26/32 WISDOM
First year in medical college was a dreamy affair. It was preceded by so many years of books, readings, re-readings, tests, mock tests, motivational lectures and sometimes outright admonitions – as if I was born with the only aim of getting admission to a medical college, and the failure to do so will invite the wrath of aliens who will annihilate the earth.
I saved the earth !! It was with such well-earned pride that I entered medical college. There were 149 more students in my batch – I never asked them what they saved by getting the admission. Many must have been selfish enough to save nothing else but their own skin. I know many who saved nothing, they actually spent a lot to get admission in private medical colleges.
So after securing the admission, saving the earth and leaving behind the parental educational supervision, it sure was a dreamy phase in life. Major part of the dreamy phase consisted of floating around in the campus rather than getting parked in the lecture theaters. Getting to know every nook and corner of the college was one innocent endeavor which we had to abandon soon. Inadvertently we stepped onto many out-of-view equivalents of Bandstands of Mumbai. Being the freshers, we were threatened and shoo-ed away.
Campus had huge playgrounds which could accommodate all the floaters. One could play, one could watch, one could date and one could ogle –all without bumping into each other. It was DIY playground, no guards, no coaches, no entry fee and no exit interviews. Sportsmen would play and romantic would date. Rest would cheer players or the daters, depending upon the performance.
It was here on the grounds that we learnt about upcoming interclass cricket tourney. We the non daters, smelled the chance to become players. Whosoever was in ground, declared himself to be a cricketer. Magically, one of the guys produced a paper and pen and started noting down the names. He became self-proclaimed captain of the team by virtue of paper and pen. At that time, pen was mightier than the bat and the paper had more spin than the pitch. Everyone declared himself to be a batsman or a bowler. I was neither. With a poker face I declared myself to be a wicketkeeper. All must be lying, who could have spared time to play cricket during all those years of studies and admonitions on the way to medical college? I was a different kind of liar, there was no other wicketkeeper on the list!! While all the extra batsmen and bowlers had to go through trials and eliminations, I was already on the chosen list.
First match was with our immediate seniors. Batsmen kept their word, held the ground and I did not get to bat in our first turn of batting. Our seniors batted second. Couple of overs passed and I was doing fine as wicketkeeper. Ajit Singla was bowling and he was a fast bowler. One ball bounced high and beat the batsman. I collected it right in front of my face, the gloved hands parted slightly and the ball landed fair and square on my face. It was a hard landing. Everyone came running to me. And there I was in the middle of action with all the imagined spectators watching in awe, how could I be affected by a stray ball? I just brushed aside all the concern of fellow players saying – “go back to your positions, I am alright.” They started moving back. As soon as I finished speaking and shut my mouth, it seemed kinda empty, something was amiss. Suddenly I realised that one or many of my teeth were missing. So, I called back all the fellow players. I was asked to open my mouth and all peeped in. Only one tooth was missing. Everyone started looking for it all around me and someone found the single intact tooth lying on the grass. It was a working day for the college and the hospital, the tooth and I were hoisted to the dental wing. One HOD, one PG, one internee and one technician were trying to be in my mouth at the same time. Thankfully it was anaesthetized, and I could just feel the pulls and the pushes. After an hour or so in the chair, I was declared fit to be released. The errant tooth had been tied down in the socket with wires that were to be removed after a month.
The tooth lasted almost four years. During those years, there were many claims that it was actually some animal tooth, that was already lying in grass. Claims could never be authenticated or refuted. After four years, there was root absorption and the tooth finally fell out. My wisdom teeth never erupted. My family never counted me wise for that reason. I had to get one tooth extracted coz of its malposition and sharp edges. Going by my family’s criteria of wisdom related to number of teeth, I am 26/32 wise now.
PS. After realizing his potential for breaking teeth, Ajit Singla joined police as an IPS officer. And realizing my vulnerability, I married a dentist.
FEB 7, 2018.