The author visits their alma mater, Chittagong Medical College (CMC), 20 years after graduating. While some things have remained the same, such as the food at Jhhal Bitan cafeteria, many changes and improvements are evident. New buildings have been constructed, facilities have been expanded or relocated, and the campus is now more developed with trees and gardens. However, some iconic places still retain their original characteristics after 20 years, showing how time has stopped in some areas while life and progress continue elsewhere.
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CMC Trip 2009
1. CMC 20 years later February 24 th 2009 During my recent visit to Bangladesh, I took a whirlwind trip to CMC. Thanks to my friend Dr Rupen Ryeed, we started from Dhaka on the 24 th February and reached CMC campus around 3 PM. After visiting campus, main hostel. Patenga beach on 24 th , we started back for Dhaka on 25 th morning. Could not meet Quadery Sir, Emran Sir and others as we had to cut short our trip after hearing Pilkhana BDR news.
2. Jhhal Bitan fed me till my last day at the campus. That was January 01, 1994.
3. Jhhal Bitan: The managers, the menu and the dress of those table boys and glass boys did not change. Glass boys also will upgrade your lunch experience by switching glass water with sealed bottles of mineral water.
4. We ordered beef bhuna, daal, shrimp-shabji, fish. Back in those days, two of us shared one beef and keep asking for jhol.
6. Pasta Renasha is a new addition to Deluxe bakery and Jhhal Bitan. Caf辿 Rose now is New Caf辿 Rose. Taher Bhai is now a free man. No more yelling from father in law .
13. I see a lot of new names of old CMC institutions. It will be helpful if the naming plaque contained background and brief bio of the person being honored.
14. The Library: Individual study tables are new additions since I was there last time. The small holes are still there to borrow reference books.
18. The garden in Mojammel Chottor and the rain shed is new for me.
19. The greenery next biochemistry lab in college building has been turned into parking lot.
20. The post office is in same place, Doctors cafeteria is gone, that place is now the Agrani Bank. The small newspaper stand holds its size and location.
21. South side of the hospital lobby now has a drug store. And west side remains open after the bank has moved next to Post office.
22. Grills and collapsible gates in open north/ main entrance of hospital lobby narrowed the open access. A bangle clad uncovered dead body was blocking the narrow main entrance. The hospital lobby now has a TV .
23. Emergency has moved to east end of the hospital building ( In front of ladies hostel). Psychiatry ward and Emergency ( Casualty) has exchanged spaces.
24. East end of the college building which we used to enter anatomy labs has become a marketplace. Thanks to the ER and the public toilet next door
27. Something changes, some things do not. Hospital campus now has its own uniformed security regiment
28. You no longer have to bang to call the elevators. The hospital has all new elevators. A lot of effort has been made to beautify the hospital with gardens.
29. Hospital gallery. I guess the dust and the spider web from our days are still there.
30. Coronary Care Unit. Can CMC NA Alumni raise the funds to ensure free supply of ECG papers and other supplies at least in the CCU?
31. The students union-cafeteria building has just been demolished, possibly for new structure. A building boom is going on in the campus. Every inch of open space within the hospital building and the campus is being filled with concrete
32. The walk way through the hill to the main hostel. The trees were just being planted when I was a student. 20 years later, campus hills are completely tree covered. Protecting those trees and allowing them to grow is definitely a great achievement of the relevant authority
35. You come to main hostel from the campus. We all walked this way thousands of times. Something never changes.
36. Mansur bhais brother Hossain bhai now runs the day shift. Monsur bhai runs the night shift (Till 3 AM). Everything is unchanged except the size of the banana. The bananas are now much bigger no doubt. They dont taste as great though.
45. But life moves on in other places. The Professor is in LLG 30 minute before the class to rehearse the multimedia power point presentation containing video clips. The lecturers in tutorial classes were all equipped with laptops.