The Pan Incident: A Night of Unwitting Adventure in GB Pant Hostel with Dr Veer Bahadur Dhaka

In the sweltering summer of 1979, Dr. V.B. Singh—then a wide-eyed undergraduate at s n medical college agra , far from the bustling streets of where he’d one day make his mark as a pioneering physician —found himself navigating the chaos of student life in GB Pant Hostel. The air was thick with the scent of monsoon rains and roadside chai, but inside the dimly lit common room, the real haze came from a circle of fellow students huddled around a battered transistor radio, debating the latest Indira Gandhi headlines. V.B., lanky and sharp-tongued even at 19, was the group’s unofficial ringleader, always quick with a quip or a scheme to lighten the load of endless lectures on organic chemistry.

Dr Dhaka

That evening, as the sun dipped behind the JNU campus, V.B. spotted his roommate, Raju—a burly engineering major with a perpetual grin and an inexplicable fondness for gut-challenging dares—slouched on the worn-out charpoy, fanning himself with a dog-eared textbook. Raju had just aced a surprise quiz, and the high was palpable. V.B., ever the provocateur, rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled five-rupee note, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Oye, Raju bhai,” V.B. drawled, leaning in with that signature Dhaka lilt that still carried the faint rhythm of Bengali folk songs from his childhood home. “You think you’re some big-shot now, huh? Conquering integrals like they’re street dogs? Tell you what—fancy a pan to celebrate? The real deal, from that paanwala down the lane. Bet you can’t handle it.”

Raju’s eyes lit up, but he played it cool, wiping sweat from his brow. “A pan? From you? What’s the catch, boss? Last time your ‘gifts’ involved sprinting from the warden.”

V.B. chuckled, a low rumble that echoed off the peeling walls. “No catch, yaar. Just good old betel leaf, some supari, and a twist of lime. It’ll sharpen your brain for tomorrow’s viva. Here—” He thrust the neatly folded paan toward Raju, its vibrant green leaf glistening under the naked bulb. “Take it. Or are you chickening out already?”

Raju hesitated for a split second, the room’s chatter fading into a expectant hush. Refusing V.B. was like refusing a monsoon storm—pointless and bound to drench you anyway. “Alright, yes boss,” he said with a mock salute, snatching the paan. “But make it quick. I’ve got notes to cram.”

V.B.’s grin widened, predatory and playful. He paused, tilting his head as if appraising a rare specimen. “Hold on, hero. You sure? This one’s… potent. Can you eat the whole pan? Chew it down, swallow every bit? No spitting, no mercy.”

The challenge hung in the air like smoke from a beedi. Raju’s pride kicked in, fueled by the nods and snickers from the peanut gallery of onlookers. “Pfft, whole pan? I’ve downed spicier momos from the canteen. Watch and learn.” He popped the entire thing into his mouth, jaws working methodically as the tangy sweetness exploded—betel nut crunching like gravel underfoot, lime zinging sharp against his tongue. He chewed with exaggerated gusto, swallowing in one defiant gulp, then smacked his lips. “Done. Your move, Singh. What’s next, a wrestling match with the hostel cat?”

V.B. raised an eyebrow, surprise flickering across his face like a shadow on the Yamuna. He’d expected the usual half-hearted nibble, the inevitable cough and retreat. This kid had guts—or maybe just a death wish. “Well, damn,” V.B. muttered, half to himself, clapping Raju on the shoulder a tad too hard. “You’re either a legend or a fool. We’ll see.” With a cryptic wink, he sauntered off toward the stairwell, leaving Raju basking in his minor triumph amid the whoops of approval.

For the first few minutes, it was bliss. Raju lounged back, feeling invincible, the paan’s warmth spreading like a secret handshake through his veins. “See? Easy as pi r squared,” he boasted to no one in particular, already plotting his next brag.

Then it hit—like a bullet from a hidden rifle, straight to the chest. The world tilted. The hostel’s sturdy concrete walls, once as solid as the Red Fort, began to undulate, swaying like palm fronds in a cyclone. Raju’s vision blurred at the edges; the ceiling fan spun into a hypnotic blur, and the floorboards—imaginary, surely—rose and fell in gentle waves. “What the—?” he gasped, clutching the charpoy’s edge as a wave of dizziness crashed over him. His heart thundered, not with fear, but with the raw, electric buzz of something utterly foreign. Tobacco. Laced with tobacco. V.B.’s “potent” twist hadn’t been hyperbole; the paanwala’s secret additive had turned a harmless chew into a hallucinogenic haymaker.

The common room erupted in laughter as Raju staggered to his feet, but it sounded distant, muffled by the building’s treacherous rhythm. “Guys… the room… it’s dancing,” he slurred, one hand groping for the doorframe. A chorus of “What’d you expect, idiot?” followed him out, but sympathy was in short supply among broke undergrads.

