--- title: 'Critical Thinking: The Skill That Makes You Unstoppable' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=zzsEY4s18tk' video_id: 'zzsEY4s18tk' date: 2026-08-05 duration_sec: 1114 --- # Critical Thinking: The Skill That Makes You Unstoppable > Source: [Critical Thinking: The Skill That Makes You Unstoppable](https://youtube.com/watch?v=zzsEY4s18tk) ## Summary This video tells the story of V. Govindarajan, a mechanical engineer from a small town in Tamil Nadu, who revolutionized healthcare access in India by making MRI scans affordable. It traces the history of medical diagnosis from ancient beliefs to modern imaging, highlighting how critical thinking and a focus on solving a widespread problem led to his success. ### Key Points - **The Problem: Expensive Healthcare** [00:01] — A personal anecdote about a team member facing a Rs 20,000 MRI package highlights the high cost of diagnostics in India. Over 5 crore people fall below the poverty line annually due to expensive treatment, and 40 crore Indians lack finances for medical emergencies. - **History of Diagnosis** [03:17] — The oldest known disease is leprosy, discovered in a 4,000-year-old skeleton in Rajasthan. Ancient civilizations viewed diseases as divine curses, but Hippocrates introduced the concept of natural causes. - **Anatomy and Stethoscope** [04:55] — Andreas Vesalius published 'De Humani Corporis Fabrica' in the 16th century, becoming the father of anatomy through direct dissection. In the 19th century, René Laennec invented the stethoscope, allowing physicians to listen to internal body sounds. - **X-rays and CT Scans** [05:56] — Wilhelm Röntgen accidentally discovered X-rays in the late 19th century, enabling non-invasive imaging of fractures and tumors. CT scans were developed in the 1970s by Godfrey Hounsfield. - **MRI Technology** [07:09] — MRI was invented around 1980, using magnetic waves to image soft tissues without radiation. The first commercial MRI cost millions of dollars, and India imported its first machine in 1987. - **Govindarajan's Journey** [09:46] — V. Govindarajan, born around 1950, lost his parents early, took an education loan, and studied mechanical engineering. After working in Delhi, he returned to his hometown and opened a 20-bed polyclinic in 1988. - **Aarthi Scans & Labs** [12:09] — In 2000, he opened Aarthi Scans & Labs in Tirunelveli, offering blood tests, X-rays, and MRI at 50-60% lower prices than the market. This was the first such center in the region. - **The Smart Move: Night Scanning** [13:35] — Govindarajan realized MRI machines were underutilized at night. He introduced night scanning with 50-60% discounts, doubling the number of scans per day and making diagnostics affordable. - **Critical Thinking and Success** [16:42] — His success is attributed to critical thinking—analyzing the situation from all angles and focusing on possibilities. Today, Aarthi Scans conducts over 8,000 patient checkups and 1,000 MRIs daily across 12+ states. ### Conclusion The video emphasizes that solving a widespread problem with critical thinking can lead to extraordinary success, as demonstrated by V. Govindarajan's journey. It encourages viewers to pursue their dreams with intention and action, regardless of their starting point. ## Transcript Utkarsh, told me an incident from his hospital stay. For a long time he was suffering from neck pain due to bad posture. Now his neck pain increased a lot so he went to the doctor to get medicines. The doctor suggested him an MRI and a neurosurgeon. So when he went to the counter to get it done, they gave him a package of Rs 20,000. Meaning, where he had gone to get medicine due to his posture, get medicine due to his posture, When Utkarsh told me this incident, a question came to my mind that a question came to my mind that who would not be able to get treatment just because of expensive treatment. story but the person whose work, if Utkarsh had known about, he could have work, if Utkarsh had known about, he could have saved his money. The most powerful and rich people in the world have been those who have run big ventures. But surprisingly, none of them started for money. All of them were those who solved some big problem of the world. Some gave innovation and some gave revolution. Someone provided a computer to every home and someone provided an assistant. Some people served comfortably while others rolled the urgency. Similarly, in India too, there was a big problem of expensive health diagnosis which my team member also faced and many of you might have also gone through it. In fact, in India, more than 5 crore people fall below the poverty line every year just because of expensive treatment. Around 40 crore Indians do not have enough finances for medical emergencies. Even here, there are only three MRI machines available for every 10 lakh people. This Even here, there are only three MRI machines available for every 10 lakh people. This cardiovascular problems