Gerald D'Cunha

  “You, always, say such lovely things to me, Red. Do you say them to yourself?”   Talia Hibbert,  Get a Life, Chloe Brown   F or several years –- particularly in my twenties to thirties (and even in the first part of forties)   -- I have done a hell lot of work. Read ‘hell lot’ means heavy work, hard work, donkey work, or whatever. Before I married to my wife, I had married to my work… and, that first marriage continued till, one day -- right in the midst of my frantic work, my wife fell severely ill, got hospitalized for a month… then, for almost two years, needed my total attention…   I remember going through anxiety and guilt at the same time. It was difficult to reset my priorities at that point of time… It was telling on my own health… One evening, my dear friend and associate at The Dawn Club, Dr. Deepak, who had just become a Psychiatrist in his mid-twenties, came over to my place. We both sat on the floor, and he helped me deal with my a...

“Sometimes, the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” Brené Brown   O ur summer programme (spread over two months) is on... When I was growing up, the summers were a complete break from studies... I remember spending the entire summer vacation at my maternal grandparents’ place... Oh, that glorious village life -- ponds, running streams, fields, orchards of mangoes, cashews, jackfruits... no books, no studies, no exams... yes, no getting up, dressing up and showing up, no matter how you felt each morning. We returned from our grandparents’ place only late in the evening before our school reopened... Now, the summer vacations are no more meant to ‘break free’ from the routine studies and exams... For each kid, be it in the villages or be it in the cities, summer vacations are meant to do extra studies – with preparation for some entrance exams, or tuitions, or a dozen other classes – dance, sports, singing, computer or soft skills etc. I am guil...

  “Our fingerprints don’t fade  from the lives we touch.”   Judy Blume   A close relative of mine worked as a school teacher for all her working life and retired a few years ago. As the financial situation at home demanded, she tutored several students at home after her school hours including on Sundays. Her husband, who worked at the Docks, had to work through all the three shifts till he, too, retired some years ago. Their two children got highly educated and well-placed in life. It was only after their children got well-settled in life, the retired relatives of mine began to travel both inside and outside the country... My relative, the retired teacher, loved my Blogs. She would, always, ask me in amazement: “How do you write so beautifully, and how do you find new stories for your every new Blog?” She would add, “I have taught hundreds of students through my teaching career; but, I haven’t been able to do what you have been doing through your writings (b...

  This Post was published by me on 19 th April, 2014... It’s the Easter eve. Presently, I am in the process of putting together many of my Blog posts into ten beautifully-designed books. They will be released over the next two years, starting from this June. This Post will be included in one of the ten books... for its innocence and timelessness... Allow me to repost this enchanting tale..   19 April 2014 “S ir, I like Easter Eggs,” a ten-year-old said to me with excitement, “The neighbour aunty gives us every year.” Then, he asked me, “Sir, you like Easter Eggs?” “Oh yes, dear, I like them,” I caressed the little head, “Easter Bunny brings them to us, every year.” “Who is Easter Bunny, Sir?”, the little fellow asked me. “The good Rabbit, who comes, every Easter, from the faraway land, carrying those colourful eggs in his basket for all of us,” I narrated to my little friend. I added, “Just as Santa Claus, who comes every Christmas carrying gifts for you kid...

T oday is Good Friday... Thought, I would repost this Blog, which I had first posted in June, 2022. Though the subject of the Post relates to the last hours of Jesus Christ – widely known as ‘The Passion of the Christ’ – strangely, I had Posted it in the month of June, when the Holy Week was long behind... But, today, when I revisited this Post, it surprised me and prompted me to ask the same question, which had prompted me to write this Post four years ago: “What it means to live life passionately?” Hope you find the Post relevant... A blessed Friday to all... May peace prevail both inside us, and outside us... as we step into the fullness of life...   STEP INTO THE FULLNESS OF LIFE “It’s only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fulness of life.” Oprah Winfrey   A s a child born and brought up in a Christian (Catholic) household, observing the solemnity of Lent – particularly that of the Holy Week – was an integral part of my faith. The ...

  “Live a life as a monument to your soul.” Ayn Rand   O ne of the highly motivational books, which I had read over and over again, was Dr. Robert Schuller’s ‘Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do.” Dr. Schuller had convincingly sold his ‘success philosophy’ to his readers as ‘Possibility Thinking’... Please note: Dr. Schuller was drilling into our heads, that only Positive Thinking wouldn’t take us anywhere... We needed to be practical, by applying ‘Possibility Thinking.” And, in his bestselling book - ‘Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do’, Dr. Schuller graphically narrated to us the story of building his dream project – ‘The Crystal Cathedral’ in Garden Grove, California... Yes, how a smalltime, countryside Pastor conceived and achieved a mammoth dream through his practical philosophy – ‘Possibility Thinking.” Crystal Cathedral (now Christ Cathedra), Garden Grove, California I t was the early eighties... Here, in the city of Mumbai, I was a newcomer...

  “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain. But, all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” Andy Rooney   T wo days ago, my wife and I were watching the latest NETFLIX series ‘Hello Bachhon’. It’s the story of widely popular (and successful) teacher Alakh Pandey... how he started teaching Physics through YouTube and, eventually, became a sensation, scaling it up – and up – and up... into brand ‘Physics Wallah’. Yes, like every success story of an underdog, we found it very inspiring... Alakh Pandey Sir had a hard time while doing his studies. He genuinely wanted to help students who couldn’t afford to pay high coaching fees for competitive exams. So, from the depth of that sincere intent, his pursuit to reach a wider audience kept growing, and kept even growing... There is this disturbing scene in the last episode... A young IIT aspirant, under tremendous pressure and frustration, ends up taking an unthinkable step... Well, while wat...