Gerald D'Cunha

  “Let there be beauty in your work,” I was repeatedly telling the class, last evening. Many had come without the homework; and, many had come with a shoddy work. Some had copied (out of my fear) from others. And yes, there were a few, who had put their hearts into the work they had done… Everything was visible, open… The work of heart was glowing… It was beautiful! The shoddy work, the copied work, too, was visible… It was ugly! In the midst of my repeated reminders to my students – “Let there be beauty in your work” – I began to wonder: “Do they know how to add beauty into their work? And, why to add it?” “To add beauty into your work, your heart has to be there in it,” I found myself telling them. “When your heart has gone into your work, it glows… captivates others’ hearts…" Well, my students couldn’t have an argument on it. Those who had sincerely done their work, they knew how they had done it… what had gone into their ...

A line that I keep using is: “It is not the number of sessions/classes a student attends, it is the quality of his involvement… Yes, whether the course/class will be effective or not will depend on that.” I have been teaching for years. Thousands of students have come and gone. There have been students who have learnt from me for five continuous years. .. and, there are students who have come to me for a very brief period, maybe for a couple of hours or days or a week. In the same manner, whenever we conduct the two-month summer programme (PD), we have many doing it for two full months. Some join us in between… and, some just are there for a session or two.  The question that is asked is invariably this: “Sir, will it be effective? Will I benefit from it? Won’t I miss anything, if I join now?” And, my answer to the kids, or their parents -  yes, invariably – is a self-assuring smile.  “It is not the number...