Story from Medical College – Why did I study
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Latha was the quintessential good girl in her family. She liked to study hard. After all, she had her dreams. A girl who had lost her beloved father to the scourge of alcoholism, she saw her mother taking on many odd jobs in her quest to educate her two children.
Latha, who was now in the 12th standard, and Parth, who studied in the 5th, were known in their modest colony, as 2 very well behaved and courteous children. Their mother, Ratna, had always been the backbone of their small family, even when her husband was alive. Now that her husband, Keerthi, was no more, at least, she was able to support her 2 children comparatively better. When Keerthi was alive, a better part of her earnings financed his alcohol addiction.
Ratna’s mornings started very early at 4.00 am., after completing her daily ablutions, the first half an hour was spent in prayers. Then the breakfast was prepared for her children. Though it was a simple, she made sure that it was healthy. The children got ready for their college and school on their own and as soon as they had said their morning prayers, the breakfast was waiting for them. After the children left for school, Ratna’s struggle to earn her daily bread started with the sewing machine, in a corner of her house.
The women in the modest society, would flock to her house for their sundry fashion needs. Ratna’s proficiency in embroidery had won her many admirers of her art and she was in great demand due to this. Her mornings and her afternoons were well spent in doing the work which she loved and for which she was well paid, enough to feed her two children and herself. After a hard earned siesta of half an hour, she used to go to the house of the affable Mrs. Desai, who used to live alone and treated Ratna like her own daughter. And till 8.00 in the night, she did all the odd jobs in the house.
Latha was the daughter of such a hard working lady and she had imbibed all the good qualities of her mother. She understood the importance of her 12th standard exams and studied hard throughout the year. Each day, including Sundays, she used to wake up early morning at 4.30 am for her studies. The first hour of her day was set aside for improving her concentration through yoga and meditation. The next 2 hours were then dedicated to studying the important science subjects, Biology being her personal favourite. With her hard work and fair amount of good luck, she hoped to crack the medical entrance.
Once when her mother was suffering from high fever, she sat beside her, took her in her arms, and soothed her saying, “Ma, don’t worry. One day I will become a doctor and then you will never ever have to worry about getting sick, since the Doctor will be home looking after you”. Oh, how proud her mother felt about her darling daughter that day.
The day finally arrived. Exams!! But Latha was well prepared to face them. And she took the exams with confidence. Her mother took great care of all her needs during those 10 days of the exams, making sure that her daughter took her food on time and also rested well. She made sure that there was no undue stress on her daughter.
In one month, Latha prepared to go to her college to get her results. As she neared her college, the butterflies in her stomach fluttered more and more. On reaching the college, she met her friends, who were in a similar state of mind. All of them reached the hall, where the results were displayed. The hall was quite packed with students, all of them apprehensive and eager at the same time.
One by one, as each one of them saw their results, the reactions from them varied, depending upon their expectations from themselves. While some of them were leaving the hall happily, a few of the students left with their deflated dreams, since their results were unsatisfactory. Some students cried, while some just collapsed, unable to understand how they failed. Latha approached the display board, her heart fluttering away. As she went over the list of roll numbers, her fingers shivered in anticipation. Finally her roll number!! PASS!! Her eyes went across to the other end of the sheet…85%!! She was very happy, at the same time , worried about what college she might get in.
As her friends too saw their results, they too were elated, and congratulated each other with great enthusiasm. Latha rushed back to her house, and shrieked out her result to her mother and brother, who could not contain their immense happiness. Ratna had already prepared sweet kheer for her darling daughter. Latha touched her mother’s feet, Ratna grabbed her daughter and embraced her, tears of joy streaming down her eyes. All three of them rushed inside to thank and pray before the Lord, for his blessings. As Latha had already decided to appear for medical entrance exam , she started studying for the same immediately from the next day. She gave the medical entrance and waited for the results in anticipation.
In these exams also she scored well but not in the top ranks. If she had done so, she could have easily got into the top government colleges. But alas! That was not to be.
And then started the circus through which many students have to go through. Regularly, the lists of colleges which were allocated to the students were put up. These included colleges with government grants as well as, the huge number of private medical colleges run by assorted money bags, who were into the business of fleecing the poor students. Though the students could indicate their town and college preferences during each round of allocation, not many students were lucky enough to get the colleges of their choice. The quota system made it worse, with the students in the general category, being the worst affected. Latha, being from the general category, was being reduced to an emotional wreck, though her mother and brother tried their best to cheer her up.
Then it happened! Finally Latha was allocated a medical college, but it was not an allopathic college and the course was not MBBS but BDS, and this was a private medical college. Latha was heartbroken at first, but then she convinced herself that she would give full weightage and efforts and be the best dental surgeon and make her mother proud of her. Since it was far from her home, she had to stay in the hostel. It being a private college, the next hurdle was the exorbitant fees, charged for one year. Here Ratna, her mother, managed to pull in the resources, due to her excellent relations with the women in the neighbourhood as well as Mrs. Desai, for whom she worked. Most of them loaned to her, interest free.
