It was the second day in Medical College and all of us in aprons and colorful ties had gathered in the then famous SPM hall for the introduction classes by our seniors. The girls had multicolored ribbons. All of us marching together looked like broiler chickens that had just finished playing Holi.

"Your name?"
"Somorendro, Sir."
"Hobby?"
"Reading"
"Boring, change your hobby"


One after the other, we had to introduce ourselves and perform whatever we were asked to. It was half time and one big-hearted senior suddenly realized that we all were tired and thirsty and asked me and a friend to go and buy a packet of glucose for all of us.

We had just reached the gate when suddenly a cycle rickshaw stopped. In it we saw a middle aged tossing about in severe pain. " I am in severe pain abdomen, take me to the Hospital," she cried. Immediately we carried the lady and the rickshaw Walla left the rickshaw and soon joined. We directly took her to Medicine OPD, straight to the Professor without any paper and formality. (We didn't know, then).

" This is a case of Surgery" and immediately we took her to the Surgery OPD. Everyone around looked at the funny scene two colorful 'doctors' carrying around a lady in pain from one to another. Finally a shot of an injection silenced the pain and before she dozed she told that there was a medical student in the Medical College who belongs to her locality.

The whole activity had nearly taken around 2 hours and when we reached the Hall," Hey, you Chamelli, where did you go", shouted some seniors. I told them what we did and suddenly everyone became silent until someone yelled again, " then, go and find the Medic from her locality." I was oft again from room to room searching for the guy in my colorful dress endangering myself.

Finally I found the guy in a room in Hostel no. 4. We then went to the hospital and found that the patient was all right. "Ureteric colic, oh! Pain in the area of Kidneys. Very painful pain due to stone. Thanks buddy, for your help," he patted my back.

Years later one of our famous Urosurgeons quoted Love and Bailey (something like a bible of Surgery) in the class "…an agonizing pain passing from loin to groin, coming on suddenly, causing the patient to draw up the knees and roll about. It is often accompanied by vomiting and profuse sweating." Whenever I hear or read these lines I remember my second day in college and that Keithel Ima is still vividly clear in my memory.

A young medical student

Footnotes:
Rickshaw -> A three wheeler cycle used as a means of transportations in India
Keithel Ima -> In Manipuri, Keithel means market and Ima means Mother