may say – is this concept of ‘Strategic Time Out’. Presently each side – the bowling and batting side – gets two-and-half minutes as STO to reformulate their strategy, mid-game. Fans may complain, saying it ruins the flow of the game… Critics may complain, saying that’s a smart way of generating more revenue from commercials. But, whoever says whatever, I think, in Life, everything that is fast and furious needs these priceless STO’s… As kids, we called them ‘Recesses’ in our school; didn’t we? The school life was a grueling one, right? Think of the concept of sleep, siesta, cat-naps and power-naps? What are all these for? Why are there retreats in every religion and culture? Why do people take breaks… go on a vacation? Life is hectic… Fast and furi...

  “Being grateful does not mean,   that everything is necessarily good; it just means, that you can accept it as a gift.” Roy T. Bennett L ate last night, a dear friend of mine shared a PDF file. It’s a beautifully-designed Soft-skills programme (Personality Development programme) for kids from Grades KG till 10 th . As I said, it’s a very attractive brochure, and, any parent would easily respond to it. My friend, who had shared it with me, was one my real well-wishers. His intention behind sending it to me, last night, was simple and clear: “You, too, should do something on this line during the Pandemic.” On this September 10, we (THE DAWN CLUB) completed 31 years. During these years, there was nothing, that I, along with my associates, have left undone as far as ‘Personality Development’ and ‘Soft Skills’ are concerned. We have reached out to thousands of little ones and young ones through our class-room sessions, out-door sessions, books and literature. And, t...

We don’t like the hectic pace of life: the deadlines, rush, anxiety… worry and tension. No matter how well-organized we are, unexpected events pop up and our plans go haywire… Maybe, not always… but, many a times… Like… Our health issues or of our nearest and dearest ones… Unexpected financial commitments… Our subordinates remaining absent when we need them the most… Or, the boss wants us to be in the office when we are needed badly at home… Suppliers not delivering in time… Or, we are not able to deliver to customers in time… EMI’s staring at us… A scary tax or legal notice arrives by post… Someone is hell-bent to victimize you… Or, someone comes from nowhere and rams into your car from behind… yes, when you are, already, late to reach… You are stuck in the traffic… It is still as death! You have gotten into a nasty argument with the autowala or your neighbor … Your young daughter is still not home… it is 1 am… ...

I was, once again, very angry and intense, in the class, this morning. This batch was supposed to be a ‘special batch’… because, the parents of these young kids, and the kids themselves, wanted just a handful of students in the batch and didn’t mind paying for it more than three times the fees of the regular batch! Obviously, these students come from well-off families, study in top colleges in Mumbai… And, yet… Yes, and, yet, I was very angry with them… almost mad! Two months now since the classes have started. Many of them don’t touch the books at home… The homework, which would take them not more than half-an-hour to complete, is not done, and, repeatedly so… And, my options? Scream at them… Punish them… Send them back home… Call their parents… Throw them out of the class… Or, be gentle and firm with them… Help them realize their mistakes… Use loads of patience, keep faith in them… be hopeful and motivate them to come on line… ...