Those enchanted four and half years

Chapter 23

The third year of our MBBS course began. Our third year was of two years duration, divided into two parts of one year each. Thus we started our IIIrd year – Part One. Here we were basically supposed to learn three subjects – ENT, Ophthalmology and PSM (Preventive and Social Medicine)

For teaching Biostatistics, which was a part of PSM, we had a female lecturer who was a Commerce graduate. She was a very sincere and quiet lady, and our class was literally not worth teaching. Everyone knew she was not a medico, and guys would create havoc in the classroom during her lecture. No one would listen to one word she taught. Everyone would start stamping their feet or banging the desks in sync, the moment she entered the class. Then the guys would start throwing paper airplanes directly at her. Anyone would enter or leave the hall in the middle of her class without even looking at her, leave apart taking permission. And I bet she must have been a reincarnation of some saint from past life. Irrespective of the distractions she would calmly continue teaching, unperturbed. She never even once complained to our professors.

But what we enjoyed most were PSM visits. As a part of PSM practicals, we were taken to various places for 'study visits'. On the first day of PSM practical itself, we were taken to a water purification plant. The trip to the site by bus, the time we spent there, and our return journey back constituted a mini-picnic. Of course we were least interested in learning about water purification system. All 100 of us were taken to the plant with only one lecturer to supervise us. So it was very easy to sneak out without getting noticed. As one of the employee of the plant was explaining the boring details of water purification, I, Arun, Sufee and Vivek quietly sneaked out. As it was afternoon, it was very hot outside, with the scorching sun shining directly overhead. As we crossed the road, thinking of what to do, we spotted an ice-cream parlour. We rushed inside and sat there for about an hour, chitchatting, eating our favourite ice-creams. Just in time, we again went back and quietly joined the group. Till then our batch-mates had been taken around whole of the purification plant in the hot environment, sometimes made to stand in the sun. They all looked very tired, sweaty, irritated and exhausted. I guess, no one guessed how the four of us managed to stay so fresh.

One day they took us on a visit to an old age home. I had expected the visit to be very boring. However, this visit proved to be great fun. As we started interacting with the senior citizens there, one of them who was a forest ranger in his youth, began telling us his adventure stories. Gradually, the crowd around him went on increasing and finally we all, including our lecturer, sat around him and listened to his stories. He had spent most of the golden years of his life in the vicinity of a jungle and had dealt with all possible types of animals. He knew many habits of every species of animals unknown to us which were a key in protecting ourselves from them. He had faced too many life-threatening situations and had always found a way out. He had a great knack of narrating stories. He kept us literally glued to our seats. He told so dramatically and animatedly that we almost felt those incidents happening live. No one realized how two hours passed while listening to his stories.

However, these visits sometimes taught us a lot of things; things that cannot be taught in the class-rooms. One visit we were taken to an orphanage. I had never been to an orphanage before. The orphanage building was a very ordinary building, very old, and actually in a dilapidated state. The building's exterior and interiors were inhospitable. Our hostel seemed a lot better. One of the senior female staff explained to us the functioning of the orphanage --- how children were accepted there, how the arrangements were made for their food, schooling and living --- constantly emphasizing how they were in dire need of funds. Then she took us on a tour of the orphanage. The atmosphere there was very depressing. Inspite of the bright sun shining outside, it was very dark and dull inside. We were first shown the kitchen and mess. It was as bad as it could be. The staff kept telling us how they could not do anything due to lack of funds. Then we were taken to the living rooms. The condition of the living rooms was even more pathetic. It seemed like they hadn't been swept or cleaned in a lifetime. There were so many cob-webs as if in a ghost house. I felt really bad for the children; it seemed that they are living in a hell. The orphanage was mostly empty at the time we went because all the kids had gone to school. I wondered if majority of the kids living here would be in depression. The staff gave only one reason for everything, and that was lack of funds. I gradually developed hatred for her. She kept on lamenting about the pathetic condition of the children; however she herself was clad in a rich silk saree and gold and diamond ornaments. Were the funds so less that they couldn't even afford a sweeper, or were they being diverted somewhere else? I wondered.