MEDICAL COLLEGE EX STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION UK
Calcutta Medical College is the oldest medical college in Asia established in 1835. It has seen landmarks in the history of medical education in the empire and has been witness to pioneering research. It continues to be one of the best in India.
The first human cadaver dissection in the subcontinent which broke age old traditions; the first batch of students to become members and fellows of the Royal Colleges; the first academics to publish in the Lancet and the British Medical Journal; the discovery of many nuances of infectious diseases; the foresight to segregate different medical disciplines to be taught in their own right for the first time in the world happened here.
The Medical College Ex Students Association stemmed from an idea in the 1920s and became a fully-fledged organisation in its own right in 1929. The objective of the Association is to preserve bonding among alumni; promote the Alma Mater and meet, unwind and stroll down the memory lane with annual reunions. The college has seen a significant diaspora of alumni settling outside India and shining in their chosen fields to achieve national and international recognition. The ex students call themselves ‘’Matiyas’’.
The Calcutta Medical College Ex Students Association UK is the alumni organisation in the UK since 1978, working tirelessly to promote and nourish this glorious tradition. The annual reunion organised by the association is the flagship event where all ex students meet for three days in a year to remember their Alma Mater.
Chairperson's message
This year, we celebrate the 47th annual reunion of ex-students of Medical College, Kolkata in the UK which coincides with the 190th anniversary of establishment of our alma mater. The concept of the reunion is very close to our hearts, and successive convenors and their organising committees, over the years, have given their own time and initiative to make every event a success. Although the overall format is maintained from year to year, every reunion is unique, different, with the hallmark of the convenor and organising team, and enjoyed by all.
After last year’s very successful reunion in Nottingham with wonderful memories, I look forward to welcoming you to this year’s reunion at Hotel Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh, Blackburn from 23rd to 25th August 2024. With your participation and presence, we will have another great event of enjoyment and fun, to remember for many years to come.
Our thanks and support go out to this year’s convener, Kaushik Ghosh and his organising team who are putting together a variety of cultural, social, and educational events for the reunion. Kaushik has been keeping us posted with regular newsletters, please stay tuned in to his news bulletins!!
As we look forward to enjoying the reunion at the end of summer, we also mourn the passing of some of our loved dadas and didis in recent years. Although we grieve for them, we also celebrate their lives well lived and loved, fondly remember their warmth and affection, their contribution to MCESAUK and to society at large. They are in our hearts and their memories will continue to guide and hold us together.
We also very warmly welcome our new friends, and Kaushik with the support of the Executive Committee, would like to make it attractive and sustainable for new and younger members to regularly attend and participate in this and future reunions.
I remain ever so grateful to the convenor and his organising committee and to members of the Executive Committee for their hard work and their time to keep the membership up to date and the reunions successful.
Pampa Sarkar