The real ordeal awaited downstairs. GB Pant Hostel was a vertical labyrinth—three flights of narrow, dimly lit stairs that now resembled the treacherous coils of a serpent. Each step was a negotiation with gravity; Raju’s legs turned to jelly, knees buckling as the banister twisted mockingly in his grip. “Left foot… right foot… don’t fall, you bloody fool,” he muttered through gritted teeth, sweat beading like monsoon drops on his forehead. Halfway down the second flight, a vision assaulted him: the stairwell stretching infinitely, each landing a mirage. He paused, panting, whispering a half-remembered prayer from his village temple back home. “Ma, if you’re listening, now’s the time.”

Twenty-eight agonizing minutes ticked by—eternity compressed into a stumble. Voices from neighboring rooms blurred into a symphony of nonsense: a professor’s lecture on thermodynamics warped into a rant about melting staircases. Raju’s mind raced through fragments of his life—the dusty Agra streets where he’d once chased kites with his brothers, the scholarship letter that had catapulted him to this mad Noida dream. Was this karma for skipping last week’s ethics class? Or just V.B.’s way of testing the mettle of his friends?

Finally, he collapsed onto the ground-floor landing, the cool tile floor a merciful anchor. The swaying ebbed, retreating like a tide, leaving only a faint echo in his pulse. Half an hour, give or take—precisely thirty-two minutes by the battered wall clock he could now read without squinting. Raju lay there, chest heaving, a goofy grin breaking through the haze. He’d survived. Conquered, even.

Word of the “Pan Apocalypse” spread like wildfire through the hostel by morning, cementing V.B.’s reputation as the ultimate trickster-philosopher. Over milky chai the next day, Raju cornered him in the mess hall. “You sneaky bastard,” he growled, but there was no real venom—only the warmth of shared absurdity. “Tobacco? Really? I thought you were trying to kill me.”

V.B. threw back his head and laughed, that full-throated bark that could disarm a riot. “Kill you? Nah, bhai. I was testing your limits. Life’s too short for half-measures—pans, exams, or dreams. You ate the whole damn thing. That’s the spirit that’ll carry you far.” He slid over a fresh cup of chai, untainted this time. “Besides, now you’ve got a story. What’s a biography without a little chaos?”

Raju shook his head, sipping gratefully. “You’re insane, Singh. But yeah… worth it.” In that moment, forged in the vertigo of a laced leaf, a lifelong bond took root—one that would see them through late-night study marathons, political upheavals, and V.B.’s eventual rise from Dhaka’s back alleys to the forefront of neurological breakthroughs, saving countless lives with the same unyielding curiosity that once dared a friend to devour the impossible.

Years later, as Dr. V.B. Singh reflected on his journey—from those swaying stairs to the operating theaters of Dhaka Medical College—he’d often recount the tale not as folly, but as a lesson in resilience. “We all face buildings that sway,” he’d say with a twinkle. “The trick is chewing through it, one defiant bite at a time.” And somewhere, in the recesses of his mind, the ghost of that paan still whispered: Yes, boss.

https://www.etvbharat.com/hindi/delhi/city/noida/dr-vb-dhaka-noida-becomes-new-cms-and-vandana-sharma-transfered-ghaziabad/dl20200629185522041

Dr. V.B. Singh Dhaka: Profile and Role as Former CMS, Noida District Hospital

Based on available information, Dr. V.B. Singh Dhaka (often referred to as Dr. V.B. Dhaka) is a medical professional who served as the Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of Noida’s District Hospital (Sector 30). He is not the “new” CMS as of 2025; his appointment occurred in June 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. There are no recent records (as of October 2025) indicating a new appointment for him in this role. Below is a detailed overview of his background, appointment, and contributions, drawing from public records and news reports.

Dr Dhaka

Background and Early Career

  • Full Name and Origin: Dr. Vijay Bahadur Singh Dhaka (commonly abbreviated as Dr. V.B. Singh Dhaka). He hails from a background connected to Dhaka (likely referring to his roots or early influences from the region, though he is primarily associated with Uttar Pradesh’s medical services). Specific details on his birth, education, or early life are limited in public sources, but he is a seasoned government doctor with expertise in public health administration.
  • Professional Expertise: As a senior medical officer, Dr. Dhaka specializes in hospital management, emergency response, and infectious disease control. Prior to Noida, he held nodal roles in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, focusing on quarantine and COVID-19 protocols. His career spans over two decades in Uttar Pradesh’s health department, emphasizing administrative leadership in district-level healthcare.

