Newerways

Tired of battling pain and neuropathy after her bilateral total knee replacement, my eighty-two-year-old mother finally said she wanted to see an orthopedic. I arranged everything, got her into a rickshaw, and we made our way to the clinic she had long believed would be the answer to her suffering. The doctor, absorbed in the election results on his mobile, examined and asked her a few routine questions, dismissed her concerns, and prescribed her for two weeks. As we were about to leave, he reminded us to show him the purchased medicines. The real blow came at the pharmacy: four thousand five hundred rupees for a week’s supply. My mother walked out defeated, returning to the same private struggle she had hoped to escape. And that moment marked the beginning of her own makeshift, do-it-yourself (DIY) path through healthcare. Within weeks, the doorbell became a constant soundtrack. Foot massagers arrived, and then joint exercisers and posture devices. An assortment of gadgets, all promis...

Happy  Teacher's Day Life is full of teachers we don’t even recognize. The ants marching on teach us discipline without supervision, faith without recognition. The squirrel, carrying its tiny grains, shows us that contribution is not measured by applause but by necessity. Our human teachers are no different. Some speak in words, others in presence. Some correct us with chalk, while others do so with silence. What they all share is the flame of seeing us leave a mark. On this Teachers’ Day, I honor not just those in classrooms, but every teacher, visible or invisible, that life has given me. For each one taught a lesson that survives longer than memory. Happy Teachers’ Day.

A new era of storytelling has emerged that writes not just with ink or voice but with algorithms. We now have techniques to write essays, poems, and bedtime stories at lightning speed. The human pause no longer weighs the page and fills it instantaneously. My grandmother’s tales were told from the heart. They didn't survive because of the grammar, but because of the warmth in her voice and the tickles she made as we sat next to her, listening. Modern narration can tell how King Porus fell to King Alexander, but not that emotion when Alexander questions, ‘How should I treat you’, that quiver, that authority she exuded, which  King Porus, for a moment, had to reply ‘as a King would treat another King’. Similarly, artificial intelligence (AI) can recount how a patient recovered from illness, but it cannot replicate the tremor in their voice as they describe survival. Technology has altered the craft of communicating stories, creating a divide between information and intimacy between n...

December 1984 marks the pivotal moment in my life, the year I stepped into an unfamiliar world that would reshape my professional future. Dentistry was an alien territory, yet I found myself walking through the corridors of the Prosthetic Lab and navigating the imposing five-story dental building that stretched right across the road, housing dental departments. Through countless decisions and transformations that began as tentative steps into the alien world over the decades, I pivoted into another field still alien to me, medical writing. I found myself explaining everything from the eyes and ears to the heart, nutrition, lungs, and mental health, and much more, but not dentistry. The challenges were real Rarely had I stepped out of my comfort zone till now, but now everything was in flux. The work landscape was transforming from manual to digital and from on-site to remote; above all, adaptability became essential rather than optional. I risked oversimplifying or misinterpreting scie...

I stumbled upon a song, Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, on YouTube. It immediately made me reflect on the journey of many medical professionals, those who venture into lesser-known fields like medical writing. The analogy between words, music, and medical writing can be striking. (You can listen to the song  here  if you wish.) Medical writers offer perspectives and create content that resonates with healthcare professionals, patients, and everyone needing it. They bridge the gap between science and language, ensuring that medical knowledge is accessible to all. Insights into medical writing Medical writing requires deep thinking and often long moments of silence. A medical writer gathers information and carefully presents it to a broader audience. Writing about complex topics such as diseases, treatments, or healthcare policies often becomes a personal journey, much like composing a song. It demands focused, intensive work. Writers express their thoughts, research, a...

That Harvard Business Review (HBR) article haunted me in the best possible way.  Years ago, I read about professionals who made mid-career pivots. It planted a seed, which I didn’t know would take root, reshaping my professional identity.  An introvert's dilemma As a dentist, I lived between the two worlds. Some days, I thrived on patient interactions, finding energy in clinical conversations and treatment planning. On other days, I yearned for isolation. The oscillation between introversion and extroversion left me questioning what I wanted to do. Deciding to explore the internet, I looked for jobs that were less time-consuming, more enjoyable, and left us with enough time to pursue what I wanted to do. Does such a job exist? I was Alice in Wonderland, hoping it was always 5.00 pm (tea time). Remote work was typically for tech professionals and a few acquaintances who worked in the US. I looked with a wow! For all those who did it, healthcare providers found it simply unthink...

If you have ever tried starting yoga, you know the struggle: motivation fades, and mats gather dust. For me, yoga was always on my bucket list, but what I needed was the intent to start. Then something unexpected happened. My yoga group formed an unusual trio: my 80-year-old mother, my niece visiting from the USA, and me. Every morning at 6:30 am, we gathered not in the garden but in front of our TV to tune into live yoga sessions by Saurabh Bothra. And guess what? Yoga did happen. It wasn’t perfect, but it was consistent. We stretched, laughed, and even dozed off in shavaasan, but slowly, breath by breath, a habit was born. Because sometimes all it takes is showing up together.

Usha Vance became the Second Lady of the United States, following JD Vance, her husband’s election as Vice President. An accomplished attorney and the first Asian-American holding the position. Last week, she occupied the center stage in India. A lot was talked about the book Iliad, which  she carried during the campaign for her husband. What interested me was neither of them, but her title. It reminded me of something I had read years ago. Irving Wallace’s THE SECOND LADY. In our younger days, we frequented libraries and often the shops at Janpath in Delhi to buy reasonably priced paperbacks or second-hand books. My sister and I visited our chachi to borrow her library books. She would recommend them, much like Goodreads . Those were not the times of the internet, and recommendations were always made through word of mouth. I remember her narration of the political thriller. “ The first lady of the United States is abducted during a state visit to Moscow and replaced by a Russi...

  My call was gladly received by my sister, who was in the midst of a monotonous job of setting a question paper for her students. She needed a distraction, and I willingly obliged. These days, we enjoy our telephone conversations more than usual. The reason is that we dwell upon the stories from the past that have been handed down to us from our previous generations. They are not stories of valor passed down the generations in musical forms to infuse courage. They seem like tall stories stretched by imagination, not only to us but also to innocent bystanders. These have become so believable to us by being repeated many times during our family reunions. The stomach-churning laughter they induce keeps those anecdotes so lively until today. Tippan Chacha (uncle) was a guest who came from far away to take a departmental examination for promotion in the city where my grandparents lived. Our grandparents were glad to have him visit them. As for one of their broods, my mother, younger th...

  Welcome to the world of medical tourism, where people cross continents for budget-friendly surgeries and bonus vacation perks! Imagine lounging on a beach, sipping coconut water, and not worrying about whether your stitches will match your tan lines. Sounds tempting? Some seek cheaper healthcare, others want shorter wait times, and a few need a legitimate excuse to take time off work—Doctor’s orders! Two weeks, non-negotiable, in any scenic destination of your choice. It’s healthcare but with hotel upgrades and spa treatments. Popular Destinations Thailand, Turkey, India, and Mexico have become hotspots for those looking to fix their smiles, sculpt their waistlines, or get a second chance at hairlines. What’s not to love? A medical procedure bundled with an exotic holiday—just research because no one wants their new teeth installed backward! A New Perspective Until recently, this was my idea of medical tourism—an exciting blend of affordability and adventure. But then, I saw a di...