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Patiala medical college Bhangra team reunites in California
The former performers, now doctors across North America and India, returned to the stage for a nostalgic reunion.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 11, Aug 2026
- 17:09 EDT
- 41
The 1974-75 bhangra team of Government Medical College, Patiala / PMCAA
The 1974-75 bhangra team of Government Medical College, Patiala, reunited at the Patiala Medical College Alumni Association’s 48th Annual Conference in Santa Barbara, California, last week.
The reunion was held during PMCAA’s annual meeting at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The association’s annual meetings include scientific, social, cultural and educational programs, giving alumni an opportunity to reconnect and preserve memories of their time at the college.
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The original team members, now senior medical professionals based in the United States, Canada and India, were honored at the gathering and took to the stage to recreate their college-era performance nearly five decades later.
The 1974-75 team had a notable run on the youth-festival circuit. According to Patiala Helpclub Punjab, it won the Zonal and Inter-Zonal Youth Festivals before representing Punjabi University at the Inter-University Youth Festival, where it emerged as the overall champion.
The team was captained for six years by J.P.S. Walia, who received the Government Medical College, Patiala, Roll of Honour during the 1974-75 academic year.
Walia later built a career spanning more than four decades in orthopaedics. He served as professor and head of orthopaedics at Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, and held leadership positions in professional orthopaedic organizations.
His association with bhangra also extended beyond his college years. A 2024 profile of Walia noted that he captained the Punjabi University bhangra team in 1974-75 and later participated as a bhangra artist during the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.
Toronto-based cardiologist Gurcharan Syan, one of the team members, described the reunion performance as “extremely fun” for the retired and senior doctors, who returned to the traditional dance with the same energy they had displayed during their college days.
The performance also featured the team’s original dhol player, Lal Singh Bhatti, popularly known as “Lalli.” Bhatti has been settled in the United States for about three decades.
PMCAA was established in 1974 by graduates of Government Medical College, Patiala, living in the United States. According to the association’s history, the idea emerged during an informal dinner at the home of Amrik S. Chattha, attended by Manmohan Singh Luthra, Dharam Batish and Satinder Bhullar. The association was subsequently registered in West Virginia.
Since its founding, PMCAA has held annual meetings across the United States and Canada, with alumni from India, England, Australia and Malaysia also participating over the years. In 2000, the annual meeting was held in Patiala, where the association supported the renovation of the college auditorium and the creation of a conference room in the former college library.
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