One of the top ranked medical institutions of the country, Maulana Azad Medical College (abbreviated and often referred to as MAMC) straddles the historic old city of Delhi and has been in its full glory since its establishment in 1959. It is named after the great patriot and the first education minister of our country Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and ranks second after AIIMS, Delhi in producing doctors, specialists and super specialists.
The campus through its ‘M’ gate has a welcoming essence to it. The first time one walks through it, an overwhelming feeling is there with all the students rushing to their classes and canteens adorned in white coats with a stethoscope around their neck. This is a college of nerds with glass-rimmed spectacles, buried in their books as if they were their muse. Unlike what most other medical colleges are reputed to be, MAMC stands different, as neither the teachers nor the seniors are hostile towards the students.
Even the professors, who are usually perceived to be strict and grumpy, are actually pretty nice and student friendly. Lectures start at 8 in the morning with no delay. With the beginning of first year, also comes the first experience of Dissection Hall. The room has an eerie feeling associated with cadavers lying by your side and a scalpel held between your fingers. But as you go through your first year, eating and sleeping with human bones becomes a daily routine. You learn a hell a lot but only if you want to. No one forces you. After all it’s college!
Sadly for most, attendance is a big issue here. 75% is mandatory but if you are a hosteller, chances are you won’t miss lectures because the centrally airconditioned lecture theatres act as a big incentive for the nap lovers.
Ultimately, what we all come here for: the hospitals. MAMC has 5 hospitals associated with it- the major ones being Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP or LNH), Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital (GB PANT) and Guru Nanak Eye Centre. Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) is the dental college with its separate hospital for the BDS and MDS aspiring students.
It is not just the merit of 250 students of a batch that puts MAMC where it is, but also the way curriculum is designed to ensure that students don’t deviate from their path. Weekly/ monthly topic finishing tests, stage exams, tutorials, semester exams, sent-ups become frustrating and rather boring. You eventually start to gulp down the fact that those school days of 90% are long gone and even fifty percent starts seeming to be a great deal. But this is all for the students to keep a steady pace with the syllabus that actually does run at the speed of light. Because at the end, when Annual Professional Examinations strike, you no longer function like a normal human.
MAMC with it’s new student constitution has different societies each for: drama Mrichkatakum for drama, Prodigy for dance, Confluence for music, Pravachya for Literature, Fine Arts and lastly Fashion or ‘Fash’. Adjacently placed is the play ground where boys are seen playing cricket and football during evening hours. Cricket lovers have MPL (Maulana Azad Premier league), where players are auctioned and sold and ultimately 8 teams of MAMC play against each other. Badminton and basketball have their own courts both in the OBH and OGH.
MAMC is neither short of stress nor stress- buster activities. The annual fest Synapse is not as great as what it used to be once upon a time. But it’s still a great experience in organizing and participating in the fest. If you are someone with the knack of doing something out of the box, you’ll have to take the initiative. Finding people here to support you is actually not that easy since most students have their heads buried in their textbooks. After 3rd year, even majority of the seniors refrain from co-curricular activities or atleast cut their leisure time for the sake of PG entrance. Still, creativity is always welcomed.
The college has many canteens that serve decent to good food. All of them have their specialties and sucky dishes and your taste buds figure them all out eventually. There are not too many lush gardens and grounds, only a few small cozy parks that turn a bit too cozy when the darkness strikes. If you know what I mean. Maulanaians often pride themselves with the prime location of their college. Be it the book fairs or auto expos at Pragati Maidan, or the sumptuous streets of Connaught Place, or even the monument of India Gate, nothing is more than a ten minute auto ride away from the college. The gates of the college open directly into the famous Khooni Darwaza, and the dream-come-true of all the cricket fans- The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
Guest Post by MAMC Students
Image credits: dailymail.co.uk
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