GMC ALUMINI 1968 BATCH
THE TURNING POINT
The Year 1968 brought TOGETHER 159 YOUNG LADS WHO STOOD ON THE THRESHOLD OF THEIR CAREER NAY LIFE IN THE LECTURE HALL NO 3 OF GANDHI MEDICAL COLLEGE, BHOPAL. THESE ADOLESCENT BOYS AND GIRLS WERE MOSTLY STRANGERS TO EACH OTHER EXCEPT A FEW WHO KNEW EACH OTHER BEFORE, PRIOR TO THAT MOMENT. AS THE DEAN PROF. SHIVMANGAL MISHRA DELIVERED HIS WELCOME ADDRESS IN HIS INIMITABLE, THUNDEROUS AND OVERWHELMINGLY IMPRESSIVE VOICE TO ALL OF US , LITTLE DID ANYONE OF US KNEW THAT IN THE COMING FIVE YEARS WHEN WE WOULD BE INTERMINGLING WITH EACH OTHER , MANY OF US WOULD DEVELOP INSEPARABLE BONDS AND WOULD CARRY UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.
WELL, THAT MOMENT IS NOW 45 YEARS OLD AND ALL OF US ARE NOW IN THE EVENING OF OUR LIVES. MOST OF US ARE GRANDPARENTS, HAVING LIVED LIFE TO THE FULL , SHOULDERING PROFESSIONAL,SOCIAL AND FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES,AND STRUGGLING AT THE SAME TIME FOR OUR PLACE IN THE NOBLE PROFESSION WE HAD CHOSEN TO REACH TO PINNACLE OF GLORY IN THE CHOSEN FIELDS OF OUR OWN.
FOUR STUDENTS OF THE BATCH QUIT MEDICAL CAREER WHILE A FEW GOT THEMSELVES TRANSFERRED TO OTHER MEDICAL COLLEGES OF THE STATE FOR THEIR PERSONAL COMFORTS AND COMPELLING REASONS.WE HAD 2 FOREIGN STUDENTS IN OUR BATCH NAMELY AU HOWE KONG FROM MALAYSIA AND AMAR KUMAR PRADHAN FROM NEPAL. THEIR WHEREABOUTS ARE NOT KNOWN.
IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OUR CAREER , THE SCARE OF RAGGING , WHICH WAS QUITE A TOUGH ONE IN THOSE YEARS AND THE TOTALLY NEW ATMOSPHERE ADDED TO IT THE BURDEN OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES GAVE LITTLE TIME TO REALLY KNOW EACH OTHER. HOWEVER, THE PICNIC ORGANISED AT DELAWADI FOREST OFFERED A GRAND CHANCE TO EXPLORE EACH OTHER 'S HOBBIES, KNOW BETTER AND THUS THE BATCH BECAME TRANSFORMED INTO A CLOSE KNIT HERD OF 150 STUDENTS. MANY OF US STILL CHERISH THE MEMORIES OF THOSE MOMENTS. MANY TALENTS WERE DISCOVERED , FEW SINGERS , FEW ARTISTS AND OTHER POWERFUL SPEAKERS AND THEY WERE TO ENRICH AND ENTERTAIN OUR LIVES AND BRING LAURELS FOR OUR BATCH IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS.
NOTABLE ARTISTS OF OUR BATCH WERE MOHAN SUBHEDAR WHO WAS GIFTED WITH A MELODIOUS VOICE LIKE THE LEGENDARY KISHORE KUMAR. AND HE HAD THE UNIQUE DISTINCTION OF BEING ABLE TO SING IN BOTH MALE AND FEMALE VOICES FOR A DUET SONG. MOHAN SUBHEDAR ENTHRALLED THE COLLEGE AUDITORIUM FOR NEXT FIVE YEARS AND WON MANY AWARDS AS A SINGER. OTHER ARTISTS OF OUR BATCH WERE ASHOK DUBEY, ASHOK MANDLOI, R C SHARMA WHO ENTERTAINED THE STUDENTS ON ALL POSSIBLE OCCASIONS WITH THIER INNOVATIVE MIMICKERY AND INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.
MANY OF OUR BATCHMATES DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES BY REACHING TO THE HIGHEST PROFESSIONAL HIERARCHY AND OCCUPIED POSTS OF HEAD OF DEPARTMENTS IN VARIOUS MEDICAL COLLEGES.NOTABLE AMONGST THEM ARE DR YOGESH VARMA - HEAD OF CARDIOLOGY IN GMC , BHOPAL; DR ASHA DIXIT - HOD IN ANATOMY AT GMC , BHOPAL; DR M K RATHORE HOD IN OPHTHALMOLGY AT REWA, DR PURSHOTTAMA MANGOTRA- HOD OPHTHALMOLOGY AT JAMMU MEDICAL COLLEGE.
