Gerald D'Cunha

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” Socrates W ell, let’s accept the fact, that none of us here, on this planet, knows everything. And, none of us is fully prepared for the onslaught of change. But, learning has, always, been the outcome of our childlike curiosity, our sense of wonder and our ability to take risks by walking the less-trodden path. This was so since the beginning of time… It’s the quest that has been driving man to learn more and more and more. Therefore, the time we now live in – time of Information Technology – is not the end of Time… It’s just one more passage of time. You and I are simply happened to be here through this passage… Yes, let’s accept the fact, that, today, the information and knowledge are available ready on the platter for each one of us… They are right there at our fingertips. If any of us is still complaining, he/she being plain lazy… It’s an excuse. We all can make the best use of the inform...

“Parents are the bones on which children cut their teeth.” Peter Ustinov L ast week, when the twelfth-standard results were out (State Board), students and some parents started calling me or texting me one after another. Mostly, they were the ones who were very happy with the results. That’s understandable. When the results are not satisfactory, it’s difficult to open up about it… unless there is enough strength inside one’s heart… That is not unusual. But, this time around, there was one young girl and her mother who surprised me… The mother shared the screen shot of her daughter’s marks-sheet and wrote, “Thank you very much Sir, for everything.” The girl’s marks in all subjects ranged between 41 and 77 (including in the subject I had taught her). Was this parent being sarcastic, or was she hiding her disappointment behind this statement? What about me – was I disappointed with my student’s performance? Well, like the mother of this girl, her teacher,...

“ If you are afraid of being lonely, don’t try to be right.” Jules Renard W e will be completing four months of State-imposed isolation… Call it by its much-detested name - ‘Lockdown’. Some of us – which includes me – have never stepped out of our doors during these four months. And, we have no idea as to how long it may continue. Little children, young boys and girls, adults and elderly - all are ‘forced’ to be locked inside. Yes, for our own good… No doubt about it… No complaints about it. But, then, we were never used to live like this… We were social animals – We were out most of the day… We loved to be with our friends and colleagues… We loved to attend social events, prayer services…   We went out for movies, shopping and outings. Young boys and girls, who were head-over-heels in love, now must be dying! No one is spared… No one. So, in times like these, when someone checks on me, with a call or a text message -   “How’re you?”, what should I say? -...

“Success or failure in an examination  is a reflection  only on one of life-performances,  and not on Life itself.” LIFE, The Teacher “G ood Morning my dear students. I Just wanted to help you see the results in right perspective. As is always the case, some of you may have got excellent results, and some of you may be disappointed. This was how it was at my time, and this is how it is at your time. Those who have scored more, yes, feel happy and grateful... Life lies ahead. Those who have scored less, don't lose heart… For, Life still lies ahead! It's about a performance in exam, it's not about you, the person. You, as a person, are a treasure waiting to be explored. Trust me you are. Remember, some of us always bloom late...  I was one of them. We bloom in our own gardens, at our own time... But, when we do, we give the finest fragrance! So, my dear students, I just wanted to tell you, that in jubilations and disappointments, you all shoul...

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein M y wife and I are presently staying at my in-laws' place because of the lockdown. Today, early in the morning, my 85-year-old father-in-law asked me about a Mother Mary shrine near Mangalore. “Today is the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” he said. I was clueless about both, the feast and the Mount Carmel shrine which my father-in-law was talking about. It was 6.30 in the morning… He had already finished saying his prayers! A couple of hours later, Jennifer, my cousin, sent to me this picture: She wrote, “Remembering Sr. Leo who used to give us these scapulars every time she visited us.” Sr. Leo was my aunt. She and Jennifer’s mom (Mary) were both my dad’s younger sisters. Sr. Leo (Cecil, her real name) was a Carmelite nun. She was one of the calmest souls we had known. Whenever she visited...

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” Anonymous I t’s 5 in the evening as I type these words… It’s dark outside, and it’s pouring in torrents! Somewhere in Assam, China and other places, rivers and lakes have swollen and fiercely swallowing up the villages and towns. And, somewhere the earthquakes have flattened out what Man had built… And, everywhere, there is this dreaded virus, already. Some live as one big family, all together, in this lockdown… and some live alone, all alone. But, apparently, loneliness has nothing to do with the number of people we live with. I am sure, many, many, many may agree with me when I say this: You can live with a dozen people at home, yet feel lost and lonely. On the other hand, you may live all alone in the house, yet feel loved and protected… “Thank God, you are living with your family,” I said this, today, to someone who was endlessly cribbing about something, “Just be thankful.” Thanklessness is man’s worst v...

“Grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s green where you water it.” Anonymous W hat is the actual meaning of the proverb – ‘Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence’? Probably, almost every school kid has written an essay or composition on this proverb. When I did, our ‘lawn’ – call it ‘our situation’ – wasn’t green at all. If you take the statement literally, you may laugh: Mangalore is lush green, particularly in a month like July. So, you would never leave this place if you go by the greenery of the land; you would leave it, only because, that - I mean 'Green' -  is, was and will be, always, the colour of the money – the financial situation! Almost all of us – no matter on which side of the fence we live – are programmed to stretch our necks out and envy the greenery of our ‘neighbour’s lawns’. In a way, this tendency has kept all of us working harder to keep up with – and even beat – our neighbours. Remember the famous ad o...

“A large oak tree is just a little nut that refused to give up." David McGee I t’s said, that an Oak tree lives far longer than the gardener who plants it. In fact, that is merely an understatement… For, an average Oak tree may live for 200-300 years, it can also live over 1,000 years! Yes, that’s why they are legends – who have been glorified by poets, songwriters and story-writers. But, think about it: does not the life of an oak tree begin just the way the lives of other trees do? There is something in the seed of this tree that makes the tree live an enduring life… Just as there are horses which are meant to run a long-distance race… Yes, the Lambi race ke ghode ! As Amitabh Bachchan, 77, (and several members of his family) are in the news today after they have been tested Covid positive, the imagery of an Oak tree and a Lambi race ka ghoda , suddenly, flashed before me… I have been a massive fan of Amitabh Bachchan. I was a high-school ...

“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.” Ed Cole I have spent more than four decades teaching college students. In fact, I loved teaching so much, that I started teaching, as a hobby, right since my F.Y. B. Com days.  I have told this many times before… and, I want to tell it again, today: I was hugely influenced by my own teacher, Prof. B.S. Raman, when he came to our class to teach in F.Y. B. Com. Before that, I was clueless about what I was good at. Now, watching my teacher (He was an outstanding teacher, author and, above all, a fine disciplinarian and idealist who believed in utter simplicity), a silent revolution had been set ablaze in my soul… I was restless, I couldn’t wait… and, hence, I started helping (teaching) my own friends after the college hours… just because I was so full and it made me the happiest. When they said, “Gerry, you teach so well,” I was on top of the world! That’s the beginning of my self-confidence jo...