Ever growing ideas

 I never really liked my husband. One random evening, I was called to the hospital after my husband was hit by a car while returning from his colleague's bachelor party. I didn't panic; I sluggishly grabbed my scooter keys and reached the hospital. I just had to sign a few insurance documents for the fracture reduction surgery. I didn't feel scared. Neither did I pray for his recovery. I was more upset about taking care of my bedridden husband for the next couple of months.   5 hours later, the surgery was completed, and I was allowed to enter the room. I calmly looked at his face; his eyes were swollen, yet he seemed peaceful. The time was 1 am, and my eyelids were drooping with sleep. I proceeded to sit in the waiting area outside the room. The corridor looked boring with half-asleep attendees. 1 hour later, I woke up to my husband gasping for air. I rushed to the nurse's station for help. I quickly entered the room to find my husband shivering and his face sweating. ...

 Momento - mori is a Latin word which roughly translates to - remember you must die ! This is a very quirky opener to my write up!  In this busy world, more often than not, we are anxious about our future that we forget to enjoy the present. We tend to always look forward to things which we have to achieve but sadly forget about what we have in our hands. While it might be good in terms of development, it sometimes drains us mentally and leads to procrastination and disinterest towards the work we are doing.  People who have undergone Near Death Experiences or are suffering from terminal illness might be well aware of this. While “death” is considered as an inauspicious word, the thought that humans are mortal can do wonders psychologically. That’s where the phrase - "Momento - mori" comes to power. We all know that humans are mortal beings. We all come with a definitive expiry date which we may or may not be aware of.  Certain things that death reminds us are : 1) G...

    The S growth curve is a very familiar graph in the field of learning and development in terms of career, business, and marketing. In business, the S growth curve is divided into four stages: The slow growth, rapid growth phase, late-stage slow growth and stationary phase. It helps business analytics and statisticians assess the development of the company. Likewise, the S growth curve in career development is divided into three stages: aspiring, driving and arriving. Each with its own significance in terms of choosing a career and how to work on achieving it. However, let me now walk you through the usage of the S growth curve in med school. STAGE 1 As freshers, the medical college is new and astonishing and makes first year students anxiously excited! Much like feeling butterflies and bugs in the stomach at the same time! It is the time to explore and learn and obviously enjoy the first milestone towards becoming a good doctor. It is a slow start. It provides the...

These hormones are also called the "HAPPY HORMONES" as they promote happiness and pleasure by reducing anxiety and depression. Hormones are chemical substances that are released directly into the blood in minor amounts of nanogram/ml. They ensure homeostasis and proper functioning of the body. According to statistics, 56 million Indians suffer from depression and 38 million Indians suffer from anxiety. That's indeed a huge number.  Luckily, the human body has built mechanisms to control anxiety and depression which is prevalent in today's generation. Four main hormones which play an important role in regulating mental stability include: 1. Dopamine 2. Serotonin 3. Oxytocin 4. Endorphins DOPAMINE - They are called the "feel-good hormones". It acts on the brain's reward system. It allows us to feel pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. SEROTONIN - It is called the "mood stabilizer". It is a neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions. It reg...

Have you ever wondered as to how 5 mins of listening to your favorite music functions like a drug by calming your mind and elevating your mood? Don't be surprised if I say that all these effects that you are experiencing in your day to day life is scientifically proven... Listening to music has always been a way of escaping from the mundaneness of everyday life. Additionally, it is said to bring calmness, reduce stress, pain and symptoms of depression. Different types of music has different impacts on people.  Scientifically, music is said to have a profound effect on the human body, particularly mental health. Recent studies prove that music can improve human behavior and brain functions. Music improves the cognitive and motor function of the brain, it improves memory, establishes connections and aids in  neurogenesis- the ability to generate newer neurons. In the book The Power Of Music, Elena Mannes says, "Scientists have found that music stimulates more parts of the brain ...

The human brain is like a wild tree that always has new roots and branches emerging from it. These new branches and roots have interesting functions and keep scientists hooked up all the time. One such recent area of research is “ mirror neurons ” located in the premotor cortex of the brain. As the name suggests, the function of mirror neurons is similar to that of a mirror. A mirror neuron is a brain cell, that responds to both observed and self produced actions. This is the key difference that differentiates mirror neurons from other motor or sensory neurons whose excitation is associated either with execution or observation of an action but not both. The mirror neurons were first reported in the macaque monkey ventral premotor area. The discovery of mirror neurons has prompted the notion that execution and observation are closely related processes; it has opened a new way of thinking about how we monitor and interpret the action of others.  For example, when we say laughter is c...

