Gerald D'Cunha

  “Everyone is a genius.  But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,  it will spend its whole life  believing that its stupid.” Albert Einstein   W hen I was a student in school or college, did my teachers show any discrimination when they taught us? My college classroom had more than hundred students… My teachers (we called them lecturers, and here, in Mumbai, they call them Professors) taught whatever subjects they taught with equal dedication and passion. But, as is the case always, some students picked things extremely well, some fairly well… and some, like me, limped behind… I wasn’t a bright or even an average student… I was just limping, as I said. That said, after my F.Y B. Com, inspired by my teachers, I started developing an unusual interest in subjects like Accountancy and English. It’s because, by then, I was burning with a desire to become a fine teacher and also a writer… So, my own desire did it… Till then, I was just t...

  “Your strength doesn’t come from winning. It comes from struggles and hardships. Everything that you go through prepares you for the next level.” Germany Kent   S ome months ago, I was watching Kamiya Jani’s interview on her YouTube channel - ‘Curly Tales’. The man she was interviewing was the Celebrity Chef – Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor. Towards the end, Kamiya asks Mr. Kapoor, what advice he has for the budding chefs. The answer to this question impressed me so much, that I keep talking about it to my young students…      The question: “How can I become a celebrity chef”      The answer: “ You can’t become a celebrity chef…                             You can only create a body of your work                             that becomes worth celebrating.” I have been writing my ‘little th...

  “Practice doesn’t make perfect; it reduces imperfection.” Toba Beta   I doubt, only practice makes any of us perfect. Yes, practice makes us perfect in any work, only if we do it with all our hearts… If we love the work we do…   If we are passionate about it. Perhaps, that’s what differentiates between the ‘hard work’ and the ‘smart work’… Smart work, invariably, has the heart factor in our work. If we do anything with all our hearts, we shall, certainly,   find enough energy and motivation to work harder, longer, faster and more productively.   Importantly, we shall do it with our own initiative… without being pushed or coaxed to do it… Without worrying about the time we spend on it and the incentives we get from it. Yes, we shall willingly go the extra-mile… And, that’s what smart work is all about.   M any of us, regularly, like and share videos of achievers. Obviously, we wouldn’t do it unless we are inspired by them. One thing is cer...

Pic.: Azriel D'Souza “M a’am, I wish I could do that,” I told Shashi’s* mom. She spoke to me, this morning, for more than twenty minutes… essentially on only one thing: Why her daughter, my eleventh-standard student, was not able to work hard and score well in the exams. Shashi’s mom is a chronically-anxious mother. I have lost count of the times she has spoken to me on the subject. Shashi isn’t that bad as her mother thinks she is. But, the anxious mother keeps transmitting her anxiety and panic in her young-one’s mind… and, that seems to backfire… Every time Shahi’s mom calls me, I spend all my time calming her down. .. “Ma’am, relax,” I tell her gently, “Shashi will do well.” “How can I relax sir,” the mother reacts, her heart almost broken, “She is not doing well at all.” “Okay, in such situation, I need to relax,” I reminded myself. Then, I asked the mother, “Tell me ma’am, what you want me to do?” “I don’t know sir,” Shashi’s mother voic...

Pic.: Ruma Chatterjee P resently, I am reading the book – ‘Pour Your Heart Into It’ – by Howard Schultz (Chairman and CEO of STARBUCKS).  ‘How STARBUCKS Built a Company One Cup at a Time’... the byline of the book reads. Some two years ago, when STARBUCKS had just opened its first outlet in Mumbai, someone had given a copy of this book to me, and I had immensely loved it. Howard was not the founder of  STARBUCKS. He was the one who took it over and made it what it is today... In the book, he tells us as to how he – and his wonderful team – made it ‘one cup at a time’... Yes, pouring their hearts into it! Incidentally, two days ago, I was having a discussion with a photographer-friend of mine. The discussion centered around the subject: how to keep our creativity alive in us. Just the day before, my friend had accompanied a very well-known photographer, his idol, to a scenic setting in the outskirts of Mumbai... It was a spontaneous decision... Ther...

Pic.: Neerja Panchal Some seven years ago, Neerja had done a PD course with us. Those days, she was doing her graduation. Though endowed with a short-and-lean frame, she was filled with energy and life… always surrounded by dozens of friends, she was a classic extrovert-girl. After our PD course, I totally lost contact with Neerja. So, I had no idea as to what she did all these years… Just a few minutes back, Neerja called me… Yes, all from the blue! Honestly, I took some time to recollect. But, when I did, the picture was very clear before me… She ended up speaking to me for about fifteen minutes. During the conversation, I learnt that Neerja was, always, excited about photography. So, after her graduation, she did a basic course in photography and pursed it, as a hobby, as she did jobs at several places. But, photography was where her heart lay… and, eventually, this fascination with the camera propelled her to quit everything else and go after her hear...