August 1995-Spandan
Interclass is over, we lost the trophy, the College was treated to the most vulgar skit ever and accusations of fixing the Cooking competition fly back and forth. They are all denied, we have no proof and pretty soon, things are back to normal. It was the most competitive Interclass in years, I am told.
A new batch has joined and right from the get-go, they want to be different. Our first impression is that they are stuck-up kids, desperately wanting to be "different" and not mixing with the hoi-polloi, i.e the rest of the College. Needless to say, they are good ragging material.
One of these guys is someone called Rao. He is from Andhra and we immediately label him as a "psycho". One evening, sitting idle in Bong's room (who is in Final Year but is frustrated and hence on a small study break), Rao walks by. Now Bong, being in Final Year, has, for some reason sundry things like a syringe and a glass slide in his room. He also has talcum powder.
You can see where this is going.
Rao is escorted to Bong's room where 7-8 seniors, including me, wait in anticipation. There is much verbal abuse, no physical stuff, and some of us take the powder on the slide and snort or pass the syringe around, everyone extra-eager to get a "shot". The syringe has water in it. Rao is scared, which is the whole point.
This continues for 5 minutes, pausing every few seconds to coax Rao into joining this druggie gang he's landed in. With desperate cries of his "No, No. save me!!!" and Oscar worthy efforts at us stifling laughter, the scene carries on for a few minutes more till Rao decides he's had enough, breaks free, zips through the corridor, leaps off the ledge, onto the mess roof, back on the ground and we last see him running full tilt to Aschoof House, 500 long metres away.
We just make sure he doesn't break something on the way down, and that out of the way, we continue killing time, which has become a favourite pasttime.
My reading is going on OK. I pass a few tests and am enjoying the academics of this year. We've been through making many powders and solutions in Pharmacy, have decapitated frogs, chased mice around the labs and have been subjected to much sarcasm, outright screwing and threats of being stopped in exams if attendance is short. Vij, from a few batches senior has joined Pharm as a "Non-PG" and we all know him well. He's very helpful and time passes fast.
The Pharmacodynamics lab is a fun place to be, not so much for the animals in there. One time, we need to take a frog, pith it to a board on a wall, decapitate it and put it's still flailing legs in acid. I don't remember what the experiment was all about though.
Another experiment involves injecting some amphetamine into a guinea pig and watching it run crazy in a cage while it's co-caged unamphetamined partner walks around in slow motion. The cage floor is covered with paper with lots of squares on it and our task is to count the number of squares each pig crosses. I learn why Amphetamines are called "Speed". In an exam, we will be given 2 unmarked tubes, one with saline and one with the Amphetamine and by injecting and counting, we will have to figure out which is which.
Another one is placing a rat on a contraption with a nichrome wire at the end. This is a heating element and the task is to see the effect of morphine on the time the poor beat takes to figure out it's tail is on fire when the switch is turned on.
As opposed to "ass on fire" which is a term reserved for exam-going students.
These animals are in cages before being taken out for our chance at animal cruelty and sometimes, they escape the clutches of the Lab Asses and run around the lab, all of us in chase. It's hilarious in an otherwise strictly monitored Lab.
Path has moved on to Hemat. We switch from Robbins to DeGruchy and our time in Labs is spent looking at slides of Leukemias and Lymphomas etc. There are many types of Leukemias, especially one called Acute Myeloid (which has 7 sub-types) and then there is Non-Hodgkins lymphoma which has so many classifications that it seems like no one has quite figured it out. It's damn confusing, with many types of cells that may be cleaved or not and so on. There are bone marrow charts to interpret and clinical scenarios to diagnose. It's fun and is the closest I have come to Medicine proper.
Microbiology is getting weird. We have finished the General stuff like types of bacteria and Autoclaving and have moved on to Bacteriology. There are loads of them, each with it's own peculiarities and within each chapter, there are different species, and they have differing properties also. It takes some time to get used to all this but it's not so bad.
We learn to do a Gram Stain, used to rapidly diagnose what general type of infection is present and an Albert's stain for Diptheria bacteria. Now, in Albert's, when done properly, there is supposed to be a green background with the bacteria showing up as rods here and there. Every time I do it, I get green blotches with no evidence of any bacteria. Every. Single. Time.
