The need to belong and find one’s roots is an age-old human desire. It was the motivating force behind formation of Amritsar Medical & Dental Alumni Association of North America (AMDAANA). The idea of forming an association of Amritsar Medical graduates had repeatedly been mentioned at different occasions but lack of follow up action prevented it’s materialization.

The subject surfaced once again at a dinner in Dayton, Ohio at the residence of Satinder and Raj Gupta on April 7, 1979. Besides the hosts, the following Amritsar graduates were present: Sher S Guleria, Kuldip Kaur, Nirmala Guleria, Amrit Chadha, Sukh Dev Sharma, Satwant Singh, Ved Vyas Gossain and Ravinder Pandhi. A serious discussion followed. It was felt that the time was ripe for action. Satwant Singh was “volunteered” to pursue the matter actively. The organization was tentatively named Amritsar Medical Alumni Association. A feeler was mailed on April 27, 1979 to prospective members. The response was slow but overwhelmingly positive. A follow up meeting was held at the residence of Sher & Nirmala Guleria in Urbana, Ohio on July 22, 1979. Amritsar medical graduates within reasonable driving distance were invited and persuaded to attend. Besides the hosts, Amrit Chaddha, Kuldip Kaur, Satwant Singh, Deepak Kumar, Ramesh Gandhi, and Ravi Khanna were in attendance. An animated discussion occupied the entire afternoon in spite of the fact that the Cincinnati Reds were pounding the Chicago Cubs in the adjoining room. It was proposed to include Amritsar Dental graduates in the group and name it Amritsar Medical & Dental Alumni Association of North America. A tentative definition of aims and objectives was laid down. An all out effort was launched to unearth Amritsar Medical and Dental graduates from all nooks and corners of North American continent. Sukhdev Grover was persuaded to join our efforts and to arrange for the founding meeting at Seven Springs, PA. And what a magnificent job did he indeed do! Jaswinder Sidhu, who was making similar efforts in Maryland, was asked to join hands. After several mailings and hundreds of phone calls we were able to locate 132 graduates. One hundred and two of these chose to become founding members. Alumni form different regions of USA met in Raccoon State Park, PA on August 26, 1979 to finalize arrangements for the founding meeting. Rajinder Sidhu, Jaswinder, Sidhu, Rajinder Saini, Sarjit Singh Ranjit Kaur, Sukhdev Grover, Amarjit Singh, Harwant Kaur, Kuldip Kaur and Satwant Singh were present.

AMDAANA took its final form, with great pomp and show, on October 27, 1979 at the first annual meeting in Seven Springs, PA. Realization of this dream is a tribute to untiring efforts of all members, most of whom worked anonymously to spread the word around and recruit members.

It was a cool fall morning in Seven Springs. The scenery was reminiscent of a hill station in India and awakened a wave of nostalgia. The air was filled with excitement – this was the day. The groundwork had been finished and Amritsar Medical and Dental Alumni Association of North America (AMDAANA) was ready to assume final shape.

We were pleasantly surprised by a welcome sign for Amritsar Medical & Dental Alumni in the hotel lobby. By noon, the corridors were filled with Amritsar graduates. What a thrill it was to see those faces so many years later! While some did not seem to have changed much, receding hairlines and hallmark of prosperity were abundant. The hospitality suite was filled with joy, surprise and excitement. With great effort we were able to persuade people to move into the meeting room that displayed a large insignia of Medical College, Amritsar. After a brief background by Sukhdev Grover and Satwant Singh, the Constitution of AMDAANA was presented and discussed. A quick unanimous election of Executive Council followed. Now came the surprise of the day – an afternoon tea. Piping hot kababs, Samosas, Jalebis, Laddoos, Burfi, Gulab Jamans, Pakoras and authentic hot tea! For a moment we thought we were back “home”. It was a pleasure to see radiant, satiated and excited faces everywhere in this electrified atmosphere.

After a brief breather, we gathered for cocktails. A wide selection of drinks, delicious appetizers and a delightful smile of a pretty bartender greeted us. The girls were now fully decked – bright and colorful saris, delicate jewelry and of course, pretty faces and gracious curves. The photographers had now come into their own. Clicks, flashes and floodlights filled the hall. Everyone looked and acted high though liquor couldn’t claim much credit for it. Finally, we were able to coerce people to move into the Banquet Hall. Delicious food enhanced the pleasure further. On the spot demand for a variety program was quickly met with, with Jagan Pahuja as MC. For the next hour ears feasted on melodious songs, ghazals and provocative sher-o-shayeri. The excitement had now built to fever pitch and inevitably the beat of Bhangra, Gidda and Bolis rocked Seven Springs. Everyone was ecstatic and delirious. Unwillingly, the group broke up but we were not done yet. Now was the time of class reunion. We relived medical college days amidst shers, ghazals, jokes and drinks. Of course, children had as much fun with their own banquet, movie and games. In the name of sanity, we had to call it quits at 4a.m.

Next morning we met for a departing breakfast. We left with heavy hearts and high hopes for the next meeting. It was a lifetime experience – like the thrill and ecstasy of first touch of beloved.

AMDAANA was founded on October 27, 1979. Please see “making of a dream” and “it happened in Seven Springs” for further details.

AMDAANA grew rapidly since its inception and soon we went from a one afternoon meeting to a two and half day meeting with accredited CME and excellent entertainment program and banquet. At the peak our attendance was about 125 families (approximately 600 people in all) and we were the envy of all alumni associations. While we had great success in developing camaraderie and networking in North America, we had little success in developing joint projects with our alma maters. However, that has changed with the inception of Amritsar project in March 2004, the details of which are provided elsewhere on this page. AMDAANA celebrated its silver jubilee with great pomp and show in Niagara Falls in July 2003.