Gerald D'Cunha

 Pic.: Unnati Jiandani W henever I had to speak before an audience, the thought that I had to speak in public would put my body and mind off balance… I would start getting anxious, doubtful of my ability… I would start breathing faster, shallow… My thoughts would get all muddled up… I would think one thing and say something else… My palms would sweat, hands and legs would tremble… just by the thought that I had to speak in public. O ne day, a friend of mine - a teacher of Indian Philosophy – sensing my problem, asked me, “Have you ever observed a Sadhu eating his meal?” He continued, “It is a great delight to watch him relish it, so completely so happily… He doesn’t think about his next meal… He is fully into the meal in hand – he is in the ‘Present’, the ‘Now’… He is grateful, he is sure, he is detached… He is free… and at peace with himself.” At...

Pic.: Mehul Bhuva W hen I was in high school, I, always, worried about my tenth-standard Board-exam… It went on peacefully! When I was in college, I worried about my final-year Degree-exam… It, also, went on peacefully! When I was out of my college, I was worried about getting a job… I got one! When my classmates went ahead of me, I was worried again – “Will I ever catch-up with them?” I didn’t have a house of my own… my worry shifted. House came up… I worried about a car! For a very, very long time, I started worrying about my marriage – “It may fail… I may not be good at sex… My spouse may mock at me, my deficiency…” This, also, went on peacefully! Then, the child was born… a boy, and, then, a girl. I started worrying again – about their future! They grew up… got educated and married. I started worrying about my grand-...

Pic.:Unnati Jiandani T wenty years ago, my class teacher insulted me before my classmates. I still hold a grudge against her! I still ask others – “How is she, is she still the same?” And, when someone describes, how the Principal pulled her up one day, Or, how a bully student made her cry the other day, I feel thrilled, satisfied! In my SSC, I got beaten up by one of my classmates after a heated argument. We joined different colleges; but, I still bore my vengeance… and, after four years, I went with my college friends to take my revenge! The other day, when I tried to get in from the front door of a BEST bus, the driver screamed in front of a busy crowd: “Get lost; there is a door for you behind.” I was stunned, speechless! I got in from the door behind, but steam building up from inside… a thousand thoughts passing through my mind… waiting for some chance, waitin...

  Pic.: Unnati Jiandani ‘THE COBWEBS’ was one of the popular booklets I had written and published for THE DAWN CLUB in its early years. It was first published in 1991. Once again, what made this book connect with the readers was that it spoke in first person… The passages – some twelve of them - seemed straight from one’s own heart, they sounded like one’s own voice… In my coming Posts, I wish to bring you these passages, one by one… Here is the FOREWORD to the book and the first passage - ‘My Life, my house’. Hope, you will like reading them… FOREWORD O ne reason, why we all wait for the Messiah to come, is that we haven’t realized that he has already arrived! The Kingdom of Heaven is, for most of us, far away. We haven’t noticed the beauty of the kingdom here on earth. When the Messiah comes, we stone him, crucify him. When heaven is here, we abuse its virtue. Yes, we wait – there is a great pleasure in wait...

Pic.: Fr. Reginald Pinto G od never made sense to me till I started questioning who He was; Prayer never made sense to me till I started questioning what I prayed. When I didn’t accept God out of rear and didn’t pray out of habit, both God and prayer seemed to make sense to me. I started appreciating all good values in life, and became more tolerant towards others’ religions. It, then, made no difference whether I prayed here, in my room, or in a Holy Bethlehem… I refused to wear those blinkers, and, I could see the eye-blinding presence of God everywhere around me! 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 several times. We guess, one of the m...

 Pic.: Unnati Jiandani B eethoven was blind and deaf… Still, he composed such music that can move us to tears, or elate us to dreamy heights! Terry Fox, the little boy of 12, had a few days to die of cancer… Still, he ran to raise twenty-million dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society, before he died! Rick Allen had only one hand… Still, he played drums, brilliantly, for his band - ‘Def Leppard’! Dr. Victor Frankl was in the Nazi Concentration camp, and saw before his eyes his wife, mother and whole family perish along with millions of others… Still, he found meaning in those gruesome moments. From such seemingly hopeless moments, he weaved his famous philosophy - ‘Logo Therapy’, and wrote his widely-acclaimed book - ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’! Helen Keller was blind, deaf and dumb; Sudha Chandran has an artificial leg; Baba Amte had a spine with cervical spondy...

Pic.: Malabika Ganguly L ong back, when someone asked me what was my goal in life, I had replied: “To be happy.” “How?” he wanted know. I, then, realized how difficult it was to answer that little ‘How’! For many years, since then, I have been trying to understand what happiness is all about. And, often, I have wondered: Can happiness be a goal in life? Is it not too vague? I had read somewhere this: “Happiness comes along the way… and not at the end of the road.” I started thinking on these words. Today, I cannot say that I have understood fully what happiness is. But, certainly, I have experienced a good amount of it. Personally, I trigger off my happiness by: 1.       Setting my goals and trying hard to achieve them, yet, not remaining attached to their fruits; 2.       Creating wealth, to give it back again, and keeping my lifestyle extremely simple; ...

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...

Pic.Unnati Jiandani N elson* was my classmate and a friend. They had a small shop, which they used to run form their house. When Nelson was in ninth standard, his father died of drinking. His mother, who had tuberculosis, died when he was in eleventh. Nelson’s world, all of a sudden, shattered! He had four younger sisters and one younger brother. Two of the sisters (twins) were not even three-year old. We, though young, consoled Nelson and stood by him for many days. His next sister, who was then in ninth standard, was very bold and accepted the challenge. She decided to quit her studies and run the shop; and, she persuaded Nelson and others to continue with their studies. She arranged to keep the two tiny-toddlers with a local home for children run by the Catholic nuns. Meanwhile, Nelson passed his eleventh-standard to walk into twelfth… Suddenly, Nelson lost his grip! He got into a wild company: smoked, boozed, and womanized… He faile...