Gerald D'Cunha

  “Follow your dreams; they know the way.” Kobe Yamada   V idhi, my student, messaged me, the other day: “Good evening Sir. Just wanted to share some news - I  cleared my  CA foundation-exam.” I smiled… Both her parents are CA’s… Her brother, Nishant (also my student), is about to become one… and, now, this family-of-four is all set to complete the circle of Chartered Accountancy… I was also smiling for another reason: Neither by wife nor my only son wanted to do what I have been doing all my life – teaching. REFLECTION: One’s vocation is a calling in life. It can be heard only when one is ‘ready’ to hear. That’s why, it’s said, “In life, if you do what you love, and love what you do, you do not have to ‘work’ at all." GERALD D’CUNHA Pic’s: Pixabay Video: ABBA/Young Pilgrim Music

  “Sometimes, when you lose your way, you find yourself.” Mandy Hale A  young girl, who is planning to join my eleventh-standard classes (CBSE), tells me, that she wants to pursue Economics. Both her parents say, that their daughter is clear in her choice… You see, it is a rare sight, these days. The young kids, irrespective of the schools/Boards they belong to, are rarely clear about what they want to pursue.   This girl’s father said to me, today: “Sir, our daughter could zero in on Economics more through the process of elimination than through the process of selection. Sometimes, if you can get in touch with what you don’t want, it can help you get in touch with what you want. I did MBA in Finance after many years of my Engineering studies. My Economics Professor ignited love for Economics in me. Today, I look after finance in my organization… My daughter has seen this and says, “One must apply what one learns.” This passion for Economics reminded me of a...

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN By Robert Frost Two roads divulged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads divulged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. I don’t think, they have stopped including this poem in today’s High-school English text books. I hope, they haven’t. We had it in our ninth standard. And, you know ...

“Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” -           Anonymous -              I n last three days, at least six parents of my students have met me or called me just to express their one major concern about their young ones… “Sir, they have clue about what they want to do in life.” They ask: “What can be done about it?” Wish I had an answer to that question – “What can be done about it?” My experience has been this: Each one of us has to figure out, sooner or later, what one wants to pursue in life. Parents, with all their good intentions, education, information and money, yes, they can only guide, inform, enlighten, inspire and support… But, they cannot plant dreams in their young one’s hearts… They cannot set their young ones’) hearts on fire. In other words, parents cannot make their young ones obsessed with their dr...

S ome days ago, in one of my classes, I was telling my young ones the need for a clarity in their life as far as their vocation was concerned. They were Commerce students, and they were in eleventh standard. So, the normal tendency was to take it lightly… “Why to be so serious? Let me enjoy my college life.” Fair enough. College life doesn’t come once again you see. So, you must enjoy… But, then, when you are busy enjoying your college life, your five years in college will fly by… and, you will find yourself wondering “What is that I am supposed to do in life?” The author and educator, Parker J. Palmer, says in ‘Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation’: “Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.” Many years ago, when there was less number of options for a Commerce student after his twelfth standard, (B.Com was the only option), I would come across several stud...

Pic.: Vincent D'Souza W atching the Hindi movie, ‘Highway’, was a different movie-experience! Both, my wife and I, came out a lot moved by the experience. Outstanding performances, particularly by young Alia Bhatt, the cinematography, music and editing of world-class standard... and, above all, the story, screenplay and direction... all these kept us glued to our seats... “Ten on Ten,” I heard me telling myself in my mind... Well, outside the door, I overheard someone grumbling, “Boring!” My experience is my experience... So, my ratings – Ten on Ten - to the story-teller Imtiaz Ali, the actress Alia Bhatt and, even, the underrated actor Randeep Hooda   stand! Go and watch the movie! Two days ago, my son and his friends had been to watch ‘Highway’. I become a lot self-conscious while talking about movies with today’s young-ones... They have strong, independent opinions, and they, indeed, understand the craft, nuances and th...

Pic.: Bharka Manik L ast night, I was talking to one my nephews, who has just one more semester to complete his Engineering. A company has almost recruited him in their campus interviews and, he is, understandably, very happy about that. I was very happy for my nephew, too. Considering the different constraints he had to face, I really feel he has done extremely well, so far, in his life… “Be good in your field,” I advised my nephew, “Be very, very good.” I give this advice to every young-man who seeks my advice. My own dad, who had hardly studied, with whatever wisdom he possessed, would urge us to pick up a ‘line’… which meant a ‘trade’… and be really, really good at it. As young-men, we took that advice a lot casually, though. But, I realized, quite soon, when I wanted to become a teacher, what my dad had meant: “If you want to shine in life, all that you need to do is – choose a field of your liking; then, put all your heart and s...

What comes to us naturally is our calling in life! Let me recount a mundane episode to explain this logic. Last evening, I received a phone call, all out of the blue. It was Cynthia. She was in twelfth-standard, when I had taught her Accountancy, some thirty-five years ago!   I was in my final year B’Com, then. Inspired by my idol, Prof. B.S. Raman, I had started teaching dozens of students, all for free… I was obsessed to become a teacher… and, a teacher like my idol, in that. Yes, nothing else, nothing less! So, Cynthia was one of those, with whom my early teaching experience had begun. I left Mangalore soon after some time…and, my contact with all my students in Mangalore, including Cynthia, was lost immediately. Those were not the days of cell-phones, e-mails and Face book. We had to write letters to keep in touch. It was not easy as it is today. I was very happy to talk to Cynthia, last evening. I learnt that she did not ...