Gerald D'Cunha

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...

  S ome months ago, while speaking on phone, a friend of mine (62), said, “Mujhe phir se pyaar ho gaya hai.” (I am in love again). Before I could say, ‘What?’, he clarified, “Krishna se.” Well, I knew about my friend’s fascination towards ISKCON during last few years, and I had observed how anchored and peaceful he had become. It’s an amazing transformation. Still, that early morning, when he said, “Mujhe phir se pyaar ho gaya hai,” I wasn’t thinking about ‘Krishna’… Instead, being a mortal, I was thinking, “What… at 62?” Then, two weeks ago, this young girl (23), who had just completed her LLB, had turned up for one of our Sunday Workshops. Everybody’s eyebrows had gone up seeing the ISKCON marks on her forehead, prominently displayed… It’s clear, that the young girl had not only just turned a lawyer, she had, also, just turned Krishna’s beloved… “Very good,” I thought, “it will help her stay away from the dirty, dark stand-up comedy shows.” Of late, it’s interesting to ...

  “I sit before flowers, 
 hoping they will train me in the art of opening up.” Shane Koyczan   T oday was the second session for this group of young kids. They come from underprivileged areas of our suburb. An NGO has been helping them through computer and AI skills. The same NGO has requested our Centre to help them in their soft skills… develop self-confidence, communication and interpersonal skills. I found one of the young girls a bit lost during the session. “ Beta , you are feeling ok?” I asked her. Then, to involve her in the proceedings, I nudged her gently to come up to the stage and tell something about her… To my surprise, the young girl did not get rattled. She stood there in front of about 20 of us (including her peers, two instructors and me). “You can speak in Hindi, if you wish,” I encouraged her, “Or, you can mix Hindi and English.” The girl chose to do it mixed… “Friends, my name is Muskaan… I have recently cleared my tenth standard, and I ...

  “Our fingerprints don’t fade  from the lives we touch.”   Judy Blume   A close relative of mine worked as a school teacher for all her working life and retired a few years ago. As the financial situation at home demanded, she tutored several students at home after her school hours including on Sundays. Her husband, who worked at the Docks, had to work through all the three shifts till he, too, retired some years ago. Their two children got highly educated and well-placed in life. It was only after their children got well-settled in life, the retired relatives of mine began to travel both inside and outside the country... My relative, the retired teacher, loved my Blogs. She would, always, ask me in amazement: “How do you write so beautifully, and how do you find new stories for your every new Blog?” She would add, “I have taught hundreds of students through my teaching career; but, I haven’t been able to do what you have been doing through your writings (b...

“Do you understand the violence it took to become this gentle?” Nitya Prakash   M ore than two decades ago, I had published a book by the title – ‘Why The Sun Burns’. It carried some of my notes, which I had scribbled in my diaries over the years. One such note – passage – was this: “The light doesn’t emerge unless the candle burns; It’s not my wish that I should suffer, to spread a little goodness around.” Anger, hurt, pain – these are very much present in our lives. No matter how sagely you may find me from outside, that’s not what I am inside. Inside, yes, inside this mountain, there is burning lava... waiting to be exploded... and, now and then, it does... But, anger is like the poison a cobra is blessed with. Did I say, ‘blessed with’? Yes Sir, I did say that... The presence of poison and the presence of anger inside us – both make us who we are. The cobra doesn’t go on a rampage, just because, there is poison inside its head... Likewise, you and I do...

  “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” John Bunyan   E ight days ago, (on August 20) Judge Frank Caprio passed away after a gritty battle with pancreatic cancer. He has been my inspiration as he was for millions of people around the world. Judge Caprio was just a judge in the Municipal Court of Providence, Rhode Island, in America, where he served for nearly four decades. Yes, his heart of gold – blessed with compassion, empathy and healing humour   - made him a household legend… He did it in his courtroom by dispensing justice to very ordinary people who appeared before him for some routine traffic violations like over speeding, wrong parking etc. I n this fast and furious, seemingly heartless world, most of us had never come across anything like this in a courtroom. So, when we saw the way Judge Frank Caprio communicated with people who presented themselves before him, it was hard for us to believe, th...

  “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...

  “We cannot live only for ourselves; a thousand fibers connect us with our fellowmen.” Herman Melville   I had taught Simmi Kochhar when she was a T.Y. B.Com student. It was some 36/37 years ago. Soon after graduating, she married her sweetheart, Manoj Balwani, and began to be called Rashmi Simmi Balwani. Simmi came from a family of academicians. Her mother was a school teacher and father wrote for leading newspapers on financial subjects. On the other hand, Manoj came from a business family. Soon after their marriage, Simmi got involved with Manoj’s family business. They raised their two children, providing them with fine education. Meanwhile, Simmi ventured into new businesses and succeeded quite impressively. Then, came the Pandemic and the lockdown… Simmi started reaching out to the helpless people, especially children, from the nearby slum areas. She, with the help of many volunteers, went around the slums with food packets, medicines and groceries. This was ...