Gerald D'Cunha

  “Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.” Gary Snyder   S rinath Shetty was my student when he was doing his T.Y. B.Com some 38 years ago. He came from a working-class family with zero business background. But, being a disciplined and determined young man, he went about acquiring one of the chemical factories his uncle had built… and, from there, he never looked back. Yesterday, Srinath and his wife Neeta had organized a puja to celebrate the house warming of their new abode… It’s a massive mansion with more than 4,000 S.F. From the 23 rd floor height, the large windows treated the beholders’ eyes to some of the breathtaking expanse… One could stand there and get immersed in the stunning silence, feeling small… I said – ‘Feeling small’… I expressed my joy and gratitude in a message I had typed on my way back home… Such an exclusive spread of delicacies… and such genuine warmth. Srinath had worked hard to deserve this height –- literally –- thr...

  “We cannot do great things… only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa   I t can be quite addictive when you hear someone say to you, ‘You are great!” Last morning, someone said that to me, “Sir ji, you are great!” Now, I knew, how lulling and killing those words were! Without allowing them to go up into my head, I replied to the lavish donor – “Sir ji, we all are!” I had shared a favourite video of mine to this person, in response to which, he had showered 'greatness' upon me... I have shared this video with scores of people – both young and old. Particularly, I have played this video in our Personality Development sessions… Yes, hoping, that our young kids would take away something from it. “Can we all do such simple acts, spontaneously – and quietly - demonstrated by this little kid?” I have asked after showing this video. “Yes Sir,” has been the resounding answer. “And, do we do them?” I have asked. The response has been weak! T he seed...

  “Maturity is when your world opens up, and you realize, that you are not the centre of it.” M.J. Croan T he other day, I was teaching a group of my eleventh-standard students. In the middle of seriousness, I heard, in the background, a little kid screaming at the top of its voice… and, suddenly, my student – Latika* – screaming back, supported by the sound of blows. The video was on a off-mode… So, we couldn’t’ see what the WWF was all about. So, I asked, as others laughed loudly, “What happened Latika – Who’s it in the room?” “Sorry Sir,” Latika said embarrassed, “It was my ‘kid brother’.” “Kid brother’?” I exclaimed, “How old is he?” “3, Sir,” Latika replied. “And you?” “Just completed 15.” “It must be a great fun at home, every day, na?” I teased. “Not fun, Sir, it’s a circus,” Latika reacted as others enjoyed this new twist in our otherwise serious and boring online teaching-learning circus… “Any of you have a kid brother or sister, like Latika, at home?...

S everal years ago, we used to have our annual picnic to Gorai beach. Those were the days of no mobile phones… Colour TV hadn’t come, yet... leave alone internet and digital cameras… There were no video games and Candy Crush saga… multiplexes weren’t born… So, a picnic like ours – which was well-organized – would appeal to one and all… the affluent and the middle class, the local-college kids and the town-college kids, all alike… The challenge for us was to bring together all these young college boys and girls, right from 11 th standard to TY, who belonged to different colleges and did not know each other – yes, the challenge was to knit all of them together through series of volunteers’ meetings. A core leadership-group would call these 40-50 volunteers to animate the rest – about 500 to 600 young boys and girls -  to take them to Gorai beach and bring them back… yes, ALIVE! For almost ten long years, we went for those Gorai picnics… Mind you, college boys and gi...

“S ir, how did you become so great?” This was the question a little girl asked, on stage, one day, to our former President, APJ Abdul Kalam? I loved the innocence with which the little one asked this question. More than that, I loved the innocence with which Kalamji answered it…  “How did I become so ‘great?” (laughter in the audience)...that’s the question… Well, which class you are studying?’ “Fourth.” “What’s your dream in life?” “I want to become a singer” (Laughter) “Singer… Hindustani or carnatic?” (The girl is unable to get it) “Hinustani or Carnatic?” (Girl is blank… Kalamji helps) “Any music.” “Yea… any music.” “Well, I don’t know how did I (laughs… laughter in the audience)… You know, it is a relative term…So, I personally believe - You must have a dream… (Tells the girl) Say… I must have dream.” Girl repeats, “I must have a dream.” “I must continuously acquire… continuously acquire knowledge.” Girl repeats, “I ...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty A nd, this morning Kannan had some new stories to tell. Yes, before our Tai Chi class would begin. The first story… Kannan wanted an auto rickshaw to come to the Tai Chi class. He saw at the corner of the road an auto. The place was almost deserted… and, it seemed that the autowala was there waiting for a passenger to come for some time… He looked anxious, lost. Kannan was fast moving to the direction of this auto… Just then, another autowala came from nowhere… Learning that Kannan needed to get into an auto, this autowala honked to draw Kannan’s attention…slowed down, drove close to Kannan, almost inviting him to get in… The first auto was a few yards away… still without a passenger… The autowala was yet to notice Kannan… And, Kannan had to make a spur-of-the-moment decision: Should he get into the one which has come inviting him, there right next to him… all waiting? Or, should he walk some more distance and get into the one w...

Pic.: Amrita Jeurkar I had no plan to write this till a few minutes ago. I heard a knock on my office glass-door. When I turned back, I saw Vishaka and Prakruti, two l1-year-old girls, were standing outside the door. They wanted to show me a one-year-old baby, who they were holding in their hands, with loads of excitement... “Choooo, choooo, choooo sweet!” I got up from my seat and opened the door, “Bring in the joy.” I was enchanted to watch the glow on the faces of the two 11-year-olds. They  weren't  related to the baby. Still, they poured so much love and affection on the baby... so much faith... I said, “So much faith.” As I bent down to kiss the baby, gently, two lines from one of my favorite songs – ‘Mary Did You Know?’ – began to play in my heart: “And when you kiss your little baby You've kissed the face of God .” The song was about Mary, the mother of baby Jesus... “Mary, did you know That your...