ward – Random Reflections 2015

Nescafe – a routine within routine

Sometime into our Gynae/Obs posting, Ayantika and i went over to Surgery OPD on Thursday to get the HOD’s signature in our internee’s record books and internship assessment books. We sat at his OPD for a while, with no sign of the consultant. “He has gone for his round”, informed the OPD nurse. As we two waited for him inside his OPD, a steady stream of patients came up to us, asking all sorts of questions – ranging from the surgeon’s whereabouts to actual treatmemt certain eye conditions (i am not kidding, in case you wonder why would patients consult for their eye problems at surgery department).

It was at this point when Ayo said, “let’s go for coffee, shall we?”

I agreed readily as i knew where she was headed to.

Before you ask, let me inform you – we have a couple of coffee joints apart from the central canteen and a chaiwala in front of the emergency block. Also we have a few such joints right by the hospital campus, outside the main gate.

But there is an undeniable aura of warmth at the said place – the NESCAFE. Much of lives have been lived or planned or discussed by it. It has been standing within our campus for years, even before the 5th batch of Kapsonians enrolled – i saw it when it stood by the Central Reception, i see it when it stands opposite to the New Specialty Clinic.

So much so, that it has become, a routine, for almost all of us to visit it at least once a day amidst our daily routine of chores.

Routine days, despite being “regular”, never turned out to be certain – patients’ health would worsen, their parties would throw up tantrums, one might even receive an unexpected compliment, emergency OTs, admission on non-admission days, patients surving from the jaws of death – the list is endless. A doctor’s life is as uncertain as you can imagine it to be.

But the routine within the routine ensured something – you are certain to meet someone – who would understand your state of exhaustion or exhilaration, and lend an ear to you; irrespective of the time. Not necessarily your bestie or your brother from another mother, this someone could be a batchmate you hardly talked during your students days or this someone could be your ex co-intern.

But what matters is that Nescafe never fails to serve this amount of certainty and piping hot coffees.

As Ayantika and i finished our coffee and pondered over making a move, asking ourselves, to the OT or to the ward – we spotted our Surgery HOD coming over to Nescafe for a his quick fix of caffeine to kick start his hectic OPD day! And we got our books signed in the process.

“Thank God for this coffee! I felt that he might come here in between his round and OPD!”, said Ayantika in glee, as we rushed to the OT.

Panchami : Five Years Later!

My city is known worldwide to long for this period of the year.

PUJO is not just a word, but an emotion. It is something both the Bangalees and the Bongs will agree on, without an argument.

This city, which goes by the name Kolkata, has been preparing to welcome Maa Durga and her children with a lot of fanfare, for a while. It is a time when folks keeping aside all differences, soak in the festivities sans a second thought.

I cannot help but revisit the Panchami, 5th day of Durga Pujo in the years of 2012.

First year of college was such an innocent, not-so-responsible affair – that is something, i realize only now!

As i boarded the bus which would take me to KPCMCH, i was greeted by Srinjani, a fellow intern from G/O department. A casual exchange later, we both discover we were on-call interns from the departments of G/O and Pediatrics.

As our conversation proceeded, we both reminisced about Panchami, 5 years back.

It was our first Panchami as college kids, and we bunked the day. Our first mass-bunk, and that too super successful.

(What happened after that, is another story! And success of mass-bunk isn’t something all batches can hold a claim to!)

It was the day, when we all bunked our classes to go out with the newly acquired friends for pandal-hopping and then stuff ourselves, to our heart’s content.

And this year, Panchami meant making sure the phone is working and switched on at all times. Panchami meant running from obstetric ward to NICU to pediatric ward to obstetric ward, again. Panchami meant meeting a lot of people, not the ususal happy ones but the unhappy ones. Panchami 2017 meant eating a very tired, not a happy one but a hectic one.

This Panchami was a day, when bunking is something we wouldn’t fathom even in our wildest dreams.

This was the Panchami when we learnt to be less selfish, not everyone has a happy Pujo.

The patients and the patient parties as well as the doctors-nurses-icu technicians and house-keeping staff – none are spared.

Despite that, we keep going. After all, going forward is the only option we have, don’t we?

Happy Pujo to everyone! Shobbai ke Sharodiya-r Priti o Shubheccha 🙂

Credits :-

Featured Image : Dr. Pranabananda Pal, medicine intern from MCK

Image 1 : Dr. Debaditya Saha, pediatrics intern from MCK.

Image 2 : Bibaswan Chakrabarty, a doc-in-making and my immediate junior from KPCMCH.

Group A Congregated

“Ae bhai, anek porikkha diechish, chol ei last ta diye kete pori”, said Aniruddha rather determinedly and walked into the Pediatrics ward. (Bro, you’ve given several tests; let us give this last one a shot before we part.)
“Oh even I was thinking the same”, echoed others adding, “let us not remind them of the test” and followed him.

What had transpired earlier to make my friend say that is totally another story and I promise to tell it some other day.

The clinics batch A was one of the best things to have happened to me during my M.B.B.S. course.

4^th semester, when this group was formed, comprised individuals of various kinds. One wasn’t friendly with everyone. Unity was an alien concept. We never knew what was in store. 2^nd Prof was our conditioning period.

Then came 3^rd Prof. Part I. The honeymoon period of M.B.B.S. curriculum; I am not elaborating on that part.

Finally it was time for 3rd Prof. Part II – the period when I fell in love with Group A. Yeah I did use the phrase, “fall in love” because falling in love is nothing but falling in habit and accepting one completely with all the quirks and perks included.

Last clinical posting for Group-A Congregated was Pediatrics. Next to it, we do have specialty medicine (Neuro-Pulmo-Derma-Cardio). But we won’t be a congregated one anymore. We’ll be A1, A2, A3 and A4.

Adrita, one of my fellow Group-Aites had been chanting, “hey, it is our last day…be nostalgic.” We laughed her off.

We were focused on getting though our Pediatric ward clearance and then getting click-happy.

New friendships were formed and old ones were redefined. Taboo topics were discussed with ease and countless conversations were exchanged. One’s strengths and weaknesses were learnt off. Photos were circulated, gossips were passed on, and proxies were given.

Only when I started writing it, I realized 2 hours a day for 6 days a month for a li’l less than 3 complete years can do wonders: to one’s knowledge, to one’s personality, to one’s friendships and to oneself.

I actually got very nostalgic. Wanted to write so much, but my mind is all haywire with the snippets of different things we said and did.

Much love to US.

P.S. we missed you Aritraa.

P.P.S. a few of the famed Group-Aites are missing from the snaps.

Now enjoy the snaps (few of the countless goofy and/or good ones) 😀

Spotted the difference, did you? 😉