Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Nirmala Sundar W here does our cynicism come from? I think, it comes from our disappointments and frustrations. I watch myself, closely, every time I tend to become cynical – and, let me tell you this: I do pass through my own share of cynical bouts umpteen times in life – and notice that my heart is not strong enough to withstand the disappointments and frustrations stemming from various setbacks… the temporary defeats, unfair criticism from people around, lack of loyalty and integrity from people around, lack of appreciation and loss of love… yes, I notice, that whenever I experience any of these setbacks, if my heart is not strong enough to withstand the pain and the shock, I, invariably, tend to sulk… go into my shell and conclude, “What is the point?”… “No use.” Mercifully, in my case, the bouts of cynicism are sporadic… Like the dark clouds in the sky, they appear, stay there for a while… and, then, they go… But, go they will! So, wh...

 Pic.: Anima D'Cunha I am very fond of learning idioms and phrases in English. They really add spice and color to our language. Used at the right place, idioms can make one sit-up and listen as we speak! The night before last, Arvind Kejriwal had attacked the media alleging that it was being highly biased and it acted as agents of other political parties… I heard a reporter using the idiom: ‘Shoot the messenger’. Well, frankly, I did not know, till then, what the idiom meant. But, the moment I heard it, I knew what it did: In olden times, the arrogant kings used to do it… The poor messenger, who went to the King carrying the bad news, rarely returned! So, the reporter was telling us, that, the media - the peoples’ messenger - who persistently asked the AAP spokespersons some uncomfortable questions and cited to them what the ‘aam admi’ on the streets really felt about the high drama on the Delhi streets because of the   reckles...

Pic.: Malabika Ganguly   The postman just handed me with quite-a-packed envelope. It was from ‘imfpa’ – Indian Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Yellow in color, on the front-side of this envelope was written: “Handicapped in body, but not in spirit’! I had some other subject in mind to write on, today. But, the moment I opened the pack, I knew it had to be this subject… The pack contained: beautifully designed all-occasion greeting cards, book marks, gift tags, and gift envelopes, comprising 17 designs selected from some of the finest original paintings done by mouth-and-foot artists of India. There was a touching letter written by one of these artists with her picture. The young smiling-girl from Kerala, Swapna Augustine, has no limbs… she is shown painting… holding a brush in between her toes! The letter gently reminds us that these unfortunate artistes had lost their hands either due to accident, illness or birth defect. “Have you ever...

U sain Bolt is in news now! Yesterday, the newspapers carried the story of Bolt surpassing the legendary Carl Lewis’s record tally… and, this Jamaican sprinter – the fastest man alive on our planet – simply left me with goose bumps, all over my body… Yes, all over again! Track-events, particularly the 100-meters contest, have, always, set my belly on fire… And, when I see Usain Bolt running, the bolt of lightning is certain to strike my heart with awe! Today, I have been watching some of Bolt’s inspiring videos… I was, particularly, interested in his early days and his training programme… And, yes, the humble country he comes from. Jamaica is a small island nation – about two-hundred-odd miles in length and fifty-odd- miles in width.   People are simple and humble. God hasn’t blessed this island with loads of wealth… There are hardly any industries there… People are deprived of many, many things… And, so, when someone like Usain Bolt puts his...

If I do not like a certain living condition in my life, I must deeply desire to get out of it. Then, I should take a quick, firm decision to come out. The moment I dilly-dally about my decision, the more I postpone my decision, it is a foregone conclusion that I would rot there in the same condition… Wishing to change our situations in life – the rot – would always remain a wish. It takes a strong desire and a determined will to clear the rot… Any rot, I say. Rot, here, is just a metaphor… Any situation, any condition, in my life, which I really, really do not like, which hampers my growth and well-being, is rot… It should go. But, then, how will it go, unless and until I get up and do something about it, and now? I remember one more Mulla Nasruddin story. Once, Mulla was going through a very disturbing situation in his life. Every night, he would be troubled by a weird dream… in which he had wrestling matches wit...

Most of us know that Amitabh Bachchan was rejected when he had tried to join All-India Radio. The reason given was: He did not possess the ‘right’ voice! We, also, know that till his movie Zanjeer happened, this actor – who has stayed there on top as a Super Star as no other actor in Bollywood history has – was not taken seriously by anyone… They declared him as a ‘misfit’ in every respect… Super-stardom was the remotest of all his dreams! Yes, like the legend of Amitabh Bachchan, his stories of rejection and rising from their ashes, have already become India’s folklore. There are many like him in the film Industry - actors, singers, directors, lyricists, music composers, dance directors, costume designers, cinematographers, sound designers… you name them, they are there. Yes, the ones who were branded and discarded as ‘misfits’! Anil Kapoor could not even clear the entrance exam for the Film Institute at Pune. He not ...

An old story, often, comes back to my mind with a new meaning. Since last evening, this old fable - which, probably, I had first heard when I was a little kid - has been coming before me.  There must be a reason… There must be a new meaning to derive. Once , there lived a wise-man in a small town. He had this unique gift of reading others’ minds… He could solve mysteries and foretell the future. People from different parts of land would come to see him, seek his help. However, this wise-man had remained always very humble and compassionate… He had never misused his fame or power.  In the same village, there also lived an arrogant young-man, quite notorious for playing tricks on people in order to prove them wrong. He had been very jealous of this wise-man’s popularity and was waiting for an occasion to ‘expose’ him in public.  That day had, now, come.  One afternoon, many people had gathered around this w...