Have you ever wondered why athletes, musicians, dancers and even successful entrepreneurs keep doing the same thing over and over. It’s because they know the real magic lies in repetition. In life it’s easy to stop when things get tough. it’s easy to say i will do it tomorrow or saying that it may be not meant for me. But winners are not born from giving up. They are built in moments of falling and rising again. When you get up every day and practice your craft no matter how small the improvement you are shaping yourself into the best version possible. Practice is not just a habit. It’s a lifestyle of excellence.

Think about this Thomas Edison, he failed 1000 times before inventing the light bulb. Steve Job was fired from Apple- the company he founded,but came back to make it a global revolution. What’s the common factor? They got up and did it again and again.

Neuroscientists have proven something very fascinating every time you repeat an action, your brain strengthens the neuro path ways that control it. So , when you keep practicing whether it’s public speaking, writing, coding, designing, painting ,playing an instrument- you are literally rewiring your brain for mastery.

Here Are Guidelines To Make Practice Work For You- 

Start Small but Start Now- Don’t wait for the perfect day, perfect time mood or perfect plan. Start with 10 min today. Consistency is more important than duration at the beginning.

Schedule it like a meeting-  Treat your practice time as non negotiable, the same way you treat your appointment or meeting. If you miss it, reschedule it again.

Focus On Progress, Not Perfection- Perfection is the result of practice ,it’s not the starting point. Celebarate small wins.

Embrace Failure as Feedback- Mistakes are not the opposite of success, they are the part of the journey to success. Every wrong move teaches you something right.

Track Your Growth- Keep a practice journal or record videos of your progress. Looking back will remind you how far you have come.

Why Most People Fail and How You Can Avoid It- The problem is not that people don’t start , it’s that they stop too soon. They expect instant results. Remember practice is like planting a seed. You water it everyday ,even when you can’t see the roots growing. Don’t quit, give some time to yourself. 

Set Realistic Goals- focus on improvement not on perfection. Surround yourself with people who encourage your growth.

Be Patient- Mastery is not a marathon,not a spirit. Instead of thinking I have to practice, think I get to practice. This shift turns practice from a burden into a blessing. It means you're grateful for the chance to grow.

The Payoff of Doing It Again and Again- When you keep practicing, keep going ,something magical happens. 

• You stop overthinking and start flowing. 
• You build confidence that no one can take away.
•  And when you finally achieve your dream, you know it was not luck ,it was relentless commitment.

Maybe you are tired, maybe you have failed more times than you can count.. Maybe you think that you are not good enough. Don’t give up ,challenge yourself. You are one more try away from your breakthrough.

So, get up. Dust yourself off. Do it again. And again. And again

Because some day soon ,you will look back and thank yourself for never stopping.

From the current academic session, all technical universities and its constituent private engineering colleges of Uttar Pradesh will utilize psychologists and counsellors who will assist their students in warding off depression and any suicidal tendency which generally seize today's youth either due to sheer academic pressure or emotional burst.

There are three state technical universities in the state. AKTU at Lucknow, Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU) at Kanpur (autonomous in character) and Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology, Gorakhpur. Apart from them, there are 800 private institutions affiliated to AKTU along with 15 odd government engineering colleges.

Last year, in October, a final year B Tech student at Government Engineering College in Kannauj took his own life in his hostel room. This is not isolated. IIT Kanpur, for example, has seen a series of such incidents.

Other chief secretary (technical education) Narendra Bhushan here on Friday issued a Whatsapp group message to vice chancellors and principals of engineering and polytechnic institutions asking how to solve the issue in their respective institutions. Bhushan refreshed their memories with the Kannuaj incident and asked VCs and institute heads to conduct some sort of brainstorming session and propose how they plan to do it.

We have to solve the issue at the very beginning of the new academic year. A lot of our students belong to rural pockets who might not be so familiar with English. And chances are that they will not feel comfortable dealing with the new atmosphere. Taking all these into account, I have requested the vice chancellors to resolve the problem in their own institutions," Bhushan said.

Confirming the move, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) vice chancellor Prof JP Pandey added, "Yes, we have received one message from the ACS. It is a welcome step. Soon we will issue detailed guidelines or advisory to all the colleges on how they can help students get past such difficulties. Mentor mentee programmes will be implemented and teachers will keep monitoring students closely and watch their behavior.". If they notice any unusual thing, such students will be brought in front of a psychologist or a counsellor for consecutive sessions until they get back to normal.

