Dear Friends,
It was in the summer of 1974 that we all met in the ‘Dissection Hall’ of the Anatomy Department Although we were strangers to one another but we were experiencing similar emotions. The realization that we had made it to the medical college and would be doctors one day made us feel happy and excited. At the same time nearly thirty cadavers lying on the dissection tables in front of us petrified us. The fear of ragging and intimidating looks of senior students dampened our spirits. What we did not know is that it was a temporary phase and the situation will take a pleasant turn soon.
Gradually we opened up to one another and bonds of friendship began to grow. Initially we developed bonhomie with our batchmates in the dissection hall. This affability was increasing because we were all ‘partners in crime’. We were together giving cuts and exploring the dead bodies of anonymous and unknown men and women. We did not know who they were, where they used to live, how they died, and where their souls had disappeared. The understanding that these cadavers were mere objects of study took time to kick in. We went through the grind for five and a half years and finally graduated as doctors.
It is a myth that we control our destinies. In fact, it is the God who shapes our lives and has a plan for each one of us. He determines what we do and where we are headed to. I am saying this based on my real-life experiences. After graduation I moved to Canada in 1980. Just like most of us who left their motherland to try their luck in foreign lands, I also went through initial rough and tough times. I was fortunate to obtain two years training in family medicine in University Laval ,Quebec City, in the province of Quebec. After the training I practiced in Family Medicine, Emergency medicine and in patient practice in a small town called Val D’or in the northern part of the province of Quebec. Val D’or was a completely French speaking town with only five or six families from India and Pakistan. I spent seven years in Val D’or amidst French speaking people. Living in India I had never dreamt of working in such an environment and nor did I know that my children will be born in an inconspicuous French speaking Town of Val D’or. Now I realize that all that happens in our lives is dictated by our destiny based on our Karma.
I really regret missing the Silver Jubilee meet held in Amritsar in 2003. I have been in touch with Dinesh (CR) who told me about the celebrations and emotional bonding everyone experienced during the event. Now we all are preparing for the Golden Jubilee meet in February next year. It is yet another opportunity to relive the past and recall the sweet reminiscences of those good old days. Now there is an added advantage, we can share our memories with our grandchildren. Golden Jubilee will be an occasion to rekindle old friendships and revive the bonds of togetherness whose seeds were sown in the summer of 1974 in the dissection hall of the anatomy department.
Looking forward to meeting you all next year, God willing!
Lots of love!
Suchitra and Pawan Ram
