Studying at Hogwarts school of magic.

STUDYING AT HOGWARTS, THE MAGIC BEING QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE AND SACRIFICE, THE MAGIC WAND BEING THE STETHOSCOPE : A glorious memory ! --- by Dr. Bibhash Chakravorty. You can see 2 pictures hanging on the wall of the Guide Clinic under the focused light ---- to the right, you can see a painting by an artist ( Dinesh Magar ) of the MCH building of our Alma mater, The Medical College Hospital, Calcutta which one of my friend has kindly presented me with and to the right you can see a photograph of the same MCH building with our 1981 batch of medical students sitting on the stairs and starting their sojourn of QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE AND SACRIFICE ! OUR MEDICAL PROFESSION STILL DEMANDS SACRIFICE, HENCE IT'S NOBLE, contrary to popular belief among a section of the society. I have thanked my friend who presented me with the artist's original collection photo painting of our MCH building, which has been renovated. THE BUILDING IS NOT ONLY OUR PRIDE, BUT IN IT'S WARD YOU CAN FIND THE VERY BED IN WHICH BENOY THE FAMOUS BENGALI REVOLUTIONARY OF BENOY, BADAL, DINESH FAME, BREATHED HIS LAST BREATH BY FIRING A BULLET TO HIS OWN HEAD, AFTER THE FAMOUS WRITER'S BUILDING SEIZURE DURING THE BRITISH RULE OF BENGAL ! WE HAVE EVEN SEEN PATIENTS LYING ON THAT VERY BED --- ON A TABLET PLACED ON THE HEAD END OF THE BED WAS WRITTEN ABOUT BENOY !!! This very fact used to give me goosebumps in the past, now it endows me with PRIDE BEING NOT ONLY A BENGALI BUT A DOCTOR TOO, BECAUSE SOME DOCTOR MUST HAVE CARED AND LOOKED AFTER BENOY, MY HERO ! ---- for whom I have shed tears in my childhood while going through, "Ami Subhash Balchi " book by Sri Sailesh Dey. The honour and pleasure is all mine. The picture you see to the left of your presented photo, was shot on 17th September 1981, our 1st day at Medical College, all of us sitting on the steps and stairs of the same MCH building which the artist has painted. Behind us are standing the eminent teachers and our Professors, including the legend of Anatomy Prof Dr Samar Mitra, standing behind me. You can also see Dr Sukumar Mukherjee, standing behind to the right of the picture. Then he was not a professor but a Reader. It was the Golden Period of Medical College and Hospital then and we were very lucky to be able to study there, at that time. If you compare, it was almost like studying at the magical school of Hogwarts, of the Harry Potter FAME of Rowling's, the magic being quest for knowledge and sacrifice and the magic wand being the stethoscope ! Established in 1835, THE BENGAL MEDICAL COLLEGE, as it was named at that time, was the first medical school to teach European medicine in English in ASIA and the second to teach the same after Ecole de Medicine de Pondicherry. My friend's name is Mr. Chandan Chaudhuri, who has made it possible for me to recollect such a glorious memory of our mother institution, our Alma mater, The Medical College Hospital, Calcutta, of which we are not only proud for having studied there but also for having so many sweet memories of fellow friends interacting with each other, leisurely gossiping and playing chess and card games and Bridge in the canteen, playing table tennis in the common room or playing soccer or cricket --- either practising in the college ground or playing against outside teams or participating with the senior alumnis in the Presidency college ground, enjoying reunions, reading and gossiping in the library, appearing in prize examinations, passing or failing in examinations, passionately arguing with each other and enjoying politics and doing mischief in the lecture theatres or examination halls, doing clinics in the wards, dissecting cadavers in the Anatomy dissection hall, even finding soul mates and bosom buddies, etc ! ----- All these memories evoke the emotion ------- "Give me some sunshine, give me some rain, give me another chance, I wanna grow up again ", without the initial sad part of the song, just for the sake of reliving the memorable moments of the old college days ! The photographs are looking blurred, you can find a sharper photo of us sitting on the stairs in one my previous post. Appearing below is my previous post regarding the same photograph, in order to give my readers a complete picture and sharper photographs too. The Medical College and Hospital, Calcutta; 1981 students batch, the photo shot in the staircase of MCH Building along with our renowned professors and teachers, probably on 17th September 1981, our very first day at college. I still remember the warm and cordial fresher's welcome extended to us by our respected seniors, which only ended after having a satisfying mutton and rice meal at the college common room. -- পেট পুরে মাংস ভাত খাওয়া। This photo now hung on the wall at home brings forth many sweet memories ! I bet you won't be able to find me on this photograph ! Just behind me is standing the legend of Anatomy, Prof. Dr. Samar Mitra ! ------ Dr. Bibhash Chakravorty. Picture below : Me at the extreme right from your view and my bosom friends Dr. Saumitra to my right and Dr. Sandip to the extreme left.