“Golden Jubilee 2013 !!” :)
I first heard this term…..let me remember…..yes, it was way
back in shayad April – May 2010 !!
And how was that…
Well, I had naya naya joined my online college grp MKP, the
Masti ki Paathshala. I was still in the process of exploring and marveling at
it, when I came across this term…GJ 2013- Golden Jubilee of our parent
institute to be held in the year 2013. Respectable seniors had started discussing
the program agenda etc then itself.
Joining the group of JNMites felt like being in the college
again. It was a wonderful feeling.
As for me, I was very skeptical about it all. When we are
unsure about tomorrow even, how could we plan 3 yrs ahead, wo kehte hain
naa….ki kal kisne dekha hai!! What to say about 3 yrs and such a huge event, something akin to a Kumbh ka mela!!
So all I did was smile, it remains to be seen, I thought. But
again, whats the harm is planning and hoping it does happen.
We had a proper discussion area in the group then, and a
secure GJ space dedicated to posts exclusively about it, where everyone could
give their views and interact. Once in a while people would comment, suggest
and discuss there, plus updates of happenings at Raipur about GJ were posted to
keep everyone in the loop.
Time passed, months and years passed.
Now it did seem real…and possible. This realization with the
beginning of 2013 brought hope and happiness. A mega event of our parent
institute, having been away for so many years, a chance to be there, meet
friends juniors and seniors, was a wonderful feeling.
Khair wo jo bhi ho, aakhir a couple of months remained….I got
the registration done….not for assuring my entry there but as a drive force to
me, lest I back off in the end due to any pressing situational priorities.
It gave a sense of relief too that whatever happens, GJ will
happen… :)
Going to the self same college where we spend the most
dynamic years of our lives, just out of childhood, in the process of becoming
an adult. Fearful, anxious of the future, venturing out of the safe protected
domains of our homes and families, to experiment, take decisions, and live our
own lives, our way.
Family gives place to Friends, who now become an integral
part of our lives, our very beings, affecting even our thought processes,
supporting us, helping each other through this future building period of our
lives.
Now when we look back, most of us will be shocked at the
amount of stress that we all endured as medical students, having no clue as to
how we managed to go through then. Maybe because we all sailed on the same
boat, deriving courage from each other in every step, plus who can deny the
timely and huge support and help given by the seniors when many a time we felt
we might break down and go on no longer.
Each and everyone has a separate and individual story to
tell, each and every one with his/her own set of struggles that he/she crossed
to finally triumph.
In those times, the pre cellphone era, we thought as we left
college, most won't be able to meet or connect with those very friends who at
some point of time were no less
than soulmates.
But we survived this separation, all of us did, because then
we had the larger and more occupying quest of future, staring squarely at us
daring us to do our best or fall back for the rest of our lives.
Some are even lucky to find and spot their partners for life
during these years, again a whirlwind of emotional upheavals and an experience
of a lifetime.
For hostellers, this is again a very novel and exclusive
experience. Hostel life teaches to live in camaraderie, with total strangers, our
rooms becoming the safest and psychologically the most secure place for those years
in college, sharing our sorrows-joys, failures-triumphs, smiles-tears all with
these one time strangers, now friends forever. I am sure each and every hosteller
remembers his/her room number for the rest of his/her life.
Oh, I could go on and on….
Now…….
I was about to go back….be there one more time….
28th -29th Dec 2013
The D-day was fast approaching……..
The D-day was fast approaching……..
One major factor that was responsible for all this
enthusiasm and earnestness was the super connectivity due to Facebook and Whatsapp !! There was a universal
frenzy, kaun kab aa rahaa hai, kahaa mileinge etc etc. minute to minute
updates….
Finally, the Virtual, turned into Real !! The morning of 28th
Dec 2013 !!!!
It started as we reached the airport. Now the faces all
around came under only two categories… “JNMites” and “Non-JNMites!!” :)
We greeted each other with knowing smiles saying, “so there
we are, lets proceed….” And parting with, “College me milte hain!!”
