Gerald D'Cunha

  “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” — Brian Herbert   L earning shouldn’t stop. This means, we should be lifelong learners. But, then, there are thousands of things out there, which we won’t be able to learn… Did I say, “We won’t be able to learn”? Yes, I did… For, as Brian Herbert says, “The ability to learn is a skill.” And, skills need to be honed, developed, finetunes –- either on our own (self-develop, like Ekalavya did), or under some experts and trainers… What is interesting to note is, that our ability to learn (skill) is sandwiched between our capacity to learn (gift/talent) on one side, and our willingness to learn (choice) on the other… How interesting! Take swimming for example. I think, I am capable of learning it, and I am, certainly, able to learn it. But, if I have no willingness to learn it, it clearly tells, it is because I make that choice -- not to learn. This lu...

  “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” — Anaïs Nin   T his morning, I met an old friend after several years. When he told me where he presently lived, I exclaimed, “Wow, that’s one of the most prominent locations.” “That’s what everyone says; but, not we who live there,” my friend said. The building, as I said, was located at one of the most expensive areas. The ground floor housed luxurious clothing and jewelry brands. Each floor had just one huge flat… Each flat owner possessed a matching car, as well… Then, why was my friend saying, “but, not we who live there”? My friend explained: “Ours may be a hot property and we may be owing flats worth several crores…   But, the irony is, that we can possess only one car even if we can afford to own more… To park our cars, to get them out and to get them in… it’s our daily challenge. Then, there is noise, dust, and endless honking… Visitors have to park their cars almost a mile away and come w...

  “Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings  instead of your own.” ― Harold Coffin   ‘T hou shall not covet.’ This was the last of the Ten Commandments. When our Sunday-school teacher tried to explain to us the meaning of the word ‘Covet’, I don’t remember getting it. With time, I understood the term referred to ‘lust’ -– an obsession with what rightfully didn’t belong to us. Thus, I kept adding to this ‘lust list’ –- ‘Thou shall not covet thy neighbours’ wealth, spouse, success, and whatever that’s his. For long, I wasn’t able to follow the Tenth Commandment… To be specific: ‘Thou shall not covet thy neighbours’ success’. When my neighbour succeeded, I would simply feel jealous of him… Oh, that familiar feeling of being a small person, a loser! Trust me, this feeling of inadequacy lasted for many years in my life. Then, a time came, when I started rejoicing in my neighbours’ success… I started seeing him as myself –- his success/glory as my own…...

  “In learning, you will teach; and in teaching, you will learn.” ―  Phil Collins   S ome days ago, I saw this little girl (first standard) waiting for the lift to come. She was being brought home by a house-help. We were there waiting for the lift for a couple of minutes… and, the little lady initiated a discussion with me… “What is your flat number? Mine is …” I gave mine as innocently as the little one had offered hers. “I like my school… Did you like yours?” I was caught off-guard by this angle… Can I afford to be absolutely honest in my answer? I was swiftly thinking, “At her age, I did not like to go to school… I was scared of some strict teachers and I was weak in studies… So, how would I answer this little lady? Should I tell her “No, I did not like… I was scared of my teachers? Or, should I sugarcoat my answer… ‘Yes, honey, I liked my school’”? Mercifully, the lift had landed on the ground floor and we rushed inside… The question was left outsi...

“A river cuts through rock not because of its power; but, because of its persistence.” –  James Watkins   W hat is good –- I mean very, very good –- lives very, very long. Fads and jingoism, no matter how viral you make them in today’s world of reels, hello, I am telling you – all the Gen -z’s and Gen Alpha or whatever that is… Yes, focus on being good, creating good stuff that really lives long… not for the next twenty-four hours… Do it in such a way, that just the word of mouth spreads your work – and you – through generations… Old school? Outdated advice? O n this birthday of mine (24/7), I decided take a day off from my daily grind of teaching, writing etc. We cooked some fine delicacies and decided to have the birthday lunch at the residence of an elderly uncle and aunt. They were thrilled… and to see the joy in their hearts was extremely fulfilling for us… From there, we proceeded to watch ‘Odyssey’ at the iconic cinema hall –- ‘Eros’ at Churchgate. I had...

  “Don’t just count your blessings. Be the blessing other people count on.” –  Anonymous   E arly in the morning, today, a 14-year-old excitedly sent this message: “Happy B’day Sir. Have an amazing year ahead… Waiting to read your article about today.” I smiled… This young girl was not alone. Half a dozen of my well-wishers had already wished me… Some on 22 nd , and some on 23 rd … I replied to the 14-year-old: “HaHa… Madam, you may have to wait for today’s sun to go down, so that you can see the old man turning 68 tomorrow, that is July 24. Thank you dear for your wishes… I will treasure them well.” Well, now that this young well-wisher of mine says, that she is waiting to read my article on my b’day. She, like all others, wants me to have an ‘amazing’ year ahead… Several times, I have used the Zen quote: “Wherever you go, you carry yourself.” This means, that if I have not found the year that I am about to cross as an ‘amazing’ one –- that is, if...

S ix years ago, I had posted a blog and captioned it as ‘Gessler’s Hat’. Today, I am reposting it, again… For, the story of William Tell’s legendary defiance is so timeless, and so inspiring… that, I am prompted to recount this tale, today…   THE GESSLER'S HAT January 09, 2020 “Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom.” -      Dalai Lama I  do not know why they had included the story of William Tell in our higher-primary school text. Perhaps, to inculcate in us — the little children — the importance of knowing what is right and what is wrong… what is just and human and what is unjust and inhuman. When I look back at those days — late sixties — I was, perhaps, of the age of William Tell’s son. And, imagine, the impact of this story on a young mind! We, also, had, in our History textbook, the story of Martin Luther King, who had revolted against the unjust and inhuman practices pre...

  “Find your rhythm in the grind.” From the movie ‘Rocky’   T his year, Silvester Stallone turns 80, and his cult movie – ‘Rocky’ turns 50… I turn 68… I haven’t become a legend like Stallone. It’s said, that during his struggling days, he had to sell his dearest dog for a few dollars, to survive in Philadelphia. Once he made millions of dollars when his movie ‘Rocky’ became a super hit, the first thing Stallone did was, that he bought back his favourite dog… In my struggling days, here in this big city of Bombay, I had to sell my favourite possession –- a Citizen watch (gifted by my elder brother) -- for hundred rupees. But, even though I could afford to buy a nice watch once I started earning, I decided not to wear a watch at all… Much later, I would learn about another struggler, who had arrived much before I did, here in this city. M. F. Husain’s paintings were sold for crores of rupees. But, to keep the memory of his struggling days alive, he had decided neve...