and most fatal diseases is diseases is cause of death in India is heart disease. This very national problem was solved by national problem was solved by V Govinda Raja from a small village in Tamil Nadu. evolution of human diagnosis. Because a big question is that how was the treatment done when all this technology was not available in the world. How did we slowly start to look into the bodies of humans over time without cutting them apart? Why despite the development of advanced technologies like MRI and CT scan, people in India still people in India still die due to lack of them and how just one person die due to lack of them and how just one person brought the stories of many such people before you many times before. Some of the ones you knew. Some of them you didn't know and this is also going to be the journey of a common man who will definitely teach you that to achieve something big in life, solving a problem of many people is more important than hard work [in music]. big in life, solving a problem of many people is more important than hard work [in music]. Part One Humans and Diagnosis. [Music] What would be the first disease in the world according to you? Fever, cold [music] or cancer? In reality, no one knows about the first one. But the oldest one that scientists have discovered till date was leprosy. 2009 40 km from Udaipur Balathal village in faraway Rajasthan. Where a team of archaeologists finds a skeleton during their excavation. A male skeleton that, after dating and analysis, appears to have lived approximately 4,000 years ago and was a victim of leprosy [music]. Meaning a type of skin infection and disease which spreads through direct contact or air. But now the main point is whether it is the oldest disease or any other. The problem was that at that time most civilizations, whether Egyptians or Greeks, considered diseases to be God's curse. Meaning a curse given by God. That's why [music] at that time, the work of healing diseases was done by priests, by rituals. And these beliefs continued for many years until the world's first doctor and father of medicine came. Who came and said that every disease has a natural cause. He said that any disease occurs only due to environmental factors, lifestyle or diet. And this is where Humans began to view diseases as biological impacts [music] rather than divine punishment. But even then the Body marks, facial color, eye shine [music] or skin blemishes, these unaccountable symptoms that revealed some diseases and not others. But then for the first time in the 16th century, a physician from Netherlands published his book. De Humani Corporis Fabrica, a Latin book by Andreas Vestalius. The Humanic Corpus Fabrica. He was the first person to directly dissect [music] the human body, study it and officially note it down. Meaning he became the father of anatomy. Meaning he chose the path of analyzing death [music] to understand life literally. But we were still [music] to understand life literally. But we were still completed in the next century but not by seeing but by hearing. Brian Laennec, a French physician, invented the stethoscope [music] and finally, this was the first time we could directly feel something inside humans, and this is where the journey of real human diagnosis began. With time, physicians' interest in the human body began to increase. People became more involved in human anatomy studies and finally the X-ray machine came into existence at the end of the 18th century. While doing some experiments in his lab, Willem Rotteng of Germany some experiments in his lab, Willem Rotteng of Germany created shadows on the screen [music] and since he himself did not know about these light rays, he named it X-rays. This accidental discovery completely changed human diagnosis. Doctors could now treat fractures, tumors, and infections by looking directly from above [MUSIC] instead of operating on them. But the rest of the body organs like brain, muscles, tissues were still to be reached. And this thing was accomplished with time But [music] had some limitations. However, operations and surgeries were still required to identify deep body problems. Doctors were never able to access the inner tissues, internal viscera of organs, and nerve areas. And this deficiency was compensated by CT scams and MRI. We go back to the 1970s when I discovered CT scan technology [music], which was discovered by Godoff Hansfield, an electronic engineer, by accident while just testing an idea. And the same technology that revolutionized the world of diagnosis was invented around 1980, And the same technology that revolutionized the world of diagnosis was invented around 1980, Magnetic Resonance Imaging i.e. MRI, which could provide images [music] of , blood vessels, even nerves through magnetic waves [music] without emitting any X-rays or radiations [music]. Its inventors were [music]. Its inventors were was the discovery that allowed humans to access the human body completely