Gerald D'Cunha

“Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit. - Mahatma Gandhi I f the same Sun and the same Moon give us light in the day and in the night, if the same stars sparkle over the same sky, if the same oceans, mountains, fields and deserts lay before all of us… if the same breath and the same blood keep us alive on this planet… then, there must be the same Creator behind all these designs… A hundred divisions in my own religious faith, Christianity… and a hundred divisions in my fellowmen’s – be they Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, or Jews. How can the God I have chosen to worship be a superior God? I simply can’t understand. Live and let live. Let my prayers and the Holy Book not be the basis on which I evaluated people. Who am I, by the way, to evaluate and judge others? Who has given me that right? We are the quintessential frogs in the pond… Being born as a Cath...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty D ebates and Group Discussions are a part of our PD sessions. Our students are teenagers; but, they are young-adults. They live in a world of reality... in a thick climate of politics, religion, entertainment, gossip, relationship, fashion, fads and trends... social media and peer pressure... tobacco, alcohol, drugs and sex... Yes, can they afford to not know about this reality? Can they afford to close their eyes, ears and minds to this reality? As a young-adult, I had to grow up in an identical climate, of course, of my time... There were no social media, TV and the gadgets the way the young-ones are exposed to, today. But, everything else was there: there was politics, religion, entertainment, gossip, fashion and trends... and, yes, there was tobacco, alcohol, drugs and sex! So, as a responsible teacher and guide, I need to help our young-ones become conscious of this climate they all grow-up in... know about it, read about it, di...

For the past one week or so, many of my FB friends and their friends – in fact, the whole world – had been spreading the message: ‘Kill Kasab’! Well, I did not register in my mind what that message actually signified, nor did I send it to any of my FB friends. Then, last night, I came to know from someone from my Society that the death sentence had been served on Kasab. The man who told me this was very happy and proud. “It is the end of terrorism,” his relieved look seemed to tell me, “All our problems are now over.” About two years ago, I had blogged on the subject. “We have pinned high hopes on Kasab,” I had written, “that, when he is hanged, the terrorism would come to an end… that, we would be able to live peacefully!” Now, this man, Ajmal Kasab, is going to be hanged. So, the terrorism is going to go from   our land… there will be peace! Is it something like that? “Kill Kasab!” I still wonder what that...