Medical Association Inauguration 1972 ?: Doctors' Dilemma

The open area in front of Government Dispensary had been raked up, levelled and smothered with generous sprinking of water. This was the venue of the inaugural function. Dr. Marwah of Aurangabad had accepted the invitation to inaugurate it. The opening ceremony was to begin at 6 pm.

There were 3 MBBS doctors and a small crowd of other medical practitioners and local pharmacists. Every one of them was neatly dressed. Some doctors and compounders wore very old-fashioned coats but they were well-washed and ironed. The 3 MBBS doctors wore modern suits. They were accompanied by their wives. Two of these three wives were once nurses. So we were not more than 50 who had assembled there

We expected Dr. Marwah to reach Parli by road comfortably before 6. We depended on that black telephone on the dispensary table. This was connected via Ambejogai to Aurangabad. It coughed and sneezed a number of times that evening. A doctor would hurry up to it, hear some noises and decode them to announce to the 50 others that the eminent doctor was as near as Ambejogai. Doctors should not lose patience and the young doctors kept up the tempo of their enthusiasm. The clock was annoyingly ticking minutes and hours!! nursing evening dress

The dinner had to be warmed a couple of times, some doctors were fidgety, thers were bored waiting and sure, some were nodding there heads sleepily in their seats. Still there was no cofirmed news about Dr. Marwah's arrival. At 9:30 it was decided to request the civil surgeon of Nanded to inaurate the Association. The doctor who was to preside over the function had to inaugurate it. At 11 it ended and we dined with tired smiles

At 11:30 Dr. Marwah's car honked, screeched and halted at the venue. He inaurated Association once again, the civil surgeon presided over and we all ate our second dinner. After the dinner we had a long chat with the famous doctor. We were able to joke too to keep us awake

I returned home at 3 am....almost like a burglar! !