Gerald D'Cunha

  “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” —  Aristotle   I had taught Naresh in his T. Y. B. Com. It was forty years ago. We have remained as good friends ever since. Some months ago, his daughter Debanshee got married to her sweetheart, Sooraj, in a simple temple ceremony in America. Naresh and his wife, Sangeeta, attended this simple ceremony alongside boy’s parents. A couple of days ago, Naresh had shared on WhatsApp a beautiful invite for the reception they have planned here in Mumbai (on 13 th of this month). I, immediately, thanked him for the invite and confirmed, that my wife and I would, certainly, grace the occasion… Yesterday, early in the morning, there was a call from Naresh… “Good morning Sir; hope, it’s not too early to call you.” “Not at all, Naresh,” I said. “Sir, though we have sent you the invite on WhatsApp, Sangeeta and I wanted to invite you and Anima, personally.” Then, Naresh and Sangeeta invited ...

  “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.     W hile Jesus was dying on the cross, in pain and sorrow, the High Priests, the teachers of religious (Jewish) law, mocked him.   “He saved others; but, he can’t save himself… Didn’t he claim, that he was the king of Israel? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him…   He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’    S o, let his God rescue him now, if his God wants him.” As a Christian, I am told in the Gospels, that Jesus knew of his painful end, and he, also, had foretold about his resurrection after three days of his crucifixion. Because, I was born in Christian faith, it’s easy for me to accept that fact.  But, if I am not a believer in Christ, perhaps, I might scoff him saying the same thing that the High Priests did: “Hello, you saved others; why can’t you save yourself now… If you are the Son of God, come down from the cros...

  “In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it occasionally." ―  Albert Camus   S haina* has been a regular reader of my blogs. She would comment, too… Sometimes, in the Blogs… sometimes, on FB… and, sometimes, privately on WhatsApp. She had subscribed to the books which I am, presently, putting together from my blog articles (10 beautifully-designed books, one in every three months). About a week ago, I had couriered to her a hard copy of volume 1. Later, I messaged her, a couple of times, to check if she had received the copy. But, there wasn’t any response… I could, also, make out, that she hadn’t checked her messages. So, yesterday, I sent another message to her, “Shaina, is everything ok?” This time, Shaina did reply: “Gerry Sir… I am extremely sorry for being unresponsive. I am ok; and thank you so much for checking on . It means a lot.. I have just been having a very hectic time last few months, both, on the professional and pers...

  “A man grows most tired while standing still.” —  Chinese Proverbs   M any years ago, when I had asked a doctor friend of mine, “When are you getting settled”, his answer was hilarious. He jokingly said, “Only mud settles in life.” Well, being a doctor, just an MBBS or an MD weren’t enough for a doctor. The world they lived in wanted them to keep adding one specialty or a super-specialty after another… and, therefore, my friend was tossing the familiar line from his profession: “Doctors don’t settle… Only mud settles in life.” Anyway, I had innocently asked him, “Mere dost, tum shaadi kab koroge?” Earlier, this friend had shared an interesting story with me… “When the fishermen in Japan go to the deep seas, they erect huge water tanks aboard their launces to bring the fishes home alive. And, to doubly ensure that, they put some sharks into those tanks.” I still remember that story… Every time I wake up in the morning, I remind myself with it… “Friend, no...

  “Sometimes, God’s blessings are not in what He gives; but, in what He takes away.”  -– Anonymous   Y esterday, a dear friend of my wife and me, Anisha, had invited us to watch the Marathi play –- ‘Mukkam Post Pandharpur’ . As Anisha’s friend was one of the producers of the play, the front-row tickets were complimentary for us… We loved the play… It’s the touching story of young army recruit, Mawli, who was born and brought up in the holy land of Vitthala (Lord Vishnu) –- ‘Pandharpur’ (near Sholapur). As another friend of mine has been undertaking the padyatra to Pandharpur every year (hundreds of kilometers), I knew how powerful such faith in Vitthala was. But, not for the protagonist of the play, Mawli. He didn’t have any faith in either Vitthala or any of His Vasudevas… He would argue angrily with whoever displayed devotion to Vitthala… To him, it was a blind faith… Vitthala was dead. So, young Mawli, just after getting married, is posted at Siachen ...

  “Genuine gems are recognized in the dark.” ― Kamaran Ihsan Salih   I may love writing and I may love reading. But, my friends, loved ones and well-wishers may or may not. And, I have learnt to say, “That’s perfectly fine.” My love for writing and reading came only during my degree-college days. Before that, I was nowhere near the books or the pen. Typewriter and a computer were distant realities. Thus, today, when I write relentlessly and read voraciously, and when my fellowmen don’t, I just continue saying, “That’s is perfectly fine.” I, also, see little kids around me who are into a great deal of writing and reading, and I remind myself saying, “Hey, unlike these little kids, I bloomed late… and, that’s, also, perfectly fine.” If only I learn to be kind to myself, I am able to be kind to others around me. Everyone around me needn’t feel good about himself/herself only through the ‘good habits’ of reading and writing… A n ex-student of mine, who is a de...