(This story originally appeared in on Mar 21, 2017)

The surge of love a doctor felt upon seeing his college roommate after three years was so forceful it crushed his 35-yearold friend, who ended up cracking three ribs in the hug he got from him.Dr Madhukar Gaikwad superintendent of Fort’s St George’s Hospital , became the (un)fortunate recipient of this blast of adoration , when his batchmate, Dr Amit Badwe, surprised him by showing up at the facility unannounced on Saturday.The two had studied at the Government Medical College & Hospital in Aurangabad, where Badwe was known for his passion for bodybuilding. After they finished their MBBS in 1990, Dr Gaikwad got a posting at JJ Hospital in medicine, while Dr Badwe started private practice in Ahmednagar district. They never got a chance to see each other after college.So Dr Badwe’s excitement on seeing his friend after such a long time was understandable. Only, its crackling expression proved to be a problem. He rushed to grip Dr Gaikwad in a bear hug. A crunch followed.“I was in my cabin when Amit entered. I was surprised to see him. He dashed towards me and hugged me, and before I could even fully understand what was happening, my ribs broke,” says Dr Gaikwad, who has perfectly strong bones and is in the pink generally.“I actually heard them crack,” he adds, laughing incredulously.The doctor collapsed to the floor. Lucky for him he was already at a hospital. The X-rays confirmed fractures in his first, second and seventh ribs.Dr Gaikwad says Dr Badwe’s move came suddenly; he wasn’t prepared for a hug. “I was about to stand from my chair when he embraced me. So the entire pressure fell on my chest. It’s a freak mishap,” Dr Gaikwad says.Reasoning out the Ripley’s-Believeor-Not-grade incident, Dr Gaikwad offers: “Amit is an orthopaedist. You always need a strong built in orthopaedics as surgeries require you to tighten screws on bones and so on. Amit has a large body.”Dr Badwe, who has since returned to Ahmednagar, is mortified. He has been calling his buddy every day. “I feel so bad. I had met him after such a long time and I was so happy to see him. Never thought our meeting would end like this. I can just hope he feels better soon.”Dr Badwe was in town on March 18 to participate in a protest at Azad Maidan after a fellow orthopaedist was beaten up by disgruntled relatives of a patient in Dhule. “After the protest got over, I thought that since I am here I should go meet Madhukar.”Dr Gaikwad, meanwhile, has been prescribed bed rest for 15 days so his ribs get some time to begin healing naturally. “I am not suffering from brittle bones, or any other weakness. It was just an accident.”“I guess the message is,” says Dr Badwe, lightening up, “curb your enthusiasm.”