without any surgery. But now the That was the high costing of MRI. That means MRI was a wonder but a very expensive wonder. You know that the first commercial MRI that came around the 80s cost millions of dollars. Although the cost did decrease over time, it was not enough to make MRIs easily manufactured. But since there was a need for it, gradually its supply started all over the world and in 1987, India's first MRI machine was imported from Germany. And this was the first time when Indians also felt confident that yes, now there will be a revolution in health care. Now people will not lose their lives just because the real disease is not detected. Just six years later, another installation took place at AIIMS and as demand grew, we became increasingly dependent on foreign imports for MRI. Mainly these were from Germany, USA and Japan and because of this, MRI became a real issue in India. In this entire process, the expenditure on imports alone was around Rs 5 to 9 crore. Then after that there is installation, dedicated room, magnetic shield and various types of maintenance. But the reason for its being expensive is not just the expensive import pricing or installation, import pricing or installation, but the other reason is accessibility. Even today, after 38 years, only approximately 4800 MRIs are available in the entire country and that too in developed cities. That means only three machines for 1 million Indians and [music] the result is that the average MRI costing in India has increased from a minimum of Rs 6,000 to Rs 18,000. Which has converted it from a necessity into a luxury. That too when the biggest cause of death in India is heart disease. Now the reason behind this was the lax work of the government or some actual obstruction. But over time it became the only problem [music] that no one could see a single step to solve. But as the popular phrase of Gram Bell goes, when one door closes one door closes another opens and we just have to find that open door. This was done by a person who had no connection whatsoever with medical and health care. Part Two Man with Karz. The year was 1988 when there was only one MRI machine available in the whole of India and that too [music] in Delhi. In the same year, a small hospital named Aarti [Sangeet] Hospital was opened in Kavipatti, a small town in Tamil Nadu. The one that was going to solve one of the biggest problems of Indian healthcare in the times to come. But he was neither a doctor himself nor was his career related to it. This was V Govind Rajan who was born in this town around 1950 but unfortunately lost his parents at a young age. But time moved on and he completed his schooling [in music] like everyone else. But after school, more money was needed for further studies. Neither his family nor he himself was capable of doing so. So he took an education loan from Bank of Maharashtra and took admission in Mechanical Engineering from a college in Madurai for his further studies. increased a little more, so I went to Delhi and did my Masters in Tool Designing. But like in the movie Swades, Mohan Bhargava leaves his good career and comes to his country just to solve the problems there. when he leaves all the opportunities after Vosters and returns to his town Kovil Batti. Just with the belief that through a job he might not be able to solve people's problems which he wants to do. He got the first step towards this after his marriage when he noticed in his own town that people had to travel 400-500 km even for the smallest treatment. Have to go far away to Chennai. Just to solve this problem, he along with his wife who was from a medical background opened a 20 bed polyclinic in 1988 and this was the same time when the first MRI had entered India just a year before. [Music] So on one hand, diagnosis was beginning in India and on the other hand, the journey of the man who revolutionized it. But still Govind Rajan's town and the entire Tamil Nadu was far away from diagnosis [music] i.e. testing procedure. But as the years passed, Govind Rajan's search, will power and dedication increased further. Which was finally completed in 2000 after 15 years of struggle and planning. He opened a diagnostic centre in Tirunelveli, about an hour's drive from his hometown. Aarti Scans & Labs. It was the first health care centre in the entire region where blood tests, X-ray facilities and even MRI were available. Imagine, at a time when there were only around 200 MRI machines in the entire country, machine available to the people. But the most surprising thing in this case was not how MRI came to a small village. The actual shocking part was that the testing and scanning fees here were the lowest compared to any other place in the entire [music] country. His own claim was that he does all the scans and blood tests here at about 50 to 60% less than the overall market prices. This means that Govind Rajan's dream was not just to provide diagnosis to the people but to