"Oh, what a horrible day! Can it not rain today? I am feeling so hot and sticky," I exclaimed to my lab partner looking outside the window from my lab.
I went out of the lab for lunch. There was no sign of the blazing sun. I think, the sun had heard my comment and went to hide behind those clouds. I felt one or 2 drops of water on my face. Even before I could think that it will start raining and I should open my umbrella, large drops of water hit my face and it started pouring. I managed to open my umbrella before I could get drenched. It seemed as if someone had just poured a bucket full of water on us. No sign of thunder or lightning but it poured for quite sometime. Those strong water droplets hit the ground hard only to make my dress wet. It's only because of this that we need to carry those huge umbrella's always like warriors carry sword to protect themselves.
Sometime later, the sun peeked out from the clouds. There was soft sunshine, yet it hit the eyes. The stagnated water in the puddles and on the road seemed to shine like diamonds spread wide. One part of the sky seemed cloudy with it's magnificent blue-black colour while the other part gave a slightly clear appearance. I looked up wondering, " Is nature playing a game ?"
I felt so uneasy walking with my sticky, muddy and wet slippers and still feeling hot. I came out of the mess after lunch and there it was, the rain was back.
It was drizzling. I walked ahead for 5 minutes, suddenly the intensity increased and the effect of the wind that made the rain drops fall at an angle. It seemed as if someone had suddenly increased the speed of the water tap and the water spurted out from a hose pipe. It was raining hard.
Now, this is what is Manipal's weather. One day it will rain like cats and dogs and we pray that the rain should stop so that normal life resumes again. The next day, though our prayers are answered and the rain does stop but in turn it becomes so hot that we wish that the rain were back again. That's called the complexity in this weather. Half the time it puts us in a confusion weather to like the weather or not.
The cool breeze is heavenly and visiting End point during the rain is heavenly. It's one place where climate change is so evident. Fixing the gaze at the valley and enjoying the weather makes stay in Manipal worthwhile.
It might be chilling cold and a weather so conducive that once can sleep the whole day doing nothing but just relaxing and having coffee and the very next day weather will become such that we can't think of sleeping.
Abhi:I, on behalf of all the second year students give a hearty welcome to all to the new faces for the Fresher Party’09…
Archana:Those faces which have become a year old and no longer remain new………… (Continuation …)
I was on the stage, compeering for the Fresher party for our juniors. It was then I realized that one year had sped so fast. I was on the same stage exactly one year back ago, performing as a fresher and introducing myself. One would wonder how a Fresher Party could be of such importance even at a post graduate level. It might not be like that for everyone but for me it was the first fresher party I was attending. I didn’t have the privilege of attending a Fresher Party in my under graduation due to restrictions put by the college authorities.
I didn’t have the time to think about the past there as I had to carry on with my compeering. One by one the juniors came and introduced themselves. The evening was full of colour, wickedness (as per the theme for the fresher party), full and frolic. We enjoyed ourselves to the maximum. After the party I came back home and went down the memory lane again.
One year began with the Fresher party where we performed on stage and for the first time each person there tried to discover the hidden potentials within them. Many of my classmates refused to actively participate but when a handful came forward to help me and my co- CR, Abhi out, organizing any show wasn’t difficult at all for us. We pulled it off well. We started mingling with each other. Studies went along which occupied the major chunk of the time that we spent.
The trend of roaming around in campus and wiling away time by simply chatting, eating out, and exploring new places was replaced by the study hours in the library. Studying Anatomy, Physiology and Bio- Chemistry together seemed a pain for all those who were from a non medical background. We were picking up pace slowly.
I still remember the day we had to enter the dissection hall. I had not dissected anything except a flower in my school days. The maximum I did was that I had dissected a fish that too wearing gloves with the help of my friend as being a vegetarian I couldn’t bear the smell of fish. After that I didn’t bother studying Botany and Zoology, thanks to my course in VIT. This time I couldn’t have escaped. What a progress!!! I was entering a dissection hall where there were steel tables, arranged in one row and each table had one cadaver (dead body in layman terms). We were instructed to carry our own forceps to the lab. I had no idea as to what was going to happen in the lab. My friends started telling their stories about the dissection labs which they had heard from their seniors. We always had dissection classes on Friday’s and it was for 2 hours and it used to be just before lunch. I didn’t speak a word. I just needed the courage to face it. We wore our lab coats and entered the lab and an irritating odour hit my smell receptors. My eyes started burning and the first thing I did was to out my handkerchief on my nose. It was horrible and then each table had one cadaver mostly 5 year old, some full , some half dissected, some had only the organs that were exposed and some had the heart, kidney, stomach and all the other organs removed. I looked at all this with my eyes wide open which started watering soon.
