Gerald D'Cunha

  “Older men declare war. But, it’s youth that must fight and die.” Herbert Hoover   S o many of my relatives (including the families of my two brothers), friends and students – past and present – live in the Middle East countries. And, as the war has broken out, they find themselves caught up in a frightening situation... The first thing I did, after waking up this morning, was to send this message to each one of them: “The news of conflict in the Middle East is very worrying. Pray for your safety and well-being. Hope the situation returns to normalcy, soon. Love and prayers.” Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other countries in the Gulf region are small ones. If war escalates, it will be devastating for the entire region. There is hardly anything, you and I – and our friends and relatives living there – can do to douse the engulfing inferno... Yes, except going on our knees and praying hard - “O God, please bring in sanity.” Whatever the reason b...

  “It doesn’t matter how great your shoes are, if you don’t accomplish anything in them.” Martina Boone   T here is one quality in you, which, even the toughest competition in life won’t be able to make you jobless... And, that quality is your willingness to work hard... Did I say, ‘work hard’? Well, I meet many, many young ones – every day. And, all of them want to shine in life. Yes, succeed in life. But, how much hard work are they willing to put? Hardly... Most of them want it quick... They ‘wish’... and, it remains only a wishful thinking... When I stress, that Success should come in direct proportion to one’s goals, determination, perseverance, and, above all, hard work... that, one should be willing to sacrifice, wait, learn and adjust... Yes, I stress it from the belief, that this approach can never be old-fashioned. When I learnt it through Napoleon Hill’s philosophy, I instantaneously imbibed in me one lesson of his: ‘Work more than what you are p...

  He, who does not understand your silence, will, probably, not understand your words.” Elbert Hubard   W hen two of us keep shouting at each other, the winner is, always, the one who shouts the louder. By this logic, we are warned not to engage in a shouting match... unless we aspire to be shouting champions... You see, none of us is a gentle angel here... We all shout at one another... That’s our default defence-mechanism... And this: we show more patience, restraint, tolerance, empathy and gentleness when we communicate with ‘outsiders’; and, we, generally, show impatience and lack of sensitivity when we communicate with ‘our own’... Yes, I am no exception. It’s said, when we are intimately close, we don’t even need to whisper... Our silence speaks. And, when angry, we are emotionally so distanced, that we need to shout, yell, scream... Rumi says: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field I’ll meet you there. When the soul lie...

“When the roots are deep, there is no need to fear the wind.” Chinese Proverb   A dear friend of mine holds an important position in a global company. He is currently posted in Vietnam. Yesterday, I received a call from him, saying, that he’s on a holiday in India (Mumbai) and wished to meet me. During the conversation, I learnt a great deal about the Chinese New Year – its long tradition and significance... How it’s celebrated, not only in Main China, but in various South Asian countries, and, even, in many other parts of the world. In every culture, there is this concept called ‘New Year’... and, the idea of ‘coming home’ to celebrate has been rooted deep in the psyche of these cultures. Our own (Catholic) Feast of Nativity (Sept 8, which is celebrated as Mother Mary’s birthday), Onam, Pongal, Yugadi, Vishu, Baisakhi, Chaath Puja – to mention a few – are the occasions to come home to celebrate the roots... My friend described to me how, during the Chinese New Year ce...

  “Values aren’t buses. They’re not supposed to get you anywhere... They’re supposed to define who you are.” Jennifer Crusie   I n his last episode of KBC, I saw Amitabh Bachchan calling on stage his loyal hair-stylist, Deepak Sawant, and speaking about him (Deepak Sawant) very emotionally. It was, most probably, Amitabh Bachchan’s last KBC episode. Considering his age (83), I don’t think, he might take up a high-pressure assignment like KBC anymore. But, who knows about tomorrow? During more than half-a-century of his career – from acting to hosting, from voiceovers, commercials to trying his hand in politics and business – I have seen, more than once, Amitabh ‘stepping aside’... calling it a day... only to reinvent himself – and make a triumphant come back! And, through it all, there was one man in his life who stood behind him, like his constant shadow – and, that man was Deepak Sawant... Yes, though thick and thin, as it’s said. In professional life, Loyalt...

  “We all see only  that which we are trained to see.” Robert Anton Wilson S hadab is a gentleman... a ‘gentle man’, I said. He is an educated man... I said an ‘educated’ man. Some years ago, when he and his wife came to live in the housing society, I was its Chairman. When he moved in, he had one daughter, Maham, who is now in her early teens. Just when Covid broke out, our family moved to a flat (owned by my brother-in-law) in a nearby society. Our own flat, meanwhile, is under lock and key. I am very fond of young kids. I want them to develop the reading habit. Hence, for many years, I have been gifting our books to several kids. Maham has been a beneficiary of these books. One of the many books I had gifted to Maham was titled ‘I am Good, The World is Good’. The  book had an apt baseline – ‘Jaisi Dhrishti, Waisi Shrishti’. The book was intended to sensitize young kids to develop an inclusive outlook towards the society... help them stay away from social and re...

  O ne of the nails you and I hammer while we raise our houses of failure is - giving up when we feel discouraged. Trust me, it’s not easy to be optimistic and stay hopeful when this nail hits us hard. But, then, one thing is sure: If you and I love life, believe in the goodness our hearts possess – and, above all, if we recognize how fortunate we are for the blessings God has bestowed upon us, yes, right through this deep sense of gratitude for the gift of life, all our feelings of discouragement can dissolve. Nothing is going to cripple our souls till we choose to celebrate life... All of us start dreaming, because we believe in our innate goodness... not because other believe in us. Others belief in us can be a great help, but not before we believe in our own selves... Giving up when discouraged – when people say ‘No’, or show discouragement – yes, giving up when discouraged is a pure excuse. As Jim Rohn puts it, it’s a nail we allow ourselves to be hit hard with -   ...