Gerald D'Cunha

  “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 ...

T oday is Good Friday... Thought, I would repost this Blog, which I had first posted in June, 2022. Though the subject of the Post relates to the last hours of Jesus Christ – widely known as ‘The Passion of the Christ’ – strangely, I had Posted it in the month of June, when the Holy Week was long behind... But, today, when I revisited this Post, it surprised me and prompted me to ask the same question, which had prompted me to write this Post four years ago: “What it means to live life passionately?” Hope you find the Post relevant... A blessed Friday to all... May peace prevail both inside us, and outside us... as we step into the fullness of life...   STEP INTO THE FULLNESS OF LIFE “It’s only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fulness of life.” Oprah Winfrey   A s a child born and brought up in a Christian (Catholic) household, observing the solemnity of Lent – particularly that of the Holy Week – was an integral part of my faith. The ...

“When the roots are deep, there is no need to fear the wind.” Chinese Proverb   A dear friend of mine holds an important position in a global company. He is currently posted in Vietnam. Yesterday, I received a call from him, saying, that he’s on a holiday in India (Mumbai) and wished to meet me. During the conversation, I learnt a great deal about the Chinese New Year – its long tradition and significance... How it’s celebrated, not only in Main China, but in various South Asian countries, and, even, in many other parts of the world. In every culture, there is this concept called ‘New Year’... and, the idea of ‘coming home’ to celebrate has been rooted deep in the psyche of these cultures. Our own (Catholic) Feast of Nativity (Sept 8, which is celebrated as Mother Mary’s birthday), Onam, Pongal, Yugadi, Vishu, Baisakhi, Chaath Puja – to mention a few – are the occasions to come home to celebrate the roots... My friend described to me how, during the Chinese New Year ce...

  “The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.” Henry David Thoreau   O n every Christmas and New Year, I have posted something. But, of late, writing for the sake of writing – no, I simply don’t like to do. I come to know, inside my heart, if the words come to me from the depth of my soul, or from the tip of my tongue... Yes, Christmas and New Year have become quite a quiet time for me... a more reflective time. But, let me tell you this: there were many touching stories if I wanted to share in my blog... But, as I said, I simply let them be... Every story need not be shared... There is a time to simply ‘be’... A n elderly aunt of mine, shared this beautiful Post on the Christmas day. I am sharing it here, not because I am an old man or something like that. But, because, the more I think about Christmas and New Year, the more I become convinced, that these are times to reflect and evoke gratitude in our souls. Else, they are just two popular d...

  “Be watchful... The grace of God appears suddenly. It comes without warning to an open heart.” Rumi   W hy certain things happen in our lives, in a certain way – yes, this is a real mystery to me. What looks, on the surface, as a good fortune, may end up being a bad one; similarly, what looks, on the surface, as a bad fortune, may end up being a good one... “A blessing in disguise”... It’s what a seemingly bad fortune delivered to our doorstep  with an amazing blessing concealed inside! Y esterday, my wife and I had visited the residence of an elderly uncle of mine, Frank, (my mom’s first cousin). He is 80 and lives with his affectionate wife, Cissy (75). Their children are well-qualified and wonderfully settled abroad with their respective families. Uncle and aunty had always been self-reliant, judicious in their conduct, very pious and great believers in serving the society in their own little way. Last afternoon, uncle and aunty were reflecting on several...

  “A clear mind heals everything  that needs to be healed.” Byron Katie   I think, Gratitude, Grace, Prayer, Blessing, Peace, Healing and many such words have entered our lexicon mechanically – yes, just like that. To be frank, you and I very, very rarely feel their profound meaning when we voice them, several times a day... The reason for that - again, I think – is, that we rarely get into a silence before we voice these words... Only in silence we can really feel the profound meaning of such words – Gratitude, Grace, Prayer, Blessing, Peace, Healing and many such... T wo days ago, I was waiting outside the Cath lab of Parel’s Gleneagles Hospital (earlier known as Global Hospital). My wife was taken inside for the angioplasty of her left coronary artery (LCA) which had ninety percent blockages. Just a month ago, she had under gone the angioplasty of her right coronary artery (RCA) which had hundred percent blockages. The long passage of that waiting area had ma...