Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Indu Varier W ell, India won the first World-cup contest against Pakistan, today... and, won it handsomely. There were several  high-points  during the contest. The solid batting power of Kohli, Dhawan and Raina, the sensible bowling by Yadav, Ashwin and others, the inspired fielding and, above all, fine captaincy by Dhoni… Yes, these were the visible and obvious  high-points . Everybody has duly acknowledged them. But, to me, there was a  high-point  even before the first ball was delivered today in Adelaide. I do not know if many had noticed it, leave alone acknowledge it… It was the customary line-up of the two teams for their National anthems. Lined up in front of the players were pretty little-children, most probably from the host nation, Australia… The first to be played was Pakistan’s national anthem. The moment the first note was heard, I saw all the children standing before the Pakistani players took of...

Pic.: Chandrashekar Varier “A gentle heart is tied with an easy thread.” George Herbert T his morning, my friend, Manjeet, was talking to me on a very interesting subject: How inspiration was different from motivation. He firmly believed, that motivation came from ‘outside’… often, driven by fear, greed, comparison and competition. Hence, the change caused through motivation was short-lived. On the other hand, he believed, that inspiration came from ‘inside’, through deep insights. Hence, the change caused through inspiration was long-lived… Motivation worked on mind-level; inspiration worked on heart/spirit-level… Motivation needed effort; inspiration was effortless… Manjeet gave an example. “Imagine, I have realized the importance of taking daily walk and do it every day. I want my wife, too, to do the same. So, I keep convincing her, but in vain. Then, one fine day, a dear friend of her succeeds where I had failed... My wife gladly g...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty “Raise your words, not your voice… It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” -           Oprha Winfrey M any a times, when we keep screaming and shouting at our children or our students, our intention is very simple and straight: they should listen to us, show remorse and change… But, do they? Mostly, they don’t. What, generally, happens is: they yell back at us, argue and make the scene more volatile… or, they get suppressed by our authority and sulk… or, they keep just mocking – visibly or invisibly - at us seeing our weakness and helplessness… Rarely do they show remorse or empathy… rarely do they listen to us and change.   That frustrates us more… and, it doesn't allow us to come out of our shouting-and- screaming bouts, easily… We find ourselves in more turmoil, now! Time and again, I have realized that shouting and screaming at our young-on...

Pic.: Sheela Krishnamony I n the stamp-duty office today, I met a gentleman after, almost, ten years. He had migrated with his family to Melbourne many years ago. Today, when he came to greet me, I was’t able to recognize him. When he introduced me, I was pleasantly surprised! He was overweight and shapeless in those days. Now, he looked slim and dashing. There was a glow on his face and he looked a lot poised. “I can’t believe it is you,” I said holding his hand, “It is a total transformation… What is the secret?” “A junk-free lifestyle,” the gentleman was bang-on. “More about it,” I was curious. “You feed your body and mind with junk, you end up with a 'junky' body and mind,” the man told me, “I mind what I eat, think, watch and speak.” I did not hear him say, “I walk, exercise, gym, do Yoga and meditation…” and all that. I did not ask him if he did all those things, either. But, now, when I reflect on what the gentleman had said, I unders...

Pic.: Pradeep Nanda I don’t like to write about party politics in my blog, just as I don’t like to talk about sectarian religion. But, because our lives are impacted by both political and religious climate around us, whether we like it or not, we need to be alive to what is happening out here… The latest is: the landslide victory of Arvind Kejriwal and his party AAP in Delhi elections. I am amazed just the way so many, all over the nation and abroad, are! Kejriwal is a resilient man. Very, very tough mentally. He wears an equally-thick skin which helps him negotiates through the merciless criticism and cynicism directed towards him and his party… And, because he lives with ‘little’ – doesn't care for his material needs, his family and his personal security - he is free to lead the way he does… These kinds of individuals are difficult to be subdued in, both, victory or defeats. There is lot to learn from them… So, though I...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty "We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them."  - Kahlil Gibran T his reality stares at me, repeatedly: Just as others, who love and care for me, can only help me make my choices, and, it is left for me to make my own choices… yes, just as that, I can only help them do theirs, and, then, leave them to make their own… I said, ‘people who love and care for me’. True… my spouse, son, parents, close relatives and best friends… my genuine well-wishes and caring teachers, doctors, lawyers, priests and advisers… Yes, they can only help me make my choices… but, they can’t – rather, shouldn't – go beyond that… Ditto, when it comes my role in their choices. So, each time the reality stares at me, it only becomes clearer to me, that the quality of my life can only be as good as the quality of my choices… Even to step or not to step beyond that thin line– when it comes to others’ choices – calls f...

