Pulse
As the month of September nears every year, the entire student fraternity of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi is infused with energy and enthusiasm. This is not because my birthday happens to
be in September; rather, the rush of adrenaline is due to PULSE, the annual fest for medicos held in the Institute every year. The festival with its present name PULSE probably started in 1972. Each year, starting from 1999, the highlights of PULSE are being recorded online in Hybrid Hues, the magazine of AIIMS students. The weeklong festival is marked with various events and competitions with the hundreds of students from many a medical colleges all over the country vying for the top spots in dancing, singing, painting, etc. The foyer of the historical Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium comes alive with the young crowd milling around.
PULSE is the largest annual cultural, literary and sports festival of AIIMS. This week long extravaganza (either from September 16-22 or from September 17-23) is the biggest inter-college festival of the medical fraternity of India, with participation of over 600 medical and dental colleges all over India and even foreign medical colleges. Apart from the medical colleges, IIT Delhi and many colleges of Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University also participate in various events in PULSE. For some of the mega events, like the Rock Nite, attendance may go over 10,000. This year, renowned singer Sunidhi Chauhan will enthral the crowd with her magical voice. The number of registered delegates varies from 5,000 to 8,000 every year. Registration is required for participants from outside Delhi. Registered delegates are provided accommodation and transportation at a nominal cost for the seven days. Participants in medical colleges from even the farthest corners of India eagerly await the invitation to Pulse and come to Delhi to attend Pulse. The regular winning teams for many events practise vigorously to maintain their status in PULSE. A “PULSE champion” in the well participated events can be considered an inter-medical champion of national level.
The opening ceremony is highlighted by the “P wave” - an opulent musical dance drama performed by students of AIIMS, depicting the theme of the PULSE of that year. “P wave” is named after the first wave in an ECG pulse.
My first memory of AIIMS dates back to around a decade back when I came to meet my husband’s friend who works there. I was awestruck by the majestic structure that dotted the sunny skyline of that spring morning. The huge expanse of the building, the sprawling campus, the unimaginable number of patients, the harried doctors rushing from one ward to the other, all these fascinated me. When I joined the Blood Bank as a Junior Resident I realized the volume of work that each Department shoulders day in and day out. Still struck by the unparalleled love for my alma mater back home in Guwahati, it was not easy to adjust myself in the new environment. But slowly, I became accustomed to the long corridors, the maddening crowd and the hard working residents. The warmth of the entire staff of the Institute, especially those in the Blood Bank, mitigated my home sickness. Come September, and I was caught in the P-Wave, the splendid event on the opening day of PULSE. I still remember my now-retired boss, who was highly diabetic, dragging me to the numerous stalls near the Doctors’ Hostel and feeding me dollops of ‘mung dal halwa’ and ‘dudh jalebi’ ! Dr. Sonia Chopra, who was my colleague, and I enjoyed our first PULSE in AIIMS that year. Sonia is now settled in the US, but I still miss her a lot.
Nearly half a decade back, I joined the same Blood Bank on a permanent post. This time round, the surroundings seemed familiar. It was like homecoming, and I got involved in the actual process of organizing certain events in PULSE with the enthusiastic young students. I owe this to Dr. Poonam Coshic, my boss, who has guided me throughout my tenure till date in AIIMS in all aspects. Our Department organized a blood donation camp and a ceramic tile painting competition today. The zest with which the participants were taking part in the events must be seen to be believed.
As I sit at home now and type this write-up, Sunidhi Chauhan must be bringing the sky down with her renditions.
And here’s wishing my adopted Institute a very bright future, and may the spirit of PULSE touch the zenith in the years to come……………
(with a few inputs from WIKIPEDIA)
PULSE is the largest annual cultural, literary and sports festival of AIIMS. This week long extravaganza (either from September 16-22 or from September 17-23) is the biggest inter-college festival of the medical fraternity of India, with participation of over 600 medical and dental colleges all over India and even foreign medical colleges. Apart from the medical colleges, IIT Delhi and many colleges of Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University also participate in various events in PULSE. For some of the mega events, like the Rock Nite, attendance may go over 10,000. This year, renowned singer Sunidhi Chauhan will enthral the crowd with her magical voice. The number of registered delegates varies from 5,000 to 8,000 every year. Registration is required for participants from outside Delhi. Registered delegates are provided accommodation and transportation at a nominal cost for the seven days. Participants in medical colleges from even the farthest corners of India eagerly await the invitation to Pulse and come to Delhi to attend Pulse. The regular winning teams for many events practise vigorously to maintain their status in PULSE. A “PULSE champion” in the well participated events can be considered an inter-medical champion of national level.
The opening ceremony is highlighted by the “P wave” - an opulent musical dance drama performed by students of AIIMS, depicting the theme of the PULSE of that year. “P wave” is named after the first wave in an ECG pulse.
My first memory of AIIMS dates back to around a decade back when I came to meet my husband’s friend who works there. I was awestruck by the majestic structure that dotted the sunny skyline of that spring morning. The huge expanse of the building, the sprawling campus, the unimaginable number of patients, the harried doctors rushing from one ward to the other, all these fascinated me. When I joined the Blood Bank as a Junior Resident I realized the volume of work that each Department shoulders day in and day out. Still struck by the unparalleled love for my alma mater back home in Guwahati, it was not easy to adjust myself in the new environment. But slowly, I became accustomed to the long corridors, the maddening crowd and the hard working residents. The warmth of the entire staff of the Institute, especially those in the Blood Bank, mitigated my home sickness. Come September, and I was caught in the P-Wave, the splendid event on the opening day of PULSE. I still remember my now-retired boss, who was highly diabetic, dragging me to the numerous stalls near the Doctors’ Hostel and feeding me dollops of ‘mung dal halwa’ and ‘dudh jalebi’ ! Dr. Sonia Chopra, who was my colleague, and I enjoyed our first PULSE in AIIMS that year. Sonia is now settled in the US, but I still miss her a lot.
Nearly half a decade back, I joined the same Blood Bank on a permanent post. This time round, the surroundings seemed familiar. It was like homecoming, and I got involved in the actual process of organizing certain events in PULSE with the enthusiastic young students. I owe this to Dr. Poonam Coshic, my boss, who has guided me throughout my tenure till date in AIIMS in all aspects. Our Department organized a blood donation camp and a ceramic tile painting competition today. The zest with which the participants were taking part in the events must be seen to be believed.
As I sit at home now and type this write-up, Sunidhi Chauhan must be bringing the sky down with her renditions.
And here’s wishing my adopted Institute a very bright future, and may the spirit of PULSE touch the zenith in the years to come……………
(with a few inputs from WIKIPEDIA)
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