According to William James, a well-known psychologist and philosopher, “The deepest principle of human nature is a craving to be appreciated.” We often take everything for granted and aim for the “ideal lifestyle” that we forget about what we already possess. In this busy world, we are more focused on achieving what we want, we often forgetting about what we have. Appreciation is very important in life. It empowers people to continue and keep moving. Everybody in the world deserves to be valued. Gratitude is a very powerful human emotion. It can be expressed to everybody and everything. The world is a very beautiful place to live. The greenery, large glaciers, bright flora and vibrant fauna are few of the things which are to be cherished. Appreciating is not a duty which should be done only by some. For example, neither it is the duty of the nature photographer to appreciate the nature, nor the duty of a teacher to appreciate a student. Everything is voluntary. It is...

PEER PRESSURE “Confidence is knowing who you are and not changing it a bit because of someone’s version of reality is not your reality.”                                                                               ― Shannon L. Alder          Humans tend to imitate habits, ideas and behaviours from others. While parents are really influential in their kids childhood, it is not the same case as they grow up. As time passes, friends or peers tend to influence each other. This influence is what we call as peer pressure.                                As per the Wikipedia, peer pressure is defined as the direct influence on people by peers, or the effect on an individual who gets enc...

Education is not something which only happens between the four walls of the classroom . It can be more than that too. Learning is not only memorising the content and pouring it in the paper. One of the learning technique is “seeing is believing”. Few things can be learnt and understood better if we see them with our own eyes.  Recently, we have been to an educational trip to Purani Haveli which is located in Secunderabad. This trip was part of our history lessons. Purani Haveli literally means old mansion. So, this mansion was built by the Asif jah II to his son Sikander jah (Asaf jah III). It was a palace earlier that time. But now, part of it has been converted into a school and the other part serves like a museum where the artifacts were placed. The palace was very magnificent and the museum was mind blowing. We saw various belongings of the last Nizam Osman Ali Khan and his family. There were various things like the Silver caskets, cup and saucers, jewellery, golden ...

The breaks you take from work, pay you back manifold when you return because you come back with a fresher mind and newer thinking. Some of your best ideas come when you are on vacation. - Gautam Singhania Why do we need a vacation? Have anybody of us thought about the need for a vacation?  Vacation isn’t necessarily taking off from work and going around places, it is a break from our regular routine. Taking a break from our regular routine is really important for our mental and physical well- being. A few of them feel fresh when they laugh, a few when they go boating, a few while they play and a lot more. Vacation should not be anything where we just go to some holiday spot, sit with our family and check our emails. Our vacation should be really refreshing and rejenuvating. We should be completely into it and disconnect ourselves from our regular work. When we are stressed and tired, we are more likely to become ill. Vacation is like sleep, inadequate sleep can lead...

Everybody likes breathing in fresh air in the gardens. But, do you know how clean is the air you are breathing? Most of the air we breathe is polluted. We all know about rising air pollution in Delhi. A study funded by the World Bank Development Research Group was carried out a survey to study the effects of air pollution.During the study period, they found out that the average total suspended particulate level in Delhi was approximately five-times the World Health Organization's annual average standard and this has been observed in 97% of the days. Researchers say that air pollution is the 5th largest killer in India.   Pollution refers to the contamination of the environment due to harmful substances. There are many types of pollution namely: air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution etc. Currently, air pollution is haunting India. The rise in transportation, vehicles, and factories has led to the rise in air pollution. Few harmful air pollutants are Car...

Across the globe, Nuclear energy is considered as the cheapest and most efficient way to produce energy. Though, it uses non-renewable sources like fossils, nuclear plants can produce as much as energy to power the globe if used appropriately. Nuclear power plants have their own pros and cons. Even though it has a handful of advantages, the world has faced huge challenges in maintaining nuclear power plants. Various disastrous incidents has forced various countries to shut down these plants even though they are cost-efficient. Although few countries have these plants in large numbers to fulfill the demand, many developed countries like the United States and Japan have decided to stop generating nuclear energy by 22nd century. Unfortunately,India hasn’t realised this yet and is investing huge amounts to construct nuclear plants. One such example is of the recent Japan Fukushima accident on 11 March 2011. This explosion was a result of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake followe...

Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well. ~ Aristotle Education is very important for everyone. A good teacher helps us become a good human being in the society. Not only does it enlighten a child's future, but also brightens the country's future. Doctor Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan once said that teachers form the backbone of the educational society and thus the divine art of shaping the future is in their hands. Teaching is not a mere job, instead it is a huge responsibility educators take up. Teachers are a very essential source of transferring knowledge to students and making the world a better place to live. At first, everyone is just a quint of clay. It is the teacher who mould us into who we will be in our future. Facing the challenges of life without education is very difficult. There is a very familiar saying in Sanskrit that quotes, “Matha(mother),Pitha(f...