AIIMS Delhi Literary Fest Celebrates Creativity and the Human Side of Medicine

Organised by eight leading medical colleges and spearheaded by All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS Delhi), literary fest Oracle brought together a vibrant community of participants, faculty, and literary enthusiasts from across Delhi's medical fraternity from 16 to 18 January. Passionate medical students found themselves engaged in creative arts, baffling quizzes, debates, extempore speaking and intriguing panel discussions. Often thrust into a rigid academic that flatlines creativity into CVs, the students found Oracle a reinvigorating and enriching experience.

Padma Shri legendary Hindi poet, Dr Ashok Chakradhar acted as the judge for the Open Mic event, Awaaz. Participants were brimming with fervour as they presented self-written poetry. The fest at its core was a medical literary fest and saw numerous intellectual engagements throughout.

The festival's panel discussions invited prominent doctors, such as Dr R.L Bijlani, former Head of Department of Physiology at AIIMS Delhi, Dr Debraj Shome, acclaimed plastic surgeon and author, Dr Tanaya Narendra, popular sex educator and content creator, and Dr Tripti Sharan, author and physician. Oracle also saw Dr Megha Tandon, Professor of Surgery at VMMC & Safdarjung and Dr Atul Goel, the director general of health services at Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India.

Bharat Goel, third-year MBBS student at AIIMS Delhi, literary secretary and the founding president of Oracle, said, "Bringing together 8 medical colleges to collaborate for something bigger than themselves, unified only by the sheer love of language, and then actually making it happen, Oracle felt like a dream I wish never ended. Having sowed the seed, I look forward to the growth of Oracle which will be significantly acclaimed over time, creating a literary heritage for the future generations."

Oracle was the embodiment of the belief that empathy, creativity, and reflection are essential elements of medical education. Also, that medical doctors should be cultivated not only as clinicians but also as compassionate thinkers through medical humanities.

The first issue was so warmly welcomed and generated such lively debates that it has become a landmark for medical literary projects, emphasizing the power of the written and spoken word in the progression of medicine.