DentaltownUK July 2018 - 56

Shaniwar Wada Palace, Pune.

Kishan giving his favourite film star,
Shahrukh Khan, a run for his money
with his iconic pose at the Taj Mahal.

King's College London and D.Y. Patil Dental
College students on a night out together.

56

SUMMER 2018 // dentaltownuk.com

the performing arts. It was indeed a pleasure
seeing their performing students and the
talent level was exceptional.
We were surprised to be called on at
the end to do a guest performance, but
being a dancer in your spare time has its
advantages! We got a chance to show how
we do Bollywood and Bhangra in Britain.
It turns out those late night KCL Charity
Diwali Show rehearsals paid off.
The week flew by and before we knew
it, the elective period had finished. We'd
like to thank all the students and staff at
the D.Y. Patil Dental College, Pune, for
the beautiful memories. It was clear that
they spent a lot of time organising a very
interesting and stimulating programme for
us and the student and staff body made us
feel truly at home.
With the elective having come to an
end, we took a six-hour cab journey toward
Mumbai for the start of the next adventure.
I'm not a major fan of long distance travel
and fell asleep for most of the journey. My
friends, on the other hand, had a great time,
mainly capturing funny videos of me sleeping.
Our group had a great first day exploring
the city centre of Pune, Maharashtra. It was
such a vibrant area, with a very thin line
separating wealth and poverty. We were
touched this evening by the kindness and
generosity of the locals who welcomed us
with open arms.
We also explored Shaniwar Wada Palace
and I experienced my first ever auto rickshaw
ride. I was indeed hanging on for my life.
It brought back memories of Thorpe Park
rollercoasters. The roads are filled with
moments that make your heart skip a beat.!
Another major highlight of the trip
was when we visited the Taj Mahal. It was
not just another piece of architecture but
the proud passion of emperor Shah Jahan's
love wrought in stone. I was grateful to have
finally seen and stood before the iconic castle
in the air. It truly is a wonder of the world
for very good reason!

After our time at the Taj Mahal we had
an amazing time in Agra learning about
the Mughal dynasty. Then we reached
Rajasthan, 'land of Kings', to witness the
palaces, strongholds and fortresses, which rank
amongst the most impressive in the world.
On the final two days we were very
fortunate to have seen and stood before
the Golden Temple in Amritsar. From the
moment we washed out feet, saw the lights
reflecting off the water and heard the chants
and prayers of the visitors we felt very much
at peace. The temple feeds a vegetarian meal
to around 100,000 people a day, regardless
of race, religion or class. Imagine a world
where everyone opened up their hearts to
each other, just like the gates of the Golden
Temple.
I definitely ended my time in India on
a high. On the very last day, I witnessed
the iconic flag lowering ceremony at the
India-Pakistan international border near
Wagah that reflects the cutthroat rivalry but
ends with a handshake between the Indian
Border Security Force and the Pakistan
Rangers.
At the end of a long three weeks of
learning about dentistry and exploring
the country, I was starting to get tired and
admit I was a little homesick. Thank you
to Sagar for approaching D.Y. Patil Dental
College and getting the ball rolling with the
organisation process. The trip and country
opened my eyes to just how much we have
and take for granted in the Western world.
From a dental perspective, I appreciated
what a privileged situation we have in the UK
and other developed nations. Information
about healthcare is freely available to all and
our standard of living is so much greater
than those of other countries.
I hope to be able to visit India and other
less developed nations again and support the
oral health education programmes that are
currently taking place. India opened up my
eyes to a whole different side of dentistry,
and a whole different side to the world. ■
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK July 2018