"Early intervention is the key to suicide prevention. It is essential that people realize, particularly with increasing reports of suicides among youths nowadays, that it is insufficient to attribute suicide deaths to merely depression," added the VC.

The recent job fair held at a Sarvodaya school in Rohini, Delhi, is more than just a placement drive—it’s a statement. It reflects a quiet but powerful shift in India’s educational narrative: vocational education is finally taking its rightful place alongside mainstream academics. The fact that Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood was present at the event is a testament to this new mandate, when skill acquisition is not a second thought but an actual and primary route to employability and work dignity.

It is a testament to this reformed system that it has more than 30 companies—names like HCL, Haldiram, and Tech Mahindra—coming out especially to Class 12 vocational stream students. It is also a respite from the generally theory-focused education which produces only students with diplomas but little employable human capital.

Sood's suggestion that the government is going to revolutionize vocational training in five years needs to be listened to. If that translates into serious investment in infrastructure, course content and faculty development, Delhi can become a model for the nation. His determination to fill the gap between private schools and government schools—to provide public school children with equal access to technology and careers—can correct deep-seated educational inequalities.

Just as important is the integration of this activity with the National Education Policy 2020, in pursuit of academic and vocational alignment. The fact that 4.2 lakh students joined vocational courses last year in government schools is a sign of the popularity of skill-based education increasing.

But a lot remains to be accomplished. To realize its complete potential, vocational training has to shed some preconceptions, enhance quality, and deliver industry-oriented outcomes. This small-scale job fair demonstrates that with the right associations and political motivation, India is capable of creating not so much a generation of degree-holders—but of ready-to-take-over-the-world professional experts.

Teacher’s Day, celebrated every year across India on September 5th, honors the birth anniversary of the great philosopher, educator, and former President of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. As a respected teacher and visionary leader, Dr. Radhakrishnan believed that the future of a nation lies in the hands of its teachers. This special day is dedicated to appreciating the dedication, hard work, and inspiration teachers provide every day.

If you’re looking for fresh, heartfelt quotes to share on Teacher’s Day, whether it’s on social media, in cards, or during a speech, here’s a collection of the latest quotes that capture the spirit of teaching and its profound impact.

Inspiring Quotes That Celebrate Teachers’ Impact

• “To a teacher who inspires and empowers, we celebrate your impact and thank you on this special day.”
• “Happy Teachers' Day to the teachers who guide us with their wisdom and help us follow our dreams.”
• “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” — Brad Henry
• “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry Adams
• “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — William Butler Yeats
• “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
• “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” — Albert Einstein

Quotes Expressing Gratitude and Appreciation for Teachers

• “On this Teacher's Day, we honor the mentor who guides us with patience and respect, making learning a joy.”
• “Thank you for being more than just a teacher. Your caring nature and dedication make learning meaningful.”
• “All the efforts and hard work you invested to bring out the best in us can never be repaid in words. We are forever grateful!”
• “Your patience and encouragement have changed lives. Happy Teachers’ Day!”

Quotes Highlighting the Unique Role of Teachers

• “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.” 
• “The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book.” 
• “A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart.” 
• “If a country is to be corruption-free and become a nation of beautiful minds, three key members can make a difference: the father, the mother, and the teacher.” — Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
• “Teachers like you are the architects of our dreams.”

Unique Greetings For Favourite Teacher

1. "Dear Teacher, your gentle encouragement made me believe in myself on days when no one else did. Your simple words have given me hope, courage, and the confidence to chase my dreams. I carry your faith in me everywhere I go. Happy Teachers’ Day to my greatest cheerleader!"
2. "Your classroom was more than just four walls—it was where I found a second home. Thank you for seeing the best in me, for never letting me give up on myself, and for celebrating my small victories. You changed my journey just by caring. Happy Teachers’ Day, my guiding light!"
3. "You didn’t just teach me lessons from a textbook—you taught me how to be kind, honest, and resilient. Your patience, even when I faltered, has left an imprint on my heart. On this special day, I hope you know you are remembered with gratitude and love, always."
4. "Some days, I walked into class with heavy thoughts, but your smile always made the world brighter. Thank you for giving me not just knowledge, but hope and warmth—qualities that stay long after the bell rings. Wishing you a Happy Teachers’ Day filled with the love you give so freely."
5. "You heard the things I couldn’t say. You believed in my dreams when they were only whispers. Thank you for being the hand I could hold on my toughest days and the heart that encouraged me to fly. You’re more than a teacher—you’re family. Happy Teachers’ Day."
6. "Your words echo in my mind even now: ‘Don’t be afraid of mistakes—they make you stronger.’ You turned my failures into lessons and my doubts into confidence. Thank you for shaping me into the person I am today. Happy Teachers’ Day to the maker of dreams."
7. "The world is better because of teachers like you—who love, nurture, listen, and make every child feel seen. Thank you for standing by my side and lighting my path, one lesson at a time. You are my true inspiration. Happy Teachers’ Day!"