THE BRIGHTEST STAR OF OUR BATCH IS DR GOVIND NARAIN MALVIYA , WHO WAS AWARDED WITH THE COVETED PADMSHRI IN THE YEAR 1991FOR HIS DISTINGUISHED WORK IN RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY FOR LEPROSY PATIENTS WHILE WORKING AT THE REPUTED JALMA INSTITUTE OF LEPROSY IN AGRA. AGAIN IN THE YEAR 2000 HE WAS SELECTED FOR THE B C ROY AWARD FOR " SOCIO -MEDICAL RELIEF IN LEPROSY " IN RECOGNITION OF HIS EXCELLENT WORK HE WAS CONFERRED THE JALMA TRUST FUND ORATION AWARD IN THE YEAR 2003. IT MAY WORTH MENTIONING HERE THAT DR MALVIYA WORKED THROUGHOUT IN THE JALMA INSTITUTE OF LEPROSY RESEARCH AND RETIRED IN THE YEAR 2013 AFTER A DISTINGUISHED AND ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER AND HAS NOW SETTLED IN BHOPAL.
ON THE LITERARY FRONT OUR BATCH SAW THE " KALAM KA SIPAHI " IN SANJAY SAXENA WHIOSE COLLECTION OF POEMS WAS PUBLISHED BY THE TITLE "KUSUMSHATI". AS THE NAME SUGGESTS IT IS A COLLECTION OF 100 POEMS WRITTEN DURING THE COURTSHIP OF HIS HEARTHROB 'KUSUM SHARMA' OF OUR OWN BATCH. AS IS KNOWN SANJAY MARRIED KUSUM AND ARE A HAPPY COUPLE TODAY. SANJAY CONTINUES TO WRITE POEMS AND ARTICLES EVEN TODAY AND IT WOULD NOT BE OUT OF PLACE TO SAY THAT HE IS MORE OF A POET THAN A MEDICAL MAN.
FEW OF OUR COLLEAGUES WENT ABROAD AND SETTLED THERE. EARNING LAURELS AND RISING TO GLORY AND FAME IN THEIR CHOSEN SPECIALITIES. TO MENTION THEM ARE, DR SHEHRYAR MAHMOOD - GERIATRICIAN IN CALIFORNIA, DR HARINDERJEET SINGH - A RENOWNED EYE SURGEON IN AUGUSTA,USA, DR AVTAR SINGH- PULMONOLOGIST, PRACTISING IN NEWYORK, DR SUNIL MEHRA - PAEDIATRICIAN IN TORONTO, CANADA. DR RAGHUBIR KAUR MANGAT - NEONATOLOGIST IN LOUISIANA , DR SAMRAT NENE IN USA , DR R K SONI A REPUTED JOINT SURGEON IN LONDON, DR ILYAS AHMED SETTLED AS GP IN UK. DR MABHUBALA GUPTA AND DR GEETA RAO ARE ALSO SETTLED IN USA BUT ARE NOT TRACEABLE.
IN DECEMBER 1994 , WE ORGANISED THE SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATIUONS OF OUR MEDICL CAREER. THE 3 DAYS EXTRAVAGANZA WAAS WELL ATTENDED AND THOROUGHLY ENJOYED BY OUR COLLEAGUES AS WELL AS BY OUR CHILDREN WHO NEVER SAW THEIR PARENTS IN SUCH ECSTATIC HUMOR AND JUBILATIONS. MANY OF US MET AFTER DECADES AND BEHAVED AS IF WE WERE 1ST YEAR STUDENTS. THE TWO OUTINGS TOOK ALL OF US FOR BASKING IN THE SUN IN THE WINTER DAYS OF DECEMBER AT HATHAIKHEDA DAM. FRESH FISH AND MANY OTHER CUISINES SATISFIED THE PALATES OF OF ALL OF US. THE EVENINGS WERE FULL OF DANCE AND DINE MILIEU AND EVERYBODY ENTHRALLED PAST MIDNIGHT ROCKING ON THE DJ TUNES AND INGENIUS MUSIC . ALL OF US WENT BACK WITH FOND MEMORIES AND WITH A FEELING ' COULD IT HAVE LASTED FOR FEW DAYS MORE"
ANOTHER GET TOGETHER WAS ORGANISED IN 2005 WITH TWO DAYS JOYOUS GALORE IN THE EXOTIC AMBIENCE OF NOOR E SABA HOTEL OVERLOOKING THE CITY OF LAKES AND HILLS THAT IS OUR CUTE BHOPAL.
SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAVE LEFT FOR HEAVENLY ABODE. TO REMEMBER THEM , DR G K TIWARI, DR ASHOK MANDLOI, DR DILIP RAMSINGHANI, DR KRISHNA SHELLY ARE NO MORE WITH US. WE MISS THEM AND PRAY FOR THEM.
OUR NEXT GET TOGETHER IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 14, 2013 AT JEHANUMAH HOTEL AND WE EXPECT YOU ALL TO JOIN. LET US MAKE THIS EVENT AS SUCCESSFUL AND MEMORABLE AS OUR SILVER JUBILEE.
