Gerald D'Cunha

“Dismiss thoughts of good, bad, right, wrong, success, failure – be spontaneous.” Joshua L. Goldberg   O ne evening, I was returning from work… It was around 6.30, and I was especially tired on that day… Two more long-distance zoom sessions still awaited after reaching home… As it was a rush-hour for our building lift, when I sneaked in, it was already packed with people returning from their duties, some elderly men and women returning after their daily walk… Just when the lift door was about close, two little boys – probably about age 9 or 10 – got in. There was no place; still, they didn’t care, nor did any of us , the so-called ‘elders’ who were weight-conscious…. We knew, that the lift would happily take  few kilos of additional weight… So, as the lift started taking us up, the two little friends -  one, quite chubby and heavier in size holding a bat in his hand, the other, a lean, little sardar – continued their animated conversation… They seemed least bother...

  “I’ve found, that no matter what life throws at me, music softens the blow.” Bryce W. Anderson I t was Hans Christian Andersen who had said, “Where words fail, music speaks.” One of the most played, sung, recorded, performed and hummed  songs is the Spanish song ‘La Paloma’. It was written by a Spanish song writer by the name Sabastian Iradier, nearly 150 years ago. But, then, as many other most beautiful creations, the creator of this beautiful songs, too, died in obscurity… It was only after he’s gone, the song travelled across the globe and underwent countless versions…  World’s most renowned musicians and singers have added t heir own touch to this masterpiece…Every version leaves the listener moved even though he/she doesn’t understand its lyrics… Well, translated ‘La Paloma’ mean s ‘The Dove’… It’s a beautiful love song. But, then, who needs words when music can speak? I keep listening to ‘La Paloma’ regularly; sometimes, all through the day… and, yes, ...

  “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery   M y student, Shardul (17), had worn a T-shirt, today. I was drawn to the words written on its front: “Feel the fear; and, do it anyway” I was familiar with these words; hence, I asked the young man, “Shardul, did you know whose words are those?” “No Sir,” Shardul replied, sincerely. It is the title of a very inspiring book by Suzan Jaffers: “Feel the Fear; And Do It Anyway.” I told Shardul and his friends, that the book had tremendous impact on my mind when I read it in the nineties. I, particularly, mentioned about the five truths the author highlights about Fear in this book.   FIVE TRUTHS ABOUT FEAR Truth #1: The fear will never go away as long as I continue to grow. Truth #2: The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it. Truth #3: The only way to feel...

  “And, still after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, ‘You owe me’…” Hafiz   I n the latest blockbuster film, ‘Kantara’, I understand, that one of the many things that has left millions of viewers mesmerized is the Bhuta’s (the Demigod’s) shout. I am sure, this shout keeps haunting many of them long after the movie experience… This is really interesting, and it brings a smile on my face… I grew up in a village in Mangalore, and lived there for my initial twenty years. In those days, our village, and the villages around us, predominantly depended on agriculture. People were simple… Christians, Muslims and Jains were in minority. Hindus were   in majority. Yet, we all coexisted, so beautifully. Many Catholic households, like ours,  raised flowers in their courtyard gardens… The highest sale of these flowers took place during   Hindu festivals… The ‘Bhuta Kola’* (We simply called it ‘Kola’ or ‘Nema’) was one such festival/ceremony. It w...

  “Don’t waste your time in anger, regrets, worry and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.” Roy T. Bennett   G loom is contagious. So is happiness! These nearly-two years of Pandemic have taken all of us through this roller coaster of happiness and gloom. None has been spared. None. But, then, we all have relied on our respective coping mechanism. Getting into gloom may have seemed easy… Rather, automatic. Most of us have found ourselves simply slipping into the gloom – feeling overwhelmed by anxiety and worry about our future. From there, fortunately, many of us have bounced back. But, some of us have remained stuck, and some of us have, unfortunately, perished! I believe, this has been the familiar scenario during these unusual times. It’s tough to stay optimistic and motivated when gloom surrounds us from all sides. The more the mind focuses on ‘what we have lost’ and ‘what may happen’… yes, the more pessimistic and dejected we become. A person like me,...

  “The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born out of our creativity.” Brene Brown   A famous motivational guru had made this statement: ‘Winners don’t do different things; they do things differently.’ Interestingly, the best-selling author and motivational guru had the sharpest and the quickest business-acumen to copyright this line. So, it’s ‘registered’ under the relevant Intellectual Property Act… Now, you and I can’t claim it as ours… It is his – the great guru’s! Sometimes, I find it so silly when someone claims, that a line like the one mentioned – which is a universal and age-old truth – as his/her property. Yes, I agree and marvel at his/her business acumen… to make a fortune out of common wisdom… Is that creativity? I think, it is. And, if it is, so be it. Many of us have come across this dialogue between a honeybee and a concerned creature: Once, a concerned creature asks a honeybee: “My friend, you take so mu...

“Silence is the language of God; all else is poor translation.” Rumi   E ver since I remember, I have been a shy, anxious and quiet ‘kid’. I said ‘kid’… because, that’s what I am, still… I am still a shy, anxious and quiet ‘kid’! And, the only reason I took to writing my private notes was to deal with my private ghosts… I felt relived after I expressed my feelings in words… I felt good about myself. Healed and empowered.   Rumi says, ‘Silence is the language of God; all else is poor translation.” Every time I come across a   great   song, painting, composition, speech,   film, novel, a piece of architecture or design – even a lovely spread of food – whatever that man creates out of nowhere – yes, every time I behold it, I become only convinced, that everything has come from a quiet space… In the beginning, there was nothing… It was quiet and dark everywhere… And God said, ‘Let there be light’ - and the Sun, the Moon and the Stars came. I haven’...

  “There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.” G.K. Chesterton   “I am a human, not a stone.” I keep reminding it to myself, whenever I feel bored. Like everyone else, I, too, had invested so many years of my energy and time pursuing things dear to my heart. And, suddenly, like everyone else, I, too, felt disoriented and helpless during these uncertain months of   pandemic… But then, is my situation as bad as so many around me? I am 63. What about those kids, young ones and the middle-aged? What about the very elderly and the sick? It’s easy to say “I am bored” or “Life is boring”… Very easy. But, what benefit does it serve? Boredom is a natural state. As I said, if I am not a stone, I would experience it, now and then. But, if I complain about being bored, endlessly – and whether during the pandemic or normal times -   then, I say, that it’s sheer lack of zest for life… Life is unpredictable. If we just accept this truth with o...

  “You may always dream; and, sometimes, they will even come true.” Martin Hurkens   L ast evening, my friend, Rekha, shared the inspiring story of Martin Hurkens. I don’t think many of you have heard about him. At least, I hadn’t, till I read his incredible story. The story tells us, that Martin worked for over thirty-five years as a baker. He was, always, passionate about singing and possessed a natural tenor-voice. He sang the popular songs as he went about his baking work and delighted his customers. Then came a day, when he lost his job and was left with nothing to fall back on for his livelihood. He had a family to fend; but he was too old to seek a new job. Faced with this challenge, he decided to hit the streets of his city in Holland and sing with all his heart… The onlookers dropped small coins in his hat. But, a new leap of faith had been taken… Martin’s destiny was on its way to unfold! His young daughter, without his knowledge, sent his entry form for th...