Gerald D'Cunha

    “The more you believe in yourself, the more the world believes in you.” Isa Zapata   F aith in one’s abilities doesn’t come overnight. If it does, such faith in oneself – such self-belief – can be dangerous. Self-belief should come gradually, through great deal of self-awareness, and lots of self-introspection… Else, it’s overconfidence… As I said, it can be dangerous. What one is good at, what work one can do exceptionally well – yes, the sooner one gets this awareness, the sooner comes one’s self-belief. T wo days ago, I was holding a programme for the students of a premier Architecture college in Mumbai. The subject of the programme was ‘Self-confidence and Communication Skills’. Towards the end, when I asked those young kids to ask me any question that bothered them, many did. But, two questions from these two girls, particularly, carried a worthy response from my side… O ne of these two girls gathered her courage and said, “Sir, I am a shy perso...

  “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that, within me, there lay an invincible summer.” Albert Camus   I think, if young ones become aware of their strengths early in life, it will help them become confident individuals. It will help them to dream, and believe in those dreams. Just imagine those young ones, who are unaware of their strengths… How would they ever dare to dream, and pursue them? Whenever young ones ask me what I mean by ‘strengths’, I tell them this: “Your strong character-traits.” Yes, what else can it be? Mercifully, all young ones are blessed with their own strong character-traits. It’s possible, that many of them are unaware of this blessing. That’s why I said, that when they become aware of their strengths early in their lives, it will hep them to become confident individuals. Only confident individuals can dare to pursue their dreams… It's to be taken by young ones as a good news… It should give them hope. I wasn’t aware of my ...

“When you’re angry and frustrated, what comes out? Whatever it is, it’s a good indication of what you’re made of.” H. Jackson Brown C urry leaves – we called them ‘Bevu soppu’ in Kannada – went in every dish prepared in our li’l South-Indian village, Mangalore. Well, almost in every dish! So, just as each house had a Tulsi plant in the front yard, the back yard of every house in our village had a curry leaves plant. Soon, the plant would grow up into quite a big tree. I remember having one in our own back yard. It had grown huge. Some from the neighbourhood, who did not have a curry leaves plant at home, would come to our house. And we gladly and generously let them take away whatever quantity they wished to take. Each one took almost a branch! But, that’s how it was… Giving away a branch of the curry leaves plant was believed to be a ‘good karma’. So, when the beneficiary of this good karma dropped a few curry leaves while cooking, the aroma invariably reached o...

““Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often, we are giving young people to cut flowers, when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” -   John W. Gardner A couple of months ago, an ex-student of mine, who presently holds a good position in a corporate, had come to visit me. He and his wife (a well-placed woman, too) were having some serious differences over the issue: which Board and which school would be ‘the ideal’ for their little girl-child. He wanted the child to get educated in one of the local state-board schools where he himself had studied many years ago… The wife disagreed. Her argument was: “The times have changed… The concept of schools has changed… There is a hell-lot of competition and the child should be prepared to handle the pressure, she should have an ‘edge’… and so on.” “Miyan biwi raazi, kya karega kaazi?”   The biwi hadn’t come to see me. T...

“ Greed is not a financial issue. It's a heart issue.” -       Andy Stanley   “T he three most important ways to lead people,” said Albert Schweitzer, “ are by example… by example… by example.” “Go out and vote, if you really want our Society to change for the better… Vote out the corrupt. Vote in the honest.” Yes, this was how we all are ‘hoodwinked’ to come out and vote, every time an election comes up – be it National, State or Corporation election. For democracy to survive, elections have to take place. We all have to come out and elect our candidates… These candidates are supposed to lead us. Yes, by example! And, now, let’s look around us – what an example! What an ideal! What a leadership! If tomorrow an election is held, will you go out and vote – leave alone for ‘these’ leaders? They assume we are fools! Maybe they are right. We are fools, because we were more of someone’s blind ‘bakths’  than int...

“God's will is like a jigsaw puzzle until you put all the pieces together, you won't be able to see the whole picture.”  ―  Danny L. Deaubé D o we need to be very definite – very clear – about  what we want pursue in life?  Do we need to put all our focus and go after it? Do we need to have well-drawn plans to achieve them? Do we need to keep some back-up plans? My answer for all these questions is – ‘Yes’… A resounding ‘YES’! “If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you ‘there’!” Yes, I have written, often, on this topic. The fact is: I do not want to go ‘anywhere’…. And, I do not want ‘any road’ to take me ‘there’… ‘anywhere’! I watched my own teacher, when I was in F.Y. B.Com, and desired to become like him - a good teacher and a good writer… I became one. But, I did not become a good teacher through the roads my idol had treaded… I had to tread my own roads. O...