Latha was thus able to join the college from the very first day. As she neared her college, she could see the name of the college boldly displayed on a banner outside, inside the compound wall. She was carrying a small bag, filled with her humble possessions. The college was a four storeyed building and today it was bustling with students. It was time for the classes to start and Latha entered inside.
It being a medical college, Latha expected it to be clean, similar to the hospitals she had seen. But it was not so. A layer of dust had settled on the floor and Latha was quite intrigued by this. Anyway she entered her class but she could not see any lecturer. Thinking that perhaps the lecturer was late, she grabbed a seat near a girl, who with her big spectacles, looked quite scholarly. She introduced herself to the scholarly girl who acknowledged her with a shy smile. Her name was Prabha.
Over the next few days, a great bond developed between the girls. In a few minutes the lecturer arrived, who looked no older than the students in the class. Later on they came to know that the lecturer was a senior student, who had not yet been given his passing certificate. The lecturer was followed in a few minutes, by a portly gentleman, who introduced himself as the College Dean, Mr. Murthy.
Mr. Murthy went on to sing eulogies of the college and bragged how lucky the students were to study in this college. He then went on to tell the students that they have to do compulsory shram daan, and they will have to take turns to dust and wipe the college premises and prepare food in the mess for the fellow students. Though the students were surprised to hear all this, it being the first day, they were more excited and enthusiastic and dived into all these activities with great vigour.
But come lunch time, and the reality struck them for the first time. The lunch which was served, was very spicy, and only the hungriest could eat something whereas many others ate only what was barely sufficient. Evening came, and the students retired to their hostels, boys to the boys hostel whereas girls to theirs. Latha along with Prabha, went to the hostel and were surprised to see many cots in one big room, where all the girls were put up. The bed sheets were not clean and there were bed bugs. The students could hardly sleep.
Over the next few weeks, Latha had grown weary with fatigue. The portion was being covered very fast and important topics were over within 2-3 lectures. Latha was finding it difficult to cope up with all this and the spicy food and the bed bugs at night made matters worst. Latha then decided to do something about these state of affairs. She gathered her friends together, and discussed about the next course of action. Finally all of them decided to take a small student delegation to the Dean. But when they reached the Deans’ office, they were rudely told by Mr. Murthy to not waste his time in petty matters.
Not able to make any headway, the students felt more and more frustrated. An opportunity presented itself, when the college auditors appointed by the government, came calling. The students group, led by Latha, requested for meeting the head auditor, Mrs. Laxmi. The auditor came across as strict though genuine lady, who assured them of taking up their concerns with the Education Ministry. With happiness writ large on their faces, the students treated Latha with Icecream in the evening.
The same evening, Mrs. Laxmi was sitting with Mr. Murthy . Smiling slyly she played her whole conversation with his students to him. It made no difference to him, as he made her an offer of Rs. 1 lacs. Mrs. Laxmi was no novice. She blurted out the fees figures which the students were paying monthly, the fine which would certainly be imposed by the Education Ministry and at the end of the conversation, she was richer by a cool Rs. 10 lacs.
The students were unaware of all that had transpired in the Deans’ office and they were still in high spirits. For the next few days, though they were still eating the same sub standard food and still sleeping in the bug infested beds, the hope of a change for the better, in the near future, was a motivating factor, for putting up with all the hardships. But weeks turned to months and nothing improved.
One day, suddenly the Dean announced an increase in the fees. This was his method of recovering his loss, but the students were shattered. They could hardly take this further burden. Latha was worried. She knew her mother was fully stretched, what with her brother, Parth, also studying. In addition to the burden of increased fees, she had to bear the cruel taunts of her Dean and his cronies in the teaching department. Nights were bad, since all the negative thoughts acquired strength. Latha went into chronic depression. Her friends informed her mother, who came running the next day.
As Ratna came to the hostel room, she saw the girls were searching for Latha. Suddenly a scream went up in the air, from the direction of the bathroom. Everyone rushed there and the scene inside made Ratna weak in her knees as she collapsed to the floor. The scene in front of her was gruesome. Latha was lying sprawled on the floor , with blood oozing out from both her wrists. One of the students checked for her pulse… there was non.
Her suicide note was found in her purse. It said, “dear Maa…i am sorry. Why did I study? What have I gained by studying so hard. We students are just a pawn in the hands of the administration of this college. I had so many dreams of becoming a doctor, but all of my dreams collapsed on the day I stepped into this college. The administration is only interested in our money and not at all concerned about our wellbeing. The only person responsible for this is the Dean. I only hope that my death, wakes up the government and they take action on this criminal. Bye Maa…and thanks once again for whatever you did for me. Give my love to dear Parth.”
Ratna’s world came crashing down. But after a brief period of mourning, her inherent fighting spirit took over. She took the letter to the press, who then arrived in hoards to the college. A huge hue and cry was raised about how the college managed to evade any sort of sanctions during all these years, inspite of the many transgressions on its part. Finally the Education Ministry closed down the college, the Dean was put behind bars and the students transferred to other colleges in the state.
Thus was lost a budding life to the limitations of a education system driven only by the business mindedness of the assorted fly by night operators, who take advantage of the students and their parents who dream of getting the best possible education in order to progress in life.
–END–
Yatin