Then there are a group of bugs known as the Gram negative (appear red on the stain) which collectively play havoc with our gut. E.Coli etc and the like. Just to torture us, they are differentiated by biochemical tests called "IMVIC" with I standing for Indole (and I forgot the rest). And each bug can be positive or negative for each of those........
...and that is a must know for us.
PKP is a Senior Resident in Micro, great fun in Pracs and makes life easy and sometimes, inspite of the drab that Micro is, even fun.
The PSM (Preventive and Social Medicine) Department, which has a practical once a week in the afternoon is a welcome break from the drudgery. It organizes field trips to Heath Centres, Malaria Control Centres etc, in an effort that we learn first hand what the Control programmes are like on the ground. It's still work, but it's good to get on the bus and go somewhere in town. We also visit a Soap factory, a distillery(!), a hand-made paper factory and a Milk factory to see worker conditions and sanitation etc etc. After the business part of the trip, we have some time to buy the paper if we want before heading back.
One time, someone sneaked away and tasted fresh, cold beer coming straight from a huge barrel. We are learning about mosquitoes, the size of holes in mosquito nets, which ones bite in the day and which at night and the killer....the many types of loos one can build.
Statistics, which flies way above my head.
All stuff we must know.
However, the Univ exam for PSM will be next year so we take it easy.
In the meantime, Spandan is approaching and the design for Vikrant's Memorial Trophy has been finalized. It is about a foot long and has a short pedestal with a person playing the guitar, representing Vikrant. We all think it's a good one and suits Vikrant well. The film show was good and with the help of contributions, there will be a significant cash award also.
The lead-up to Spandan is as usual. I am not in any particular Committee and will watch as much of this Spandan as I can. In the lead-up time, there is also a Quiz open to the College including students and staff and Rahul, Bong and I form a team. There is a prelim round and much to our surprise and delight, we make it to the top 6. The Quiz is being conducted by Brian Martis and he does a great job. There are audio rounds, vague unanswerable stuff, buzzer rounds and the usual Quiz things. The Lister Square is packed and we are up against some heavyweights like Dr J from Surgery and Dr Jai from Dermatology.
We manage to come 3rd and receive a trophy cup. Which I still have.
Spandan 1995:
What I remember is this:
1. An awesome rendition of "Too Much Love will Kill you" by 2 guys without instruments. Just vocals.
(It's the best version I've ever heard, better than Queen's).
2. We did a skit in Spandan and won something.
3. Ditto for Ad-Zap.
4. Bong and I come 2nd in "90 seconds".
90 seconds: This was a version of "20 Questions" started by a Micro PG, Sudhanwa. It was an instant massive hit because one could ask as may questions one wanted within those 90 seconds, the winners being those who got it correct in the least possible time.
A personality, dead or alive, fictitious or real is given to one member of a team. One guy sits alone on a chair and has to ask all the questions while his team-mate, who knows the answer, is only allowed to answer in "Yes, No, Also and Maybe". Days before the event, Bong and I have worked out strategies and short cuts and have fine-tuned them to near perfection.
On the day, I mess up our last one and we lose by mere seconds. Bong is furious. We come 2nd. We should have easily won it.
5. The trophy
It's the last day of Spandan. The trophy has been on display in the Reception throughout the week and many people have dropped by asking for the background behind it. It's a new trophy and prize.
After 5 awesome days of food, fun and friends, Spandan is coming to a close. The last event of the festival is, as always, the Basketball finals. We are there seeing it, but are waiting for the final whistle. When that happens and the noise has abated somewhat, the winning Cultural team is called. They know that they have won obviously, points having been tallied that day, and are waiting in the wings.
It's a proper ceremony, fitting with the significance of the trophy, with a photo of Vikrant, a few words spoken by one of us, and finally the trophy is presented to MCC, the winning team. (Madras Christian College).
Their captain delivered a beautiful acceptance speech. Straight from the heart.
Perhaps the most emotional moment in my time in College. I stand there, on the sidelines, wipe the tears and walk away.
