Gerald D'Cunha

“E verybody out there – in the world outside - is not a not a thief, not a cheat.” I was telling this in my class, yesterday, “You need to have trust.” There was a young girl in the classroom. A month ago, when this girl had come to enquire, I quickly sensed that she lacked trust. She had come to me through the reference of a very dear and committed student of mine. Still, this young-one was unable to take a call… She was very skeptical, even suspicious. While I knew that a customer was always right, that he was even God, I did not want to forget that I was a teacher and not a roadside vendor… So, for the next ten minutes, I sweetly explained to this young soul how important it was for all of us to trust others. I did not say ‘blindly’… No, I would never advice that to anyone. Never. I said, “ Beta , there ARE some cheats out there. You must have been duped by some of them before… But, if you now leave home wearing those Suspicion-glasses,...

All of us are concerned about the safety of our dear and near ones. We express our concern in many ways. “Take care,” is a very, very common phrase we use, time and time again, to do that. I do it every day, so many times… and for so many dear people in my life. Some months ago, a very dear young-student of mine was travelling alone to Pune. When the bus started, she sent me a sms saying that the journey had just begun . She was very excited to travel by the Expressway and all alone, particularly.  “Take care,” I instantly replied, “Be careful with the strangers.” “Don’t worry sir,” the young one quickly consoled me, “I am sitting next to an elderly lady!” I sent a smiley to this dear student of mine. But, behind that smiling face, hid a little bit of my embarrassment. “How much protective we are! How low is our trust level!” I wondered. But then, I also felt a lot happy for what I had done and said to this dear one, so spontaneously. I meant well for her...