A journey which commenced in 1962…Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale

A journey which commenced in 1962…

Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale

Almost sixty years ago, more than 160 fish were released to a pond to prepare for a long and hazardous journey upstream. They were all innocent, came in all shapes and sizes, both male and female but they all had one thing in common: they wanted to be conditioned and prepared for a life of caring for the sick. The pond was our faculty of Medicine and we were the fish.

The innocence was variable but real, not imagined. The innocence of youth, untarnished by experience. The final goal was also real but imagined as we hardly knew what it would be like to be doctors. The driving force was the vision of being “someone” worthy in Society, with sufficient means to maybe get married and raise a family. All human beings have a sense of identity, a sense of self or sentience as we call it. Our identity was inextricably tied up with the high regard Society had for our profession, like a glove to a hand. And, like all human beings, we wanted to be loved, to be admired and to be wanted. To be a Doctor was worth the tears, the hard work, and the effort and energy required.

The thought that we were so insignificant in a complex and massive Universe did not cross our minds. The thought that our planet Earth is just a miniscule dot in this vast Universe did not strike us. The thought that the sum total of time humans have inhabited this planet is just a blink of an eyelid in the scale that time has existed, did not strike us. These philosophical thoughts are interesting but ultimately, time, space, our place in the Universe matter to us only for the space and time we live in. Measured time could be meaningless- an F1 driver beats his rival by a “whole 12 milliseconds” which is “huge” in that time scale while a distant galaxy is “only” x light years away in a different scale.  The dog looks at the tiny mouse in front of him not knowing that a massive elephant is behind him. Our time and space might be relatively insignificant, but to us… it IS the most significant. But the realisation of the enormity of time and space and our relative insignificance should make us humble.

As we mature, we begin to ask questions such as what is reality, is there a God, we look for purpose, why we exist and whether existence ceases when we die. Why there is so much “good” as well as “evil” in this World.  But as students, we only thought of spending time equipping ourselves with the skills and knowledge required to be a good doctor. Of course, there were diversions and fun! As we matured, we realised that knowledge and skills are mandatory but of equal importance was the “human” aspect of dealing with patients such as empathy, listening skills, kindness, the subtle art of conveying bad news and so many other communication skills. We had to learn to deal with terrible things that happen to people such life-threatening illnesses, death and separation from loved ones. But we had compensations such as  the joy of healing, relieving pain and suffering, and witnessing the miracle of childbirth.

The fish continued to swim and almost all of them reached their destination. The pond was a happy place although difficult at times. Our “outer” camouflage did not matter at all, it was what was “inside” that mattered. Many lifelong relationships and friendships were formed. And finally…it was time to leave the pond, wear the outfit of the doctor  with a stethoscope proudly adorning the neck, and finally become what you strived for so hard…a doctor! The sense of achievement and reward was palpable and memorable.

Looking back over the past 60 odd years, it is salutary to reflect on the times and places we have travelled through in our journey. Who would have in their wildest dreams expected that we would be scattered around the globe? We became husbands, wives, fathers, mothers and even grander! When we were fish in the pond all those years ago, we bumped into each other all the time but as time passed and the world opened to us, fresh challenges, new friends, new relationships inevitably formed and the gossamer thread that united us became thinner, branched more and often broke off to float away. There were times when these branches ran into each other and relationships were rekindled. But everything changes; that is the Universal law and it applies equally well to the Colombomedgrads62 group.

We must not expect miracles. Just remind ourselves from time to time the brotherhood and sisterhood which united us. We were maturing souls held together by a common bond: the desire to be a doctor one day and by golly we have achieved that! We have in our midst Physicians, Surgeons, GPs, Professors, Researchers, Leaders, Followers, Innovators, Legends and most of all, we have exemplary human beings who are a credit to their parents, teachers, to their schools, to the Faculty, country and most importantly, to the much wider and important community of human beings that inhabit our precious Planet Earth.