Post Spandan 1995
Jipmer becomes a ghost campus after Spandan. Nearly everyone is involved in Spandan, in some way or the other and Nov-Dec means exams for all batches. So, while there is physical evidence of a recently concluded Festival, there are no festivites of any sort.
Lots of people, however, are in a blue funk (aka Post Spandan Sickness Syndrome) and this lasts for a few days. It's just a normal cycle of events.
Mainly due to Pharm class starting at 8, and my continued inability to get up on time, attendance has reached danger levels. The required cut off is 75%, a reasonable figure and with a token fine, it can be condoned upto 65%. I am hovering around this latter figure.
My views on attendance in general are not the subject of this blog.
The problem is that there aren't too many classes left to make up all this lost attendance. Another problem is that Pharm still sticks to it's 8 AM schedule, obviously currently oblivious of my current predicament. The ignorance will not last long.
The final part of Pharm is on "Antibiotics", a rather large section which will be covered by the Head, Prof S. Seniors have told me his classes are excellent and it's nearly compulsory to take notes. One or two classes later, I know they were spot on. He has the knack of telling you everything in a way that you can't forget and if you do, a quick brush of the notes is all you need. It's far, far better than KDT, our standard book and I take regular, copious notes.
Vinay has not taken notes as diligently as I have and some bits and pieces are missing for him. I, therefore photostat mine (the first time in College anyone will read notes I have made).
Path and Micro are winding down and we are approaching the end of this year. Send-Ups will start soon and a month or so later, the University Exams. I am bit on tenterhooks now with regards to attendance but I read anyway. I might not make it, but then, I just might.
One evening, after a test, my room hosts a party. A cassette of the Beatles I had borrowed from Shom (and who had borrowed it from Sonal) sits on my desk, it's tape having got stuck in the deck and looped out, the black magnetic tape lying around on my table. My Pharm notes are also lying on the table. My water bottle cap is being used as an ashtray and is half full of ash.
A few drinks later, we finish and go to shacks to get some muttha-paarotha (mashed up egg paratha).
When we come back, my room is on fire. 2 foot high flames have engulfed the curtains, the stuff on my table is either burnt or melted and it's scary as hell. I take my quilt and with some help, we manage to smother the fire. And assess the damage.
The water bottle cap is stuck on the table. It's melted completely. The Beatles tape is plastered on the table.
And my notes have been burnt to a crisp.
Note on muttha paratha:
This dish was made 24 hours in the shacks outside. One takes a few eggs, some spices, onions etc, paratha flour and then a non stop rhythmic "taka-taka-taka" kind of sound is heard as the paratha guy proceeds to mix all this up on the big stove. I spent many long nights in front of a book with this sound coming all the way over to my room, a few hundred metres away.
.............................................................
Someone (could have been me) left a burning cig in the "ashtray"......
Now I will have to read my own photostated notes.
As we progress, things start to look bleaker for me. My reading is fine, I'm passing tests and answering vivas but attendance is a thorny issue. In Pharm mainly. In Path, the attendance is marked in as "P's" and "A's" in the register and once, we manage to get our hands on it and change a few of those A's back to P's. Just old fashioned over-writing.
The same is not possible in Pharm.
Send-Ups come and go. I pass, but thats not the point.
Prof S, the Head of Pharm calls me to his room and with Dr G, informs me that due to attendance at 64.4% (1 class), I will not be permitted to write the December Univs. That is that.
So, I call up home and inform my parents. The reaction is more flabbergasted than anger etc. I am also a bit shaken and know that all my socks will have to be pulled up real fast.
I am given the option of taking Path and Micro this year and carry Pharm over till the next semester. However, this means that I will get 2 attempts in Pharm, which I do not want.
I therefore, tell the Admin that i will take all 5 papers (1 Pharm, 2 Path and 2 Micro), attend extra classes with the Additional Batch and make up my attendance.
The nest few months will be interesting....................
Interclass is over, we lost the trophy, the College was treated to the most vulgar skit ever and accusations of fixing the Cooking competition fly back and forth. They are all denied, we have no proof and pretty soon, things are back to normal. It was the most competitive Interclass in years, I am told.