Yu ki,
"मैं अकेला
ही
चला
था
जािनब-ए-मंिज़ल मगर,
लोग जुड़ते गए,
कारवां
बनता
गया…."
:)
In the aircraft too, the sequence…missed call by a friend…necks
craned…smiles and waves at recognition….knowing hellos exchanged…even though
seeing each other after something like decades…yet, “so u r here, fine!!” :)
Kids were enjoying the childlike excitement of their mum.
Reached Raipur!!
Again in the airport, the sequence
continued…recognition-smiles-hellos…..the facial muscles for happiness and
smile were working overtime!! :)))
Today, even the drive from airport to hotel had a different
air to it….every vehicle passing by seemed to have a jnmite in it.
Reached
hotel…..kids were hungry, so we went straight to the breakfast area…..again it
didn’t feel we were in an alien hotel….it was as if we were at home, the area
filled with seniors and frnds…..smile karein ya nashta karein, samajh hi nahi
aa raha tha. :)))
My God, I had never experienced such a phenomenon ever. It
was today that I actually understood the meaning of "वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम
!!" The whole world seemed to be one.
It was time for the formal program to start and we got ready
to go. I could hardly wait to reach the venue, the college….my college !! :)
I was super excited to take my kids especially my daughter
along. As we neared and as the first glimpses of the building came in view, my
heart fluttered, I was as happy as a five yr old girl would be who’s about to
get her first Barbie.
We went in…..it stood there…. ‘The Pt Jawaharlal Nehru
Memorial Medical College!!”...in all its grandeur!! in all its glory!! All decked up….but hardly
alone. The campus full of its students, Gurus…. “JNMites!!” from all over the
globe…united by their roots here!! In its shelter!! Whatever their positions,
statures, countries, batches, castes, on the outside world, here they were all
One!! :)
Breathing in the same air….walking on The ground…. I felt
grand….rejuvenated . “Hiii….tu kaisi hai?!!” was meant for every friend….the
surnames all vanished….only First names remained….it was as if we were
liberated….came out of the shell that we were in, till a few hours back….the
shell of the person that we had become over the years, the responsibilities
that we were successfully fulfilling in different individual roles both
personally and professionally, having our bases made here….today in our
element…again.
But there was a gross difference between then and now. As
students when we were here, we were skeptical, apprehensive, fearful for our
future lives. There was an element of competition in the minds too…all of which
restricted us a bit…but now…..we had mostly achieved what we strived for then,
both personally and professionally.
Hence, we were more confident and secure now with our
families. Showing off the college to our spouses and kids was an exhilarating feeling
and they in turn felt so proud.
One cute thing that I want to share here, is that while
moving about, my daughter had a call from her friend, and I heard her saying, “ yaar mamma aur
unki friends bilkul apne jaisi hi baatein karti hain!!” :)))
Again as a kid I had heard, "जननी
जन्मभूिमश्च
स्वर्गादिपगरीय िस!!"
which now seemed absolutely true. Yes, as Doctors, we were all born here. And
now just as the birds flow away from their nests once adult, we too had spread
our wings and soared high far and wide.
Just as all good things finally have to end, 29th
too came and was fast nearing its culmination. Sadness was setting in. Dil ne
kahaa… "लम्हा लम्हा तरसे
िजस
लम्हे
को,
वो
लम्हा
आया
भी
तो
बस
इक
लम्हे
को!!" Does it really have to end, was the
question in all our minds….
But again, every cloud has a silver lining, we too had
things like phones, facebook and whatsapp to help us keep contact even after we
moved away to our respective destinations one more time…so it was not entirely
over after all. :)
With heavy hearts but contented souls, we left, bidding our
parent institute goodbye with a promise to come back again….inspired and
motivated to do better and strive to be a better person harnessing energy from
our fellow JNMites.
Now when I look back, I am still awestruck at the huge number
of Big people that we had in one campus during those 2 days right from first
batch to the latest….such a huge number of influential people…people who can
actually make a difference.
This is just the beginning. This power was not united just
for those two days, this was done forever…all that we require now is to think
together and make strategic planning how to make things still better for our
parent institute as well as the students who shall in future frame the world….