Gerald D'Cunha

“A hundred times every day I remind myself, that my inner and outer life depend on labours of other men, living or dead, and I must exert myself in giving in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” Albert Einstein T he ugliness that we see outside is real – it’s very much there… The brutality, power struggle and extreme hatred. But, on the other hand, the beauty that we see outside is, also, real – it’s very much there, too... The compassion, brotherhood and love.   The world has been like this ever since the days of Adam and Eve… There were Angels and there were Demons… There was Kane and there was Abel. But, what about the world inside - my own heart? Are not the ugliness and the beauty real here, too? Are they not very much there? The more I reflect on these questions, the more convinced I become, that the beauty and the ugliness I see outside are nothing but the reflection of the beauty and the ugliness dwelling in my own heart. ...

T he Indian thali has some thing to tell us: our plate called ‘Life’ comes with almost everything in it… a smallspoon of pickle to a bowl of sweet dish… yes, the plate brings to us all, including the bitter gourd! But, apparently, the thali system is getting slowly out of fashion. Maybe, this trend has something to tell us, too! Similarly, the Indian movies – not just the Bollywood ones – always had lots of masala in them… We rightly called them the ‘Masala films’ or the ‘Potboilers’… They had romance, heartbreak, comedy, action, mystery, thrill and, above all, a happy ending! But, the films are no more cooked the way they were cooked once… We either see them over-cooked with action, romance, comedy or tragedy. Maybe, this trend has something to tell us, too! N o matter how many kingdoms have come and gone, and, no matter how many saints and demons, this world – and life in it – will always be a beautiful thali for all of us… whether we...