Gerald D'Cunha

  “Some days, there won’t be a song in your heart...                                                     Sing anyway.”         Emory Austin   F inally, my wife and I decided to watch ‘Kantara – The Legend... Chapter 1’ in one of the local multiplexes. A couple of days ago, our son insisted, that we should watch it in NMACC’s IMAX screen to get the full movie-experience. But, my wife and I were against that idea, and, finally, last afternoon, without pre-booking our seats, we both landed at the ticket counter of a local multiplex. “Sorry Sir, all sold out,” the young man at the counter said. Helplessly, we called our son. “Let me check,” within in minutes, our son booked online at IMAX Wadala (Now, Miraj Cinemas)... We reached there an hour before... When the movie started, it was a full-house! A s I ...

  “From the pine tree, learn of the pine tree; from the bamboo, learn of the bamboo.” A Zen proverb     I see the entire Cricket-loving world around me going hysterical over Team India’s performance in the ongoing World Cup – and, particularly on watching the terrific display of bat by Virat Kohli   and mesmerizing spell of bowling by Mohammed Shami   in the Semi Finals… “Why not?” Yes, why not the world around me and I celebrate what is worth celebrating? Why not heap praise on those who deserve it? So, I, too, am still not done with this hysteria… The Kohli’s bat and Shami’s bowl still keep me awake… Yes, Sir, they do. But, in the midst of all this hysteria, my thoughts go to one quiet and composed man, who is the head coach of these Gladiators of a team – Rahul Dravid… The deep seas are always quiet, you see. Rahul Dravid – ‘The Wall’ – has been always so… And, I have always loved and admired him for that… A s a teacher of young college-ki...

  “So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings.” J.R.R. Tolkien   S taying relevant till the ripe age of 80 – and be able to continue doing what you are passionate about, that too, remarkably well, and, that too, in a cut-throat glamorous industry -   is not possible for any one, unless he or she is an Amitabh Bachchan! When Amitabh turned 80, on this October 11, I wanted to write something about him. But, then, what is left ‘new’ to write about this ‘One-and-only’? Whatever I wanted to write had been already written by countless number of his admirers. I, myself, have written about him so many times in my past Blogs… So, what is new, now? Nothing! E very time I feel tired – both physically and mentally – I look up to Amitabh Bachchan. Every time, I feel scarcity in my mind – that, I may not be able to find ‘work’, earn my daily bread, manage my home etc. – I look up to him. Every time, my boat gets caught up in a storm, every time I hear...

“A large oak tree is just a little nut that refused to give up." David McGee I t’s said, that an Oak tree lives far longer than the gardener who plants it. In fact, that is merely an understatement… For, an average Oak tree may live for 200-300 years, it can also live over 1,000 years! Yes, that’s why they are legends – who have been glorified by poets, songwriters and story-writers. But, think about it: does not the life of an oak tree begin just the way the lives of other trees do? There is something in the seed of this tree that makes the tree live an enduring life… Just as there are horses which are meant to run a long-distance race… Yes, the Lambi race ke ghode ! As Amitabh Bachchan, 77, (and several members of his family) are in the news today after they have been tested Covid positive, the imagery of an Oak tree and a Lambi race ka ghoda , suddenly, flashed before me… I have been a massive fan of Amitabh Bachchan. I was a high-school ...

T hanks to Srinivas Gowda, now millions in India and abroad know what a ‘Kambala’ is! And, if you still do not know what it is, Kambala is the famous buffalo race of my village (Though Mangalore – now Mangaluru – is no more a village!)… As Kadri, the place where this race has been held for long decades, is now lies in the heart of Mangaluru city. The acres and acres of land, which was once used as paddy (rice) fields, is now transformed into a hot real-estate to raise sprawling apartments and villas. But, the two-tracked Kambala racing field - still exists… and, the sporting spectacle, over the years, has only become bigger, grander and even richer! And, yes, thanks to Srinivas Gowda, it has now become world famous, too! Who is Srinivas Gowda and what is his feat? In the latest Kambala event, this 28-year-old construction worker won Gold by setting a new record – 142.5 metres in just 13.62 seconds… They say, he has broken the 100-metre wo...

“Good timber doesn’t grow with ease; the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.” ~ J. Willard Marriott I n every field, there are Legends who leave an enduring legacy. Every political leader is a not a Statesman. Similarly, every sports person is not a sports Legend. In Business, Movies, Music, Social Work, Architecture, Law, Art and in every other field – yes, there are stars who occupy a distinct place and shine there for a long, long time… while other stars fade away quickly. What makes a person a Legend? What gives him that durability… that enduring power? Yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine, a great cricket buff, about the durability issue in cricket. “Only Sachin Tendulkar could play for that long (24 years) at such level. Even the fine cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly played only for 10 to 15 years on an average. That’s great considering the productive age of the players to play competitive intern...

Pic. : Chetna Shetty “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”   ―   Edmund Burke     E vil in the society doesn’t just go away on its own. Good men in the society have to do something to make it go. There is so much evil in the society, that you and I – no matter how ‘good’ we are – just can’t make it all go. Yet, there is something we can do… to make some evil to go. Yes, it’s all about making some evil to go, at least! Leadership is all about this: when there is evil in the society – in any sphere of the society – do something about it. Get up and inspire a few more men to get up… Evil can be destroyed only by the force of good. Trust me, the force of good is mightier than the force of evil. I fully believe, therefore, in Edmund Bruke’s words cited above. How else can we expect evil around us to go, unless you and I, with our force of good, do something? Burke had, also, sa...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty “E verything happens for a reason… and ever person comes in our life for a reason… That, every problem, eventually, gets solved and every enemy, eventually, relents… That, there ‘is’ a way even though I cannot see it, now… That, there is a valuable lesson in every hardship I endure… That, tough times make me tough…” Let me tell you this: Telling all this comes easily to me when it comes to telling others. “Don’t worry, be happy… everything will be alright.” But, when it comes to telling it to myself, the same words do not come to me so easily! T wo days ago, I was with a small group of my friends. They have been harassed by another group of persons for a long period of time… Several efforts have been made by several people to prevail upon the harassing group… but, in vain. The harassment continues, and it seems as though there are no options left… there is no way ahead… it is a dead end! So, two days ago, when I was telling this h...