REMEMBERING PROF. G.P. AGARWAL BY HIS BEDSIDE TEACHING

 

Prof. Giridhar Prasad Agarwal was our teacher in Surgery in King George's Medical College in Lucknow. He was Professor in charge of experiment surgery and was a very kind hearted soul. He was a dog lover, and not only his own pet dog, but even the ones brought for experimental surgery were treated with great care like guests in true Lucknavi style. Though in those days Good Laboratory Practices and Institutional Animal Care and Ethics committees were in their infancy, but Prof. Agarwal was far ahead of his time. He would emphasize to us that dogs experience pain, fear, and attachment. This created a high moral duty on our part to protect them from unnecessary harm and treat them with kindness. He would critically analyze the necessity of an animal experiment, ensure pain free procedure with sedation, anaesthesia and analgesics, and insist on good postoperative care and painless animal sacrifice if required.

 

However, if a surgical resident's thesis did not involve experimental surgery, this aspect of Prof. Agarwal always remained hidden from them. When Prof. P. C. Dubey was our Head of the Department, and Prof. R. P. Sahi was No. 2, Prof. G. P. Agarwal was No. 3 and easily the most benign in the surgical stratosphere. Always smiling, and always very loving, a rotation in his unit was a celebration. Dr. I.D. Sharma was the lecturer designated to his unit, and the latter enjoyed complete independence in running his breast unit. In fact, when Dr. Sharma needed space for his newly installed Thermography unit, Prof. Agarwal created a nice and cozy place for the same in Experimental Surgery building. He always encouraged Dr. Sharma to follow his passion and helped him in every possible way. I have, in the past, written about Prof. I.D. Sharma. In case you have missed it please click: https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2026/04/remembering-prof-i-d-sharma-early.html

 

Prof. G. P. Agarwal's rounds would start from the General wards of Surgery, where he would often stop to conduct bedside teaching of the undergraduate students, who were since morning being taught by his residents. He would briefly examine the patient, while he is being told the history, and then start teaching, as if it was a prepared lecture. The two hallmarks of his bedside teaching were his bedside manners and his insistence on correct elicitation of physical signs. He could make a roadside beggar feel like a VIP by his immaculate manners and kind and respectful words. Every patient considered him to be their family member. Greeting the patient, seeking permission before examining them, comforting them from time to time, sharing a joke with them, admonishing them, every thing about that conversation was picture perfect and a life lesson for the students and residents. He would never forget to greet the nurses and thank them at the end of the rounds. As he was a food lover, many senior nurses and ward matrons would bring home cooked food or snacks for him, and we all devoured them.

 

From the General Wards we would move to the private wards and here the picture was absolutely different. Every patient was his 'bhai sahab', or 'Bhabhi ji' or 'didi' or 'beta' or 'beti'. Not only did he know them personally, but he knew everything and everyone in their family! Again snacks awaited his arrival and his surgical team was treated as his family, which has come to visit them. When these private patients were discharged and we would keep their bill in front of him, he would often scratch the amount mentioned against 'surgical fee' and write 'zero'. Naturally different patients reacted differently, some were embarrassed and insisted on paying, but he would politely refuse. Some came back with loads and loads of sweets and gifts for him and his team. I often wondered why would he refuse his surgical fee, when these people could afford. But, the answer was not so simple. Once, a jeweler returned with his wife, who was operated for cholecystectomy two weeks back and while leaving, with a lot of hesitation, pressed a set of two keys into his hands while shaking it. Prof. Agarwal said, "Lala ji, your car keys!" 'Lalaji, aapke garhi ki chabhi'.The jeweler politely said, "Sir, they are yours" 'aap hi ki hai!'  He was cementing a life long relationship with these families and with their communities, and the surgical fee was a very small price to pay. He was truly a member of their family, attending the weddings and standing in the funerals with these families. 

 

Our rounds usually never ended without refreshments and if after the rounds we were left famished then Prof. Agarwal would take all of us to Kwality, an up market restaurant in Hazratganj for coffee and cakes and pastries. To say that he was a food lover would be a huge understatement. Despite being a diabetic he loved sweets and fried snacks, and must have been the worst patient of his poor physician. He was in charge of food and catering every time not only the Department of Surgery, but any department hosted a conference in KGMC. Later Dr. R.K. Tandon joined him and the two could handle even massive conferences like the 1984 Annual Conference of Association of Surgeons of India in Lucknow.

 

I knew Prof. Agarwal personally even before joining KGMC because his daughter Neelu and I were classmates in Lucknow University. While I got selected first in AFMC and then in KGMC, Neelu got admission in B.R.D. Medical College, Gorakhpur. His son, Vivek was my wife's classmates. Unfortunately, both of them are no more with us today. I assisted Prof. Agarwal in his private practice. He lived in a luxurious campus bungalow in Shahmina Road, where the Centenary Hospital stands proudly today. His garage, a part of driveway, and one adjoining room were converted into an OT and post operative ward. We would operate hernia, hydrocele, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, ovarian tumours, hysterectomy, superficial thyroidectomy and amputations all in that O.T. The legendary Chotey Lal would assist us, and he would always tell me to closely watch the skin sutures and the dressings done by Prof.Agarwal. Chotey would tell me that this is the bit of Surgery that the patient would observe. You have to do this meticulously to make a good impression! Surgery at home naturally ended with refreshments and Mrs. Agarwal would insist on another refill even when our stomach was about to burst! After retirement he moved to his own home in Mahanagar and operated in Neera Hospital.

