There are a few moments in one’s professional life that feel quietly momentous. For me, one such moment was an hour on Sunday, 8 February 2026. On that day, I returned, virtually, to the institute where I first learned the grammar of psychiatry, an institute where my love for the subject truly took root.
It was a chance to relive the awe of those years, being surrounded by intellectual giants and wondering if I would ever measure up. Even completing the DPM rather creditably in 1993 didn’t completely silence that inner doubt. Some feelings stay with us, and perhaps that is what keeps us striving. So, it was with deep gratitude and a familiar flutter of nervousness that I delivered the inaugural NIMHANS Alumni CME on the topic of Autism and Psychosis in Adults – Diagnostic and Treatment Challenges. Chaired by Professor Satheesh Girimaji, a man who inspired me to work in the specialist field that I work in now, the session was attended by around 260 professionals and experts by experience.
