Gerald D'Cunha

O ur birth doesn’t make us ‘winners’ or ‘losers’ in life… Our choices do! When I was in high school, there were four divisions  - 'A' to 'D'. They put the scholars in ‘A’ and the duffers, like me, in ‘D’. One reason why they branded us as duffers was, because, we were the ‘vernaculars'. It was not a nice feeling to claim, that we belonged to the ‘D’ division! To me, the ‘D’ divisions have remained a metaphor, ever since… It’s the draconian rule that this world still follows… Branding us as ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. Yes, just as harsh as Draco, the famous rule-maker of Athens did! We really can’t change how people perceive us… Yes, about the localities we reside in, the schools we study in, the kind of houses and cars we own, the clothes we wear, the accent we use and, even the brands of the products we use… right from the sun glasses and shoes to the whiskey we drink… Yes, the winners and the losers, always, have made this...

T he Indian thali has some thing to tell us: our plate called ‘Life’ comes with almost everything in it… a smallspoon of pickle to a bowl of sweet dish… yes, the plate brings to us all, including the bitter gourd! But, apparently, the thali system is getting slowly out of fashion. Maybe, this trend has something to tell us, too! Similarly, the Indian movies – not just the Bollywood ones – always had lots of masala in them… We rightly called them the ‘Masala films’ or the ‘Potboilers’… They had romance, heartbreak, comedy, action, mystery, thrill and, above all, a happy ending! But, the films are no more cooked the way they were cooked once… We either see them over-cooked with action, romance, comedy or tragedy. Maybe, this trend has something to tell us, too! N o matter how many kingdoms have come and gone, and, no matter how many saints and demons, this world – and life in it – will always be a beautiful thali for all of us… whether we...

“It is far easier to love an infallible god than fallible human beings.” ―  Marty Rubin O n my nephew, Macklin’s (my elder brother’s son) wedding day, I was the toastmaster. I did two goof-ups that day… Let me take you through the first goof-up... Macklin, after completing his B.E., had decided to be a sailor like his father. The difference was this: while his father had become a sailor after his ITI as a technician in the engine department, Macklin wanted to climb the ladder from the Fourth Engineer up to the Chief Engineer. I did not know about what people did on ships… The engine and the deck, both, appeared same to me till that mid-noon while I was raising the toast… I recalled my brother Franklin’s obsession with machines when he was a young boy… He was simply crazy about mechanical things. Dad’s old Favre-leuba watch and our antique alarm-watch… My brother alone knows how many times he had ripped them open...

S ome things are meant to be! It’s never advisable to stop a river from flowing the way it’s supposed to. And, whenever we do, it finds its own way to the sea, somehow. We all have seen it… There is this river in all of us, called our ‘talent’. What about that? I think, our talents, too, flow the way they are supposed to. Elvis Presley was a gifted singer and performer. It was he who sang the famous song, “I can’t help falling in love with you.” To me, that song is as much a metaphor about life as it seems to be on its face - romantic. Yes, it’s a romantic song… But, look at its lyrics: Wise men say only fools rush in But I can't help falling in love with you Shall I stay? Would it be a sin If I can't help falling in love with you? Like a river flows surely to the sea Darling so it goes Some things are meant to be Take my hand, take my whole life too For I can't help falling in love with you ...

“What happens when people open their hearts?" "They get better.” ―  Haruki Murakami A funny thing about living in this world is this: When others fail, I have loads of encouraging words. “Don’t lose heart… Failure is the stepping stone to success,” I console them magnanimously, and almost like a sage! But, when I fail, I am harsh on myself: “Stupid idiot… Useless fellow… A loser,” and all that. Instead of a gentle pat on my back, I get from myself a nasty kick! So, that’s the familiar funny story: I am gentle for others, but harsh for myself! I, always, have a helpline for others’ problems… When they are sad and lost, I seem to have solutions… Plenty of them. But, when I am sad and lost, my world seems to be dark and hopeless. Yes, it’s true: each one of us needs a helpline. Just as how, when others approach us, we are ever willing to offer help and advice – emotional help – yes, just as that, if we approach o...