Gerald D'Cunha

  “A lifetime of training for just ten seconds!” Jesse Owens   E very Olympics medal – whether Gold, Silver or Bronze – matters to us, a lot. We are a country of close to 140-crore people; the second highest population in the world. So, if we come back empty-handed from the Olympics game, it shows us in poor light. As I said, even one or two medals – whether Gold, Silver or Bronze – can give us the relief, that we haven’t come back with a ‘duck’… This explains why the whole nation becomes ecstatic and celebrates with pride, when this simple woman from Manipur – Mirabai Chanu - brings us a Silver medal in weightlifting,   Frankly, I find it silly! Yes, while Mirabai did it, beating all odds, why are we celebrating her victory as our own? There is a lot to take away from every poor Olympics-tally of our country. Is our State doing enough? No. Are we, individually or collectively, doing enough? No. Whatever little we get from the Olympics village, it is broug...

  “The toughest opponent you’re ever going to have to face is in the mirror.” Rocky Balboa S ince last evening, I must’ve watched this video, at least, half-a-dozen times…  And, let me confess: I did so for Pete Seeger! Pete Seeger was 90 when he was pumping life into that mammoth crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C, in Jan., 2009. It was at the inaugural concert of Barack Obama’s first Presidency. I bet, almost the entire crowd was made up of people around a quarter or a third of Pete's age! During his lifetime, about two dozen Presidential inaugurals came and went, two devastating World Wars exploded, apart from many more wars his country plunged into… He lived through the Great Depression… the Cults and the Isms, the Godliness and the Godlessness… And, through it all, he survived with his songs and music… Yes, I watched the video – ‘This Land Is Your land, and This Land Is My Land’ - just for Pete Seeger, the Legend… Yes, I prayed, as I watched it ov...

Pic.: Anand Sreedhar I had not heard about the song – ‘DJ Bravo – Champion’ – till it went viral after the victorious West Indies team walked into its hotel lobby (Trident) dancing and celebrating the way only the Caribbean could do… The video, I am told, has already crossed four-million viewership… and it is still counting! What I loved the most about this grand entry into the hotel lobby is the natural exuberance of the West Indies… The dance-steps were so simple, that I found myself moving my hands forward and backward from my chair… And, the lyrics? Well, here are they: DJ Bravo DJ Bravo DJ Bravo DJ Bravo Champion, Champion Champion, Champion Champion, Champion Everybody knows... Bravo a champion Champion, Champion Champion, Champion Champion, Champion Everybody knows Bravo is a champion Champion, Champion Champion, Champion [?] is a champion [?] is a champion [?] is a champion Marshall is a champion Lara is Ch...

These two eleventh-standard students have the same ambition: to become Chartered Accountants. They belong to different colleges. Both had a class test some days back. When they came to see me after that, one was jumping with joy, “Sir, the test was so easy," she declared, “I could finish it in fifteen minutes!” The other girl’s face had fallen. “Look at this paper sir,” she stretched the paper before me, visibly disturbed, “It is insane.” It was! The teacher of the second student had set a paper which was, certainly, not meant for the freshers like these. They had just started their Commerce studies… hardly a month in college… and, so, to expect them to meet that challenge was too tall an order. I did not say anything negative in front of these girls. “Don’t’ worry dear, we will see what to do; ok?” I consoled the disturbed girl, “I will help you.” I handed over the ‘tough’ paper to the first girl who was jumping with ecstasy, just seconds before. “P...