.....the Fresher, on the move....!!!

......the part exams in Anatomy, under the tutelage of Dr Naresh Jha....was a grim reminder of things to unfold in the following yrs ,now tht the brief honeymooning of counseling for seat & subsequent admission to the premier institute of the region Estd 1925, The Prince Of Wales Medical College, now re christened Patna Medical College, was over.....the applied aspect of Anatomy with Dissection of Cadavers amidst the pungent smell of Formalin, & subsequent wash of the hands with Lifebuoy soap, was far more engrossing thn ,assimilating the relations of the allotted part by rote' memory...I was the proud owner of the old 12th edition of Cunningham,  procured frm Cal. previous owner being one Debrata Biswas of R G Kar Med.Coll. Cal....the old edition was popular because of the plates....the newer ones which most of us had was more of an ELBS look of Spartan format....being a connosieur of finer details, it had become a habit of procuring the best always.....in tht the Rs 150 a box of a dead man's bones was finest nd the long bones were really stout & long....the Anatomy Deptt. attendants, were eerie looking ,Pan chewing, with occasional red vermillion marks on their forehead ,impeccably clean in their uniform & expert at their jobs....the location of the Medical College, beside the mighty river Ganga, ensured a steady flow of cadavers & bones, quintessential items for the Deptt.....Initially though ,I was scared, but it soon disappeared as I found one day Baba, snoring away to glory with the half cut cranium on his chest....further I was astounded to see some of the seniors utilize an old skull for an ash tray....folklore in the campus always had a spl. mention of a long bone called the Femur ,which was often used to wage a warfare, whnever situations arose....it was not long before I found myself at peace with the bones & often used a sketch pen to delineate the attachments....the brand new box of Bones was meticulously packed, powdered nd vouched for its Newness & freshness whn I recd frm one of the attendants...Rs 150/- was not a mean amt ,at tht time.....carrying the box home,during vacation, was no big deal either, with the Medical College Id at hand, for train travel....my allotted room at home was real private & Ma wud ensure one agarbatti (incense stick),beside the box every evening during Puja time.....!!!!!(....to be concluded...)