Gerald D'Cunha

  “If you want to leave your footprints on the sands of time, do not drag your feet.” Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam   T hree of my favourite people – who I, always, admired -- and even idolised –- come before me, today. And, all three of them are no more now. Let me talk a bit about each one of them… R . K. Laxman, kept us all enthralled and inspired for long decades as a gifted cartoonist. Like millions of people in this country, I, too, would eagerly look forward to each morning to see his everyday political satire, and, yes, his famous ‘Common man’ saying so much without uttering a single word… What a genius R. K. Laxman was! The legend has it, that the famed ‘J. J. School of Art’ of Bombay rejected him as a student, saying, that he lacked talent. In other words, according to the selection panel, he wasn’t worthy to be a student of this ‘coveted’ institution. Ironically, today, you walk into this very college campus to witness a statue of this ‘rejected’ student’s fine...

  “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” — Brian Herbert   L earning shouldn’t stop. This means, we should be lifelong learners. But, then, there are thousands of things out there, which we won’t be able to learn… Did I say, “We won’t be able to learn”? Yes, I did… For, as Brian Herbert says, “The ability to learn is a skill.” And, skills need to be honed, developed, finetunes –- either on our own (self-develop, like Ekalavya did), or under some experts and trainers… What is interesting to note is, that our ability to learn (skill) is sandwiched between our capacity to learn (gift/talent) on one side, and our willingness to learn (choice) on the other… How interesting! Take swimming for example. I think, I am capable of learning it, and I am, certainly, able to learn it. But, if I have no willingness to learn it, it clearly tells, it is because I make that choice -- not to learn. This lu...

“We worry what a child will become tomorrow; yet, we forget that he is somebody today.” Stacia Tauscher   H is name is Namoh. They say, he is weak in studies, a slow learner, a tortoise. But, those who are very close to him – his parents and coaches – say, that he is strong in gymnastics... he is excellent, a Champ... So, the battle rages on: People like me, who coach Namoh in his academic subjects, often worry about his attendance... Every time I start a new chapter, Namoh has to proceed on a long-distance tour, often forcing him to miss his classes for weeks... We worry, saying that he is not good in any chapter... “How will he clear his 12 th Boards?” Yes, this is how the world wonders and worries unless it takes notice of the ‘good’ that resides in the young kid, right now... The world is a stereotype... I am no exception... Unless, the young kid is me... Stacia Tauscher’s words come to remind me: “We worry what a child will become tomorrow; yet, we forget t...

  “Everybody is talented; \because, everybody who is human has something to express.” Brenda Ueland   T he quote above makes me reflect… “Everybody who is human has something to express.” Hence, it says, “Everybody is talented.” Now, is that really true? To think, that God hasn’t created any human without this incessant desire to ‘express is what ‘belief’ is all about… Yes, there is something special preloaded when God sends us into the world. He knows about it; but, very often, we don’t. And, to me, waking up to our special gifts preloaded by God – is our enlightenment… I did not know, that my special gift from God was to teach and write. But, I remember how restless I was to express myself in some form or the other. When I was a little boy, I found great joy in drawing and colouring… I remember spending hours trying to express something through this medium. But, soon, it died down… Sports, dancing, singing, acting – I never came anywhere close to these form...

  “The beautiful thing about setbacks is, that they introduce us to our strengths.” Robin Sharma   I am never tired of telling young kids this: “Look, you need to know your strengths and build your self-confidence around it.” When I invite them to share some of their strengths, often, I find them clueless. They seem confused between talents and strengths; sometimes, between skills and strengths. I tell them this: “Talents are God-given; you are born with them… When you become self-aware, you discover, that you have a talent to sing, dance, speak, write, paint, design, play sport, tell stories etc.” We all are born with some of these talents. When we become aware of them, some of us go about turning them into fine skills… While some of us do it on our own (self-develop), others do it through training and coaching. That’s why some of us join classes for drawing, singing, dancing, speaking, designing, teaching etc. Every talent can be turned into a fine skill – and when...

  “The goal is for your midlife crisis to turn into a midlife discovery.” Joan Anderson   “T ime and tide wait for no man.” Woman also knows, that this old message applies to her, as well. A couple of days ago, Ratna* had excitedly shared how happy she was to tell me, that her second son (Class 10) had been selected for an important stage event in his school… I had taught Ratna, some thirty-two years ago, while she was in her TY B.Com. She is a dear friend, now. Besides being a bright student, she was also a talented trained-singer. After completing ICWA, she worked for a big company for some years as a Costing professional. She had married to her college sweetheart, who was busy establishing himself as a Chartered Accountant. Eventually, they moved abroad, gave birth to two sons… Ratna’s life began to revolve around her husband and two little sons… Meanwhile, Costing and Singing sat quietly on the backburner… “O nly mud settles in life,” my dear friend Dr. De...

  “In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.”                                                               Aaron Rose               M y younger brother, Rony, is a gifted singer. He is very popular among the Mangalorean-Konkani music-lovers, both, here and abroad. He started singing on stage quite early. I remember him participating and winning singing competitions since his primary school-days. He kept participating in several competitions, winning most of them. Gradually, as a young singer, he joined popular bands and, also, started touring with well-known Konkani singing-legends. Recordings, too, became a regular part of his busy schedule… But, through all his hectic schedule, Rony largely depended on our Mom. She was his efficient manager, who would,...

  “Your talent is God’s gift to you; What you do with your talent is your gift to God.” Leo Bascaglia   I n life, need we do only ‘big things’ to feel good about ourselves? And, need we do things only with great fanfare to find validation? Many a time, doing ‘small things’, quietly, seems not only unprofitable, but also unfashionable… But, trust me, doing ‘small things’, quietly, is the surest way to truly feel good about ourselves. On the other hand, the desire to do ‘big things’ with great fanfare is a bottomless pit… It seldom gives us a true feeling of self-confidence. Therefore, the key to self-confidence is to do small things with a big heart. One way of reaching out to others – by doing small things, quietly – is through our talents. We all know, that our talents are God’s gifts to us. And, as Leo Bascaglia says, “What we do with our talents is our gifts to God.” For example, God has given me the gift of teaching, writing and motivating others. I hav...

  “You may always dream; and, sometimes, they will even come true.” Martin Hurkens   L ast evening, my friend, Rekha, shared the inspiring story of Martin Hurkens. I don’t think many of you have heard about him. At least, I hadn’t, till I read his incredible story. The story tells us, that Martin worked for over thirty-five years as a baker. He was, always, passionate about singing and possessed a natural tenor-voice. He sang the popular songs as he went about his baking work and delighted his customers. Then came a day, when he lost his job and was left with nothing to fall back on for his livelihood. He had a family to fend; but he was too old to seek a new job. Faced with this challenge, he decided to hit the streets of his city in Holland and sing with all his heart… The onlookers dropped small coins in his hat. But, a new leap of faith had been taken… Martin’s destiny was on its way to unfold! His young daughter, without his knowledge, sent his entry form for th...