Errrrr….. I wasn’t crying. It was the formalin that did this job. Every table had a skeleton which was hanging with the help of a hook. After 1 hour I tried to turn around and look at all my friends. They were in the same state as I was in but I kept control. The first day I hardly spoke except for answering a few questions asked by my table teacher. We had to study the bones of the human body first and familiarize with the anatomical terms. We finished the DH and I went to wash my hand. I think I washed my hands 5 times with dettol that day before having food. I quietly had food that day. My friends kept pestering me to share my experience about the lab but I controlled till I was done with lunch. It was then I realized that it wasn’t that difficult to feel normal even after facing some which could be as horrifying as a horror movie.
Week after week the same thing continued and after a month I was so used all this that I there was nothing that could make me feel horrible. I learnt to behave professionally and after this I had one dialogue to tell my friends, “Horror movies???? Is there something more horrifying than watching your own body look alike being dissected??”
Anatomy was so difficult to be handled but once we got a grip of it we could manage but it was very volatile so we devised new methods and pneumonic to learn the terms. The classes were also fun as we as extremely boring. I either slept during anatomy class or even if I had written something I couldn’t get everything registered during the class. The professors tried hard to explain very well and it did help to an extent.
Next comes, Physiology which was even more screwing. The whole department kept us on our toes the whole year and we learnt to be punctual and disciplined only because of the physiology department. I was not allowed to attend 2 classes for coming ‘a second’ later than the professor. Then I started setting my watch to the time that physiology department followed exactly according to the IST. A bell rings here everyday at 8am and 2pm just to remind everyone about the exact time. Facing viva in physiology practical meant we had to start studying one month before and if we didn’t do that we had to face an embarrassing situation in front of the professors who very sweetly made us feel illiterate.
Bio- Chemistry labs as well as classes were always fun but if we took a chance with the subject we were bound to suffer at the end. To cut the long story short in KMC, Manipal we couldn’t take a chance with anything. We all had just one aim that time was to clear first year with a decent score.
Amidst all this we all grooved into the Manipal atmosphere by hitting the discs once in a while, attending programs, watching movies, trying out new places to eat as and when we got time. After all this it was the time when it was the season of cultural activities in Manipal. It began with our practice sessions for Spandana. It is the fest organized by the M.Sc students and it was something to look forward to. Everyone was roped in to one or the other program. Next in line was Utsav which is a Manipal inter-college fest and it was followed by Flava - The food festival.
By the beginning of May the exam tension started building up. We had done with all the internal exams by then. One month of study holidays to finish the entire one year syllabus with the exams being held continuously for three days. To spoil our determination the monsoons set in Manipal in the month of June and July. The weather was so conducive to sleep that we had to fight with our sleep in order to study. If it started raining here it wouldn’t stop or else it would rain suddenly. It just seemed as if someone was emptying buckets full of water and when the water got depleted in the buckets it stopped raining. The rains were so unpredictable that we couldn’t move out of the house without an umbrella. I think apart from the attires and dressing style what Manipal students flaunt about is the kind of umbrella each one possessed. The kind of umbrella one uses here adds on to the style statement.
This phase was also over along with those 3 days of exam. It seemed as only 3 subjects but those days were horrible. Answering exams and waiting for the results was the most horrifying experience I have had so far in the past one year. I wasn’t this tensed even during my board exam in fact, any exam that I have answered so far. The moment results came it was as if one year of that hard work had been paid and it was so wonderful to have ‘PASSED’ first year with decent marks and get into the departments of our choice for which each one was there in KMC for their post graduation.
It's 7:00 Pm and I am in the library, sitting in front of the computer and typing my new blog post.
