Deja vu
Ar. S.V. Abdul Nazer recollects some of his memories with Calicut Medical College and how he could realize his long cherished dream with Care Home.
Treading Calicut Medical College campus always rushes a hoard of contradictory memories through my mind, at times contracting my nerves, sometimes giving me goose bumps, sometimes drying my throat.
The period was the first quarter of seventies and I had just completed schooling. My ‘captivity’ in this premier institution lasted for more than six months, uninterrupted. Heavy footsteps of doctors in the corridors still reverberates in my ears, nauseating odour of medicines still lingers in my nostrils, laments of my co patients still haunts me.
Dr. Mohan Kumar, was a hero for us in ward fourteen. I was a charming boy, receiving love from all, enjoying freedom, always moving around the campus between the three major operations I had to undergo. Calicut Medical College is the biggest game changer of my life.
Ever since relief I dreamt of a personal contribution for the campus. Almighty rewarded this opportunity through Helping Hands, after forty two years!
Thank you Helping Hands…
About five years ago, some of my friends belongs to Helping Hands Charitable Trust with a group of youngsters approached me with sky-high dreams and bare hands. The dream was a facility center for oncology patients of Medical College. They had been already in service in the campus merely with generous hearts and helping hands. I was quite apprehensive of their dream.
The sparkle in their eyes expounded their confidence, convincing me their will power, dragging me into the project. Within the small gaps of preliminary discussions, they managed to procure twenty eight cents of land. They started calling their project CARE HOME.
The first sight of the site generated revulsion! Though an architect is not supposed to. From day one on the proceedings were on quick pace setting example of ‘where there is a will there is a way’.
Now at the fag-end of the construction, Helping Hands definitely can be proud of this state of the art facility center of about fifty thousand square feet. This accomplishment is the result of sheer team work. The humanitarians involved are innumerable.
I would like to extend my gratitude to Er. Musthafa for rendering all the structural designs, my site engineer Prakash for supervision, Sabijesh for drawings and approvals, Surendran ATPO (Rtd), Calicut Corporation for Building Rule advices, Er. Prakesh & Er. Prabeesh of Epsilon Engineers, Cochin for MEP consultancy. The list is much longer.
Architect Shiju Pareed and team have done laudable job on the interiors. Despite his hectic schedules Shiju managed to spend time for this venture should surely be of its nobility.
For Helping Hands, I would say, their challenge has just got bigger. I wish them all the best in the smooth operation of CARE HOME and for all their future endeavors.
Ar. S.V. Abdulnnazir is the Principle Architect of M/s. Nazer Associates, Calicut. Helping Hands Charitable Trust salutes his great voluntary effort as the Project Architect for realizing this charity project in time.