 

Today, I am reminded of a bedside teaching in a patient who presented with nausea. I was a Junior Resident in his team then. He took the class away from the patient to the middle of the ward where there were benches for the students and a chair and a blackboard for him. The class took 2 minutes to settle down and by that time he had planned his teaching format.

 

Prof Agarwal insisted on a detailed clinical history and a focused abdominal examination. The purpose was to rule out acute surgical emergencies like bowel obstruction or acute abdomen, and order baseline laboratory investigations, and an upper GI endoscopy as indicated. In those days we did not have ultrasound and peptic ulcer was fairly common, and still a disease being treated by surgeons. So, this is how his class went:

 

History and Physical Examination

• Symptom duration: Ask if the nausea is acute or chronic.
• Associated signs: Check for vomiting, fever, pain, or weight loss.
• Abdominal examination: Check for tenderness, distension, masses, or bowel sounds.
• Surgical history: Review past operations for potential adhesions or strictures.

 

Diagnostic Testing

• Blood tests: Order a complete blood count, electrolytes, and liver function tests.
• Imaging: Get an upright chest and abdominal X-ray to check for free air or obstruction.
• Fractional test meal: A method of examining the secretion of gastric juices; the stomach contents were sampled at intervals via a stomach tube after a test meal of gruel and an acid curve was generated. After the meal, assessments of gastric emptying, gastric acidity, pancreatic secretion, or nutrient absorption could be undertaken.
• Barium swallow/meal - Barium tests are used to help see the outline of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. These include the oesophagus, stomach, and small intestines. 
• Endoscopy: Consider an upper GI endoscopy if symptoms are chronic or non-acute. 

 

Who demands immediate attention?

All patients presenting with nausea who exhibit signs of

     ·        a surgical abdomen
·        hemodynamic instability
·        severe metabolic depletion

require immediate admission. Admitting these patients promptly is vital to prevent life-threatening complications like organ perforation, septic shock, or irreversible tissue ischemia.

The specific patient profiles requiring immediate admission, along with the physiological reasons why, include: 

1. Patients with Signs of Peritonitis (Acute Abdomen)

• Clinical Presentation: Severe, localized, or generalized abdominal pain that worsens with the slightest movement, accompanied by involuntary guarding, rigidity ("board-like" abdomen), and rebound tenderness. 
• Why Admission is required: These signs indicate inflammation of the peritoneal lining, usually caused by a perforated hollow organ (e.g., a perforated peptic ulcer, ruptured appendix, or diverticulitis). Immediate admission allows for emergency surgery to patch the perforation and wash out the peritoneal cavity before overwhelming sepsis develops. 

2. Patients with Hemodynamic Instability or Shock

• Clinical Presentation: Nausea accompanied by tachycardia (HR > 100 bpm), hypotension (SBP < 90 mmHg), tachypnea, cold/clammy skin, or altered mental status. 
• Why Admission is required: The patient is experiencing circulatory failure. In a surgical setting, this points toward septic shock (from a severe intra-abdominal infection like ascending cholangitis) or hemorrhagic shock (from conditions like a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm or ruptured ectopic pregnancy). They require immediate intensive monitoring, aggressive intravenous resuscitation, and definitive source control. 

3. Patients with Complete Bowel Obstruction (Strangulation Risk)

• Clinical Presentation: Nausea and bilious or fecal vomiting paired with abdominal distension, severe cramping pain, and obstipation, which is inability to pass both stool and flatus. 
• Why Admission is required: A mechanical blockage (from adhesions, hernias, or tumors) halts the normal flow of the GI tract. If left unmanaged, the intraluminal pressure can compromise the intestinal blood supply, leading to bowel ischemia, gangrene, and necrosis. Immediate admission ensures gut decompression via a nasogastric (NG) tube and monitoring for emergency surgical resection. 

4. Patients with Abnormal Vomit Content (Gastrointestinal Bleeding)

• Clinical Presentation: Nausea accompanied by vomiting frank blood or "coffee-ground" material. This is hematemesis. A history of black tarry stools is melena which suggests bleeding in upper G.I. tract. 
• Why Admission is required: This indicates active upper gastrointestinal bleeding from causes such as a bleeding peptic ulcer or a Mallory-Weiss tear. Admission is mandatory for active resuscitation, blood type matching, and an urgent diagnostic/therapeutic upper GI endoscopy to achieve hemostasis.

5. Patients with Severe Dehydration and Metabolic Derangement

• Clinical Presentation: Persistent vomiting resulting in, minimal to no urine output, extreme lethargy, and labs showing profound hypokalemia, hyponatremia, or metabolic alkalosis.

• Why Admission is required: Severe electrolyte imbalances can trigger lethal cardiac arrhythmias, and severe hypovolemia can result in acute renal failure (ARF) The patient requires inpatient IV fluid resuscitation and structured, continuous electrolyte replacement.

 

Causes of Nausea

Surgical Causes

• Gastroparesis: Delayed stomach emptying often linked to prior vagus nerve injury during abdominal surgery.
• Bowel Obstruction: Partial or intermittent blockages from scar tissue or adhesions after past operations.
• Dumping Syndrome: Rapid gastric emptying occurring after gastro-jejunostomy.
• Post-Surgical Retained Foreign Body: Rare surgical complications leading to chronic irritation and nausea.