A new batch has joined and right from the get-go, they want to be different. Our first impression is that they are stuck-up kids, desperately wanting to be "different" and not mixing with the hoi-polloi, i.e the rest of the College. Needless to say, they are good ragging material.
One of these guys is someone called Rao. He is from Andhra and we immediately label him as a "psycho". One evening, sitting idle in Bong's room (who is in Final Year but is frustrated and hence on a small study break), Rao walks by. Now Bong, being in Final Year, has, for some reason sundry things like a syringe and a glass slide in his room. He also has talcum powder.
You can see where this is going.
Rao is escorted to Bong's room where 7-8 seniors, including me, wait in anticipation. There is much verbal abuse, no physical stuff, and some of us take the powder on the slide and snort or pass the syringe around, everyone extra-eager to get a "shot". The syringe has water in it. Rao is scared, which is the whole point.
This continues for 5 minutes, pausing every few seconds to coax Rao into joining this druggie gang he's landed in. With desperate cries of his "No, No. save me!!!" and Oscar worthy efforts at us stifling laughter, the scene carries on for a few minutes more till Rao decides he's had enough, breaks free, zips through the corridor, leaps off the ledge, onto the mess roof, back on the ground and we last see him running full tilt to Aschoof House, 500 long metres away.
We just make sure he doesn't break something on the way down, and that out of the way, we continue killing time, which has become a favourite pasttime.
My reading is going on OK. I pass a few tests and am enjoying the academics of this year. We've been through making many powders and solutions in Pharmacy, have decapitated frogs, chased mice around the labs and have been subjected to much sarcasm, outright screwing and threats of being stopped in exams if attendance is short. Vij, from a few batches senior has joined Pharm as a "Non-PG" and we all know him well. He's very helpful and time passes fast.
Another experiment involves injecting some amphetamine into a guinea pig and watching it run crazy in a cage while it's co-caged unamphetamined partner walks around in slow motion. The cage floor is covered with paper with lots of squares on it and our task is to count the number of squares each pig crosses. I learn why Amphetamines are called "Speed". In an exam, we will be given 2 unmarked tubes, one with saline and one with the Amphetamine and by injecting and counting, we will have to figure out which is which.
Another one is placing a rat on a contraption with a nichrome wire at the end. This is a heating element and the task is to see the effect of morphine on the time the poor beat takes to figure out it's tail is on fire when the switch is turned on.
As opposed to "ass on fire" which is a term reserved for exam-going students.
These animals are in cages before being taken out for our chance at animal cruelty and sometimes, they escape the clutches of the Lab Asses and run around the lab, all of us in chase. It's hilarious in an otherwise strictly monitored Lab.
Path has moved on to Hemat. We switch from Robbins to DeGruchy and our time in Labs is spent looking at slides of Leukemias and Lymphomas etc. There are many types of Leukemias, especially one called Acute Myeloid (which has 7 sub-types) and then there is Non-Hodgkins lymphoma which has so many classifications that it seems like no one has quite figured it out. It's damn confusing, with many types of cells that may be cleaved or not and so on. There are bone marrow charts to interpret and clinical scenarios to diagnose. It's fun and is the closest I have come to Medicine proper.
Microbiology is getting weird. We have finished the General stuff like types of bacteria and Autoclaving and have moved on to Bacteriology. There are loads of them, each with it's own peculiarities and within each chapter, there are different species, and they have differing properties also. It takes some time to get used to all this but it's not so bad.
We learn to do a Gram Stain, used to rapidly diagnose what general type of infection is present and an Albert's stain for Diptheria bacteria. Now, in Albert's, when done properly, there is supposed to be a green background with the bacteria showing up as rods here and there. Every time I do it, I get green blotches with no evidence of any bacteria. Every. Single. Time.
Then there are a group of bugs known as the Gram negative (appear red on the stain) which collectively play havoc with our gut. E.Coli etc and the like. Just to torture us, they are differentiated by biochemical tests called "IMVIC" with I standing for Indole (and I forgot the rest). And each bug can be positive or negative for each of those........
