Gerald D'Cunha

  “You don’t stop laughing when you grow old; you grow old when you stop laughing.” George Bernard Shaw   W hether we like it or not, and whether we want it or not, we age… the body and the mind begin to lose their vitality, their responses. To some, the deterioration comes faster, and to some, a little later… but, it does come, Sir. None of us will stay eternally young, dashing, agile, alert, attractive - and making headlines. Even if we want to, we won’t be able to… Hema Malini was, once, a dream girl, right? She fell for a very, very handsome married man, Dharmendra… Today, Hema Malini is relatively active via politics (Even though, some of us wonder what has been her contribution in that sphere!). Dharmendra, apparently, spends most of his time in his farms… But, every time I watch this Sholaywala Veeru and compare him with his ‘dost’ – Jai, aka , Amitabh Bachchan, I wonder, why Jai is still there in that space, and Veeru, sadly, isn’t! L ike most around me...

  “Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself.” Gautama Buddha   I t is difficult to believe, that Siddhartha, the prince, had not stepped out of his palace till he was 29. His father, the king, did not want Siddhartha to chuck everything and become an ascetic… So, the young prince was confined to the dreamlike opulent-life inside the palace – for every luxury the palace could offer. But, then, what was feared came true… One day, the prince quietly went out to see what was going on in the real world… He first saw an old person, then a sick person, then a dead person, and, finally, an ascetic. As I said, at the outset, it is difficult to believe, that a 29-year-old married man, had not seen an old, a sick, a dead and an ascetic! And, when he did, the life of prince Siddhartha was destined to become the life of the Buddha, an enlightened one! Y ou and I are not shielded inside any palaces… We have been ‘seeing’ the real world since the day we were born. We...

“Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayer and worn with thanks.”  ―  Thomas Goodwin W hen we ask our near and dear ones to bless our children – when we say ‘Need your blessings’ – do we really believe, that the blessings help our children? Last evening, my friend Tabassum, who, like my wife and me, has only one son, messaged me… “Sir, Mustafa will be leaving for New Zealand tomorrow for higher studies… He needs your prayers and blessings.” Of course, young Mustafa will have my prayers and blessings. I promised my friend, Tabassum, that I would personally meet Mustafa and convey my love, wishes, prayers and blessings. So, this morning, I dropped by for a few minutes at Tabassum’s place. The atmosphere at home was charged with emotions… I could relate to it… Only one son… For over 21 years or so, he was the centre of your galaxy… and, now, the time has come to leave him out of your nest… Yes, the world, today, is not like the o...

Pic.: Nicole Gubin I went off to sleep before 11, last night. I was blissfully undisturbed when crackers thundered all around at midnight. I knew whether the New Year, 2016, would be happy one or not was left to me… and not to my destiny. So, I chose to go off to sleep, as usual, with a simple prayer in my heart: “Guard me O Lord through this night… Thank-you for being kind, this long.” New-year messages were getting piled up quietly on my phone and PC… But, no one woke me up from my sleep, last night, to wish me a happy New Year. But, a very elderly gentleman did. Mr. Harwadekar is in his late eighties. He lives in the same building where I do. A well-read and informed person that he is, he has been a very proactive and zestful soul, too. He loves to dress up smartly and surround himself with good company. However, of late, his health has let him down… movements being restricted, considerably. While going to sleep, I had thought of this wonderful ...

Pic.: Manjeet Singh Kukreja W hen I met Kannan in our Tai Chi class, today morning, I suddenly remembered that I had failed to inform him about the Post he had inspired me to write last Sunday. But, strangely, when I tried to recall the subject or the title, I couldn’t just do it. Kannan tried to recall, but even he couldn’t. Finally, we both laughed and I heard Kannan saying, “Forget it; it doesn’t matter.” “What matters is this moment – let’s live it fully, spontaneously and laughingly,” Kannan had a new story to support his ‘Power-of-Now’ theory. The story… “Two days ago, I met this 89-year-old neighbor of mine outside our house. He began to complain about the poor health condition of his 91-year-old sister-in-law. ‘Things are very bad… She doesn’t eat… doesn’t listen… doesn’t take medicines… We are worried and stressed out,’ the elderly gentleman went on. Once home, I told my wife that I would be paying a visit to the 91-year-old lady. ‘Even I ...

Pic.: Trivikram Iyer I t was late in the night, yesterday. We were three of us: I was the oldest of the three, at 57. My doctor-friend and Professor-friend, both, were around 50. The discussion was about how insecurity had kept us constantly worried and on the edge even at this age of our lives! “Of late, I was pondering on this issue,” my doctor-friend said, “I have already spent fifty years of my life trying to secure myself and my family. Why should I not spend the rest of my life appreciating what is good in my life… relishing the simple pleasures… maybe more time in devotion?” The  Professor -friend, too, voiced the similar thoughts. “It is insecurity that keeps us on the edge and anxious all the time,” he said, “It is an illusion.” “The life was taken care of… We were all taken care of even when our parents could handle it no more,” the doctor-friend said, “Still, we presume, that without us Life will not function, without our incessant effor...

For her. And, for him, at seventy-two. At seventy-two, I would be gone, perhaps. Even Gandhi looked so old at that age. That is the age, when so many spend their time singing lullabies for their great grand children. That is the age, when some hurry up with their Wills, and some end up in old-age homes. But, this couple has great plans for their future. Their life begins, now. She has just delivered a baby girl ... and, she yearns to have a son, too. Maybe, in two years from now. He is ecstatic; just on cloud nine. To have this gift of life, he had to spend a fortune. A farmer from a remote village that he is, he had to mortgage his fields to fund their dream: of bearing their own child. They are not only proud of their feat, they are confident of paying off their debt, and bringing up their children. Their life begins, now. I am, almost, fifty-one. I have one son who is, soon, going to be seventeen. "One is more than enough ... too much!" I am liar, if I don't share how ...