“A Mumbai-based CEO, Abhishek Agarwal, recently took to LinkedIn to share how he celebrated his birthday in a very unusual way. He said he went without food for 90 hours, which is almost four days in a row. He explained that every year he sets himself a tough personal challenge to test his physical limits, and this year the challenge was a fast.
Mumbai CEO celebrates his birthday through an unusual 90-hour fast
Abhishek Agarwal, a Mumbai-based CEO, recently posted that he marked his birthday by not eating for about 90 hours, which is nearly four days.According to his post, Agarwal gives himself one challenge every birthday, something that pushes his limits. This year he picked what he called “hunger vs willpower.” He explained his thinking by pointing out that we live in a world where food arrives in ten minutes and we scroll for hours without stopping.He added, “We live in a world where food arrives in 10 minutes. We scroll for 10 hours straight. Everything’s instant. So I wanted to see if I can fast for ~4days…what will happen?”He wanted to see what would happen if he went without food for close to four days.See the post here.
How did he manage to fast for 4 days?
He described the fast day by day. The first day, he said, was easy. On day two, he asked himself, “Day 2: WHY did I do this; missed Zomato. Day 3: silence. Day 4: birthday + the clearest mind I’d had in months.”Day four was his birthday, and he said he felt the clearest he had in months. He ended the post with photos, including one of him eating a meal and another of him doing yoga or exercise.
What he understood from it
Agarwal said the experience showed him that people can handle far more discomfort than our “10-minute-delivery brains” suggest.The CEO expressed, “90 hours later, I realised we, humans, are probably capable of tolerating way more discomfort than our 10-minute-delivery brains would have us believe. I felt stronger, powerful, and like a superhero in my own way.”
Social media reactions
The post got a mix of thoughtful reactions. One person recalled the story of a cave diver who survived 15 days without food until rescuers reached him, and called them “Wonderful stories of human endurance.” They added that Agarwal’s case was different because his was a choice.Another commented, “Pushing your limits can teach you a lot about yourself, but I feel the real challenge is knowing the difference between discomfort that helps you grow and what your body actually needs. The discipline behind setting yourself a challenge is worth carrying into everyday life too.”A third user wrote, “Strong mindset lesson. Challenging your own limits can reveal how much discomfort you’re capable of handling.” A fourth wrote, “Did a 36 hours recently and the experience was one of its kind; thanks for the nudge, going for 48/60 soon.”
