I attended my ultra genius cousin’s graduation day ceremony last month, 26th Feb 2011, at the Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute [BMCRI]. The event was graced by the Mr Bharadwaj, Governor of Karnataka, several eminent doctors & the entire brass of BMCRI’s faculty. The media was in attendance too, hoping to get good sound bites and capture some picture perfect moments.
The atmosphere was vibrant and alive. Overjoyed students, proud parents and relieved (!) faculty members. It was like a throwback to my own graduation almost 3 years back. Like all typical Indian ceremonies, this one too started off late. We are like this only, yaar!
The governor arrived with much pomp and gaiety. After the usual welcome address, a string of speeches commenced. [more on this later]. Then came the awards distribution. Everyone, especially the parents, was in awe for the prize winners and that’s when I realized this country’s craze for academic prowess never vanishes. Call it a middle class disease. This was followed by the ceremonial Hippocratic Oath, a rite of passage for medical practitioners. Finally, much to the pleasure of the graduands, the degrees were handed out, but not before mentioning some suave qualities about each and every one of them.
Most of the speeches, save the one by the Dean, were interesting and note worthy. There was a doctor who was prescribing competition with self being a much better challenge than competition with peers. Another one which proved statistically that having more doctors per capita will not solve the medical problems we are facing now. That was a real insight to me. A bureaucrat was detailing the state of hospitals and medicine in general in Karnataka. But the one who caught my attention the most was an eminent doctor who gave up his great career to work with tribals in interior India. He was narrating the appalling conditions in rural India and that it only takes a little bit of resolve to address the challenges we are facing. This man was austerity personified, dressed in just a formal shirt and pants while most of other invitees, probably rightfully so, had their coats and suits on.
The day ended with a sumptuous lunch, loads of photo taking and a cultural event which was actually an excuse for the graduands to let their hair down. I was overwhelmed by how the guys and girls danced as if nobody was watching. There were even some who might have put Prabhu Deva to shame! That was when I realized how many of us, self included, were/are so coiled up in life that we don’t we even realize how to have fun anymore. I remember telling my aunt how un-inhibitive these kids were. To all my friends and well wishers, self has taken a leaf or two out of the books of the graduands and is evolving. Effects will be visible soon
Pic courtsey: My cousin, fifth from the left
