MGIMS sprang to life during the monsoons of 1969. In the early years, there were no proper hostels. Boys stayed in the Patel hostel, and girls in the nursing hostel. These were not true hostels, but simple shelters that provided a roof over their heads.

In 1972, eight hostel blocks were built, labeled A through H. Each block had 51 single rooms for students. Five blocks were for boys, two for girls, and one for interns and postgraduates. The first four batches admitted 60 students each, with only 66 girls in total. Shri Narendra Bhai was the boys’ hostel warden, while his wife, Vidya, supervised the girls’ hostel.

During this time, a tall young man entered the hostels. Despite his limp from polio, he moved with a confident swagger, towering above those around him.

His name was ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐˜…๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ธ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฒ. He came from Pujai, just 5 km from Sevagram. After two years as a daily wage laborer in the garden, Bele joined the boys’ hostel.

There, he became a jack-of-all-trades: a mess boy, ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘“๐‘Ž๐‘– ๐‘˜๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–, security guard, and billing clerk.

Always on duty, he wore a constant smile. He knew every student by name and hometown. He had an uncanny ability to anticipate their needs and often went out of his way to fulfill them.

In 1974, Bele earned a promotion to clerk. Dr. D. T. Kolte, the new head of the Anatomy department and Warden of the Boys’ hostel, made this possible. He saw Bele’s talent and helped him advance from attendant to clerk.

Before this, the warden, Narendra Bhai, saw Bele’s potential. He encouraged him to take typing lessons at the Avthankar Typing Institute in Wardha. Narendra Bhai even lent Bele money to buy a bicycle.

Bele enjoyed running errands for the medical students. His bicycle made it possible. He zipped through the streets of Sevagram and Wardha several times a week.

He always finished tasks for the students swiftly and efficiently.

In the early seventies, the hostel buzzed with life. Two groups emerged: Maharashtra + Jhansi and North Indians + Maharashtra. “During student elections, their battles were intense,” Bele said. “They rivaled the fierce political contests we see today.”

They picked candidates, planned campaigns, crafted strategies, courted voters, and even resorted to mischief. Kidnappings, bribes, and threatsโ€”all in the pursuit of victory. He told me this today as we sat in the Medicine department, recalling the good old days.

“Yet, once the dust settled and a winner emerged, all animosity vanished. They lived together in perfect harmony.”

In the beginning, the hostel mess was set up. A five-member committee handled everything from buying groceries to planning menus and supervising the kitchen. Students could have lunch and dinner for just Rs. 60โ€”only one rupee per meal. Milk or curd cost extra.

Bele had a unique task. Each evening, after sunset, he went door to door in the hostel to collect the mess fees. With smiles and persistence, he coaxed, cajoled, and convinced the students to settle their dues.

Not everyone complied at first. But Bele had his ways. Eventually, they all paid up. Later, he teamed up with Mr. Premdas. Together, they became beloved figures in the hostel’s history. More about Premdas, later.

Dr. D.T. Kolte taught Anatomy in Sevagram from 1973 to 1976. In those three years, he made two major contributions to the Boys’ hostel. He promoted Bele from attendant to clerk and brought the Indian Coffee House to the campus. This change, in 1974, stopped the hostel mess from providing breakfast and evening tea.

Three decades later, in 1995, Bele moved to the MS office. He worked there in various sections until February 2005. Now 78, he still walks tall and speaks with passion, vividly recalling his days in the hostel.

“Ah, those were the best days,” Bele smiles, memories flooding back. Students from ’69 to ’89 still remember him. They are always happy to see him, whether at their homes or clinics. The bonds they formed back then have lasted.

Time hasn’t changed a thing. They still love and cherish Bele.

At reunions, they always make a fuss over him. Their heartfelt words always move him. Just hearing his name brings back so many memories for the students who passed through the hostels with him.

Bele, his name resonates like a bell, ringing loud and clear, echoing through the corridors of their minds.

Yes, those were the days!