Gerald D'Cunha

“Sometimes, even to live is an act of courage.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca   I seriously think, that the most valuable gift you and I can give to ourselves – is to be kind to ourselves! And, I, also, think, that you and I have never seriously paused to reflect on what ‘being kind to oneself’ means… For each one of us, there are two kinds of pressures to deal with. The first kind of pressure is the one which others put on us: to perform better, and even better… to excel, shine, beat, stand out, earn more, become ‘number one’, crack this and crack that… become famous, rich and everything that ‘shows, glows, shines’… Yes, this kind of pressure is from outside. Teachers, parents, coaches, team leaders, bosses – we all know what such pressure is… how it can work as a double-edged sword… make it or break it. We justify, saying, “How can anyone excel unless and until put under such pressure?” The point taken, Sir. “Diamonds are cut under pressure” … Yes, ‘Diamonds’. But, diamon...

  “Ek baar maine commitment kar di, toh phir mein apne aap ki bhi nahin sunta.” Salman Bhai     O ne of my dear-old students, Sumeet, has been a die-hard fan of Salman Khan. He loves to flaunt his body, looks, clothes, style, speech and, almost, everything like Salman bhai … So, ever since bhai’s ‘Radhe’ was released on Eid day, amidst all the hilarious memes and reviews from all and sundry, Sumeet, the Salman bhakt, posted his latest bhaiwala selfie: Instantly, I saw the reaction from Prashant, one of Sumeet’s FB friends: “Bas kar bhai, ‘Radhe’ flop ho gayi’!   Knowing my dear-old student’s dear-old devotion to Salman bhai, I am sure, woh bas nahi karega, flop or super flop. Just as bhai famously declared – and repeats it in ‘Radhe’ - “Ek baar maine commitment kar di, toh phir mein apne aap ki bhi nahin sunta.” And, we may be fools… Salman is not. He has already made his bucks even before this movie was made. He has enough fans – call them ...