Gerald D'Cunha

  “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius   T he only football match (the ongoing FIFA World Cup) I watched staying up late, here in Mumbai, was the Semi Finals between Argentina and England. Though, like most Indians, I, too, had been a diehard fan of Brazil and Argentina, during this match, I was rooting for England. I was upset, that Argentina had defeated two the widely-admired underdogs -– Cape Varde and Egypt. The two underdogs had played extremely well… and, therefore, my admiration for them outshone my traditional loyalty to the South Americans… that included the Champ –- Messi. Yes, the GOAT, according to the world around me… As usual, I went off to sleep at 10, instructing my son to wake me up at 12.30 to watch the match. He did… When England scored the first goal, I was thrilled… I saw David Beckham celebrating by hugging his wife, the Spice girl, Victoria… My Victoria, here, was fast asleep… Hence, I celebrated b...

  “I am more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world.” Lionel Messi   Y ou see, in my life, I haven’t played any sport, either outdoor or indoor. Basically, it was due to my excessive shy nature and low self-esteem in my growing-up years. I began to get hold my myself much later in life... Yes, I bloomed late in my life. By ‘blooming’, I mean becoming fairly successful in your chosen field. If teaching, writing, training, mentoring are what my ‘fields’ are, yes, I had begun to bloom in these fields – in these gardens – only after I crossed my teenage years. Thus, I was simply bad at sports, elocution, acting, singing and many such conventional fields. Later in my life, I developed interest in sports, music etc. But, my interest was confined to watching some select sports, listening to some select music – I never attempted to play, sing, act etc. Like most around me, I, too, began to idolize some heroes from the fields o...

  “If you’re a champion, you have to have it in your heart.” Chris Evert W hat goes up doesn’t stay up… It comes down! This is not only a law of gravity, it is a law of the so-called ‘Success’ in life, too… By ‘Success’, I am referring to our ‘achievements’ – the championship trophies we win, the business empires we build, the wealth we accumulate, the name and   fame we make for ourselves, and the positions we occupy in life – yes, everything that we build in the name of ‘Success’ – our ‘achievements’ – has to come down! “So, why try to achieve anything or succeed in anything, at all?” Is this the question? Is this the point? No Sir, that’s not the question I am trying ask, or the point I am trying to make… The question I am trying ask, and point I am trying to make, is this: “Are we aware of this law – that, what goes up doesn’t stay up… It comes down”? I think, that most of us are aware of this law. But, we live in a denial… We, also, silently wish, what goe...