This post is really something importatnt as after a very long time I felt happy and excited to write about something in my blog. This is a crucial time in my study hour and I could have written my blog post later but there was something that pulled me from my study table towards the computer. Anatomy and Physiology books could no longer stop me...... I was a bit worried for the past few days thinking that I am able to give time much to myself. Flava was one such event which just rejuvinated my soul.
Flava is a food fest which is organized by the students KMC Manipal every year during the month of April. There are food stalls from the different regions in India followed by a cultural programme given by the respective state. As the name suggests, It's about the different flavours. It brings alive the diversity that exists in India. The essence of the Indian culture.
It was not until Tuesday that I even felt like mentioning about any of my experiences in my blog.There have been many cultural programmes that I have attended after coming to Manipal, like Keli, Parlon, Food carnival, Spandana and Utsav and I have also enjoyed a lot but never ever did I feel a sense of satisfaction until I attended Flava. It really added flavour in my life, which apparently was going through a stage where it was only concerned with Anatomy,Physiology, Bio-Chemistry, the daily routine, college life, friends etc..etc................ I needed to just relax and enjoy and what could be better for a food freak like me!!!
It was held on 21st April at KMC Greens. My friends were pariticipating in the programmes so I was eager to see them also anxious to find out as to how the whole fest was organized. Greens looked amazing with small, colourful stalls and the students were still busy arranging their stalls.
It was already 6:30 Pm and not yet dark. In that half dim light I could spot some familiar faces who seemed to be my seniors and classmates. They had already occupied the chairs in front. The culturals were about to begin but I wasn't satisfied by just sitting. I went around with my friends just to take a look at all the stalls that were there. The prices seemes quite high but the food items were mouth watering. Some,I had already tasted but there were some that I really wanted to have since long.
We started off with Orissa, which was the first stall, then Haryana, Tamil Ndau. Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Srilanka( was in one corner in greens. It actually remined us that Srilanka was quite distant), Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh andMadhya Pradesh.
There was nothing in any stall which was reasonable but the menu had already activated my gustatory relex. I was contemplating how to taste everything and try spending reasonably and not too lavishly. We friends decided that each person will buy something from one stall and all will share and at least get an idea of the taste of the food. But....................
Where do I start from????
I was standing right in middle of the greens trying to clear my confusion ,when a thought sunk in suddenly. Which state did I belong to????? Errrr............. I am from Jharkhand but there was no stall representing my state. West Bengal and Orissa are our neighbouring states so I know these languages too. I am a Tamilian but I don't belong to Tamil Nadu fully. I have spent three years of my life there and now I am part of Karnataka. Confusing.. right?????
Well, I realized that whatever it is I am an Indian and I am a mixture of different cultures and when it comes to good food, there's no boundary. Everything is nutritious, all food itmes have proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals and vitamins.
I began with Tamil Nadu just to get the feel of being at home. I began with Tamil Nadu just to get the feel of being at home. I had a " Carrot Dosa". It was 20 rupees and I tell you the dosa was like a mini utappam. :)
The next one was Srilanka where we had a " Biscuit Pudding with chocolate chips". Something that could just melt in the mouth. We were 3 who shared it and each could get just three spoons but the taste still remains fresh in my mind.Punjab stall was our next venture after taking a break where we shared Panner pakoras and my friends had tandoori chicken.
Meanwhile we were watching the cultural programmes also. The weather was perfect and greens was already fully by then and the stalls were flooded with people. Fearing that our favourite food items might get over we rushed to the Andhra stall where I had 'Ice gola'. This was something that I was longing to have but could not for years together.
After taking a break for an hour or so we decided to try out more. The break session was all filled with munching session as some of friends made us taste few things like, dahi vada from Orissa, Pathrode from Karnataka, besi-beda bhath and misti doi from West Bengal.
I was actually not full but was feeling too contented. I looked around again and said to myself, " How many states are left to be covered?"My friends were a bit amused seeing me.. in fact I was myself a bit concerned about the condition of my stomach but then food is food... I knew i would never get this opprotunity until next year. We moved on............
I had my favourite, Rajma-pulav in UP stall and also had payasam in Kerala stall.... To take a break I kept roaming around and telling people about the stalls which they could probably visit as by the time everyone came I had finished tasting almost every bit in each stall... There was another round of jalebis which we had in Haryana stall where people were hovering around the food itmes and also watching a guy draw sketches on the spot. I stood there for almost 15 minutes watching his strokes and moves which helped me in picking up some of the tips which I needed to revive my sketching skills.
