Life story: A painful memory
This is my post to take part in the contest on the topic “life story” arranged by brother @nahidhasan23. I am going to share a tragic story that took place during my study in medical college. It is a painful memory for me and my other batchmates.
In our Medical curriculum, there is a subject called Community and preventive medicine. It is a subject for 3rd and 4th year of medical students; for a second professional examination. The community medicine department arranges two events for the student to become familiar with community-level health-related structures. “Day visit” is such an event where every student, batch by batch, is taken to the nearby facilities such as water purification centre, TB centre, Public health office etc. These aren’t only for enjoyment, rather students have to prepare reports of the visits and present during the final exam.
Another similar event is RFST (Residential Field Site Training). Unlike day visits, a batch of students is taken to a relatively far place, stay there for a few days, do some survey on the people of the area on a topic. Students also need to present the survey report during the viva exam. RFST is a very expected event for a 4th-year medical student because, during the visit, they can enjoy more, in comparison with the survey job.
It was 2009. In the last week of July. It was the turn for E batch to go for RFST. We all were excited about the days. Our topic of the survey was something related to hypertension, i.e. it was an easy one. We weren’t worried about the survey, rather we had a plan for entertaining ourselves. We had planned to go to the Fantasy kingdom.
We reached the Dhamri, Dhaka health centre dormitory timely ( I can’t remember which day it was) in one afternoon. Our batch teacher was with us. We were given a shared-room to stay at night. After settling in our room, we started our entertainment. We talked, laughed, gossiped, played cards, ludo, football etc.
On the next day, 28th July 2009. In the morning we went to take the survey. Until midday, we conducted the survey. After returning back to our dormitory, we had our lunch. Then in the afternoon, again playing. Some of us went to roam around the town.
Then, came the day of 29th July 2009. In the morning, we finished the remaining survey. We took our lunch at ACME pharmaceuticals. They invited the doctors-to-be to their company. We visited their various plants which were manufacturing various kinds of medicines. After returning from ACME, we decided to make a journey by boat to the nearby river. It was drizzling. Most of us, along with our teacher, went on the boat journey. A few left behind in the dormitory.
The boat took us to a distant place. The boat was stopped to a land where there was an open paddy field. We went down to the field and played football for a while. A few of us went down the river for swimming. Others were busy playing. Razu and Rubel Via were among them who went for swimming.
Suddenly, a loud shout was heard. Help! help! someone is drowning. We were panicked. We came running. With our own eyes, we saw something or someone went down the water. We quickly took our boat to that place. But alas! He was lost in the water. Then we started gathering everyone. Where is Razu? Where is Rubel vai???
We searched and searched. We searched in other anchored boats thinking that they might be playing the hide and seek game. But in vain. They were nowhere to be found. The villagers came forward listening to our shouting. A few of them started searching under the water. We all were in shock. We couldn’t think straight. Around half an hour later, one local villager brought up the body of Rubel vai. We put him on the boat and rushed to the health centre. But half an hour!! He was already gone!! He left the world, already!
Our batch teacher, by this time, informed our medical college department. The accident took place around Asr time. By Maghrib, all the teachers from the department, principal of our college, police all came to the place of the incident. The search continued by the villagers until it was dark. Then we were taken to the dormitory. We couldn’t talk, we couldn’t eat. We couldn’t believe that Rubel vai, our 4 years classmate, was dead. Razu was missing. It all came as a bolt from the blue.
The next morning, divers came. We all were roaming the river from one place to another. Divers were searching underwater. At around 11 am, the body of Razu was found. The dead body of Rubel vai was already sent to his village home by the night of the accident. As Razu's dead body was underwater for a long time, the possibility of decomposition of the body was higher. So, we gave him a funeral bath at the dormitory, then performed a funeral prayer and took his body to his village.
It is a painful memory. However, over the course of time, everything fades out. We all moved with our own life. We passed the medical college and became doctors. But the dream of the family of Razu and Rubel vai’s family didn’t come true.
This is all about today. Hope that you have read the story. It is a true story. And an original story.
We should take all the precautions to prevent an accident. However, every accident can't be prevented. Some inevitables will take place anyhow. That's in our creator's hands.
Have a nice day.
Until Next Time
Dr Hafiz
