Gandhi Medical College

When the sign board says Gandhi Medical College "cafeteria" instead of "canteen", and has Vivek Oberoi's cowlicked face screaming "wakaaw" off its walls instead of the badly smudged Silk Smitha poster, you know things are a-changing.

GMC's origins can be traced back to 153 years ago when it was started as a 3-bed infirmary around the same time as its more famous counterpart, the Hyderabad School of Medicine (now Osmania), and has consistently dwelled in its high-domed shadows since.

The average medical student can, at times, feel jailed by the extent of his curriculum, but the AP government has given that a whole new dimension when they decided to build the new GMC in the old Musheerabad Prison premises.

Rs. 80 crores poorer, they recently inaugurated the breath-taking new hospital and college buildings, and the spirit of rejuvenation in the stride of every Gandhian is obvious for everyone to see. "Second best no longer," they seem to walk their thoughts. The hospital is to have all the amenities of a major corporate at government prices. Also associated with the college are some of the city's top teaching hospitals, to train their doctors.

GMC seems to be headed for big things and might soon be the number 1 choice for medical students of the state. Osmania would need to pull up those 150-year-old stockings pretty fast.