Original / New-Style Quotes

1. “A teacher’s praise in the right moment becomes the spark that ignites a lifetime of belief.”
2. “The lessons that stayed with me weren’t in the textbook—they were in your words, your patience, and your silence.”
3. “You didn’t just teach us answers—you taught us how to question the world with curiosity and courage.”
4. “Teachers plant ideas that bloom years later—often when the student doesn’t even realise it.”
5. “Every chalk line you drew shaped the outlines of our future.”
6. “You taught me that failing wasn’t falling—it was the first step in rising.”
7. “In a noisy world, your words brought clarity. In confusion, you were the compass.”
8. “A teacher’s encouragement echoes longer than applause—it lives quietly in every decision we dare to make.”
9. “Your belief in me taught me to believe in myself—even when I didn’t have the strength to.”
10. “The greatest teachers don’t just teach facts—they teach you how to find your own truth.”

 Poetic and Deep

1. “The ink of a teacher’s words stains the pages of our lives forever.”
2. “Where the world saw noise, you heard the rhythm of potential.”
3. “The best classrooms don’t need four walls—they need one passionate teacher.”
4. “Some lessons end when the bell rings. Yours never did.”
5. “You taught me the silent strength of compassion, the quiet power of perseverance.”
6. “Teachers are the sunrise to every curious mind—steady, bright, and full of promise.”
7. “In the garden of life, teachers are the quiet rain—helping us grow, unseen but essential.”
8. “If life is a stage, you were the one behind the curtain, making sure we remembered our lines.”
9. “A teacher is like a lighthouse—firm and steady, guiding every ship through its storm.”

Teachers are not just educators—they are mentors, motivators, and makers of the future. They instill values, build confidence, and leave behind a legacy of kindness and learning that lasts a lifetime. This Teacher’s Day, let us not just celebrate their contribution with words but honour them with heartfelt appreciation and continued respect throughout the year.

Take a moment to send a message, write a note, or simply say “thank you” to the teacher who made a difference in your life. Because behind every successful individual, there is always a teacher who believed first.

By Jishnu Mukherjee

India's demographic dividend — long-celebrated as the country's strongest asset — is slowly disappearing, not through migration, but internally. A less heralded but crippling crisis has begun: an erosion of cognitive abilities across multiple generations that imperils not only individual well-being, but the nation's future trajectory.

Forget the brain drain of talent heading west. What we’re witnessing is something more insidious: the internal erosion of cognitive health across all age groups — from children struggling with academic anxiety to overworked adults facing digital burnout, to elderly citizens battling undiagnosed neurological conditions. The implications go far beyond healthcare — this is about national capacity, productivity, and future potential.

Medanta's Dr. Arun Garg cites a harsh reality: excessive pressure to study, isolation, and excessive use of technology are consuming young minds. With 8.7% of students even thinking of suicide due to stress, and almost half of them scoring low marks and losing sleep, we wonder: how long can we ignore this pandemic?

Middle-aged Indians, trapped in the 'productivity paradox', are no better off. Electric over-connection, celebrated as empowerment, has found itself leaving them depleted, stressed, and with short-term memory loss. The old are equally afflicted with lifestyle-related brain damage in the form of hypertension, stroke, and Alzheimer's — disease complexes that often go unrecognized until too late.

The culprits are ubiquitous: processed food, dirty air, a sedentary lifestyle, stress by chronicity, and stigmatising social culture of mental illness. But the most heinous shortfall is this — only 2% of troubled youth receive help. Our complacency remains woefully inadequate, even as the cost goes up.

This is not just a public health crisis. This is a social, economic and educational crisis. India cannot continue to push cognitive well-being under the carpet anymore. If the brain is the center of all education, work, and decision-making, then a nation of confused minds is a nation lagging behind.

The solutions exist — sleep, exercise, nutrition, digital discipline, systemic reforms — but the will to act must follow. Our schools need trained counsellors. Our families need open conversations. Our policies need to prioritise brain health, not just GDP.

