Gerald D'Cunha

  “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 Outdated advice?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...

  “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius   T he only football match (the ongoing FIFA World Cup) I watched staying up late, here in Mumbai, was the Semi Finals between Argentina and England. Though, like most Indians, I, too, had been a diehard fan of Brazil and Argentina, during this match, I was rooting for England. I was upset, that Argentina had defeated two the widely-admired underdogs -– Cape Varde and Egypt. The two underdogs had played extremely well… and, therefore, my admiration for them outshone my traditional loyalty to the South Americans… that included the Champ –- Messi. Yes, the GOAT, according to the world around me… As usual, I went off to sleep at 10, instructing my son to wake me up at 12.30 to watch the match. He did… When England scored the first goal, I was thrilled… I saw David Beckham celebrating by hugging his wife, the Spice girl, Victoria… My Victoria, here, was fast asleep… Hence, I celebrated b...

“What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.” ―  Martha Graham   “H ow is the situation now?” I checked with this person, last night, “Time heals,” I added. “Situation is the same; but, I am coping.” The person replied, this morning. “Cope the best way you can; it won’t leave you weak. Trust me,” I consoled. “Keep me in your prayers,” the person wrote. Of course, I would. But, as you know, like most of us do, I, too, won’t go my knees before a picture or idol of God and pray, “O God, have mercy on my friend.” There is no need for any such prayers… “How’s the situation now? Time heals.” --   Was it not my prayer in itself? When my troubled friend tries sincerely to cope with his/her situation, I think, sooner or later, the situation ‘will change’. Meanwhile, you and I have our own ‘situations’ to cope with… and, we find ourselves saying the same thing to our own well-wishers: “Please keep me in your prayers.” At the end of ...

  "It's better to under-promise and over-deliver than to oversell and under-deliver." Unknown   O n FB, I have been getting these tempting ads from ‘Home Essentials’. For our newly-renovated Centre (THE DAWN CLUB CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE), we needed a simple, aesthetic ladder. ‘Home Essentials’ have been sending to my timeline a hundred ads about so many things, including beautifully-designed ladders. I booked a 3-step ladder (black colour) paying full amount. It’s close to ten days now… and, I haven’t received the ladder, yet. But, yes, I received a message confirming the order… and expressing regret on the delay… “Our delivery partner and the team are working on it… The delay is due to heavy rains”, I was told… But, it’s very sunny and bright outside… It’s not raining at all. So, I tried to follow up… But, you know how the situation today is: You are served by robots and not humans… AI gives you prompt response; but, it takes you in circles… I got frustrated and y...