Gerald D'Cunha

Image courtesy.: Internet (InDeed Campaign for Nature) A fter the Ind-Pak T-20 (World Cup) match got over, last night – close to midnight – I heard, all around our residential area, frantic beats of drums and incessant victory-chants – ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’… ‘Vande Mataram’. It was electrifying and it went on for quite some time… India had won the contest against their arch-rivals, Pakistan… The venue was Eden Gardens of Kolkata! When India lost its first three wickets, my mind went back to 1996 World Cup Semifinals (50 over). It was the same venue, and it was the same month (13 th March)… Twenty years ago, India’s captain Azaruddin  had won the toss and opted to field. Last night, Dhoni, too, had done the same thing… Sri Lanka had posted a target of 252 to win for India… and, India had suddenly begun to collapse like a pack of cards! The crowd at Eden Gardens couldn’t swallow this sorry plight and had turned angry, violent… and had gone berserk b...

Pic.: Azriel D'Souza A couple of us were trying to raise a certain amount of money for a noble cause. We had approached some of our friends and well-wishers and most of them had responded positively. Some had contributed more than what we had expected, while some had contributed less… And, some had shown a cold indifference, while, yes, some had really come from nowhere with their generosity and delighted us! Still, we were left with a small deficit. An hour ago, I wrote about it to one of our core-team members. He, instantly, gave me three names, including his own… and said ‘Done’. “Amen,” I got back to my friend, “All is well that ends well!” I must have tossed those words, which Shakespeare had made famous through his play, casually… But, then, the moment I had used them, I began to think about those words… So true those words were! T he fund-raising activity was just a metaphor. When we had begun, we had no clue who we could rope in… But, d...

Pic.: Alwyn Mathias “Have you ever danced with the devil on the pale moonlight?” - Joker in the movie ‘The Batman’   T he other day, I was watching a video in which Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev (Isha Foundation) was  in conversation with Suhel Seth. Here is an excerpt: Suhel: “You see the India’s political landscape… There is more factionalism… more hatred…There is more defacement… We never had people abuse each other in the way we do (now)…” Sadguru: “No, that happens only on a couple of (TV) channels…That doesn’t happen on the streets… On the streets, there is nobody abusing each other…” Suhel: “In parliament they are… In parliament they are…” Sadguru: “Political spectrum is another world. I am saying, don’t make – as you said – don’t make just 542 people as India, ok? You walk on the streets… You walk on the streets of Mumbai – not in the elite colonies – Go to the slums, walk… Will anybody simply abuse you? It’s not true. If...

Pic.: Suyog Surte “ Abundance is a process of letting go… that which is empty can receive.”   - Bryant H. McGill A week ago, I had some very important and urgent work with a person. So, I tried calling that person and all my calls were met with the same response: “Switched off’ or ‘Out-of-coverage area’. I found no replies to my messages, too… Initially, I was irritated and annoyed… even anxious as the matter was important and urgent. The state of mind continued to be so – tensed and restless – for quite some time… And, finally, I let go… The solution emerged on its own and from an unexpected corner. What once seemed like ‘important and urgent’ – a do-or-die situation – now did not seem so. It was a ‘life-situation’… It wasn’t life itself. Its weight was so heavy because I kept holding it in my mind for so long! The moment I dropped it – let go its importance and urgency – it became an experience as light as a feather…The way open...

Pic.: Alwyn Mathias I n my home town, Mangalore, where I grew up, people from two communities - Catholics and GSB (Gaud Saraswat Brahmins) – speak Konkani. But, we both find each other’s Konkani funny… and pull each other’s legs. Throughout my school and college life, I had plenty of classmates and friends belonging to GSB community. I was close to many of them… Pai, Kamath, Shenoy, Baliga, Nayak, Prabhu, Kini… and, yes, Mallya! What I still remember about my GSB friends is: Most of them – almost all – hailed from business families… small, medium-sized and large. Rarely, they came from service families.  Top banks of those days – Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank to name a few – were founded by GSB visionaries… Top educational and medical institutions (Heard of Manipal?)… even industries and newspapers - yes, all these were built by GSB pioneers. The young boys and girls from GSB community were extremely conservative… They never flaunted their wealth… They wore ...

Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi...

Pic.: Azriel D'Souza     “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked… There is no reason not to follow your heart.” -        Steve Jobs I had first met Vasanta ma’am ( also known as Narayani ma'am) more than twelve years ago. She was the Head Mistress, then, of one of the well-known schools in the city. But, being an English teacher, essentially, she was fond of good books. We, at The Dawn Club, had a great collection of books. Vasanta ma’am had come in search of those books… I remember gifting Vasanta ma’am a couple of books written by me. She was impressed. “I have been nursing in me this dream of being a writer,” she told me, “Hope to start writing, soon.” We did not meet after that. Just a year ago, I had the privilege of meeting Vasanta ma’am, once again, in our Tai Chi class. “Do ...

Pic.: Ashwin Mohta T hough I am a Christian, I rarely go to church.  But, I go on my knees and pray a lot, and, as I pray those ‘wordless’ prayers, tears simply flow down my cheeks… I feel extremely closer, loved, cared, protected and healed by my Hero – Jesus Christ. I look up to Him more like my true well-wisher… and, hence, I feel comfortable seeking His hand anywhere I feel like… Why wait for a Sunday morning? Why against the backdrop of scintillating choir and why in the midst of a packed church? Why should my prayer and worship be choreographed? Why should this be mechanical? Why should it be stereotype… bereft of my soul, my presence? So, whenever someone – a very ‘concerned’ fellow-Christian - asks me, ‘Why don’t I see you in the church?” I smile and tell him, “Jesus Christ comes home.” “Blaspheme! “Blaspheme! Yes, I can see my fellow-faithful tearing off his cloak! Hello, Jesus Christ really comes home, if I am really, really sincere. He ...