MD An Odyssey (2)

MD An Odyssey 3

Back in ferozeore and ‘routine ‘activities with playing good tennis everyday and enjoy playing with toddler Suba at home. Prospects of admission to a MD course were receding but hope of getting into PGI Chandigarh kept simmering. There was no valid reason for this utopian dream---but  another lucky break presented itself.

DDMS Northern Command, MajGen Rao (nick named “Jinnah rao” because of his close physical resemblance to the Waziri Azam) arrived in MH Ferozepore on an ‘inspection’ visit. He was thin & tall with a pipe in his hand –I had a terrible urge to advise him against smoking because his chest was typically”pink puffer” type of emphysema.--- Usual round of wards and a clinical meeting were organized. I was lucky to muster five ‘interesting ‘ cases including one “Fallot’s Tetrology”, Posterior inferior cerebellar artery syndrome, and a patient with “cavernous” type of bronchial breathsound. The good general even condescended to take my steth ,auscultated & gave me a smile of approval. I remain grateful till today to my CO(commanding officer), LtCol.AK Choudhry, who arranged for me to meet the General in CO’s room.My surgical colleague Maj.Chahal also persuaded the CO.  I repeated my ‘sob story’ once again and remembered to point out the offer to join PGI Chandigarh for MD by the Director himself. The only way I could EVER achieve my ambition of MD is if I can be granted “study leave” Thankful to my CO again when he added “Please Sir (Punjabis always add please!)This boy deserves to be helped”.  Gen.Rao “Avtar (first name of my CO) write a note to me. I will see what can be done”. Like in the movies I imagined I was already in PGI running up & down the ramps of the mammoth buildings! !! CO said “ Krishnan, these senior officers promise a lot. But I am not sure they act on it” All I could do was to go back to ‘Black night’ the only affordable scotch by an army officer.

Couple of weeks later CO sent for me & showed the letter Gen.Rao had written to DMS  Army (Director of Medical Services). A brief summary of my sob story was attached and the covering letter said “I strongly recommend that Capt.Krishnan be granted study leave at the earliest”. A month or so later ORDER from DGAFMS was received—Capt.Krishnan is granted study leave for two years--.Hurray !! but there were still hurdles to cross—my pay drops to half of basic pay and NO allowances, No service accommodation & had to rent one at MY expense & a few more niggles--. Jaya stood by me. I was welcomed to PGI. Mr.Virk (whose son I treated for pericardial effusion) helped me rent a house in 15  sector with only Madhya margh separating my house from PGI in 12 sector. My tenure in PGI is till today “THE GOLDEN PERIOD” in my life.

1966

Icing of the cake: Prof.Chhuttani took all his students to the  canteen & gave us tea after the weekly grand round.. Other faculty members also joined. Discussions were usually on matters not medical! Jokes were common. During one such ‘tea ceremony’ Prof.Chhuttani suddenly asked me “when are you completing?” “nine months more” I said. He turns to the faculty present there “Why not let Krishnan appear this December (3months away!)?” “Yes Sir” was the chorus of reply. Prof.Ashok Seghal was entrusted with the task formalizing the proposal to the standing committee and obtaining sanction. Believe me ,NOBODY bothered to inquire whether I was prepared for this jump?! Every one of us had gone through nightmares when your roommate corrects you to say that exam is only 48 hrs away & not 72 hrs one believed! And here these guys are chopping off FULL SIX MONTHS ! When I reached home the distraught expression on my face alarmed Jaya. When I told her she not only cheered up but even suggested that I deserved that ‘alcohol ‘ to celebrate the commendable confidence that I had generated with my teachers. Well,Jaya & my teachers were proved right. I passed standing First in Panjab university!

The exam was an ‘ordeal’—I must mention how it ended. In PGI candidate reported at 7am and stayed till all (clinical, oral etc) were all completed—7 or 8 pm! At about 7pm I was ushered into the room with ALL examiners sitting together for the final blow. Only Prof.Chhuttani was the internal examiners while other three were from Delhi, Jaipur & Bombay. As soon as I entered “Wait outside, we will call you “ said one of them. I walked dazed firm in my conviction that I had failed. Dr.Khatri ,Asst Prof in cardiology, consoled me saying “major saab, agar aap pass nahi hote qui nahi pass hoga”   Calling bell sounded. I walked in with trepidations. Sour expression on Prof.Chhuttani’s face made me miss a few beats. One of them asked me to read the xrays displayed. I had just reached the second one when I heard my mentor saying “That is enough. Krishnan. You can go”. On walking out of the room I collapsed in a chair with Khatri encouraging me with a cup of tea and reassuring that I could not have failed, adding that how can that happen to one who had scored One A+and four As in clinical.He was one of the invigilators. I could not go home to inform Jaya & so was resting in the duty room. An hour or so later Khatri walks in “Major, you stand first in Panjab Varsity” Prof.Chhuttani wanted to go through all the marks with a view to awarding me a GOLD MEDAL which is offered once a few years to a candidate by PGI for an EXCEPTIONAL performance. I had scraped through in pathology paper and I could not be conferred this honour. That was the reason why Prof.Chuutani was visibly upset!!  (I started this narration saying that pathology was my first love. Ironically it was pathology that spoiled my chance of Gold medal from PGI.)

An odyssey had ended but perhaps not?

Tail piece : I must record my indebtedness to many who helped me in achieving what looked well nigh impossible. Many were not known to me earlier like ADMS TNKK AREA, Gen.Rao, Prof.Chhuttani, my CO col.a k choudhry.  And of course Gaj who helped me complete MD thesis in the shortest possible time. These persons had instilled in me an abiding trust in ‘goodness’ of fellow humans and shown me the path to follow in my life