 

Non-Surgical Causes

• Medications: Side effects from chemotherapy, opioids, antibiotics, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Metabolic Disorders: Conditions like uremia, diabetic ketoacidosis, or thyroid imbalances.
• Neurological Conditions: Migraines, increased intracranial pressure, or vestibular disorders.
• Gastrointestinal Disease: Peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or chronic hepatitis. 
• Pregnancy: Morning sickness is common in first trimester of pregnancy - between 6 to 14 weeks it is most frequent - almost 70% ladies have it.

 

Psychological Causes

• Anxiety and Depression: Mental health conditions that strongly alter gut motility and brain-gut signaling.
• Chronic Nausea and Vomiting Syndrome: A functional GI disorder where nausea occurs without physical blockage.
• Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome: Nausea linked to regular cannabis use, often relieved by hot showers.
• Eating Disorders: Conditions like anorexia or bulimia nervosa that cause persistent gastrointestinal distress. 

 

That is how the bedside teaching of Prof. G.P. Agarwal ended. Teachers like Prof. Agarwal never taught from books, but from their experience. They would revise the important bits again and again, ask every person of that small batch which was attending the bedside teaching, and ensure that the even the last in the class has understood the subject. A patient and unthreatening approach in the morning would be followed up by the evening teaching by his Senior Resident revising the same lesson with the same batch. This is what made our bedside teachings matchless!

GUARDING CHILDHOOD FROM THE NET WOLF

 

Parents today often reach for the smartphone the way earlier generations reached for a rattle or a storybook. A cricket match is on television, a kitty party is in full swing, work emails demand attention—and the glowing rectangle is handed over. Babies are not born with an instinct to clutch a phone. Adults place it in their hands. In nuclear families the device has quietly taken the place of grandparents, the cartoon channel, the neighbourhood nanny, and sometimes even the parents themselves. The arrangement feels convenient—until the consequences become visible.

 

Children no longer “go online.” They live there. The internet is their playground, corridor, classroom, gossip bench, talent show, shopping arcade and emotional support system all at once. It is not a destination; it is habitat. Yet this habitat answers to no one—not parents, not teachers, not the law in any consistent way. Platforms host children’s behaviour and, more importantly, shape it. 

 

Children arrive in this world without suspicion. They treat “likes” as genuine approval, virality as natural weather, popularity as merit, and an unfriend or thumbs-down as personal rejection. A “friend” is not the same as a follower; a “trend” is not discovery but an instruction wearing mascara. The online environment arrives pre-arranged by entities whose motives are commercial at best and extractive at worst. Children lack the maturity to ask the crucial questions: Who gains? Who profits when I feel anxious and return compulsively to the feed?

 

That missing skill can be called motive literacy. The ability to recognise that the medium which speaks in the accent of friendship still bills in the language of attention and data extraction is not present in innocent children. Parents themselves are only beginning to grasp this. Once they do, the harder task remains: teaching it to children who have never known a world without constant connectivity.

 

Teaching motive literacy to children is vital. It means helping children notice that the online world is rarely neutral. Platforms, creators, and algorithms speak in the language of friendship, fun, and discovery while operating on commercial motives: capturing attention, collecting data, driving engagement, and generating profit. The core habit is learning to ask, calmly and repeatedly: Who made this? Why? Who gains? What does this want from me? This skill does not require turning children into cynics. It builds the same healthy suspicion we once taught about strangers, advertising, or playground politics—only applied to the digital habitat they now inhabit.

 

The disappearance of traditional storytelling compounds the problem. In earlier joint families, grandparents transmitted civilizational memory through the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Panchatantra and Aesop’s fables. Those stories carried values, warnings and moral complexity. In many nuclear households that informal curriculum has thinned. In its place stands an algorithm optimized for engagement, not wisdom. Parents sometimes believe screens insulate children from peer cruelty, caste prejudice or class snobbery. The discrimination has not vanished; it has simply become faceless. A child can still be tormented—yet suffers alone, and by the time adults notice, the damage is often advanced.

 

Once there was a schoolyard bully who could be confronted by teachers or parents. Today’s cyber bully lives in a space that is difficult to police and almost impossible to hold accountable. Falsehoods travel faster than corrections. Manufactured hunger for validation keeps young minds returning to the same platforms that intensify their anxiety. The medium is rarely held responsible.

 

None of this is an argument for digital abstinence. The internet is too deeply woven into education, creativity and social life to be simply switched off. The task is deliberate cultivation of awareness. Motive literacy can be taught the same way we once taught children to cross a busy road: by explaining the hidden rules of the environment, modelling scepticism, and setting boundaries that grow with the child’s capacity. Families can restore some of the narrative richness that screens displaced—reading together, recounting family stories, discussing the motives behind the content children consume. Schools can treat digital citizenship as seriously as physical safety. Platforms can be pressed, through regulation and public pressure, to design for developmental reality rather than pure engagement metrics.

 

Childhood is not merely a phase to be managed with electronic pacifiers. It is the period in which suspicion, judgment and resilience are formed. When the playground turns into a casino before children can recognise the difference, the loss is not only individual; it is cultural. The net wolf is already at the door. The question is whether adults will keep handing it the key, or finally learn to guard the threshold.

