Gerald D'Cunha

  “Everybody is talented; \because, everybody who is human has something to express.” Brenda Ueland   T he quote above makes me reflect… “Everybody who is human has something to express.” Hence, it says, “Everybody is talented.” Now, is that really true? To think, that God hasn’t created any human without this incessant desire to ‘express is what ‘belief’ is all about… Yes, there is something special preloaded when God sends us into the world. He knows about it; but, very often, we don’t. And, to me, waking up to our special gifts preloaded by God – is our enlightenment… I did not know, that my special gift from God was to teach and write. But, I remember how restless I was to express myself in some form or the other. When I was a little boy, I found great joy in drawing and colouring… I remember spending hours trying to express something through this medium. But, soon, it died down… Sports, dancing, singing, acting – I never came anywhere close to these form...

  “Count your many blessings, Name them one by one; And it will surprise you What the Lord has done.” From the song/hymn ‘Count Your Blessings’   I think, one of the greatest blessings in life is to be able to ‘stay relevant’ as you age. By this, I mean, to be able to keep ‘contributing’… keep ‘giving’. There is something of value in all of us, which God has placed in all of us. Now, that ‘something’ can be one or two talents, skills or strengths of ours. Most of us think, that, while our talents are God-given, our skills and strengths are our own. But, the more we reflect on this, the more we realize, that even to own some of our skills and strengths, we need God’s grace. When we acknowledge this truth, we feel confident and peaceful. I completed 63 yesterday. A thought dominates my mind and heart: “Have I been able to stay relevant, by being able to keep contributing and giving through my God-given gifts?” When my mind and heart say ‘Yes’, I feel the surge...

M any years ago, I was teaching a group (five) of T.Y. B.Com students. It was a late-night batch (9:30 to 10:30) and it was held at the bungalow belonging to one of the students. Akhil* was one of the five. He turned up to class, every night, straight from the workshop where he worked during the day; often, with his greasy hands. It was he who would drop me home on his motor bike after the class, every night… We remained good friends, ever since. I always knew that Akhil would come up in life as a self-made successful young-man. He did. My admiration for Akhil rose a few notches higher, when, one day, he came up to me and said, “Sir, I wish to help a couple of needy students by meeting their education cost. I also wish to sponsor a couple of deserving students, every year, for P.D. Programme of THE DAWN CLUB.” He added, “On the condition that they should not know about me!” It is more than twenty years now. Akhil has been, religiously, helping. Every year, a cou...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty Y ears ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found it very useful – was telling a nice story in two tenses… Past and Present. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people who were earnest to improve their English with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and tell it to someone. This endearing Oriental story brings a lot of comfort in my heart… We never know how good we are, despite our cracks… until some wise-soul, comes our way to show us the amazing beauty we have been able to leave behind… Yes, despite our ‘cracks’, I say! THE CRACKED POT PAST: L ong   time ago, there lived an old woman in a Chinese village. Every day, she carried water from the village stream to her house. Two pots, hung on each side of a pole, she carried them on her shoulders. Now, one of the pots had a crack on it; so, by the time the w...

“It's amazing how day in and day out you are able to connect to such small things in life…” Poonam had written it in her comment after reading my last post. It is close to twenty-five years since she did her TY B’Com under me. Now, she has a daughter of that age! And, she has written in her comment yesterday: “How are you able to connect to such small things in life, day in and day out…? It is amazing!” I had replied to her:  “Thank u so much Poonam... Felt good. Yes, even I do not know. I am writing on it today... Pl read. Hope, that may be the answer. Love.” What is there around is there for all of us. Is it not? The milkman, the newspaper boy, the Dhobhi, the maid servant, the autowala, the garbage picker, the postman, the watchman, the nasty neighbor, the thankless boss, or the rebel child or nagging parents… Is this not our world around? It is not our daily story? Is it not available to all of us? ...