Nobody epitomises the failure of the AIIMS gym like Afzal does. Built like a
slender diva, no amount of whey protein or workouts could conjure the inner
Schwarzenegger in him. Deep down however, he was bestowed with the gift to
bless those around him with his indomitable spirit, irrepressible wit and
incredible gifts of art. Prone to painting masterpieces on the walls of his
friends’ rooms and hostel walls, he is one of the few here to have truly left a
legacy behind. During his tenure here, he added stringing the guitar to his
never-ending list of talents which included caricature, dance and singing as
well. Towards the sunset years of his MBBS, his �owing locks of hair de�ned the
landscape of many memorable evenings in AIIMS. Locked in an eternal
gastrointestinal battle with the Hostel 5 cafeteria, this skinny Mallu was no
match for Salmonella and the administrators eventually had to rebuild the
toilets in his wing with Adamantium. Ever the romantic, he has been in a casual
‘friendship’ with the village belle of his clan for a long while and hopefully, this
HAMED
‘camaraderie’ shall bear fruit some day. His room was a regular haunt for his
friends who �ocked there, attracted to the warmth, mirth and good music that emanated from there. His
quest for the truth took him from Pushkar in the West to Bhutan in the East and along the way, he picked up
many great lessons such as the fact that all Gods are one, be it Shiva, Buddha or Jim Morrison. No testimonial
can paint pictures like he did - such is his gift, his life and his spirit so that he is certain to be one of the most
missed �gures in AIIMS. Currently preparing for the PG entrance exams from back home, he is sure to be
successful in any route he pursues.
A FZAL
A
Comrade Vermaji hails from Jaipur, or, may I say, India. With rather amusing
ways of starting conversations, from ‘kya scene hai’ to ‘itni dukhi kyon hai’ to
‘shaadi ho gayi teri? Kam se kam sagaai to kar le’ to contextual excerpts from
shayaris, he sure knows how to make one laugh on one’s worst days. If you make
up your mind to go to the mountains, you can de�nitely hitch a ride in his
unkempt khatara with a toy dog with a detachable head dancing to the tunes of
Hindi melodies. Expect his DSLR at the most unexpected places at the most
ungodly hours; I dare you to do better. People who have been to his room once
have failed to recognize it on the next visit- he manages to turn it upside down
every few days for ‘fun’. Want to get someone brainwashed? Convince Verma
and your job is done. is is one person who would do anything to complete a
task for a cause he truly believes in. Capable of discussing about anything from
politics to families, from evolution to human behaviour, controversies included;
he is a host of stimulating ideas and invites rational and ‘human’ arguments. A
ERMA fun company at parties and a thoughtful friend with a human touch in times of
need, one can discover an enviably complete person in him. His love for science kept him from joining the civil
services. He aspires to be a socialist entrepreneur, but for now, he is keen to perform surgeries in remote
villages, for which he is pursuing the ‘perfect’ course- MD in emergency medicine from AIIMS itself, because
anything else is far too boring to keep him engaged and practising what he already knows is not fun. We hope
you make India proud, Ajay!
A JAY
V