Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Chetna Shetty H er name was Mrs. Liticia. She was my class teacher when I was in third standard. I must have been eight or nine year old, then. And, she must have been in her early thirties. What I remember about her the most is that she was very fair and pretty; very loving and caring. As a kid, I was very scared of most of my teachers... But, Mrs. Liticia’s warmth and care made me feel very secure and loved... Nearly fifty years have rolled by... How a teacher has touched you when you were a little boy, yes, this beautiful feeling has lasted so long! S ome days ago, while I was in Mangalore, my hometown, I had this strong desire in my heart to see Synthia, one of my earliest students. I hadn't met her or talked to her for years and years. It was just a year ago that we got in touch with each other; even then, we hardly communicated... Today, Synthia  is a mother of two young-children and well settled in Mangalore. When I spent about...

We need to express our gratitude to people in our lives… and we need to do it spontaneously, most sincerely… and, without any fuss around it. The reasons to say a ‘Thank you’ can be very personal… Only our hearts know them. CPT results are out, today. Anmol, a very confident and bright girl, somehow, couldn't clear it in her last attempt. Maths used to be her Achilles’ heel. So, referred by a dear friend of mine, she approached me for June attempt. She just sent me a very spontaneous word of gratitude, “Sir, I have cleared CPT…. Thank you for everything.” What’s so great about it? Well, Anmol’s heart can tell you that… And, tear my heart to know what it wants to tell! Just an hour before that, Anurag, a friend of mine, who runs his family business, called me. He wanted to thank me for sending Deepa, a very deserving, financially-deprived, fresh graduate to work in their firm. “Sir, she is really brilliant, hardworking a...

My son had come for just two days from Pune (where he studies).  He had specially come to meet his grand-parents, who were to leave for Mangalore, this morning. So, as my wife’s parents were leaving for the airport, our son left for Pune. We had to bid farewell to both… our parents as well as our son! “Take care.”… “Have a safe journey.”… “We will call you, once you reach,”… this is for our parents. “Please call, once you reach,” this is to our son… And, all these things had to be conveyed through the warmth of our hugs. Hello, it is evening now… and, the warmth of our morning-hugs, I can still feel! We have already called our parents… and, they have reached safely… We did not wait for our son to call… We called him before he did. He, too, has reached safely… We miss them… There is this familiar vacuum… Hearts alone know what it is, how it is… and, why it is! Incidentally, today is the festive day of Diwali… Like ever...

When we stand close to some people, we feel repelled. When they open their mouths, it sucks! So toxic they are. In every body's life, there are at least a few such people. On the other side of the spectrum, there are some people, in whose presence, we feel extremely good. They don't even have to open their mouths. Their mere presence is enough. It wears an aura of goodness ... and, it just spreads. Needless to say, in life, all of us have at least a handful of such souls. Today, I felt like asking myself: Where do I belong in other people's life? Am I repulsive and toxic? Or, am I gentle and good? The feeling is a very strong one. The question haunts me. I just felt like sharing this feeling. GERALD D'CUNHA