My Time Studying in India

Submitted by India Week on Thu 08/03/12

As part of India Week, Medicine student Somasundaram Rajasundaram describes their experiences of living and studying at Manipal University in India.

"It was early September of 2009 when I finally received my tickets from the government of Seychelles. I was to leave for India in a week to study Medicine at Manipal University (above). Although I'm of Indian origin, it didn't help much in the initial phase of settling down.

The first thing that hits you in India is the general state of pollution, dust and the suffocating heat. Gradually a tolerance develops, but not without a couple of attacks of the flu.

Studying in India

The workload is immense, straight from day one. It taught me a lot about time management. The Indian education system places a lot of emphasis on raw memory, but thankfully my university also gives equal importance to application of the acquired knowledge. A hands-on approach is the buzzword these days, and for me that meant we actually got to learn human anatomy on a cadaver- something most other medical schools can't afford to put in place. Teaching and lecturers in general are of the highest order, with dedication like no other.

I'm currently in my third year, which signifies the start of the clinical phase. This is where we implement all our theoretical knowledge into practice. It's fun, but far from straightforward.

I had a pretty embarrassing moment in Paediatrics, when I was told to listen for the heart sound of a 2-year old. Naturally I placed my stethoscope on the left side on the chest and listened hard, it was kind of faint, but I reported to the consultant that everything was fine and explained to him the normal cardiac findings. The consultant looked at me unblinkingly, his face then broke into a grin, "I really wonder what you heard, as the patient has dextrocardia" (when the heart is found on the right side). I could only apologise sheepishly.

Living in India

The locals are a varied bunch. Take for example the cleaners in our hostel, who are always falling over trying to help us out in every way. On the other hand, you have the 'autorickshaw' drivers, most of whom are just trying to squeeze you out of every last rupee.

Everything in India is relatively cheap, you can keep your stomach full on just 250 rupees (just over £3) a day. Food is just an amazing gastronomical experience, from flaming, spicy tandoori chicken to the sinfully sweet gulab jamuns, India's got it all. For the less adventurous among us, Western food is available just as readily.

At Manipal you are exposed to a huge variety of cultures, and it acts as a twinning hub for many international centres worldwide. You get students from Europe, Africa, and Australasia coming here to do a few modules. Setting aside academic obligations for a while, you also have great scope for recreation and sport. A giant 5-storey multipurpose sporting complex has been built for students to use and there's a great number of sporting competitions for you to take part in.

Overall, if you like travelling and exploring new areas, I can hardly suggest a better country to tour than India. From the lush green flora of Kerala to the modern, high-rise shopping districts of Mumbai, I can safely say, there's something for everyone."