Gerson da Cunha hails from Arpora, Bardez Goa. He took a Science degree at the University of Bombay and then worked five years in Reuters/Press Trust of India, Bombay, as reporter, feature writer, sub-editor and correspondent. He spent the next 25 years in marketing and advertising including ten as head of Lintas, a major advertising agency. He worked ten years in the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Latin America and New York. He is now deeply involved in citizen mobilization for better urban governance in Mumbai as a member of AGNI (Action for Good Governance and Networking in India). Virtually every problem faced by ordinary people in Mumbai over their living conditions, which are worse every day, can be traced to the way the city is run by its politicians and administrations. AGNI is widely known in the city and has done a lot to revive hopes of a better deal for citizens by changing the city’s governance.

On September 13, 2007, the International Goan Organization (IGO) of Ontario, Canada held a networking meeting featuring Gerson during his visit to attend the Film Festival in Toronto.

The IGO’s current project “Best of Both Worlds” was reviewed by Al Mathias who highlighted the seven major issues facing Goans living in Canada, namely Land & Property Disputes; Property Management; Buying, Selling & Leasing Real Estate; Estate & Taxation; Investing in India; Discrimination against Goans born in Pakistan and Grievances of NRGs and Information Center. Action taken in dealing with all these issues by the IGO and the Commissioner for NRI Affairs, Hon Minister Eduardo Faleiro in Goa was also reviewed. Al Mathias stated that there is commonality between concerns of Goans in Canada and those residing elsewhere in the world. He said that the IGO therefore believes that spearheading solutions to these concerns will ultimately serve all Goans, and in this way spark a heightened sense of solidarity and connectivity between Goans the world over…and our motherland.

Gerson sought to network Goans so that thinking, effort and resources could be focused on key action points that could leverage results and influence governance in Goa. He felt that Goans around the globe should find ways to make contact with each other and network about issues that faced them - issues that affected NRI interests, including governance in Goa and the degree of corruption. He suggested that the IGO undertake this project under the “Save Goa” banner and work with Dr. Oscar Rebello Rebello, Convenor, Goa Bachao Abhiyan. This organization was primarily responsible for the scrapping of the draconian and monstrous “Regional Plan for Goa 2011″, which it believed would dislocate Goans and destroy Goa.