AI Generated Summary
- Their return to the stage served as a reminder of a college team whose achievements, nearly half a century later, continue to occupy a distinctive place in Government Medical College, Patiala’s cultural legacy.
- The team won both the Zonal and Inter-Zonal Youth Festivals before going on to represent Punjabi University at the Inter-University Youth Festival, where it emerged overall champion — a feat that remains unmatched for the college.
- For the former students, now senior medical professionals spread across India, Canada and the US, the Santa Barbara performance offered an opportunity to relive a defining part of their college years.
Nearly five decades after they made their mark on the college cultural circuit, members of Government Medical College, Patiala’s celebrated 1974-75 bhangra team came together once again — this time thousands of kilometres away in California.
The former teammates were honoured at the 48th Annual Conference of the Patiala Medical College Alumni Association (PMCAA), USA, held in Santa Barbara last week. Turning the felicitation into a memorable reunion, the veteran doctors took to the stage to recreate the bhangra performance that had brought them laurels during their student days.
The 1974-75 squad occupies a special place in the cultural history of the Patiala medical college. The team won both the Zonal and Inter-Zonal Youth Festivals before going on to represent Punjabi University at the Inter-University Youth Festival, where it emerged overall champion — a feat that remains unmatched for the college.
The team was captained by orthopaedic surgeon Dr JPS Walia, who led and dressed the college bhangra contingent for six years. Walia also represented Punjab at several events and was conferred the Roll of Honour by Government Medical College during the 1974-75 academic session.
For the former students, now senior medical professionals spread across India, Canada and the US, the Santa Barbara performance offered an opportunity to relive a defining part of their college years.
“At this age, when many of us have retired or are nearing retirement age, it was super fun to perform our traditional dance with the same spirit that we had during our college days,” said Toronto-based cardiologist Dr Gurcharan Syan.
The members of the celebrated squad subsequently built careers across different branches of medicine. Dr Sulakshan Tewari is a psychiatrist in Bathinda, while Syan is a cardiologist in Toronto. Dr Satnam Singh, also a cardiologist, is based in the US. Dr Harpreet Grewal and Dr Ajit Pal Singh Tiwana practise family medicine in the US, while Dr Jagmohan Bhinder is a paediatrician there. All the team members had received college colours for their achievements.
The reunion became even more special with the participation of Lal Singh Bhatti, better known as “Lalli”, the team’s original dhol player. Originally from Jalandhar, Bhatti was a prominent dholi on Punjab’s cultural circuit through the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.
Over the years, he represented Punjab at several national and international youth festivals and sporting events, including cultural programmes associated with the Olympics. Bhatti has been settled in the US for around three decades.
Among those attending the alumni gathering were US-based pain management specialist Dr Narinder Grewal and oncologist Dr Satish Singla.
For the former bhangra champions, however, the occasion went beyond an alumni felicitation. Their return to the stage served as a reminder of a college team whose achievements, nearly half a century later, continue to occupy a distinctive place in Government Medical College, Patiala’s cultural legacy.
