Reflections on Medicine and Life by Dr. S.P. Kalantri
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
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
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
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
Names tell stories. They show what parents prize, what generations chase, and how society slowly changes. At MGIMS Sevagram, I’ve been tending a simple spreadsheet since 2012, logging every student from the inaugural 1969 batch through to 2024 — 3,978 names across 55 years. I entered them myself, batch by batch, correcting misspellings and filling … Read the essay