make it available to every common man. Meaning it should be within the budget so that everyone can afford it. But now the biggest question was how? After all, how did an ordinary person do what the entire government could not do? That too when, like the government, they too were importing their MRIs from Germany. So you have heard that to solve things, sometimes one has to do smart work along with hard work and that is what he did. Govind Rajan's smartest move was using MRI full potential. According to him, in most hospitals or diagnostic centres, they are never able to recover the full cost of an MRI machine or are not able to use it fully [music]. Now what happens generally? An MRI machine can check about two patients in 1 hour [music]. So according to this, only 24 patients will be covered in 12 hours of working. And on the other hand, for the remaining 12 hours of the day, neither the MRI machines nor the patients are active. Meaning he is working full day at the hospital or any diagnosis centre. The but due to not being able to use it for the entire day [music] its complete cost cannot be recovered and for that the only way left is to increase the rate of diagnosis and increase the prices. Govind Rajan just covered this loophole. He initiated night scanning and offered discounts to patients for coming at night. This means that if a patient comes at night and gets scanning done, he gets a discount of 50 to 60%. And this initiative works better because at night neither the hospital staff is so busy nor the roads are so busy and people do not have to take leave from their work. This one revolutionary step allowed them to easily [music] because where they used to do 22 to 24 scannings in a day, now the same number got converted to double. Its main benefit was not just limited to revenue or business, but now Govind Rajan was able to solve the problem for which no one could see the solution. Treating more people for less money [Music] People's time was being saved. The crowd was getting less and the most important thing now changed from luxury to accessibility for people like MRI, CT scan. But now the strategy they used here is nothing special. This is the same critical thinking that all of them used to reach here from there. That means that human ability is present in everyone but not everyone knows how to use it properly. And it not everyone knows how to use it properly. And it Because many researches show that we take most of our decisions based on emotions. And critical thinking means solving things by going to extreme logic. This is solution-oriented thinking where you think of a way out of the problem like everyone else, but your mind focuses more on the possibilities than the problem. Where you do n't start thinking directly about the challenges but [music] first look at it from every angle. Whatever information is available to you regarding that, you gather it [into music]. You pay attention to its prose, its consequences and its steps. This means relationships from a different perspective. There are many articles that say that we can make better decisions in our life when we think critically. And V Govind Rajan also did the same. Neither could they manufacture new MRIs nor could they reduce importing costs nor could they bear the losses themselves. [Music] In such a situation, he critically judged the entire situation. He saw possibilities [in music] that no one else noticed. In fact, Indian Billionaire and Founder of Thyrocare and our podcast guest Dr. A Valumani also tweeted giving credit to Aarti Sk, They are the largest and most reputed national brand. And this is the reason that today overall in India, they conduct more than 8000 patient checkups [music] per day and more than 1000 MRIs per day. That too not in one or two but in 12 plus states [music] Chennai, Bor, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata also. Not only Govind Rajan, but there are many such examples in our country who, using the same ability, travelled from rags to riches. You can look at Ritesh Agarwal. Coming from a small village of Raigarh in Osa, he worth of thousands of crores. Not only in business but in any field, be it Zakir Khan or Manoj Kumar Sharma, all of them critically analyzed their ongoing situations. He all of them critically analyzed their ongoing situations. He [musical] results are in front of us all. This is the message I want to give you with this video. A message I want to give you with this video. A where you are sitting right now, what city you are in, what people you are with, or what [music] you are doing. If you have a dream, if you want to solve a problem , if you have that intention and action matching that intention, then you just have to do one thing, stand firm, don't step back. Remember, no dream is big, only the one who is not afraid wins. See you again in the next video. Till then stay happy and keep sharing happiness. I stay happy and keep sharing happiness. I love you all.