Phew!!!! I guess you are tired after readin so much, so am I,after typing so much.I was full.....................
The last thing I had was Thandai from Rajasthan stall which was horrible and didn't seem like thandai. To compensate for the taste revival I had lime juice was the cheapest thing available there( Rs 8/-).
It was 11 and I was full. I am not talking about the quantity but I am talking about the satisfaction. I was too happy. I just closed my eyes once before leaving greens and prayed within, saying, " Hope whatever I have had gets digested."
I was tired of roaming and at the end my legs gave away. I came back home and had a great sleep.
Next day my mom called up and asked what I had in the fest. I said, " Nothing much mom. Just a bit." ( I was smiling within). ( I had spent Rs 150/- in the food fest).
It's 7:40 Pm now and I am posting this blog .... I have spent 40 minutes in re-living one of the best days in Manipal so far.
In the first place comparing 2 big Universities is really difficult but I think there are striking differences as well as similarities in the way life moves. Both VIT and MAHE have attained the University status. MAHE is a group of educational institutions which iincludes engineering, medical, management, hotel management, jewellery designing, communication etc all spread around a huge area. MAHE is quite old. VIT is mainly an engineering college which includes others courses related to management and Life Science.
It is very difficult to compare educational institutions but I am going to start the comparison with the most important place, The Library.
The library is huge and spread in a large area. There are volumes and volumes of books, journals, magazines in both the libraries. If one considers the infrastructure, it is almost the same.
The only thing that would matter to any student is freedom. There are no restirctions in the timings. In VIT there is specific time for girls that is only till 10pm and for boys it extends till 12am but here in MAHE central library, the timings are the same for boys and girls that is till 11:30pm.
THE EDU BUILDING AND LIBRARY
The rules regarding the entry and exist is the same but there is one major difference.
Wanna know what????
In VIT we are constantly told, " Utilize the library, it has so much to give you." But, how many actually utilize the facilities in the library.
In Manipal the no one needs to tell us to go to the library. In fact no one does. The pressure they give is so much that automatically the crowd ends up in the library studying. The library is the best socialising place in Manipal and I think after coming here library has become my second home but to add on I would surely mention I miss being in VIT library, the place which made me love to read in silence and the place where I actually learnt to utilize books.
It has been quite a long time that I have actually got the time to write in my blog. I am beginning with the experience about my first day at KMC (Kasturba Medical College) Manipal. The moment I entered the hostel, the comparison started with VIT. I didn’t want to do that but couldn’t help comparing. There were many things that came to my mind which I would disclose slowly as days pass. The first day of college, classes started right from the first hour. There was no orientation and we were actually clueless as to what was happening. The professor came and she started and went non stop for an hour. After sitting for 3 hours on the very first day when our note books were already filled. We actually came to know the basic funda which lay behind this saying- “Welcome to Manipal”.
I spoke to most of my classmates as we had to introduce ourselves after class. Most of them turned out to be from Bangalore, Mangalore, Manipal and Kolkata. The best thing is that I have actually started learning Kannada and I am able to put into use my multi-lingual knowledge apart from Hindi and English.
For now, I am just exploring the place, the scenic beauty, comparing and contrasting things. The struggle with the subjects, Anatomy, Physiology had actually begun.
This is what comes to my mind now. More experiences are on the way……..
This was the most crucial day for me. I was quite familiar with place by then but my dad still was confused. The arrangement of the buildings was like a maze. If one has a look at the map, there were buildings spread wide apart and it was not so easy to know the nook and corner of the campus. VIT had been built later and the plan was chalked out well. The major difference was that Manipal University was spread at a larger area than VIT but the way VIT has been constructed is good enough to attract the crowd. We were almost in time to the waiting hall when I met some of my friends whom I had met during the examination. There were new faces only and from different parts of the country. We entered the counselling hall. The procedure seemed familiar and even the staff were the same. When the Director Admission started announcing the rules, I started feeling void. They had not put the chart showing the number of seats available yet. That was unusual. Thirty minutes passed. I shut my eyes tightly. I didn’t know how to react. The number of seats would decide today whether I could make it or not. It was there the very next moment. My dad took out his glasses and started reading. My first choice was Bio Chemistry; it had 21 seats in Manipal and 25 seats in Mangalore. It was the same for others like Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology and Pharmacology. Molecular Biology and Human Genetics had been reduced to 2 years and it had only 5 seats. I had no hopes with that though it seemed lucrative. After filling the forms they called out the ranks. It started with 17.
