Gerald D'Cunha

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Ferdinand Foch W e keep talking about being passionate about the things we do in life. Like, when we meet someone after decades, and if he/she keeps still talking to us equally, or even more animated – possessed and consumed – manner, well, we can convincingly say, that the person is passionate about the thing he/she is talking about. Passion is blood-red... Once it sets in, it goes very deep into our soul. It’s, as Ferdinand Foch said, ‘the soul on fire’... Some say, it’s a kind of obsession, and many others say, it’s a kind of insanity, madness... Well, it’s a good madness... A thousand times better than walking on this planet with no fire in our souls... May, therefore, the souls continue to be on fire, like the burning bush of the Mount Horeb... (Justin & Uday with Shankar Mahadevan) J ustin and Uday were my students when they were doing their T.Y. B. Com. They were least interested in studies... Their...

  “You will never be the person you can be if pressure,  tension and discipline are taken out of your life.” James G. Bilkey   I  remember what great Albert Einstein once said: “Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing, that it’s stupid.” Well, with the permission of the great scientist, I wish to replace the word ‘Genius’ in this quote with ‘Champion’... T his morning, I was teaching this batch of twelfth standard. Two days ago, one of the students, Maansi, who has been always regular and committed to her studies, had requested me for a leave. “Sir, I will be leaving to Chennai for my tournament (Rifle shooting), early tomorrow morning. I will miss a couple of classes. But, I will try to attend online.” I sent Maansi the zoom link. But, due to a weak network, she had to miss one of the sessions while she was travelling by train. “But, Sir, I will make it up... Solve the sums a...

  “In the age of distraction, single-tasking is a superpower.” Greg McKeown   I don’t think, we can accomplish any worthwhile goal in Life, if we lack clarity and focus. And, we cannot expect clarity and focus to be our allies when we are constantly distracted by a hundred ‘useless’ things… ‘Useless things’ are those things which are neither urgent nor important. The more we focus on such things now, the more blurred gets our vision… When we focus on things which are not related to our goals, we are bound to be swayed away from our goals… In Life, our energies, always, flow where our attention goes… What we focus on in Life, it grows… I have been teaching hundreds of young kids for decades. I have noticed this: The bigger their schools and households, sorry to say this, the bigger their distractions… Well, I am aware, that we cannot paint everyone with the same brush… But, then, when these kids are given almost everything at their beck and call, why would they s...

  “We must adjust to changing times, and still hold steadfast to unchanging principles.” Jimmy Carter   P urpose in life keeps us productive, useful… Should I say ‘Youthful’, too? We just have to look at former American President Jimmy Carter’s life and legacy… He passed away, at 100, just two weeks ago. Barring a couple of years before that century-long life, he lived with a clear purpose through ‘Habitat for Humanity’, in which, he and his wife Rosalynn had involved immediately after his four-year-term was over as 39 th   President of America. Leading from the front, for close to forty-five years, since then, the Carters inspired countless volunteers to build thousands of affordable houses, both, inside and outside America… President Carter, through these years, survived brain cancer, a hip surgery, multiple stiches around his wounded eye and many other challenges. What has been endearing was the childlike enthusiasm and steadfast faith he and his wife exud...

  “Excuses are the crutches of the uncommitted.” A.   R. Bernard   W hen I was in school (Higher Primary/High School) and college, I had three modes of transport to reach there: the local city buses, my bicycle (in college) and by walk. The one-way distance was about 3 to 4 kilometers. Taking a bus was beyond my means… I took a city bus very occasionally… Mostly, I walked both ways; and, while in college, mostly, I took my bicycle. I remember the days when it rained heavily… The only way to know, that the school had declared a rain-holiday was after we reached the school/college… We had to reach there totally drenched, only to get informed – and thrilled – that there would be a day off! And, today? Technology – WhatsApp, Instagram, mobile communication and online options for students have made their lives not just easy, but lazy, too… You see, during the rainy season, it would rain; and, many times, heavily. It’s expected. So, we kids had to gear up and, som...

  “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask ‘What seat?’… Just get on.” Sheryl Sandberg   T his morning, I bumped into a middle-aged man inside our building lift. He was a stranger. So, after the spontaneous exchange of the courtesy ‘Hello’,   the he asked me, “What do you do?” “I am a teacher… I teach,” I said instinctively. “What do you teach?” the gentleman asked. “I teach Accounting subjects?” I replied. “Where do you teach?” was the next question. “I teach in my own coaching centre,” I responded. “Is it?... Where is your centre?” By then, the lift had landed on the ground floor, and the gentleman had to rush up, his way… and I had to do the same, my way… I forgot about this conversation completely, as such questions from strangers have been routine… You see, I would ask the same way to someone. So, nothing strange about this stranger’s questions – or, call it his   curiosity. H ere in my class, at the end of the lecture, I f...

  “Excellence endures and sustains; it goes beyond motivation into the realm of inspiration.” Azim Premji   I didn’t watch a single match of the just-concluded T-20 World Cup; but, my son did. Occasionally, I would take some updates from him… and, that’s about it. But, I wanted to watch yesterday’s Final – India Vs South Africa. And, as most Indians did, I watched it fully with my son and wife… The hangover of the high of our victory still makes my head dizzy… “What a victory… What a turnaround… What a thrill…!” Yes, like everyone else, I have been saying this aloud, and, rightfully so. There were so many goosebumps moments in last night’s contest… So many heartbreaking and heartwarming moments alike… In the end, as the famous line from the ABBA song goes – ‘The Winner takes it all.” Doesn’t he? Or, does he? I still remember my state of mind when we had lost the World Cup Final in 2023 in Ahmadabad. If that was a disturbing night, yesterday’s was exceptionally ex...

  “About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.” Gloria Pitzer   M y friend, Hitesh Rupani, runs a music school by the name ‘Gurukul Music School’. This school teaches little kids, young ones and adults to master various musical instruments, particularly guitar. It, also, teaches Western classical music… And, the school has been there for years. For Hitesh, through all these long years of experience in the field of teaching music, one thing constant – when it comes to students - has been this: they want it to happen fast. Means, achieve the mastery faster, even faster! So, when young   aspirants see it not happening faster, they lose patience, and along with it, they lose their interest, too… Music is over... They try the next thing on the menu – sports, dance, acting, gym or any item from the menu. Unfortunately, nothing from the menu comes effortlessly… Everything calls for long patience, dedication and commitment. They realize, tha...