"Sir, ek EDH hai, casualty mein. One pupil is not reacting," the resident doctor manning the emergency department at Mumbai Central's Wockhardt Hospital tells me at 3 am. EDH refers to extradural hematoma, a blood clot which, if expands rapidly, is known to cause death. The pupil not reacting is a clinical indicator of the balance already tipped against the patient. This is the mother of all neurosurgical emergencies, one where 'time is brain'. A surgery performed quickly can miraculously even awaken a comatose patient.

I reach the hospital within 15 minutes and the patient is already in the operating room. A brisk chat with the family later, I perform the surgery, with members of my team playing their part to the hilt. The pupil starts reacting to a bright light shone straight into the patient's eye—a sign of relief for any surgeon. I speak to the family, this time at length, reassuring them of a reasonably good anticipated outcome, grabbing a chai on my way out.