Phew... I heaved a sigh of relief. 16 candidates absent and I had better chances. I strained my ears to hear every part of the announcement they made. In another 20 minutes I was called. Now I was confident. The seat is mine. Still there were only 3 seats allotted for Medical Bio Chemistry. The seats got filled for Molecular Biology first then Microbiology started its pace along with Bio Chemistry. In between I was surprised to see that people were willing taking Anatomy and Physiology. I felt really good to see people with varied interests. I spoke to many in this 20 minutes wait till my name was called and of course my old friends were there who had written the exam with me at the Kolkata center. I was happy. My dad was still stuck to the screen but relaxed. I paid the fees, got my admission letter and then the first thing I did was I spoke to my mom. My dad kept watching people. He refused to speak anything. He told me, “Do your work fast. Don’t waste time in talking. I am sitting here.”
It was all done by 1 pm. The hostel, the admission and we also got a chance to see one of the flats which we could get. The first impression of the look was: VIT hostels are the best. I still hadn’t visited many girls’ hostels but when I went to some they looked okay to me but not bad either. Still as I said, too early to say anything as I had seen only 3 or 4 of them. It was a relaxed day altogether. We also met a professor and for the first time I entered the Bio Chemistry Department. I realized that I was in a place with an atmosphere that made me feel I was in a hospital. All future doctors with lab coats and stethoscopes walking here and there, some with a badge bearing their names and some without them I liked it in fact I had always wanted to study this course in a medical college. Medical Bio Chemistry was something I had wanted from the time I was in B.Sc and my dream college was JIPMER, Pondicherry. Still, KMC was none the less.
I was on which cloud I don’t know myself. I don’t think it was 9. I beg to differ, it must be more.
I had my first round of counselling at 2pm. We planned to leave a bit early as it was our first visit and I could get an idea that Manipal University was spread out in acres and it would be difficult to find out places there. We took a city bus and reached the Tiger Circle bus stop. It was a 20 min ride and Manipal was situated at a greater altitude than Udupi. There was difference of ages between the two places. Udupi was in the Stone Age while Manipal had been developed very well. (That was what the local people there said). Manipal was cool to look at. The hostel buildings could be seen on the left as we moved towards the college.
I stood up to leave when the conducted nudged me with his elbow and said, “ Tisss.. tissss..” I didn’t like the gesture in the first place and then I couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. I was taken aback first, I thought why must he be talking of TISS, it is in Mumbai (well just kidding)? This was the first thought that came to my mind. After having survived in places where I could understand the local language that is Hindi, Tamil and Bengali I was having a tough time with Kannada. My dad was managing with Tamil but I was confused as to which language I must use. Either I must speak in Hindi or in Tamil or in the sign language. Sign language worked in such cases when one is not able to understand what the other person is trying to say. I looked quizzically at the conductor. He showed me the tickets in his hand and asked in action if I had taken the ticket. Ah…..while getting down he was asking me that. Well, I showed him mine and got down. I was not feeling good. All that I had heard all this while was songs and conversations in Kannada and I didn’t know a single word of it. I was remembering my north Indian friends then, they would have also felt the same when they were in VIT. It was in our company that they learnt Tamil. At that moment I seriously needed someone who could teach me Kannada.
