Gerald D'Cunha

  “In learning, you will teach; and in teaching, you will learn.” ―  Phil Collins   S ome days ago, I saw this little girl (first standard) waiting for the lift to come. She was being brought home by a house-help. We were there waiting for the lift for a couple of minutes… and, the little lady initiated a discussion with me… “What is your flat number? Mine is …” I gave mine as innocently as the little one had offered hers. “I like my school… Did you like yours?” I was caught off-guard by this angle… Can I afford to be absolutely honest in my answer? I was swiftly thinking, “At her age, I did not like to go to school… I was scared of some strict teachers and I was weak in studies… So, how would I answer this little lady? Should I tell her “No, I did not like… I was scared of my teachers? Or, should I sugarcoat my answer… ‘Yes, honey, I liked my school’”? Mercifully, the lift had landed on the ground floor and we rushed inside… The question was left outsi...

Expectations are like fine pottery. The harder you hold them, the more likely they are to crack.” Brandon Sanderson   M y first batch, today, was to start at 8 am… I was the first one to arrive, that’s at 7.50. A couple of them arrived between 8.10 and 8.15… A couple of them joined online, late though… A couple of them didn’t show up at all… and, none of them had done the homework… The irritation was building within me… The questions were incessantly popping up from the hot furnace: “In a few days, these young kids will be ending their year: What is my contribution to their growth and education? Will it be the marks they are going to score, or will it be some subtle intangible things – like, being more self-responsible, more sensitive towards others’ feelings, towards difficulties of their parents… being punctual, committed and thankful?” I found myself letting my steam, like it did from a hot furnace… I may spend my lifetime trying to teach a cat how to bark… but, i...

  “In the first thirty years of your life, you make your habits. For the last thirty years of your life, your habits make you.” Steve Jobs   M ost of our habits are our blind spots… We cant’s see them, while others can. I have many such habits – things I do mechanically, unknowingly, through sheer habits… They are so deeply-settled in me, that, unless I make a conscious, determined and persistent effort to unsettle them, they will never go away from my system. Often, our closest people in our lives - like, in my case, my wife or son – only can tell us as-it-is… Others, don’t like to offend us, you see. Well, in this Post, let me touch upon some harmless habits. I mean, even though they are unrequired, useless, their presence wouldn’t harm us or anyone else around us. At worst, they can make us smile, even laugh… It’s okay… It’s okay… They are like our good-old habits… If they they can make someone giggle, good… But, our nearest ones keep screaming, “Stop it,”… “Get...

  “A man trusts another man when he sees enough of himself in him.” Gregory David Roberts   T rust is a very fragile thing… It takes a long time to build; but, it can break in no time. And, I am talking about trust in our day-to-day dealings… I have seen how ferocious animals come to trust gentle humans… dogs, cats, deer, dolphins, bears, tigers, lions, elephants – every animal responds to gentle gestures from humans. But, invariably, this trust in humans is won slowly with patience and persistence. On the other hand, we humans adopt a different approach to our fellow humans… We don’t trust easily our fellow humans… We read too much into their behaviour, doubt more, stay skeptical. I know, I cannot generalize this phenomenon, though. But, I can safely say this: Trust breed s trust; mistrust breeds mistrust… In the sessions I take for the underprivileged kids, there are these two boys (about the age 9-10). They attend regularly; but, they are extremely restless ...

  “Keep a little fire burning, however small, however hidden.” Cormac McCarthy   B eing a Catholic, I grew up celebrating Mother Mary’s birthday on September 8… We called it ‘the Feast of Nativity’. Coming September 8, the legendary singer, Asha Bhosleji, will celebrate her 90 th birthday in her authentic style - with a  Broadway-style  concert in Dubai! After this concert, we will start saying, “She is 90-Plus”! Age is only a number… Yes, it is all in our mind. Mind stays young, body stays young… Mind feels old, body feels old. Ashaji’s zest for life is infectious… It inspires the young generation, the girls in particular… I had taught Dhiraj during 1989-90. Two days ago, almost 34 years later, he called me, out of the blue. He wanted me to teach his daughter, Vriddhi (Podar College, Class X1). “Sir, she has been a 90-plus girl throughout,” Dhiraj sounded modest, “You will be happy to know, that my wife and I did not have to coax her or motivate he...

  “A winner is the one who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to achieve his goals.” Larry Bird   A couple of days ago, I saw a missed call after one of my online sessions. I called back and found it was Gitanjali. Gitanjali is the wife of one of my dear old-student, Sunil. Apparently, as my students often do, Sunil, too, had spoken about his old teacher   so much, at home, that this woman who heads a sales team in her organization   – a mother of young son who pursues Engineering – wanted to get some help from me… “Sir, I am good at my work… both my seniors and juniors have been giving me excellent feedback… But, I find myself tongue-tied in many situations and struggling for words and how to convey whatever I want to… Can you help me to overcome this problem, Sir? I want to improve my English.” I haven’t changed anything in   the above dialogue of Gitanjali… She spoke fluently,...

  “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” William Shakespeare, ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’   A re we all these little frogs blissfully living in our ponds? One of my pet phrases, with which I often find myself trying to motivate my students, is ‘Don’t be a frog in the pond’… Obviously, when I put it so forcefully, my intention is good: I want my students to go beyond the books… Think practical, be in touch with what’s happening around them, etc., etc., etc. Some of my near and dear ones – including my wife and son – often tell it on my face: “Yours is a one-way traffic… You preach, and your students listen to you, mutely.” Only those who love you, know you and care for you, can tell it on your face… It doesn’t mean, my students don’t love me, care for me and know me… They just don’t want to ‘invite trouble’ by telling it on their teacher’s face… They know what a ‘great frog’ their teacher is… particularly when it comes to the ‘information technology’! I was ...