আর জি করের অনশনরত ছাত্রছাত্রীদের পাশে দাঁড়ান।

Felt utterly distressed to hear the sad state of affair in my own Institution. Ego never pays –love & Concerns for subordinates welfare win always Off late while browsing internet I find equally sad in reading distorted/ dictated modern history of R.G.Kar Medical College & Hospital’s past. In 1957– we the then students of the “alma mater”–went on several weeks of hunger strike against arbitrary administration and open corruption in all spheres of education, patients care and deplorable hygienic conditions at the institute. That great student movement was led by Pronob Banerji of 1952 entrance batch ( grandson of great Bengali dramatist of 19th.century — Khirod Prasanna Banerjee of Bagbazar) as President and Kanai Chatterjee -1954 batch ( now a GP at UK ) — Manab De Munshi was one of the influential characters amongst Student’s union leaders. Seeing the plight of the institution and en masse students participation in favour of a change– WB government under Great CM Dr /Prof. B.C.Roy ( today’s students would be surprised to know — that Dr B.C.Roy never relinquished his Professor & HOD of Medicine of R.G.Kar MCH status while accepting chief ministership of WB till his death in July 1962– but remained “on indefinite leave ‘status’)– passed order of ” dissolution of governing body”– simultaneously taking over the administrative responsibility of the RGKMCH. That was a historic moment –whose impact cannot be well appreciated by the present generation of RGKARITES. Todays R.G .Kar M.C.H also owe a great debt — secondly to ex-WB Govt. health minister Dr Prof. Ashim Dasgupta — whose untiring efforts to modernize it — has not been appropriately appreciated yet. He was in his teens as a local school boy in mid fifties of last century –who witnessed its dire state of affaires of RGKMCH . I can reminiscent for hours detailing the chequered history of the past of this great institute of my professional birth. I end this column for the day — correcting a few errors and wrong perceptions on history of RGKMCH —‘as RECENT INTERNET inputs are presented .- I do not know to please whom? . Dr Radha Gobindo Kar (son of Dr Durgadas Kar{ Bengali medium licenciate western medical practioner of repute of Santragachi & Srirampur fame from Calcutta Medical College of College St.) was never a student of Hindu School ( there was no Hindu School then . It was known as Hindu College with Junior Section — meaning school of today — and Senior Section ,actually meaning today’s COLLEGE).He was a Student of Hare School of David Hare — where unlike Hindu College — there was no cast bar for admission. In Hindu College education was meant only for upper cast Hindu boys. David Hare’s — Hare School was open to Hindu,Muslim.Christian ,Budhists and all classes of Indian boys. Radhagobindo’s close associates in school were Sir Jagadish C. Bose, Dr. K.D.Ghosh ( father of Sri Aurobindo of Pondicherry),Acharya Sir P.C.Roy ( father of modern Chemistry in Presidency College / University of Calcutta), even Rabindranath for a short while, Sibnath Sastry and many other luminaries of the then Bengal. He was taught by Ramtanu Lahiri — who himself was a Hare School Boy earlier. RG.Kar was never a Calcutta Medical College student. There is mysterious gap of 3 yrs from end of his school career in 10 th. class (then known as First Class), about his Entrance examination results, year of passing etc. What is known from various sources that he was a popular , pleasant youngman and a typically jovial “Calcutta Baboon Samaj Member” — in sync with many others such youngsters coming from alffluent families of North Calcutta of late 19th. century. He joined — Sealdha Vernacular Medical School ( later known as Cambell Medical School — which morphed into Sir Nilratan Sircar Medical College in 1948 after Independence). Even in Bengali medium Sealdha Vernacular Medical School for Licentiate Certificate to practice Western Medicine — like his father Dr. Durgadas Kar ( 3 yrs. course) — he spent quite a few extra years but without success. However he was a favourite student of famous Pricipal Khan Bahadur Dr. Khan — a gold medalist physician from Calcutta Medical College — who also served as a teacher in King Edward Medical College ; Lahore in British Punjab earlier and belonged to a Murshidabad noble family. So also — he was close to Professor Dey in Sealdha Medical School. Seeing the plight of Radhagobindo’s in pursuing his medical study in Calcutta — both of them advised him to move to Edinburgh University in Scotland to pursue the then famous course of EXTRA MURAL Teaching SYSTEM of Edinburgh / Glasgow . It was some kind of coaching class system which Dr Samar Mitra of Anatomy introduced in Calcutta. If teachers in these Extra Mural (outside regular teachings under university campus) coaching centers were satisfied of the proficiency of the studends in their respective subjects taught — university would accept their eligibility to appear in a mere formal interview before conferring LRCP (Extramural) Edinburg/Glasgow. This system went on profitably till 1948 — when labour govt. in UK under PM Clement Atlee with Aneurin Beevan as Health Minister — abolished this system of producing doctors
of deficient training — (in their opinion) with a Royal G.O. from George 6th. — father of Queen Elizabeth and initiated the now world famous NHS in Great Britain.. RG.Kar came back with LRCP (extramural Edinburgh) to a rousing reception in Princep Ghat Calcutta — and he realised their is a vast scope to start Edinburgh type medical educational system in India. That dream resulted into Charmichael Medical School after a few trial runs in Baitakhana Rd. and Rajabazar area in Calcutta.. R.G.Kar was an extremely social man even in Scotland and that proved immensely helpful with arrival of Lt’Governor Carmichael in Calcutta after his short stint in Melbourn and Madras. Radhagobindo was a good friend of Camichael family in Ednburgh. Undoubtedly he was a great visionary and can be duly credited as a first Indian to pioneer Private entrepreneurship in higher education for public good in colonial India. Long live RGKMCH — my Great Alma Mater.