We got down and went inside the building just in front of the bus stop. Near the stop there was a pale yellow coloured old building with old fashioned windows and it read, Kasturba Medical College. Then I took a deep breath and looked at it again. Possibly I would be studying there. Dad walked ahead and I was walking behind slowly, observing the place and the people. In fact if someone noticed my facial expressions then they would know I was new to the place. Dad turned around and called me, “Seekram va, approma pakkalam.”(Come fast, you can see all that later). My dad was always hyperactive; I think that is why I had in my blood too. There was 1 hour more and we were in our destination but still hadn’t reached the counselling hall. Now it was time for me to ask the people for the way. Many students came and I asked them the way to the counselling hall. They looked liked first years and as I had thought they didn’t know where the counselling hall was. Then I found some girls who were first year Nursing students and they helped us to move out of that place and reach the main building. It was another 1 km walk. I could see the huge (seriously it was huge) Main Building which was on the prospectus covers. The first impression one could get was: It doesn’t seem like a college’s administrative building but like a MNC with the grayish – black tinted glass with manipal.edu reflecting from it in when the sun rays fell on it. It looked beautiful .Well, before that, there was a food court, it was having 4 floors, fully air conditioned and it looked quite good. One, like the food courts in the shopping malls. We were at the entrance next and I was searching my name on the notice board. I got mine but to my dismay there were three more with rank 75 as mine. I looked again and there were many ranks which had been secured by 3-4 candidates. I actually didn’t have much chance today for Medical Biotechnology as there were only 21 seats. It was possible only if I had been somewhere below 50 but mine was 75. Still, there was a kind of relaxation in mind that I had a better chance the next day. There was big fountain in front of the main building.
My comparisons started. Was it like my VIT? Did I get the same warmth when I entered here? There was one thing common here, the fountain and as one entered there were flags of different countries and in VIT we had the different clocks showing the time of the main countries. This showed that both places had a cosmopolitan crowd. This main building was certainly spooky as there was pin drop silence in the waiting hall. May be it was Sunday and there were only those who had come for the counselling. We sat in a sofa and waited. I looked at people and the kind of students. The whole time, I didn’t speak a word to my dad. He was also quiet and I knew he had a question in his mind that why was I so quiet. It was obvious as my mind was already preoccupied with innumerous thoughts. I was actually listening to the conversation that was going on between 2 girls sitting right in front of me. They looked, hep, the chill out kind and after sometime I realized that they would certainly be from this college because of the confidence with which they spoke. I tried to speak to them and got some idea about the conversation.
One of them asked me, “You are from which college?” I proudly said in an authoritative tone, “VIT.” The moment I said this, her expression changed and I felt like just moving out from there. I asked her, “Why, what happened, what’s wrong?” She said, “Oh, how do you study there? There are so many students in one batch. I had joined VIT and I was there for some days and then I left.” “Oh, I see,” I said biting my teeth.
Well, it was the truth what she said but what she spoke later made me angry. She said, “We never had so much of crowd even in B.Sc here. We had a beautiful lab.” Well, everyone will boast about their college and those girls looked like that. At least I would not do this way unless it was genuine. I asked her, “Then why did you join VIT? You got such a good rank here then you could have just thought of joining here again.”
She was speechless for a moment. She smiled back and said in an uneasy way, “Ya, actually I thought I could try for a change.”
I didn’t want to say anything more. I had done my job and then I was feeling better. We were called into the counselling hall the next moment. It was in the underground and looked good. It gave a serious kind of atmosphere. The screen showed the number of seats for Medical Biotechnology and Regenerative medicine. They started calling out people one by one and then I knew my rank wasn’t going to come for Medical Biotechnology. I was called soon but they offered me Regenerative medicine but I didn’t want that. I was waitlisted for M.Sc Medical Biotechnology. We had no more work. When I came out, I saw the same girls again. This time they came and spoke to asking if I had got or not. I liked the attitude then. They actually helped me with some basic info about the college and the hostels there. I bade good bye and the same girl whom I had spoken to in the morning said while going, “All the best for tomorrow. I hope you get what you want.” I smiled back at her.
I went to the food court with my dad and we were actually searching what we could eat that time. There was Subway, Barista, Noodle King and more but I was not interested in eating but watching the crowd there. I would keep my comments reserved to myself now as it was too early for me to say anything. We left the place and then went to the famous Udupi Krishna temple which was coincidently very near to our hotel. I had heard a lot about it and when I went there felt really good. It was not like a temple but it looked like a serene place where all could just come, sit and go. I can’t explain more as divine places are divine and there’s nothing that can explain divinity.
I can only say that after I came back home I was watching an episode in Discovery Travel and Living and they showed the Udupi Krishna Temple.
