Gerald D'Cunha

I f the blot called ‘discrimination’ should go from our society, it should first go from our own hearts. If we still do not like to shake hands with those who come to pick thrash from our doorsteps, if we have a ‘separate’ cup, glass and plate for those who come to clean our floors or cook our food, if we still assume that we are from an ‘upper caste’ or ‘upper class’… then, there must be a separate God for those who we think are ‘lower’ than us and for us – yes, the ‘upper’ ones… Even though we are, so often, so brutally discriminated in the hands of people who think ‘upper’ and ‘higher’ than us, the blot still persists in us… We still discriminate.  Yes, on the basis of such silly things… The race. The caste. The colour. The class. The gender. The abilities. The education. The locality. The language. The age. And a dozen other silly things. L ast evening, my wife and I watched the latest Hindi movie – ‘Article 15’. And, yes, we came back home shaken ...

Y esterday, during a training programme in one of the colleges in Mumbai, I had asked the young students (Final year) to reflect on two or three of their main weaknesses. A young girl shared: “Sir my main weakness is, that I trust others easily! This statement triggered a discussion. It was a familiar experience for most of us... That, when the trust is betrayed, we get hurt, angry and even cynical... Once bitten twice shy... “People cannot be trusted,” we declare, “They betray.” So, what is the other option? Don’t trust at all? Screen and scrutinize every soul before you trust, help and reach out? The extreme other option is to doubt and suspect others easily! I had explained to the girl, yesterday, that a few bad experiences like the ones she must have had were what we all went through in life. I had advised, “Yes, some people break your trust; but, trust anyway... It is far better to leave home trusting the goodness in others than leaving home d...

“Dharma is not about believing in God. It’s about making the right choices, doing the right things and leading the right life.”  ―  Anurag Shourie,  Half A Shadow I love the expression ‘Dharma’. Frankly, to me, it’s much, much, much more than the typical expression, which, most of us use   grossly, loosely and irresponsibly – ‘Religion’. To me, that word - ‘religion’-   is dead wood! Yes, ‘Dharma’ has a lot of life in it! So, when we reflect on the essence of all our holy texts – be it Gita , New Testament, Quaran or any holy text – they give us insights to live   a harmonious and principle-driven life. Period. The rest is ugly… contaminated… born from human greed and selfishness. In fact, what goes on in the name of God and religion – a huge part of it – is harmful for our co-existence. What was supposed to unite us and make us sensitive human beings, only ends up s dividing us and make us insensitive...