 

LIFE LESSONS FROM KUMBH - PART II

 

 

 

Last year I was in Sangam, the holy confluence of the Holy Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj, to take the holy dip during the Maha Kumbh. I have, in a previous blog, told that story, anf if you have missed it then this is where you can find it: https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2025/02/life-lessons-from-kumbh.html

 

The evenings in Kumbh Mela were very interesting. There was something for everyone. From sadhus smoking strong intoxicants from their earthen chillum to some buried neck deep in the river sand to some reciting mantras in rich Sanskrit, there was a wide plethora of sainthood on display. I was most attracted to a sadhu was delivering a very profound and soulful lecture on life lessons – what prevents us from leading a happy life, and what changes can we bring within us to lead a happy life. He was young and he spoke Queen’s English to translate what he was saying in Hindi, because there were quite a few foreigners in that gathering. To some from Latin America he effortlessly conversed in Spanish too! So, this is what he said that evening:

 

If we take a good look at ourselves, we’ll discover that our lives are lead by many factors that create a great deal of tension, pain, and suffering within us. Instead of letting go of these things and allowing ourselves to feel free, we cling to them zealously, confident that they are our fortune. No more! From now on, we will give up on things that no longer serve us and adopt a change

 

1. You can be nice and not right, once in a while.

Many of us don’t tolerate the idea that we’re wrong. We want to always be right and for us, we are always right, even at the cost of ending great relationships or causing pain and stress to ourselves and others. It's just not worth it! Whenever you feel the need to jump into an argument ask yourself: "Is my ego really so big?", "Do I prefer to be right or would I rather be nice?" 

 

2. Give up the need for control

Be willing to give up the need to always be in control of what is happening to you and your surroundings - situations, events, people, and circumstances. Whether the people around you are loved ones or just strangers on the street - let them be. Let the world catch its trouble just as it is, and you'll see how much better you’ll feel. Just remember: "The world is vanquished by those who let it be, but when you try and try, the world will always be invincible."

 

3. Give up blame

Give up your need to blame others for what you have or do not have, what you feel or do not feel. Stop wasting energy and take responsibility for your life.

 

4. Give up defeatism

So many people hurt and cripple themselves because of negative thinking and a defeatist perception of themselves. Don’t believe everything your brain tells you, especially if it's negative. You're better than that! The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.

 

5. Give up limiting beliefs

Give up the limitations of 'can or cannot' of ‘possible or impossible'. From now on you won’t let limiting beliefs keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly high! A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind. I have elaborated this in a previous blog:   https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-death-of-i-cant_30.html

 

6. Give up the complaints

Give up the constant need to complain about all the things, people, situations, events, and circumstances that make you feel unhappy and depressed. No one can make you sad and no situation can make you unhappy unless you allow it. It isn’t the situation that triggers these emotions, but your choice of how to look at things. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

 

7. Give up the luxury of criticism

Give up the need to criticize things, events, and people who are different from you. We are all different, but similar in one thing: we want to be happy, loving, loved and understood. Do not judge the means others adopt on their way to achieving this goal.

 

8. Give up the need to impress others

This is a juvenile habit. Stop trying to be something you are not, just to please others. It doesn’t work that way. Once you stop trying to be someone else, once you remove the mask and start being your "true self," people will be attracted to you, effortlessly.

 

9. Give up resistance to change

Change is good. Change helps us move from point to point. Change helps improve your life and that of those around you. Adopt change and don’t oppose it. Joseph Campbell said: "Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”

 

10. Give up labels

Stop labeling things, people and events that you don’t understand or that seem strange to you. Try to open your mind, step by step. Minds work only when they are open. The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something that you don’t know anything about.

 

11. Give up your fears

Fear is only an illusion, it does not exist, we create it. It's all in our minds. Fix what you feel inside and things on the outside will work out on their own. Franklin Roosevelt said: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

 

12. Give up the excuses

Pack all the excuses in a box and send them away, because today you have no need for them. Many times we limit ourselves to our excuses. Instead of growing and improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck in our own lies and make excuse after excuse. In the end, 99.9% of these excuses are not real.

 

13. Give up the past

This is difficult, especially when the past looks much better than the present and the future looks scary. But keep in mind that the current moment is all you need and everything you will ever need. Don’t forget that the past you miss so much is the one you ignored when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life - after all, life is a journey, not a destination. Adopt a clear vision for the future, but don’t forget to be present here in the Now.

 

14. Give up attachments

For many, this concept is hard to understand, but with time, practice, sincerity and awareness it will become obvious. Make a distinction between the things you love and the things you stick to. These are two different things - love comes from a pure place, clinging comes from a place of fear. Once you have detached yourself you can be peaceful and patient.

 

15. Give up the need to meet the expectations of others

Too many people live a life that is not theirs. They live their lives according to what others think is good and right for them; According to what their parents say, their company dictates, their community members expect and the government determines. The culture in which we live paves a "norm" that causes us to ignore our inner voice and lose control. Over time, we forget what makes us happy and what we want. Don’t let distractions divert you from the path you are paving.

