Kemcolianism - Blurred lines between Patriotism and Racism

     I don't know how it goes for other doctors but for  most Kemcolians KE is their first love. When other people are having teenage crushes , the would be kemcolians are studying and weeping for a chance to get into KE. It is said 'you never forget your  first love' and I have actually seen it firsthand. The love Kemcolians have for KE matches and even sometimes exceeds  the love Abdalians, KC-ites , Aitchesonians and even Ravians (yes, I said it and I stand by it  ) have for their alma maters. For someone who doesn't  agree I can direct you to numerous labs, scholarship lists and what-nots that kemcaana has bestowed upon the present kemcolians. If anything in KE is of 21st century,  90% chance is that it's a gift  and 85% chance is  that the gift is by Kemcaana.

 

     In KE we have two types of teachers . First category comprises those who come in the class for the first time and say "Ahhhh I remember sitting at these desks. I can't believe this lecture theatre is exactly the same" ( I mean it has been the same for nearly 150 years so what's the chance it would have changed in the ten or so years you were not here? ) . The other category is the teachers who come and on the very first day say "Hum ne to suna tha Kemcolians barey laiq  hotey hain. Cream of the cream. Idhar to kuch bhi nai. Ap logon ko to teacher ki  respect tak karni nai ati hai."

    Opposite is true too. The students also judge Kemcolian vs non-Kemcolian teachers. If  teachers introduce themselves as Kemcolians, we feel that they can't be too bad. On the other hand even a brilliant non-Kemcolian teacher has to prove himself worthy just for us to give him the same chance we give an ordinary Kemcolian. (Yes, I am a Kemcolian and there have been many ordinary Kemcolians like me in history of KE).

 
    The love students have for their alma mater is a beautiful thing. Like the love a person has for  his motherland because they both nurture us in  one way or another. But the problem arises when Kemcolian pride and love starts taking us in the wrong direction. Kind of how patriotism taken too far can lead to fanaticism and racism. Some of the students and a lot of doctors behave as if being a kemcolian trumps being a good doctor or even a good human which is simply not true. Because the truth is that even though 60% of Kemcolians will be better than their counter-parts in other colleges there still will be other students from government intitutions or sometimes even from private colleges who will prove their mettle against many Kemcolians any day. (eg. when many Kemcolians fail to match in residency program this year ,  a student matched from University of Lahore)

 

And then there is the fact that although being a doctor is a good even great profession , it's not the only thing which makes the world go round. We don't let our brilliant children go into teaching (even medical basic sciences) or become scholars or writers and then we lament over the fact that teachers are pathetic , scholars not in line with the present day and writers not sufficiently creative.

 

 

    We say that physiotherapy is not of the same level in Pakistan as in other countries but we refuse to give the same previlidges as MBBS students to allied sciences even in KE (where the merit of physiotherapy is higher than the merit of MBBS in most , nearly all, private colleges) because we don't consider allied sciences students Kemcolian enough. The truth is they are the reason KE is a university, a fact we are immensely proud of. It's time we admit that we are all students of KEMU , one way or another.

     I think we , as Kemcolians , are held to a higher standards , as we should, because we carry more than 150 years of history wherever we go in the world. But the rule of higher standards should  also apply to our compassion, our sense of equality and the fact that the medical community in Pakistan doesn't need any more leaders or followers. It needs all of us, who are related to field of medicine ,  to form a bond where we don't  judge poeple by their institute or their speciality. A great dermatologist of CMH should be ranked higher than a Kemcolian surgeon who is not being sincere to his patients. The world doesn't need more people who think they are the best. We have politicians and celebrities for that. What the world needs is  more doctors doing right by their patients and their peers. And that is what we as Kemcolians and as doctors are supposed to do.