Autumn of 2014
Ever since the Chinese mobile giants have developed a niche in the Indian subcontinent the worst-hit have been the professors with the projector system stopping quite frequently nowadays for reasons unknown(wink). Must say, I felt bad for the lecture hall assistant a few times.
So yes, the autumn of 2014 is where it all began. High heads, clean overalls, cloudy spot maps and the spark of getting into a medical college filled the lecture theatre that day. Random handshakes, many new faces and the curiosity to find answers to the ‘Introductory’ questions to be answered once back in the hostels after being trained that turtle didn’t win the contest here ever(Today, I deny this, happily) surrounded us all. Humour apart, from noting down a list of books to wondering if the skeleton thing was a real deal, the lecture theatre started to become something dear and pivotal. Even now, the same smile lights up my face, when I remember that weird oration of ‘Here, Here, Here!’ by one of the lecturer back then, an everyday event which connected us all brilliantly, mind me mental connections are rare. And how can I miss mentioning about a matchless chapter of our lecture theatre life, our amazed professor always wondered how anyone he would pick for the PowerPoint slides ended the lecture in 10 minutes of its beginning(not hard to guess how quick clicks can be ).
The very same lecture theatre has witnessed people sleeping flat on the topmost bench to people wearing ‘I Am the Gabhru’ T-shirts when decent dressing for the ward postings was being discussed. Broken desks in the lecture theatre have all along the journey led to fellow mates getting thrown out with no mobile phone for the next couple of weeks, poor test-taking skills I must remark. From scholars listening to course videos on a treadmill to people trying to establish a Tik-Tok career, from people walking in Lakhani slippers while rubbing eyes at 8 to some coming to attend ‘High Tea’ every day, the journey is unforgettable. From some narrow escapes of sprinting into the class when it was just the right time for that magical 75% mark to getting that favourite seat every day (reasons may vary from a particular angle for some to best place for those PubG matches). It started with Candy Crush/Clash of Clans voices filling the silent LT and flourished with Mini Militia/PubG teams spread all around.
From the ‘Walking Punjab Politics guy’ to the ‘Sardarji with 9 girls’, from the ‘Daily comedy show host’ to the ‘worldly weird’ everyone left the place with untold memories to cherish for rest of their lives. The two ‘Hundreds’ always uniting over voices for ending the lecture earlier with that voice still fresh and buzzing in my mind as I write this today. The same lecture theatre today continues to live the lectures, flourish love stories, get scribbled, continues storing secrets and get flooded with comedy now and then. Nothing like the Medicos batch you expect from the regular mind but if you ask me, it was everything so beautiful and comforting for the lucky ones who could witness it once in their lifetime.
Hasta La Vista Batch of 2014, GMC Patiala!
Dr Ripudaman Bajwa
Government medical college, Patiala