With this the Sadhu sweetly smiled at the gathering, folded his hands and said ‘namaskar’. The crowd slowly dispersed. This was a truly digital Kumbh. Digital innovations and AI were used to help crowd management. Thousands of drones were employed to monitor the security at the Mela site. Meanwhile, devotees had been given radio frequency wristbands to help locate lost family members who got separated in the crowd. Kumbh Mela attracts people from all walks of life, from sadhus to ordinary citizens, including families and international visitors. This is a true ocean of humanity in search of salvation. I do not know whether the holy dip in Sangam brings salvation of the soul or not, but getting acquainted with learned people like the Sadhu we just heard, surely brings salvation to the mind.

THE JOB THAT ONCE DEFINED LIFE NOW FEELS LIKE A DISPOSABLE UPGRADE

In our generation, we went to work wanting a salary. Our children now go to work wanting a salary, mental health, work-life balance, personal growth, the option of working from home, a nice boss, and work that doesn’t make them question the point of being alive. And by the way, Gen Z wants all this before lunch. For us, a job was what we did. For them, it is something they have to be. Leaving a job, therefore, becomes an attempt to change themselves.

 

Our parents were lifelong Tata or Railway or Maruti men and women. Loyalty toward their employers was fiercely ingrained. Changing jobs felt like breaking a loyalty code—absolutely unthinkable. Employers, in turn, took care of them with perks, promotions, bonuses, LTCs, medical benefits, provident funds, retirement support, and sometimes even jobs for family members. What was wrong with that system? Why did it break down? Are the younger generations unstable and impatient, or progressive and ambitious as they claim?

 

What Held the Old Compact Together—and Why It Fractured

The old model worked in a relatively closed, slower-moving economy dominated by public-sector undertakings and a handful of large private houses. Jobs were scarce, alternative opportunities limited, and the social contract was clear: stay loyal, work steadily, and the organization would provide security across a lifetime and sometimes across generations. Productivity expectations were different; the pace of technological change was gentler; and competition, both domestic and global, was muted.

 

That world ended with economic liberalisation, globalisation, the rise of private and multinational capital, rapid technological disruption, and the shift from stakeholder capitalism toward sharper quarterly performance pressures. Lifelong employment guarantees became liabilities. Mass restructuring and layoffs moved from exceptional responses to routine efficiency tools. Pensions and long-term benefit structures weakened. Skills began to get obsolete faster. The mutual expectation of loyalty eroded because the structural conditions that sustained it disappeared. Employers could no longer (or would no longer) promise the old security; workers rationally stopped offering the old permanence and loyalty.

 

Data on tenure reflects this. Average early-career stints have shortened markedly for younger cohorts, with some reports putting Gen Z’s average tenure in the first five years around 1.1 years in certain markets, compared with longer spans for earlier generations at similar life stages. Job-change intentions remain high among Indian professionals. At the same time, careful historical comparisons (especially from the United States) suggest that young workers have always changed jobs more frequently than older ones; the perception of unprecedented restlessness is sometimes amplified by visibility and weaker traditional retention mechanisms such as defined-benefit pensions. There are exceptions to this rule too in Japan and Korea, where workers are still fiercely loyal to Toyota, Honda, Samsung and Hundai.

 

The New Expectations Are Not Pure Whimsy

Younger workers grew up watching the old promises break—layoffs even in “stable” companies, stagnant real wage growth in parts of the economy, the disappearance or reconfiguration of entry-level roles under automation and AI, and the rise of contractual and gig arrangements. In that environment, prioritising mental health, flexibility, purpose, continuous learning, and the option to leave is less pure impatience and more risk management. Many surveys show Gen Z and millennials ranking work-life balance, growth opportunities, and meaningful work highly—sometimes above pure title progression. They treat careers more like skill portfolios than lifelong identities with one organization or employer.

 

Novelty has come from Consumer Technology to Profession

The impatient generation often treats jobs the way it treats phones, bikes, or watches—constant upgrades, endless consumption, and diminishing joy after each change. Incremental switches rarely transform the fundamental experience of work. Anticipation and waiting once formed part of pleasure and forced accumulation of depth; constant movement can leave people permanently in the shallow end. Money remains a means; sustained satisfaction and those infrequent “aah” moments still require diligence, hard work, and time spent mastering something rather than endlessly shopping for the next role.

 

A perfectly good job accepted last year as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity can feel embarrassingly obsolete today not because the job changed that dramatically, but because the cultural expectation of perpetual novelty has been imported from consumer technology into professional life.

 

Productivity, Investment, and the Cost of Restlessness

High attrition is not costless. Training investments are lost, institutional knowledge walks out the door, team cohesion suffers, and managerial attention is diverted to constant hiring and onboarding. In manufacturing and other capital-intensive sectors, elevated early attrition has been flagged as a real constraint on scaling and quality consistency. Employers, domestic and foreign, notice when workforce instability raises the effective cost of operations. This feeds into broader debates about why large-scale industrial investment sometimes hesitates.

 

Labour-law liberalisation is frequently proposed as part of the solution: greater flexibility in hiring and separation so firms can scale without fear of permanent rigidities, and so labour can flow more easily toward higher-productivity uses. Evidence from Indian manufacturing and cross-country studies is mixed and context-dependent. Excessive rigidity can discourage formal employment and firm growth; excessive precariousness can reduce incentives for firm-specific training and raise turnover costs. Balanced reform that improves both flexibility and basic security (while encouraging formalisation) is more promising than pure deregulation. But laws alone will not restore mutual commitment if the deeper cultural shift toward short-termism continues unchecked on both sides.

