Hasan Minhaj, an Indian American Comedian and political commentator has revealed that his father used to “threaten” to send him to a Medical College in Manipal when he used to do comedy as a teenager. The ‘Patriot Act’ host sat down with his parents to answer questions posted by fans on a popular Facebook group ‘Subtle Asian Traits’. At one point in the show, Minhaj was asked about the best advice he received from his parents. Minhaj’s dad answered saying that he once advised his son to “not go to the medical school”, to which Hasan laughed and intervened saying “You threatened you will put me in Manipal”. Expanding on the anecdote for the viewers, Minhaj told how his father was scared as the college had bars on the windows.
People who actually go to Manipal Medical School know-how ‘Freedom-less Manipal’ is an oxymoron. If I consider my personal experience and what I’ve heard from my peers from the Health Sciences campus this sounds to us like a familiar irony, the cynicism we all hear about the medical field in our everyday life. If we juxtapose our opinions before coming to Manipal and now being a part of it, we might chuckle about how the place has broken the walls of myth.
When I entered Manipal, the first thing that caught my attention was the loquacious and joyous folk throughout the town. The “Bhaiyya” that was inculcated in your genes since the time you were born converted miraculously into “Anna” in just a month. It gives you a sense of belonging at the very first moment. You might see the white coat population on the weekdays with a stethoscope around their neck running to their lectures and pity them for not having a life but your sympathy soon turns into astonishment on Saturdays knowing that they are much more sloshed than you in DeeTee and reaching new heights of inebriation.
It’s the most broad-minded place with people having undogmatic beliefs, perpetuating the air of freedom, free from the narrow shackles of people. Not just DeeTee Saturdays but we have our own Subway Thursdays which itself feels like a fest happening and while we are on fests, it’s a niche of opportunities as the numerous events that take place in the campus help the students as well as the faculty to showcase their talents and support their interests which are considered mere to impossible in other universities. The campus glows in rainbow colours bringing together students from different sexual and gender identities to embrace diversity. I could go on writing about Manipal and never stop.
According to me when this pandemic gets over Mr Najme (Minhaj’s father) should be sponsored a trip to Manipal so that he reconsiders his opinion about the campus but not his decision of letting Minhaj follow his dreams to be a great comedian because Manipal teaches us to turn our dreams into reality.
Feature image: Amogh Mehrotra
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