The real brain drain is not the one boarding planes — it’s the one we’re ignoring at home. And no generation is spared.

Shashi Tharoor at THE WEEK's Education Conclave in New Delhi demands change in the Indian education system and revolutionary moments in students' lives.

Lok Sabha member and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, in his speech at THE WEEK's Education Conclave in New Delhi, presented a devastating critique of India's education and jobs landscape, and sought another revolution of the mind to help Gen Z. Moderated by Riyad Mathew, Chief Associate Editor and Director, THE WEEK, the session broached topics as varied as parents imposing unnecessary pressures on kids to professional choices to the age-old one of brain drain and English having a bearing on aspirations.

Stable jobs are a relic of the past

Tharoor went on to describe how social and family ambitions used to neatly define career life in India. "There was a period when parents were very reluctant for their children to leave the traditional streams of engineering, medicine, or the civil services," he remembered. "When I informed my teacher that I wanted to pursue the arts, my teacher actually called up my parents and requested an explanation. But my father accepted."

Gen Z today, though, is writing the book differently. "The concept of job security has totally changed," said Tharoor. "Kids today are digital entrepreneurs, conducting data marketing, making reels, connecting businesses. Secure jobs, as we knew them, no longer. They are more entrepreneurial and considerably less committed to the idea of a lifetime employer."

Careers with a cause

Tharoor maintained that a career should, ultimately, be mission-driven. "The real satisfaction is when you are making a difference," he stated. "When you go to bed at night, you should know that you've done something that makes the world a better place." 

Here Tharoor drew a contrast between his life within and beyond the United Nations with his time as MP for Thiruvananthapuram. "In that UN, I was working directly with the refugees and I could see the output of my work. That's not happening here at Thiruvananthapuram. The bypass road connecting Tamil Nadu project had been waiting for 40 years when I joined this organization in 2009. We would chase all the departments to finish it. That was the pre-Gadkari times; you will chase the government for everything," he said, explaining how the governance always occurs in the form of sheer years of patience.

Brain drain: hope and challenges

On the age-old issue of brain drain, Tharoor concurred that India continues to lose its most talented brains overseas. "Whole graduating classes of IITs used to be heading straight to the US," he concurred. "But I also see hope.". When I was the Education Minister, I encountered one Muslim student of IIT Indore who has declined very prestigious foreign scholarships in astrophysics just so he could stay in India and stay with his guru. There are several such tales nowadays. Our young professionals today are far better equipped to stay or return, but we still do not have adequate jobs to fulfill their aspirations.

He also talked about reasons other than economic that compel individuals out. "We can't close our eyes to the social context. Cases of moral policing, especially against young men and women in urban areas like Bengaluru, lead some to violate the prohibitions that they imagine they would have to endure at home," cautioned Tharoor.

Changing tracks from exam fever

One of the other dramatic changes Tharoor advocated was to de-emphasize the excessive reliance on exams at universities. "Exams are not the only proof of knowledge," he argued. "We need to teach children how to think, and not what to think. Our students need to be taught how to question, challenge and innovate."

He also called for progressive changes in college life, particularly in hostel rules likely to impose tougher curfews for women. "We want campuses where young people—particularly women—are respected and treated as equals," he stated.

English and Hinglish: conforming to language realities

Tharoor, a good orator and author, was candid about the English language. "English is second language to all Indians, and in a more globalised world, the language of communication," he asserted.

He continued to add that the language itself is changing with a generational twist. "Gen Z has come up with a new hybrid—Hinglish—that shows how language transcends culture. We need to accept it and not resist it. It's an instrument of opportunity and bonding, not a symbol of colonialism."

A call for revolutionary change

Session ended, Tharoor held his ground in asserting that the education system of India should foster curiosity, imagination, and confidence and not test-takers. "We are living in times when AI and automation will be replacing jobs. If we continue to teach children by rote, we will be driving them into nothing," he insisted.

Tharoor's message was blunt: India's youth already are making their own way, but the dynamism of their movement must be supplemented with structural change, greater productivity, reduced state, and the capacity to keep up with shifting cultural and linguistic trends.

"The purpose of education is not employment, but learning to live," Tharoor said.

The WEEK Education Conclave 2025, "World Class Student. Made in India," will see scholars, scientists, technologists, and policy makers debate if one should create an Indian student ecosystem world-class to compete with anyone globally.