 

Neither Pure Nostalgia nor Uncritical Celebration

The old system had real strengths—stability, intergenerational continuity, and a sense that work was embedded in a longer life narrative. But it also tolerated stagnation, limited mobility, and sometimes nepotistic or low-accountability arrangements. The new ethos has strengths—greater agency, insistence on humane conditions, faster skill acquisition, and reduced tolerance for toxic environments. But it risks producing chronic restlessness, shallow expertise, and a workplace in which neither side feels secure enough to invest deeply.

 

Lasting joy and competence still tend to come from how we experience and master work over time, not from the next acquisition. Getting good jobs is becoming harder in a competitive, skills- and AI-disrupted market; executing them with diligence is harder still when the cultural default is perpetual readiness to leave. Employers who offer genuine growth, fair treatment, and some predictability will retain more talent. Workers who cultivate patience, depth, and the capacity to create their own “aah” moments will extract more meaning—and often more long-term reward—than those who treat every role as a temporary upgrade.

 

The real task is not to romanticise the Railway or Tata man of the past, nor to celebrate endless job-hopping as pure progress. It is to rebuild a workable social contract for work in which loyalty is earned rather than assumed, patience is valued without becoming stagnation, and the job remains a significant part of life without having to be the entirety of the self. That balance is harder than either generation’s preferred story admits—but it is the only one that sustains both productivity and human satisfaction.

MENTAL STRENGTH – A PRICELESS POSSESSION

 

 

Cristiano Ronaldo has all the silverwares in his cupboard except the FIFA World Cup and even though he is 41 he is back to give it a last try. His contemporary and the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is 39, has won the last World Cup, has battled several injuries, but is back again for one more time. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 15 years old boy wonder from Bihar, blazed the recently concluded IPL with mind boggling strike rate and an all time record number of sixes against the best bowlers of the world. What do all these three have in common? They have enormous mental strength. It is not that they don’t fail, they treat their failure as yet another stepping stone towards success, a success that never satisfies them. Despite physical pain and hardship they return to practice and to their big game because of their mental strength.

 

Mental toughness or emotional resilience, is the capacity to handle life’s pressures, setbacks, and challenges effectively while maintaining wellbeing and pursuing goals. In moments of weakness and crisis, after our body has exhausted all its forces, the only thing we have left that can give us the last push we need is our mental strength. We all have mental power at some level or another, and the question is not just how strong it is in general, but how powerful it is in relation to our goals. A person who tries to lose weight and doesn’t give up for a long time is a person of great mental strength. Who doesn’t like to sleep an extra hour in the morning, but to force oneself out of bed and go out for a morning run needs mental strength.

 

The reverse is far more common. So many people try to lose weight and stop or give up after a few months with excuses, although they have not yet reached their goal, These people suffers from weak mental strength. Mental strength is like a muscle that can be trained and strengthened.

Let us see how:

 

1. Be honest with yourself

One in every 4 calories we put into our body is designed to give energy to the brain. When we lie, whether for ourself or for others, some of the brain must remember the truth, while other parts must remember the lie. In order to keep these two memories, we have to feed our brain with 2 times the calories to provide the energy needed for the double action. If we are honest with ourself 100% of the time, we will be less concerned and our brain can operate more efficiently and calmly, which will help improve our mental strength at the moments we need it.

 

2. Think of others more than yourself

Tony Robbins, a writer and personal consultant who has written two books on psychology and self-help, claims that in order to succeed, you have to serve as many people as possible. Someone who is mentally strong always tries to help solve other’s problems and seeks ways to make life easier for others. The best example is our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. At 75 he can work tirelessly with just four hours of sleep because he is working for others, for his country and his party. If you want to be mentally stronger, think less of yourself and see how you can use your knowledge and abilities to help others. Once you understand that you are not at the center of the universe and that you can help others feel that they are, the mental strength and success will come on their own.

 

3. Read books

This unfortunately is a trend we are losing. Social media has reduced our attention span. Reading books is a priceless habit because we live only once, and in one lifetime we can accumulate only that much of experience. However, when we read a book, we are sucked into the lives of others for several days, weeks, or months, and we experience it together with them knowing that in the end all with be resolved. We return to our lives after learning from their mistakes and experiences, and of course a little about ourselves, and that's how we get stronger with each book we read.

 

4. Cultivate healthy relationships

Around every successful person, there are a number of close friends who make them who they are. In fact, many of the most successful billionaires, outstanding athletes, great scientists and talented artists in the world claim that each of us is the average of the five people with whom we spend most of our time. Every successful person in the world surrounds themselves with people who love them, support them, and help him think of and come up with ideas. Surround yourself with the right people who will build you up and not tear you down. Befriend people smarter than you, and develop your own circle of genius around you. They will add to your mental strength.

