Gerald D'Cunha

H ow different we all are! Many of us are as different as cheese and chalk! I had an opportunity to grasp this truth, yesterday morning, during our Personality-development session. I had asked the young participants to write, at least one page, about themselves. “Feel free… Feel happy… Feel authentic as you write,” I had advised them, “Do not worry about any pattern, format or tradition. It has nothing to do with what you had learnt in schools… Just get in touch with your deepest thoughts, trust your thoughts and express your thoughts. No one is going to judge you… and no one is going to disapprove you. Be creative, be free and be happy and authentic as you write about yourself.” Most of them were new to the session, with no past experience in writing and speaking. I had encouraged them to wipe out whatever experience they had in school while writing for the English subject. So, here they were, totally guided by their inner light… fearless and free. ...

Pic.: Aparna Khanolkar Sheth “I never felt comfortable with myself, because I was never part of the majority. I always felt awkward and shy and on the outside of the momentum of my friends' lives. ” ~Steven Spielberg “It was very natural for me to want to disappear into dark theater, I am really very shy. That is something that people never seem to fully grasp because,  when you are an actor, you are meant to be an exhibitionist .”   ~Nicole Kidman I am very convinced that, some of our core personality-traits – shyness for one – do not change, either with age or with our achievements, fame and success. Shy people will, always, remain shy! There are only two approaches to deal with our shyness. One, trying to get rid of it from us. Two, transmute it into something beautiful… channelize it through some productive, positive outlets. From my own experience, I can convincingly say, that trying to get rid o...

Pic. Pradeep Nanda L ast evening, my wife and I were invited by Harish, a new friend of ours, to their residence at Navi Mumbai. I was talking to his elder son, a complete all-rounder. The young-man was exceptionally good in studies, sports, debates and social skills. When I enquired about his post-twelfth plans, he was very clear in his mind. “My first preference would be engineering in Computer Science; second would be engineering in Chemical or Metallurgy… and, the third would be Sports Management." I was intrigued by the third option. I had never heard any young-man talking about a field like that with such clarity and confidence as this young man did. So, I asked him to tell me more about it… how it worked, how one went about a field like that and the prospects it held. Yes, I was asking the young-man to tell me about it because I, really, had no idea about such a field… The boy was impressive. While explaining about the field, he, casually, toss...

Pic.: Sheela Krihnamony “Don't be satisfied with stories - how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.”   ―   Rumi T he more I think on the subject of ‘Success’, the more I get convinced that, it is all about scripting our own – unique and distinct -  stories; it is all about unfolding our own myth... Look at a small baby. It is so unique, so distinct. As a parent, when we look at the baby, we simply believe in its uniqueness... Its each little-gesture is a mighty milestone for us... We watch it in delight; we rejoice in it, celebrate it...  As the baby grows up, we encourage the kid to blossom fully with all its God-given gifts... We want our kid to sing, dance, draw, play, swim, act, click pictures, talk well, study well and behave well... All this we do with our kid, because, we believe that those things are good and our kids should be good in them... But, somewhere along the way, we ...

Pic.: Neerja Panchal F rom a distance, mountains, always, fascinate us; but, when we come closer to them, often, we realize, that they are another mass of soil… and, we feel disappointed. It happens in the case of human beings, too… Often, I had been swayed by the sheer charm and words – the ‘exterior’ – of many so called ‘personalities’. But, the closer I had come to them, the more disappointed I had felt to see their true colors… their hollowness! Now, to me, a ‘personality’ is much more than that external packaging. Yes, the ‘packaging’ is necessary… but the ‘product’ inside has to be good. GERALD D’CUNHA P.S.: In 1990, THE DAWN CLUB had published a small book by the title – ‘The Zest’. It had carried some eighteen short and medium-sized passages written by me. The book instantly became one of our very popular books; and, eventually, it was reprinted sever...

A week ago, we were travelling by the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Our son was home for a long vacation, and now, my wife and I were with him in the car to reach him to his institute at Pune. The travel by this Expressway during monsoons is a real feast not only to our eyes but also to our hearts. It is really beautiful…  During this journey, we discussed about several things… casual to serious things. One of these things was: “Why some people endure in their fields for so long... and why some don’t?” My son is still doing his college… whereas, I have spent close to thirty-five years doing what I am doing now – teaching. This includes teaching my friends and neighbors while I was studying in college. Along these years, I have been writing and training as well… But, all these stem from my core of being a teacher. I don’t have any other plans as far as my career is concerned. Yes, I shall be happy teaching all my life.  So, when it came to the quest...