Former India cricketer Salil Ankola opens up about alcohol addiction, mental health, losing his cricket career, and rebuilding his life.

In this deeply personal conversation with Dr. Aditi Govitrikar, Salil shares his journey from making his India debut alongside Sachin Tendulkar to being forced to leave cricket, moving into acting, struggling with alcoholism, going through rehab, and eventually returning to cricket as a selector.

He speaks candidly about how alcohol became a form of escape, the warning signs he ignored, blackouts, repeated attempts at recovery, and the role his wife Ria played in helping him rebuild his life. He also explains why addiction is often misunderstood, why denial is so powerful, and why recognising that you need help is the first major step toward recovery.

The episode also explores identity, failure, second chances, resilience, pressure in Indian cricket, his return as a selector, and his more recent mental health struggles.

In this episode:

• Salil Ankola’s India debut alongside Sachin Tendulkar
• Losing cricket and struggling with identity
• Alcohol addiction and rehab
• His recovery journey
• Returning to Indian cricket as a selector
• Mental health, anxiety and asking for help
• Lessons on resilience, pressure and second chances

Watch till the end for Salil Ankola’s message to anyone struggling with addiction, mental health or a difficult phase in life.

What does it take to turn a passion that was once dismissed as a hobby into a lasting career?

Dancer, choreographer and television personality Terence Lewis shares his journey from growing up as the youngest of eight children to becoming one of India’s most recognised names in dance.

He recalls cleaning a studio to earn dance lessons, accidentally becoming a teacher and watching his first dance-class business fail. He explains how fitness training, Evita, Lagaan, international training and Dance India Dance became unexpected turning points in his career.

Terence discusses why persistence often matters more than talent, why winning a reality show is only the beginning and what performers must do once the attention fades. He also shares why discipline, professionalism, business skills and the willingness to keep learning are essential for building a sustainable career.

He opens up about learning Hindi after facing criticism, maintaining his fitness at 51 and finally pursuing acting after putting that dream aside for years.

The conversation also explores relationships, solitude, self-reliance, faith and spirituality. Terence reflects on understanding his triggers, confronting his blind spots and becoming more curious about people instead of immediately judging them.

Watch till the end for an honest conversation about failure, reinvention and why there is no single blueprint for life.

What if your difficulty with reading is not about intelligence, but about how your attention has been trained?

Reading coach and author Reeta Gupta explains why reading can feel difficult in a world designed around endless scrolling, instant stimulation and passive content consumption. She compares reading to physical exercise, showing why the brain must be trained before books begin to feel calming, enjoyable and effortless.

The conversation explores how reading strengthens focus, imagination, emotional vocabulary and independent thinking. Reeta explains the difference between temporary information and lasting knowledge, how digital content can encourage passive consumption, and why fiction can help us become more comfortable with ambiguity and perspectives different from our own.

She also discusses whether physical books are better than audiobooks and e-readers, how to remember and apply what you read, when it is okay to leave a book unfinished, and why biographies can become a form of self-mentoring.

For parents, Reeta shares practical ways to raise readers without forcing children to read. She explains why books must be visible at home, why children should choose what interests them, and why parents must model the habits they want their children to develop.

Watch till the end for a practical conversation on rebuilding your reading habit, protecting your attention and using books to reconnect with parts of yourself that everyday life may have pushed aside.