.....Saidpur Medical Hostel......the tale of a nascent journey....!!!

.....The Saidpur campus of Patna Univ was a massive block  of  hostels ..adjacent  to the Moinul Huq stadium .....it must hv been  a shining piece ,whn it  must  hv been  innaugurated.....the Saidpur Medical Hostel had  3 floors with  probably , if  memory  doesn't  fail : 1g, 2g , 1f , 2f   & 1s , 2s  accordingly upto 35 single  rooms  per  floor...a badminton court  within  ...a sprawling  mess  & dining & a Common Room.....the rooms  were cosy , with  furnitures  leased frm the  Medical college  Campus underground  cellar, of a  store ,in Obs & Gynae  bldg.....this particular  cellar  was  straight out frm an Agatha Cristie thriller.....eerie.....  with  perennial  water: ankle deep , lodged , with naked  Light Bulbs dangling  frm  the  ceiling, a  damp  soaked  smell   greets  you  as  you venture  underground ,to  req for  any  furniture  for  your room in  the hostel.....the  steel  almirahs lodged  records....the  babus well  entrenched  in their seat  & tables , propped  up  by  bricks  frm  the  collected  water  on  the  floor , with spotless dhotis & Vermillion smeared  fore  heads ...a  mouth  full of  Maghghi Pan( Betel leaf) , duly assisted  by  the Peons in their khakis  with  bored  expressions....the  effort was  herculean......issued furnitures  of a cot, chair , tables had  to be carried & returned  as  the case may  be....the cellar  was  cool in the  summer  mnths  & probably  it  stocked Medicines  & linen too....in  the SMH as the Eve study wud be over ....  the winter fog  greeting us as soon  as  we  stepped  out of the rooms for  dinner....a  welcome  brk , dining  with classmates , juniors & seniors.....seniors always evoked  respect...particularly remember  Hemant Verma & Pramod Ojha Boss, Sanjay & Pradip  Gupta Boss, Obaid Iqbal & Kariwal boss, who  were very kind to  us & truly respected.....I  sometime wonder  how  well  established  the  hierarchy system  of Seniors  ran in  the  Medical college  Campus....it was not forced  ...it was truly  as if  they  were the pathfinders & we looked  forward to  thm.....nd  were  our "Boss" unquestionably....giving  us a  sense  of security......as  the  fog  wud  envelop the  campus  & the Medical Hostel we  wud  be  snugly  placed  in  a  warm  hearth  of  our  Mess  Kitchen  partaking  freshly  prepared  food, served  tirelessly  by  the staff..... the  fud real  tasty   &  the  menu  very  comprehensive.....with  tireless  efforts  of Hemant Boss a  Color  Tv  had  already  been  installed before our entry  to the  hostel  .....with  Tick Tock Table  Tennis  in  the background  &  listening  to  the News cast  regularly.....Wed  & Fridays were special : as Chitrahaar  a programme  of Hindi Music Videos  wud be aired  &  come  wht  may : Exam or  no  Exam , it  ran to  packed  houses for  30 mts of wholesome  entertainment.....the Requirement  small  &  the Means equally  small  ....such  was the  level  of  Contentment  & Happiness  in those  times..Sidhdhartha Basu's Quiz Time....Buniyaad & HumLog  were  the  Mughals  of  the  Soaps  & Ramayan was  a  must  see  probably Sunday....in  tht  thr used to  be  tiffs with  Neighbouring  Hostel inmates    gate  crashing  to take  advantage  of  our  Color TV....nd the neighbouring  hostels  harbouring  the  inmates  of  other P U colleges  had  a name  for their notoriety......wading  thru  the  thick fog with  full  beam of  the brand new  LML 150 NV  BEA 2907 the hostel  cud  only  be  discerned upon  climbing  the  ramp & parking  the  bike beside  your room.....the warmth  of  your room  with porcelain  heaters ...the TV Tower  with  its  Flickering Red light playing  hide  & seek   with  the  Fog .....it  was  one  cosy destination....with  all  the  rooms sealed  up  as unquestionably,  silently  the Medicos  were burning  Midnite  Oil  for professional  excellence....!!!!