Learning to Talk About Death

I have given hundreds of talks in my life. Lectures to medical students, presentations at conferences, seminars on diagnostics and evidence-based medicine. For all of them I prepared slides. Dozens of them, sometimes. When Dr Pankaj Harkut, cardiologist from Nagpur, invited me to speak on dying with dignity at a physicians and cardiologists conference in … Read the essay

Three Mayas, One Batch

In 1973, GMC Nagpur had three Mayas. Maya Khati. Maya Wanjari. Maya Bhaskarwar. Call out the name in the corridor and three heads turned. Fifty years later, it is worth asking what became of them. Maya Khati was a farmer’s daughter from Warora. Her mother had rented two rooms in Wardha so her daughter could … Read the essay

Dying with Dignity

My mother was born in 1926, when most births and deaths took place at home. I grew up listening to stories of labour that began in the family room, with midwives, aunts, and neighbours gathering around the expectant mother. Death, too, belonged to the household. Many people spent their final days in familiar surroundings and … Read the essay

Knowing When to Walk Away: The Dhoni Question

MS Dhoni walking off the cricket field in a reflective moment

If MS Dhoni announces his retirement today, how many eyebrows would really rise? For years, he was celebrated for his timing — behind the stumps, in front of them, and in the split-second decisions that defined his greatness. Perhaps the hardest decision, even for the sharpest minds, is knowing when to walk away. As Vijay … Read the essay

𝗩𝗶𝗷𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺

Today’s election jolt from Tamil Nadu: Vijay, cinema idol, surges into politics with a landslide win. His name rings out—TV, headlines, YouTube, WhatsApp. “Vijay” wakes old echoes for us. Amitabh Bachchan forged it as the ’70s avenger, righting every wrong. Shakespeare pondered first: What’s in a name? Today, it’s memory, fire, destiny. Jolt to DMK … Read the essay