Remembering Dr Anand Nadkarni, Mumbai’s people-first psychiatrist

Anand Nadkarni is a legend An accomplished writer a fascinating speaker and a peoplersquos psychiatrist he was one of the many who laid the foundations of community psychiatry in India We started our careers together at KEM Hospital in Mumbai Right from day one he had different plans and they were always offbeat His gurus included Shubha Thatte a psychologist of great repute Baba Amte Dr Ajgaonkar Kumar Ketkar and many moreIn our first posting one day while we were having misal at a restaurant opposite the hospital he remarked looking at the ordinary people having tea ldquoWe have to cater to this group in our work as we start our practicerdquoAffordable psychiatry was his lifersquos mantra and the Institute of Psychological Health IPH Thane is the institution that continues to thrive even today with the same philosophyA great listenerAnand was a soul that was always alive and listening to the distress around him The devastating mill strike occurred during those years and our OPD was filled with mill workers suffering from depression and thoughts of selfharm I vividly remember his pain He would spend hours listening to their stories and sufferingA staunch socialist whose ideology never changed throughout his life his needs were small and frugal and he never chased wealth His purpose in life was very clear mdash to focus on the wellbeing of people at large especially the marginalised At the KEM hostel we spent hours chatting while Dr Avinash Joshi would regale us with music played on the santoorResident doctors were paid very little in those days and all of us along with Anand would visit different eateries including Bademiya During lunch hours Shubha Thatte would generously open her tiffin box and feed us many a timeOnce Dr Prakash Pradhan our teacher asked both of us to attend his talk at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting We were deeply impressed by his heartfelt sharing Anand immediately took an interest in the philosophy of AA and its 12step philosophyHis antennas were always open and he believed in mining gold from every conversationHe had no enemiesHe was affable and had no enemies Dressed in the traditional pyjamakurta that became his lifelong attire he would gently share his insights at every event He adapted psychiatry for the masses in India and developed a strong inclination towards Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy conducting hundreds of workshops on the sameHe must have addressed countless audiences on subjects ranging from social issues to healthy living habits and mental healthYears ago the illustrious Prof Srinivas Murthy and Prof NN Wig visited Mumbai and expressed a desire to meet Anand When they returned they remarked ldquoHe has answers to a million issues in mental health and he interacts with people directlyrdquo Prof Wig also observed ldquoIf the science is clear the vocabulary becomes simple and Anand is a shining example of thatrdquoAnand mentored hundreds of mental health professionals authors artists and social activistsHelped addictsHe also mentored Muktangan one of the countryrsquos pioneering deaddiction centres Founded by Dr Anil and Anita Awachat Anand visited the centre every week for years He would also regularly travel to Anandwan to meet Baba Amte and learn from the initiativeThe career fairs he organised in Thane benefited thousands and several distinguished personalities were invitedOnce Aamir Khan also graced the occasion His focus on youth became one of the most important areas of his workAt a time when pharmaceutical giants inundated psychiatrists with endless meetings the IPH workshops seminars and conversations stood apartColumnist author playwrightA regular columnist he authored 17 books and several playsHis prolific writings largely in Marathi educated the common man across every section of society I would often refer to them as journals of science for the aam aadmiDr Sanjay Kumavat our batchmate who met him on April 27 shared ldquoAnand was the epitome of care and compassion He was a great teacher who not only focused on medicine but also on counselling and psychotherapy He taught us the importance of caring for the caregiverrdquoHe passed away after a brief illnessHis spirit inspired millions and will live in our hearts and souls forever