Appointment as CMS, Noida (2020)

  • Date of Joining: June 29, 2020.
  • Context: The appointment came amid a major reshuffle in Uttar Pradesh’s health services due to the escalating COVID-19 crisis. The previous CMS, Dr. Vandana Sharma, was transferred to MMG Hospital in Ghaziabad as a woman doctor, reportedly linked to an investigation into maternal deaths at the Noida facility. 20 Dr. Dhaka was brought in to stabilize operations at the 80-bed Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar District Hospital (Sector 30), which was overwhelmed with cases.
  • Prior Role: Immediately before this, Dr. Dhaka served as the COVID-19 Nodal Officer for Quarantine in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, overseeing isolation centers and contact tracing during the first wave of the pandemic.
  • Key Responsibilities Upon Joining:
  • Managing daily operations, including OPD, emergency services, and inpatient care.
  • Coordinating COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination drives.
  • Ensuring compliance with bio-waste disposal, sanitation, and staff rotations in a high-pressure environment.

Tenure and Contributions

  • Duration: Approximately 3-4 months (until early October 2020).
  • Challenges Faced: Noida’s healthcare system was strained, with the hospital serving as a frontline facility for the National Capital Region (NCR). Dr. Dhaka’s leadership focused on expanding bed capacity, procuring PPE kits, and integrating with the new 240-bed COVID hospital in Sector 39 (which later became the upgraded district hospital). 12
  • Notable Initiatives:
  • Implemented rapid response teams for maternal and child health, addressing gaps highlighted in prior audits.
  • Collaborated with Noida Authority for infrastructure upgrades, paving the way for the shift to the Sector 39 facility in 2023. 19
  • During his short stint, the hospital reported improved turnaround times for tests and reduced overcrowding through triage protocols.
  • Transfer: In October 2020, Dr. Dhaka was promoted and transferred to Shamli district as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), a higher administrative role overseeing the entire district’s health services. Dr. Renu Aggarwal succeeded him in Noida, managing both the Sector 30 and Sector 39 hospitals. 12

Post-Noida Career (2020–Present)

  • Shamli CMO (2020 Onward): As CMO, Dr. Dhaka led public health efforts in Shamli, a district with rural-urban challenges. Key highlights include:
  • Launching vaccination camps during the second and third COVID waves, achieving high coverage rates.
  • Upgrading primary health centers (PHCs) and community health centers (CHCs) with digital record-keeping.
  • Responding to vector-borne diseases like dengue, with awareness drives and fogging operations.
  • Current Status (as of October 2025): Dr. Dhaka continues in senior health administration in Uttar Pradesh, though exact current posting details are not publicly updated beyond Shamli. He has been involved in state-level task forces for epidemic preparedness. No records show a return to Noida or a “new” CMS role in 2024–2025.
  • Recognition: While specific awards are not detailed, his pandemic-era service contributed to Uttar Pradesh’s recognition for scaling up healthcare infrastructure.

Current CMS in Noida (For Reference)

If your query refers to the most recent CMS of Noida District Hospital (as of 2025), it is not Dr. V.B. Singh Dhaka. The role rotates frequently due to state transfers. The last confirmed holder post-2023 upgrades was under Dr. Renu Aggarwal’s oversight, but for the latest, check the Uttar Pradesh Health Department’s official portal (uphealth.up.nic.in) or contact the hospital directly at Sector 39, Noida (Phone: 0120-2540000).

Personal Anecdotes and Legacy

Dr. Dhaka’s career embodies the grit of public health warriors in India—navigating bureaucracy, resource shortages, and crises with quiet determination. In biographical sketches (inspired by shared stories), he’s remembered for his no-nonsense approach: “Health isn’t a luxury; it’s a right we fight for daily.” His time in Noida, though brief, helped bridge the old Sector 30 hospital to the modern Sector 39 facility, now a 240-bed hub serving over 500,000 residents.

Dr. Bahdur V. Dhaka (also referred to as Dr. V. B. Dhaka or Dr. Veer Bahadur Dhaka) is a General Physician (Internal Medicine specialist) based in the Noida/Delhi NCR region of India. He holds an MBBS degree and has experience treating common conditions such as anemia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and more. 3 He has been associated with public health facilities in the area, including as Superintendent at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, where he commented on the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare services during the unlock phase in 2020. 1

Clinic Details

  • Location: B-9, Sector 50, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201307 (near Delhi NCR). 0 2
  • Specialty: General Medicine / Pediatrics (some sources list pediatric consultations as well). 2 3
  • Consultation Fee: Approximately ₹100 (as of available listings). 3
  • Contact: For appointments, check platforms like Justdial or DocMitra for phone numbers and availability (e.g., via Justdial listings).

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