 

5. Be curious

The only way to learn how things work is through curiosity and asking questions. We are born curious, we broke the radio in childhood to see who was speaking from inside. But, while growing up we lost that curiousness. We were disciplined to conform to a ‘good boy/girl’ type. Now, at this stage of life, find people who inspire your curiosity and from whom you’d like to learn the most. The dumber you think your question is, the faster you need to ask it. There is no stupid question in a field you aren’t familiar with and people with knowledge in the same field will be happy to share it with you. If you are ashamed to ask a question, challenge yourself to ask 2 questions. Shy people don’t make much progress in life and the only reason is that they prevent it from themselves. Curiosity is like an appetite, and you have to feed it as long as it is hungry so you can get the nutrients that your brain needs to get stronger.

 

6. Take care of your health

The type of food we eat also affects the brain's activity and our mental strength. It is hard to be strong and creative and to carry out our ideas when we are ill in bed, or even when our bodies prefer to lie on the couch than to run. You don’t have to lift weights and build muscle to feel healthy, sticking to a healthy diet is enough. Walking at least half an hour every day and 8 hours of sleep each night will allow your brain to work best.

 

7. Learn and repeat what you have learned

Many studies show that students in schools and universities forget almost everything they heard during a lecture 45 minutes after leaving the classroom. To keep information that has just entered your mind for the first time, it is strongly recommended that you write it down or use it in conversation during the hour after the lesson has finished. The next day, repeat the material learned through conversation, so you can make sure it stays in your head for a long time. The best way to instill new knowledge in your mind is to teach it to someone else, so it is strongly recommended that you share with others what you learn. This is something which we practiced in our residency days in King George’s Medical College, and the stuff I taught as a resident to my juniors, is still fresh in my mind.

 

8. Don’t limit yourself

People with mental strength give themselves permission to do things that they haven’t tried before and experience new things. In addition, they give themselves permission to come up with bad ideas, take risks, slip and fall and try again. If you don’t give yourself permission to re-create your world, no one else will give it to you, and it will limit you to the world you know, which will prevent growth and progress toward new things that will improve your quality of life and give you personal satisfaction from what you have achieved in life. Impossible can be made possible only by trying, modifying, and trying again but differently.

 

9. “Ideas” are priceless, keep them coming  

Today, the strongest "currency" in the global economy is ideas. In order to profit from ideas, one must first come up with them, and it is recommended that they be good. To improve your ability to come up with good ideas that will help you fulfill your ambitions, adopt a practice where you write 10 ideas a day on a variety of topics on a piece of paper. It works just like weight lifting - at first, it’ll be difficult, but over time your "muscle of ideas" will grow and strengthen. In the end, you’ll find that you have an almost supernatural ability to come up with a creative solution to any problem that life throws at you. Taking the beaten track is easy, but it cannot lead to a new place. To discover the new, you need a new idea.

 

10. Be present in the moment

Whenever you feel remorse about the past, or you are anxious about the future, you create a journey in time that takes you from the moment you are in and puts you somewhere else that has already passed or has not yet arrived and doesn’t exist. People with mental strength, who find themselves conducting such a journey in time, do so to learn from past mistakes, and plan for future success. Instead of messing with their troubles, which they can’t solve, they think about how they can help others solve their troubles. Miraculously, when this is done, life becomes less stressed, and the success and motivation we achieve in this way usually leads to other successes that guide the future to where we want to go.

 

 

Mental strength is like a muscle - we have to train it to strengthen it so we can use it during the difficult moments when we need it most. With mental strength we can overcome all our fears and all the moments when we feel we want to give up, throw up our hands and settle for what we’ve achieved so far, which usually isn’t the ultimate goal.

 

FLORENCE – WHERE RENAISSANCE BLOSSOMED

 

Whether you think of yourself as a lover of art, culture, history, or just a worldly person, and you simply love Italy's inexhaustible charm and want to experience it in all its greatness - you must visit Florence! One of the most beautiful and well-known cities in Italy, the capital of the wonderful Tuscany region, which has produced some of the most important personalities and artists in human history and gave birth to the Renaissance culture that changed the world, is simply a gem of grace that includes endless treasures for every tourist and traveler. Let me share with you some of the main attractions, sights, and destinations in Florence, which you will undoubtedly want to see when you visit this great city.

 

1. Ponte Vecchio  

Ponte Vecchio

  The Ponte Vecchio (the old bridge) is one of the most iconic and known spots of Florence, as well as one of the first stops to which every tourist comes and visits in the city. This bridge, built by the Romans in 1117 over the Arno River which connects the two parts of the city together, is especially famous for the buildings above it, which continue the city over the waterline of the river and create a beautiful view that characterizes Florence, when at night the bridge lights sparkle on the surface of the river water and spectacular view only intensifies. The bridge area itself is known for the many jewelry shops surrounding it.

 

2. Uffizi Gallery

Uffizi Gallery

In Florence, it’s impossible to talk about art - the field that is so identified with this city - without mentioning the Uffizi Gallery - one of the largest and most important art museums in the world. Built in the 16th century and first used as a government building for the famous Medici dynasty, the gallery building has become a respected museum, one of the city's most prominent attractions. Here you’ll be able to see some of the most famous works of great artists such as Da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael and more. If you click on this hyperlink, you will know a lot about Uffizi Gallery Tours

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3. Boboli Gardens

The green lush gardens in the center of Florence, the well-kept and beautiful Boboli Gardens, are directly connected to the city's glorious heritage. The gardens behind the Pitti Palace (another site in the city we recommend you visit) were founded by the extensive Medici dynasty that once ruled here, and includes all the classic Italian-style design features we so love. The gardens are full of Renaissance-style sculptures, impressive fountains and green lawns, loved by all the city's residents and you will undoubtedly enjoy your time spent here.

