Gerald D'Cunha

  “It is only when the mirror has not spoken to Chimpanzee in a plain language, that it thinks it looks better than a Gorilla.” Ernest Agyemang Yeboah   A nimals, birds, fishes and humans – they all tend to migrate to places where there are better living conditions, including better food. Of course, for humans, it is, mostly, better income. When I was a small boy, back in our village in Mangalore, young boys and girls, mostly, chose to migrate to the Gulf countries like, Saudi, Dubai, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and so on. Some years before that – like when my dad was of my age – it was a city like Mumbai that they chose to migrate to. Now, I see a greater number of young boys and girls from villages in Mangalore migrate to the US, Canada, the UK, Germany and so on – mostly for studies, and, eventually to settle there… So, that has been the familiar migration-story… as I said, not just of humans, but, also of animals, birds and fishes… We all seek better pastures...

Pic.: Anima D'Cunha I n our PD session, today, the 17-year-old Sahas had an old inspirational story to share… LOVE, WEALTH AND SUCCESS. One afternoon, a woman noticed three old-men, with long beard, sitting in her front yard. “I don’t think I know you,” the woman said to the old-men gently, “But, you must be hungry… Please come in so that I can serve something for you to eat.” “Is the man of the house home?” one of the old-men enquired. “No, he is out,” replied the woman. “We will wait, then, till he comes,” the old-men informed the house-lady. In the evening, when her husband came home, the woman informed him about the three old-men, who were waiting for him in the front yard. “Tell them, I am home,” the husband said to his wife, “Invite them in.” Thus, the woman went outside to let in the three old-men. “My husband is home… Please come in,” she said. “Sorry to say this dear woman,” the old-men informed, “We can’t walk into your...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty T oday is ‘Dhanteras’. It’s believed to be an auspicious day. Laskhmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, is worshiped today. People buy gold and silver on this day and believe it would multiply many fold in their lives… But, what is interesting is that this lucky day comes on what is, also, believed to be an unlucky day – thirteenth day of the dark night. ‘Dhan’ means wealth and ‘Tera’ means thirteen. Brought together, it means wealth comes on thirteenth day… Luck comes on an unlucky day! Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day festival of Diwali. It starts with prayers for prosperity… I n life, everything hangs on our beliefs. People believe, today they should buy assets and should not sell them. In the morning, I met a jeweler-friend, who was so happy for this day… He expected a roaring business. For him, sale of gold – loads of it – brought loads and loads of prosperity. For his customers, a few grams of gold-purchase meant prosper...

Pic.: Pradeep Nanda A lady – who must be in her mid-thirties – was trying to meet me and discuss something, as she put it most convincingly: ‘SO, SO important to you sir’. She was referred to me by a person I knew very well. But, even before meeting this lady, I could sense, that the lady was trying to ‘sell’ to me something… and, she was doing it the way a hardcore sales guy did… Yes, she was trying to tell me how ‘important’ her product, her idea, to me was… how incomplete and unhappy my life would be, if I did not go for it… I told the lady over the phone itself, “Ma’am, you are coming from so far… I do not wish to disappoint you… Why can’t you let me know what is that ‘so important’ to me?” “No sir, that’s something we cannot discuss over the phone,” the lady said with all the charm in her possession, “We will discuss it over when we meet.” And, I knew, that I would not allow this lady to make me feel how incomplete or unhappy my life was without the stu...

Pic.: Nirmala Sundar T here are a hundred gloomy-and-scary stories about money, buried deep inside our mind – the sub-conscious mind. These stories have come from a hundred different sources… Yes, once we had believed in them… But, do we still? Here are some of these stories… Say beliefs, if you wish: Money is the root of all evils… You can’t make money in honest ways… Rich are crooks… Money spoils relationship… You don’t need money to be happy… Only some can make money… Making money is against our religion… Rich exploit poor… There is only so much we can earn… Money is not meant to be spent… Money doesn’t grow on trees… Only hard work brings money… Don’t befriend wealthy… I do not have what it takes to be rich… I was born in a hand-to-mouth family… So, who am I to dream big? What if I lose my money… become bankrupt? What if people cheat me… trap me? What if I die leaving behind huge debt? ...

