Gerald D'Cunha

Right now, I am teaching a young man. Sorry, I am ‘spoon-feeding’ him. No, even worse than that: I am ‘baby-sitting’ him! He comes from an affluent family. All these years – over ten years – he has studied in some Boarding school. Now, he is here, clueless about what he is doing… leave alone his future! His father has a flourishing business… So, there ‘is’ future for the young man…  Is there? The Boarding school was supposed to make this young man independent, disciplined and self-motivated… tough. Instead, what I have in my hand is a young man who is miserably dependent, lost, bereft of any motivation. Just laid-back. Now, I am supposed to ‘teach’ this young man his college subject - Accountancy. It is a strain for him to learn… and, equally a strain to me to teach.    As a teacher, we always get a mixed basket of students. All do not have equal motivation… All do not have equal thirst and curiosity to...

Are we all Alchemists? Yesterday morning, during our Certification programme (2012 PD Course), I had the reason to believe: Yes, we all are! Our students – the young ones, the little ones and the middle-aged – were profusely thanking each of the teachers for making difference in their lives. They were absolutely sincere while expressing their feelings. And, for the teachers, it is an incredible feeling of satisfaction. To feel that you have been able to touch someone’s life – be an agent of change… transforms him into some fine soul – honestly, for a teacher, it is an incredibly satisfying feeling.   Last morning, while addressing our graduating students, my friend - a very loving and committed teacher and trainer himself – Mr. Uday Acharya – said some nice things about me. He told the audience about the fabled ‘Philosopher’s Stone’. The legend has it that, the Alchemists would use a Philosopher’s Stone to convert the base metal into...

F or the last one week, I have been receiving on my cell phone this message:  “Want to TRANSFORM your life? Want to be Healthy, Wealthy and Happy? Join our LIFE-TRANSFORMING two-day Workshop on…… at an unbelievable price Rs…….! Call, right now, Miss…..  on …….. to avoid disappointment. Only limited seats!” Believe me, for one full week, at least three times a day, this message has been reminding me ‘Only limited seats’! The best part is that: the person who is going to ‘transform our lives’ knows me, personally. But, he finds nothing wrong in selling his Workshop like that! Am I jealous of a competitor? I have nothing to do with such competition. I feel pity for such things! Yes, Life can ‘transform’ even in two seconds… And, all free of cost. One doesn’t need a ‘Miracle Man’ like me – or this man who sends me the message – to carry out this mission.  When we have our intentions clear, the Universe conspires with us. I use the word ‘conspires’ to convey that the U...

It is widely believed - and, even proven - that, a teacher can not teach his or her own child. I have been a teacher for nearly three decades. And, with all my modesty, I believe, I have been a very efficient one in that. Still, when it came to my own son - who is about to face his tenth standard ICSE Board exam in a few days - I found myself helpless. Nor could my wife break this resistance. It was evident, that the prophecy about a teacher's son was all set to be fulfilled! Our son is multi-talented. He is a gifted child. We are extremely proud of him. He is good in sports; he plays guitar, and has a great taste for music; he is a genius when it comes to art; he reads a lot and loves to argue his points to the logical end; he has a remarkable hold on his language and he can express amazingly well in his writings ... His Principal and teachers praise him; his friends' parents, too. As parents, what more could we ask for? I think, both, my wife and I, had only one demand. We wa...