 

4. Mercato Centrale

This is a vibrant bustling central market. In this two-story covered market, also known as the San Lorenzo Market, you’ll find the best of Italian produce known for its quality. On the second floor, you can enjoy a variety of small restaurants, cafés, and food stalls, where you can enjoy delicious local Italian delicacies, many of which are famous all over the world.

David in Galleria dell' Accamedia

 

5. Piazzale Michelangelo

To get the best view of all the beauty that is hidden in Florence, you need to get to Piazzale Michelangelo, one of the city's main squares, located on a small hill on the southern bank of the River Arno and also one of Florence's most beautiful and beloved observation points. From here you can view the entire city, with its impressive buildings, as well as sit with the statues of the great artist Michelangelo in one of the cafes spread out here and enjoy the breathtaking views of Florence.

 

6. Santa Croce Church

Santa Corche Basilica

Your visit to Florence won’t be complete if you miss the impressive structure of the Santa Croce Basilica, which is no longer just a beautiful church - but rather the "Temple of Italian Glory," as the locals call it. It is one of the largest Franciscan churches in the world, serving as the resting place of some of the greatest figures of human history, such as pioneering scientist Galileo Galilei, artist Michelangelo, and composer Joaco Rossini. Here, you’ll also be able to take in countless classical works of art - paintings, sculptures, and frescoes - made by the great artists who grew up in this city and its surrounding areas.

 

7. Galleria dell'Accademia

Galleria dell' Accademia

The Art Academy of Florence is first and foremost the home of one of the world's most famous sculptures - Michelangelo's original David statue. This iconic statue, which is 5.17 meters high, is a good reason to visit this important museum, along with millions who come here every year to admire it, although of course, it isn’t the only thing here. Many more works of art from the 15th and 16th centuries are enclosed in the walls of this prestigious institution, which was founded in 1561 and was the first academy to teach painting in Europe. If you click on this hyperlink you can explore Accademia & Michelangelo's David Tours https://thetourguy.com...​

 

8. Palazzo Vecchio

Many years of history, art and a lot of strength and power resonate between the rooms of one of the most unique structures in Florence, which was once the residence of the rulers and kings of Florence, and now functions as a particularly magnificent museum. This magnificent palace, built during the 12th century, was designed and decorated by the best of the city's artists, who were financed by the extensive Medici dynasty that ruled the city and lived there. There are many frescoes, sculptures, ornate ceilings, intricate carvings and large wall tiles, all of which describe historical and biblical events.

Plazzo Vecchio on Piazza Della Signoria

 

9. Piazza Della Signoria

The Signoria Square is a spacious square is also full of magnificent statues, including a marble replica of the David statue and the Neptune fountain. Next, to the square, you’ll find Liga de Lancy - an impressive and open architectural structure with more classic works of art.

 

10. Villa il Palmerino

You can go out to breathe some Tuscan mountain air in the pastoral Villa Il Palmerino, located in the northern sculpted hills of the city. Here too you can find cultural offerings, since the venue hosts events such as concerts and lectures, but apart from them you can also enjoy an exotic, flowery English style garden and a small restaurant that serves local food made using fresh ingredients grown in the place’s very own vegetable garden.

 

11. Piazza Santo Spirito

If you move to the other side of the Arno River you can reach the bohemian Piazza Santo Spirito, which houses an authentic street market as well as a host of small bars and restaurants packed with local Florentines. This can be a good opportunity for you to get to know the city's contemporary culture and to taste the modern cosmopolitan atmosphere in Florence.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

12. Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore  

Just as it is impossible to envision Florence’s skyline without the beautiful and incredible large dome at the top of this magnificent building, it is impossible to describe a visit and a stroll in the city without reaching its famous main cathedral and the large square next to it. The exterior is decorated with red, green and white marble, through the entrance hall and its interior, decorated with dozens of works of art, stained glass, mosaics and of course statues, to its tall bell tower. Your welcome to climb the bell tower (if you’re in good shape) and take in the breathtaking view at its top - you are no doubt going to be moved by this place to the depths of your soul.

Paintings in the dome of the Cathedral

Florence, known as the cradle of the Renaissance, stands as one of the most influential cities in Italian and European history. Its significance extends far beyond art and culture, encompassing economics, politics, architecture, and philosophy. From the Middle Ages through the modern era, Florence shaped the course of Italian history, serving as a model of excellence that continues to illuminate cultural and intellectual life worldwide.

 

Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Florence became a cultural laboratory of Europe, attracting artists, architects, philosophers, and scientists. The patronage of noble families, especially the Medici, provided the ideal conditions for groundbreaking artistic achievements. Florentine art was not merely decorative; it was a symbol of political prestige, technical innovation, and spirituality. Every building, fresco, or sculpture reflected a city determined to be a European protagonist. The dome of Brunelleschi’s Santa Maria del Fiore, Michelangelo’s sculptures, and the frescoes of Leonardo da Vinci exemplify Florence’s unparalleled creative capacity.

I am leaving you with 3 hyperlinks to enjoy the beauty of Florence:

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 Florence Duomo Tours
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Florence is Italy’s greatest village—a place where Renaissance art meets small-town charm.