Pic .: Malabika Ganguly “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” Havelock Ellis   O nce, the fishermen in a village had just returned after their daily catch. As they were busy sorting out the fishes, a Kite swooped down from the blue sky, caught a small fish by the beak, and shot up into the skies. Immediately, a hundred crows appeared from nowhere and began to chase the Kite, making a crazy commotion in the sky... To whichever direction the Kite flew, the crows followed it.... Kite flew West, crows did, too... Kite flew East, the crows did, too... Kite zoomed high up, the crows did, too... The Kite dived deep, the crows did, too... Finally, the Kite, tired and frustrated, could fly no more... So, it decided to drop the fish... The moment the fish was dropped, the crows left the Kite alone, and went after the falling fish! The Kite quietly settled down on the branch of a nearby tree... From there, watching the insane ...

Pic.:  Sherry Haridas A t the Jaslok Hospital , the ICU is situated on the 19 th floor. After the operation, my dad-in-law has been in the ICU, now. The attendant-relatives are supposed to wait on the 20 th floor. Yesterday, I spent almost seven hours waiting there. But, as I watched the stunning skyline of Mumbai... the silent Arabian Sea in the west and the breath-taking view of the setting sun, I forgot for a while the purpose of my waiting... the anxiety, the strain and even annoyance, yes, all these seem to dissolve in the silence. Down below, the thick traffic, on the left Mukesh Ambani’s outlandish mansion, ‘Antalia’... on the rear side of the hospital stood the glorious twin-towers of Tardeo... perhaps, the tallest so far in the city... But, let me tell you this: Compared to the serene beauty of God’s Nature, the opulence of man looked so pale... I was mesmerized and turned speechless by the glory of God, which was so freely available to t...

A part from the Balloon story, my friend, Mr. Manjeet, had also used, during the PD session, yesterday, another inspiring quote:  “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple; But, only God can count the apples in a seed!” I had first come across this quote in one of Dr. Robert Schuller’s’ inspirational books. Our real potential shall, always, remain a mystery for all of us! We really have no clue as to what potential we possess in our storehouse! So, Dr. Schuller brilliantly unfolds this mystery, saying, that we humans can only count how many seeds are there in an apple… but, how many apples are there in a seed – this, only God can tell.   How true it is! I really have no idea as to what I am really capable of… I have no idea about the value of the ‘acres of diamonds’ over which I stand! Like me, everyone else is clueless about it… If any one of us claims that he does have a clue, he is only pretending! “Sky is the...

“Dear God, if Success is a trap, then, please give me the wisdom not to walk into it!” The night before last, my wife and I were watching the TLC (Travel and Living Channel) on TV. They were showing the living style of Shah Rukh Khan. When we were watching the kind of lifestyle – the mansions in Mumbai and Dubai – with all the swanky opulence in them… I knew the reason why the world calls him ‘King Khan’ – the ‘Badshah’ ! It was surreal, to say the least… Well, every pin and plane of that opulence, this self-made actor deserves. They are his sweat and toil… They are his achievements – the fruits of his Success. Hence, he has every right to relish them with his dear ones. I am not challenging this fact. But, as I was watching the glitter and glamor that went along King Khan’s luxury, I was wondering: “Is so much really needed to be happy in life?” “Can you retain this life-style lifelong?” “Is it possible for you to deal with it without su...

Many years ago, in one of our Public-Speaking sessions, a young girl was introducing herself. She hailed from a very affluent family and her father was a very reputed and respected individual known to almost everyone present in the class. The girl had kept her introduction short and crisp. She was extremely confident, graceful and, importantly, humble.  After the girl had spoken, I went to the stage to give my feedback.   While highlighting her humility, I drew everyone’s attention to the obvious fact that she had downplayed her family’s status, wealth or position and, her humility had stolen our hearts. My remarks were instantly greeted with a long applause from the audience. But, the real humbling-experience for me, that morning, was just in waiting. After the applause had subsided, the girl said, with even more grace and politeness: “Sir, those things are of my dad; I am here to learn how to make my own mark!” And, even before I could grasp the...