...and that is a must know for us.
PKP is a Senior Resident in Micro, great fun in Pracs and makes life easy and sometimes, inspite of the drab that Micro is, even fun.
The PSM (Preventive and Social Medicine) Department, which has a practical once a week in the afternoon is a welcome break from the drudgery. It organizes field trips to Heath Centres, Malaria Control Centres etc, in an effort that we learn first hand what the Control programmes are like on the ground. It's still work, but it's good to get on the bus and go somewhere in town. We also visit a Soap factory, a distillery(!), a hand-made paper factory and a Milk factory to see worker conditions and sanitation etc etc. After the business part of the trip, we have some time to buy the paper if we want before heading back.
One time, someone sneaked away and tasted fresh, cold beer coming straight from a huge barrel. We are learning about mosquitoes, the size of holes in mosquito nets, which ones bite in the day and which at night and the killer....the many types of loos one can build.
Statistics, which flies way above my head.
All stuff we must know.
However, the Univ exam for PSM will be next year so we take it easy.
In the meantime, Spandan is approaching and the design for Vikrant's Memorial Trophy has been finalized. It is about a foot long and has a short pedestal with a person playing the guitar, representing Vikrant. We all think it's a good one and suits Vikrant well. The film show was good and with the help of contributions, there will be a significant cash award also.
The lead-up to Spandan is as usual. I am not in any particular Committee and will watch as much of this Spandan as I can. In the lead-up time, there is also a Quiz open to the College including students and staff and Rahul, Bong and I form a team. There is a prelim round and much to our surprise and delight, we make it to the top 6. The Quiz is being conducted by Brian Martis and he does a great job. There are audio rounds, vague unanswerable stuff, buzzer rounds and the usual Quiz things. The Lister Square is packed and we are up against some heavyweights like Dr J from Surgery and Dr Jai from Dermatology.
We manage to come 3rd and receive a trophy cup. Which I still have.
Spandan 1995:
What I remember is this:
1. An awesome rendition of "Too Much Love will Kill you" by 2 guys without instruments. Just vocals.
(It's the best version I've ever heard, better than Queen's).
2. We did a skit in Spandan and won something.
3. Ditto for Ad-Zap.
4. Bong and I come 2nd in "90 seconds".
90 seconds: This was a version of "20 Questions" started by a Micro PG, Sudhanwa. It was an instant massive hit because one could ask as may questions one wanted within those 90 seconds, the winners being those who got it correct in the least possible time.
A personality, dead or alive, fictitious or real is given to one member of a team. One guy sits alone on a chair and has to ask all the questions while his team-mate, who knows the answer, is only allowed to answer in "Yes, No, Also and Maybe". Days before the event, Bong and I have worked out strategies and short cuts and have fine-tuned them to near perfection.
On the day, I mess up our last one and we lose by mere seconds. Bong is furious. We come 2nd. We should have easily won it.
5. The trophy
It's the last day of Spandan. The trophy has been on display in the Reception throughout the week and many people have dropped by asking for the background behind it. It's a new trophy and prize.
After 5 awesome days of food, fun and friends, Spandan is coming to a close. The last event of the festival is, as always, the Basketball finals. We are there seeing it, but are waiting for the final whistle. When that happens and the noise has abated somewhat, the winning Cultural team is called. They know that they have won obviously, points having been tallied that day, and are waiting in the wings.
It's a proper ceremony, fitting with the significance of the trophy, with a photo of Vikrant, a few words spoken by one of us, and finally the trophy is presented to MCC, the winning team. (Madras Christian College).
Their captain delivered a beautiful acceptance speech. Straight from the heart.
Perhaps the most emotional moment in my time in College. I stand there, on the sidelines, wipe the tears and walk away.
Post Spandan 1995
Jipmer becomes a ghost campus after Spandan. Nearly everyone is involved in Spandan, in some way or the other and Nov-Dec means exams for all batches. So, while there is physical evidence of a recently concluded Festival, there are no festivites of any sort.
Lots of people, however, are in a blue funk (aka Post Spandan Sickness Syndrome) and this lasts for a few days. It's just a normal cycle of events.