Pic.: Chandrashekar Varier S ome days ago, in my class, a few minutes before I was to start my lecture, I heard a final-year-degree student saying, “Sir, there is some water on this desk.” Quickly, I picked a wiping cloth, stood next to the girl, and began to wipe the desk. It took me less than a minute to clean-up… but, it felt like eternity! My mind was judging and grumbling: “She and her friends are watching me – their teacher – wiping their desk; none of them has the simple courtesy to say, ‘Sir, give me the cloth, I will do it’… What kind of graduates these kids are going to be? Whatever happened to good-old values?” So, though I took not even a minute to wipe out the mess on the desk, the mess in my mind was only piling up! A nd, this morning, just before our Tai Chi class was to start, I saw our young teacher doing exactly the opposite. Seeing the open area, where we held our class, messy, he got hold of a broom, and began to sweep. ...

Pic.: Chandrashekar Varier ‘Everybody wants to go to heaven… but, nobody wants to die!” W hen I did not see Varun* in my class today, I called him up. He didn’t pick up my call. In a few minutes, I saw the message: “Sorry sir, I failed to inform you… I am out of station.” I, immediately, forwarded Varun’s message to his mom… I was sure, there was more to it. Varun’s mom called me back and spoke to me for more than fifteen minutes… Yes, about her frustrations… How she was unable to make him see the point… How he got influenced by his friends more than his parents… How disorganized he was… How his priorities were all wrong… How shallow was the motivation… How clueless was he about his goal… and, yes, how insensitive he was towards his parents’ struggle and sacrifice… Yes, as a mother of  rebellious teenager, she was bleeding… And, on this side of Varun’s world, I, his teacher, too, was bleeding… I struggled with the similar issues… Wondered w...

Pic.: Rajiv Sharma ”Fear is going to be a player in your life, but you get to decide how much. You can spend your whole life imagining ghosts, worrying about your pathway to the future, but all there will ever be is what’s happening here, and the decisions we make in this moment, which are based in either love or fear.” -        JIM CARREY in his address to the graduating class of 2014 at Maharishi University of Management. A t every juncture, life offers us only two choices: keep moving with faith or doubt… Look forward with trust or anxiety… Embrace with love or fear… and, yes, look back with pride or regret… Time and time again, like everyone else does, I, too, grapple with these choices which life throws before me, at each of my life-junctures… Yes, should I keep moving with fear or doubt? Should I look forward with trust or anxiety? Should I embrace with love or fear? Should I look back with pride or regret?...

Pic.: Usha Prasad T wo days ago, at 7 in the evening, a lady called-up. I knew this lady as her 11-year-old only-son had attended our summer PD-programme. Moreover, her husband was my student, some twenty years ago. “Sir, I need your help; I am really upset,” the lady said with her voice cracking, “Sir, can I see you right now?” I had left for the day and, almost, reached home. So, I asked her, “Ma’am, can I know what is that weighing you down?” “Sir, it is about our son,” the lady said, “He has, once again, starting behaving in a weird manner at home and in school. I have been getting complaints from the school regularly these days about his behavior. Now, the Principal has asked me to see her tomorrow. I am really scared!” The boy did have this problem earlier. After our PD-programme and many personal counseling sessions, he had dropped his unacceptable behavior to a great extent. Things seemed to be normal and parents were relieved… But, n...