Gerald D'Cunha

  “The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy. It lasts when all other pleasures fade.” Anthony Trollope   M any parents keep making this request to me: “Sir, please tell my son/daughter to read.” I smile. There are two reasons behind that smile… One: I did not cultivate the reading habit till I was in twelfth standard. Two: Most of the parents, who want me to tell their children to read, don’t read. So, is there a ‘right time’ to cultivate this reading habit in life? Is it something that can be ‘taught’ to someone, particularly little children? I am not a child psychologist; hence, I do not know whether or not reading habit can be ‘taught’. But, this much I know: each one has a personal reason as to why he or she reads books. Between the parents, one may swear by the books; the other may simply stay off them. Or, both may be fond of reading; but, not their children. Or, parents may not have touched books in their lives; but, their ch...

                                                     “Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin Dance me through the panic ‘til I’m gathered safely in” (From the song ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’ by Leonard Cohen)    T wo days ago, I saw some beautiful pictures shared by a friend of mine on FB. She was sharing with us the joyful moment of her son’s wedding. Like everyone else did, I, too, sent my greetings: “Congratulations! May the young couple grow closer and closer in love and stay blessed in married life.” On the same day, it was time to wish a very dear overseas-couple in our family. It was their 21 st wedding anniversary. I sent this song: “Many, many more years of ‘ Aur Ahista’ to both of you,” I wrote. What did I mean by ‘Many more years of ‘Aur Ahista’ ? O ne of the most painful things in a married life is to...

W hen we are in a position of power, we can scream angrily, suppress others with our caustic, sarcastic, angry words… and, yes, we can easily get away with it. But, the one place from where we cannot get away is: from our own ‘conscience’. But, what if our conscience is dead? When I said, ‘position of power’, I never meant the position of the Prime Minister or the Chief Justice of India or the Army General… I meant: as a parent of my children, as a teacher of my students, as the Principal of my school etc. Angry words and screaming, sure, get us the attention. We learnt it as little babies… Remember the old saying: “The wheel that squeaks the loudest is the one that gets the grease”? I haven’t been in high power zones… My zones are the commonplace ones… I am a parent, a husband, a brother, an uncle, a teacher etc.… and my world revolves around it. But, in this limited zone itself, I am able to realize how much I ‘misuse’ my position ...

W hen we are in a position of power, we can scream angrily, suppress others with our caustic, sarcastic, angry words… and, yes, we can easily get away with it. But, the one place from where we cannot get away is: from our own ‘conscience’. But, what if our conscience is dead? When I said, ‘position of power’, I never meant the position of the Prime Minister or the Chief Justice of India or the Army General… I meant: as a parent of my children, as a teacher of my students, as the Principal of my school etc. Angry words and screaming, sure, get us the attention. We learnt it as little babies… Remember the old saying: “The wheel that squeaks the loudest is the one that gets the grease”? I haven’t been in high power zones… My zones are the commonplace ones… I am a parent, a husband, a brother, an uncle, a teacher etc.… and my world revolves around it. But, in this limited zone itself, I am able to realize how much I ‘misuse’ my position to have my way. But...

“Within the human hearts, loyalty and consideration are esteemed greater than success.” – Bryant H. McGill M y last visit to Goa was some twenty-three years ago. I went there on a three-day trip with my wife and three-year-old son. We had booked a moderate room somewhere in North Goa. It was summer time… the beaches, streets, eating places were too crowded. The bus, by which we had returned, had an eccentric driver… and, to say the least, it was the worst ending to our already disappointing Goan-experience. Ever since then, I have said this a million times: “Goa is overrated… Too much hyped up.” Obviously, I never visited Goa, even though people around me literally swore by the Goan experience.   L ast July I turned 60. It’s considered to be a great milestone in many of the Southern states and called ‘Shashti Poorti’ in Sanskrit.   My dear friend, Pratap, who is a Malayalee, one day, said to me, “Sir, you should celebrate it in Goa… There...

S ometime during 1985-86, I used to visit a young boy’s house to teach him. I knew his uncle, who was a popular doctor. “My nephew may drive you crazy,” I was forewarned, “But, I want you to help him grow up.” The 18-year-old, indeed, drove me crazy for many months! The class used to be at 7.30 in the mornings, at his place. I would be up around 6, leave home by 7 and reach his place five minutes before 7:30.  The young man would be still asleep, and, invariably, drove everyone at his place nuts… He would be, finally, ready to learn from me by 8! “Poor fellow may need more sleep.” Thinking so, I decided to keep the class at 8. But, the same- old story continued… He would be still on bed and people at his place would cajole and force him out of bed and I would be able to start my class only at 8:30… It was frustrating, crazy! I, somehow, completed my syllabus with this young man… But, I was not able to meet his uncle’s expectation. All my gentle and fi...

Pic.: Ronak D'Souza “Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose - and commit myself to - what is best for me.”   ―   Paulo Coelho ,   The Zahir T oday is Amitbh Bachchan’s 73 rd birthday. Well, I hear him challenge me: “Budda Hoga Tera Baap.” In fact, my dad died when he was my present age, at 57! And, I do not know about me! Bachchan went to death-door several times and came back, only to live well. I have been a die-hard fan of Amitabh Bachchan ever since I first read a small article on him in our High School reading room. I was in ninth standard, then. The movie he was acting in was ‘Bombay To Goa’. Ever since then – some 42 years must be that – my admiration towards him has only on the ascent. I have never seen any other actor – even a character actor – surviving so long in the man-eat-man film industry. Amitabh Bachchan is not admired by guys like me just for surviving so lo...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty T here is a book by the title – ‘The Confessions of a Pilgrim’. If you are a great fan of Paulo Coelho and his books, I highly recommend that you should read this book. In this book, Paulo, for the first time, opens up and talks about his life – most of it may shock you – to the noted Spanish correspondent, Juan Arias. Yes, like millions did, I, too, became a Paulo fan after reading his cult classic – ‘The Alchemist’.  Soon, I would read his other classics as well. But, it was only after reading ‘Confessions’ that my respect for Paulo shot up a hundred notches higher! I admire great people when they reveal us their human side – the weak, fallible and vulnerable side. It makes me cry in my mind, “Hey, he is just like me… He sins as I do, bleeds as I do, fears as I do, worries as I do, fails as I do, and, above all, he dreams, longs and loves as I do.” Was not Paulo a ‘boy’ like you and me, once? Was he not the same boy who goes ab...