Mainly due to Pharm class starting at 8, and my continued inability to get up on time, attendance has reached danger levels. The required cut off is 75%, a reasonable figure and with a token fine, it can be condoned upto 65%. I am hovering around this latter figure.
My views on attendance in general are not the subject of this blog.
The problem is that there aren't too many classes left to make up all this lost attendance. Another problem is that Pharm still sticks to it's 8 AM schedule, obviously currently oblivious of my current predicament. The ignorance will not last long.
The final part of Pharm is on "Antibiotics", a rather large section which will be covered by the Head, Prof S. Seniors have told me his classes are excellent and it's nearly compulsory to take notes. One or two classes later, I know they were spot on. He has the knack of telling you everything in a way that you can't forget and if you do, a quick brush of the notes is all you need. It's far, far better than KDT, our standard book and I take regular, copious notes.
Vinay has not taken notes as diligently as I have and some bits and pieces are missing for him. I, therefore photostat mine (the first time in College anyone will read notes I have made).
Path and Micro are winding down and we are approaching the end of this year. Send-Ups will start soon and a month or so later, the University Exams. I am bit on tenterhooks now with regards to attendance but I read anyway. I might not make it, but then, I just might.
One evening, after a test, my room hosts a party. A cassette of the Beatles I had borrowed from Shom (and who had borrowed it from Sonal) sits on my desk, it's tape having got stuck in the deck and looped out, the black magnetic tape lying around on my table. My Pharm notes are also lying on the table. My water bottle cap is being used as an ashtray and is half full of ash.
A few drinks later, we finish and go to shacks to get some muttha-paarotha (mashed up egg paratha).
When we come back, my room is on fire. 2 foot high flames have engulfed the curtains, the stuff on my table is either burnt or melted and it's scary as hell. I take my quilt and with some help, we manage to smother the fire. And assess the damage.
The water bottle cap is stuck on the table. It's melted completely. The Beatles tape is plastered on the table.
And my notes have been burnt to a crisp.
Note on muttha paratha:
This dish was made 24 hours in the shacks outside. One takes a few eggs, some spices, onions etc, paratha flour and then a non stop rhythmic "taka-taka-taka" kind of sound is heard as the paratha guy proceeds to mix all this up on the big stove. I spent many long nights in front of a book with this sound coming all the way over to my room, a few hundred metres away.
.............................................................
Someone (could have been me) left a burning cig in the "ashtray"......
Now I will have to read my own photostated notes.
As we progress, things start to look bleaker for me. My reading is fine, I'm passing tests and answering vivas but attendance is a thorny issue. In Pharm mainly. In Path, the attendance is marked in as "P's" and "A's" in the register and once, we manage to get our hands on it and change a few of those A's back to P's. Just old fashioned over-writing.
The same is not possible in Pharm.
Send-Ups come and go. I pass, but thats not the point.
Prof S, the Head of Pharm calls me to his room and with Dr G, informs me that due to attendance at 64.4% (1 class), I will not be permitted to write the December Univs. That is that.
So, I call up home and inform my parents. The reaction is more flabbergasted than anger etc. I am also a bit shaken and know that all my socks will have to be pulled up real fast.
I am given the option of taking Path and Micro this year and carry Pharm over till the next semester. However, this means that I will get 2 attempts in Pharm, which I do not want.
I therefore, tell the Admin that i will take all 5 papers (1 Pharm, 2 Path and 2 Micro), attend extra classes with the Additional Batch and make up my attendance.
The nest few months will be interesting....................
i remember the vocals performance, was awesome , i agree!!
ReplyDeletewas it the same year , when a girl from Christ college gave an unforgetable rendition of "Zombie" by the Cranberries ?
ReplyDeleteYeah!! I remember that so well. I think it was.
ReplyDeleteThe 'RAO' incident was a minor event; there were many more 'RAO' incidents, if its the same rao we are talking about.
ReplyDeleteway to go G.
Yeah. I know abt the self intubation etc. When was that?
ReplyDeleteI also remember Vivek Babu's rendition of Zombie...
ReplyDelete