When I was promoted as Assistant Professor (ENT) in the year 2006 and allotted room number1 in the OPD I was overwhelmed with emotions. This was the very room where my mentor Prof. K K Duggal used to sit. Sitting in his chair I asked myself do I measure up to stature of senior teachers who used to sit in this chair. These sentiments swelled up when I went to C lecture theatre (located between Pharmacology and Pathology departments) to deliver my first lecture to new final year. The memories of senior teachers who used to stand behind this very rostrum and teach us flashed in my mind one-by-one.
In our college times we were lucky to have an excellent faculty across all the departments. Beginning with Anatomy department, the trio of Dr. Balbir Singh, Dr. Usha Ahuja, and Dr. Mukherjee was a complete package to impart the concepts of subject in totality in the minds of fresh medical students. ‘Mukherjee Cut’ associated with Dr. Mukherjee was a little price to pay for the world class teaching imparted by him.
In Physiology department the duo of Dr. K S Sachdeva and Dr. C L Ghai worked in tandem to introduce the dry and dreary concepts of human physiology in a lucid manner. Dr. Sachdeva was an eloquent speaker, a stylish
Think of Biochemistry and ever smiling face of Dr. Gurdas Singh pops up in one’s mind. My zero starts with 50, his reassuring message was enough to imbibe confidence, though he never compromised with quality.
The sublime presence of Prof. Saroj Sanan and vibrant teaching of Dr. Hardyal Singh made the Pharmacology department popular amongst students. Mrs. Sanan was the driving force behind Literary Forum. The name of brave Dr. Sita Sharma who saved a bus from being set on fire by agitated students deserves a mention.
The towering personality of Dr. B R Prabhakar who set very high standards of teaching and clinical work in Pathology department will always be remembered. Under him the department worked like a well-oiled machine. The students were made to feel at ease and he was the sole reason why our class spared second prof from exam boycott.
I found Microbiology too tough to fathom. The credit must go to Dr. SC Tyagi, Mrs. Prabhakar, and Dr. Satya Kapila who introduced us to a subject which nowadays is backbone of patient care. Dr. Balbir Singh Ahluwalia of Forensic department had tough exterior but a soft heart. We must thank Dr. Urmila Lakhanpal of SPM for being kind to our class although we boycotted final exam thrice.
Thinking of clinical departments, the first name that comes to mind is of Dr. B S Tung, a surgeon and teacher par excellence. I must narrate one incidence. During final year while being posted in Surgery department, after the OPD class we used to have an indoor class too. On that day only Dharampal Singh Chowdhary and myself went for the indoor class. Seeing only two us the Registrar sent us back. While we were coming out of East Surgical, we met Dr. Tung. He asked us why we were going back so early. When we told him the reason, he held our hands and brought us back in the ward and spent one and a half hour teaching us. This is what is called commitment. Dr. DP Sanan and Dr. RS Sethi will always be remembered for being remarkable surgeons and teachers.
Dr. M R Chadha of Ophthalmology was an ardent teacher and would never miss his OPD class. He would mark the names of those who had presented cases during his classes. The attendance will lie open during practical exam in front of him. If you had presented a few cases during your posting, you had nothing to fear.
Although our experience as a class with Dr. C Philips was not very pleasant, she was a very methodical teacher. So were Dr. Kirpal Kaur and Dr. Surinder Kaur.
Dr. Harcharan Singh known for his sense of humor and sharp wit was a devoted teacher with clear concepts. I remember I was not feeling well for a couple of weeks and went to seek his opinion. He asked me what is wrong? I replied I have temperature, he smiled and said even ice has a temperature. Since then, I have always used the term ‘fever’.
Another statement that resounds in my mind came from Dr. Santokh Singh. He was AP in surgery department at that time. He began his series of lectures on minor surgery with a landmark quote. He said “Students I have come to teach you minor surgery, but remember no surgery is minor”.
A few other very important names deserve to be mentioned. Dr Pritam Singh, Dr. A R Marwaha, Dr. J L Bhatia, Dr. Hardas Singh Sandhu, Dr. OP Thaman, Dr. T D Sharma, Dr. Ajit Singh, Dr. Dutta, Dr. OP Sharma, Dr. Ved Gupta, Dr. R K Kumra have imparted world-class education to us all.
We shall always remain indebted to all our teachers.
Dinesh Sharma
P.S.: I might have missed a few names; it is not on purpose.
