Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Madhusudan D. Jeurkar   T here are, always, some defining moments in our lives. I have mine… One of them is when I first picked from a roadside book-vendor, in Fort area, Napoleon Hill’s famous classic - ‘Think & Grow Rich’. I still remember that afternoon, some thirty-four years ago. I was stranger in this city, and I was without a job. Worst, I was absolutely low in my self-confidence… and, I was filled with self-doubts and fears about my future... constantly consumed by the question – “Is there a place for me in this world?” Yes, it was during this period – I call it ‘The Great Depression of my life’ – my hands reached an old copy of Hill’s famous book. For me, that was the ‘Manna-from-heaven’. I wanted it so desperately to survive in my ‘desert’… And, yes, I did. C an a book change one’s life? If I say ‘Yes’, it is my opinion, my truth. I have given a brand-new copy of ‘Think & Grow Rich’, ever since then, to scores of...

  “There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child… There are seven million.” ― Walt Streightiff Of late, I find myself reminding my young-students about the three pillars of learning: Curiosity, Trust and Risk. Curiosity is the most important pillar… the corner-stone. Every piece of learning starts from this… for every one of us… and, it starts when we are little babies and lasts a lifetime… Perhaps, that’s why it is called the ‘childlike curiosity’… If we are eager to learn, all our lives, we are expected   to be little children… We are expected to be struck with wonder… The sense of wonder… Lee Ann Womack sings in her beautiful song- ‘I Hope You Dance’: “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder… I hope you still feel small standing beside the ocean…” Imagine, learning without this childlike curiosity… this sense of wonder. Imagine gazing at a star-studded nigh...

    “There are people who love you all the time… May be they can’t love you the way you understand love… But, they love you the way they know to love.” I just received this ‘Good-morning’ message from my brother Vivek. And, with that, I received the instant spark to write this Post. We keep getting messages like the one I have just received. Most of them just pass by as ships passing by the night…! We rarely pay attention to them… They go unnoticed. I like the analogy of a sunrise and a sunset. Everyday the glorious Sun goes up and comes down. But, even though I am able to witness this stunning beauty right through my window, - every dawn and every dusk - do I do it? Instead, as my fellow-beings always do, I too travel all the way to Kanyakumari, to sit there on the Memorial Rock, and wait for the majestic Sun to show himself! The Sun is always there… going up and coming down, every day… The sight is as glorious as ever… The...

I have taught for over thirty years. And, I believe, I have taught with all my love and passion. I, always, wanted to be a teacher… And, all these years, I have been only that: a teacher. Yes, as a teacher, I have to teach all kinds: the best of the lot and the worst of the lot. Many of my students have topped in their exams… and many have tanked. So many have risen to great positions in life… and so many are still stuck somewhere, limping or wasted. Some, when they meet me after years and years, hug me and tell what a difference I have made in their lives… And, some, when we cross our way, don’t even remember that I was their teacher once! Some, even after studying here, under me, for five-long years, give me a feeling that what a drudgery the herd-mentality can  breed in life!... While, some, even though they were with me for a week or a month – make me feel how inspiring, how special some relationships can be! Right from the day one of my te...

Some years ago, I had come across this line in one of OSHO’s books: “No one can teach you… Still, you can learn from anyone.” When I first read this line, it did not strike me hard. But, when I read it again, and in quietness of my heart, I realized how profound it was! To learn from someone or not to… To learn something or not to… is always my call, my prerogative. It is one of the most important ‘proactive’ things I do for myself, along the path of my personal growth.  It is, always, about my growth… and, it is, always, my call, my decisions, and my self-care. And, I am not being selfish… when I say this. Last afternoon, Avinash, one of my old acquaintances, wrote to me on FB:   “… Sir, though you have not taught me personally, I have always learnt from you a lot.” This is such an honest confession. It immediately reminded me of what OSHO had said in his book: “No one can teach you... Still, you can learn f...

Presently, THE DAWN CLUB Personality Development course is in progress. I spend my summer vacation with these teenagers, and find a great deal of joy by helping them, grooming them. During the sessions, we have blast of a time… Jokes, stories, skits apart from Workshops, Speeches, Debates and Group Discussions. I tell all these teenagers to be alert and watchful… remain always thirsty and open-minded. “It is your readiness, your openness that will decide whether you will gain anything from this course or not,” I keep reminding them, almost in every session. “Each one of you holds a mirror for others,” I tell hem, “Be awake… A teacher appears when the student is ready.” In the last session, the 16-year-old Janvi failed to understand the meaning of my lines. “Sir, what do you mean by ‘holding a mirror?” she asked me, with all her innocence. I told Janvi, that if we are eager to learn, we can learn from any one, any time and anywhere. “I may be your teacher, but I can learn so muc...