The university life which shaped me

Today 14 th May a convocation being held in University of Chittagong. Dr Yunus will be there, he will be given Honorary Doctorate. The university is in Jobra village, where he tested his micro finance after Nobojug Tebaga Khabar. Khamar his first development hypothesis. I have keenly followed his activism since then.

I was student of dept of sociology, Dr Yunus was the dean of my faculty. He was staying in a Hil top Banglow, he drives a Foxwagon, same type of car my father have had. He was so smart suited butted, her lifestyle was so attractive to me. Along with my the then friends (Dr Manjurul, Dr Tofail, SM Nazrul, Big Nazrul, Mridul Chakraborty among them ) we intended to form Social Science Cultural Association. We meet him, he encourages us. We organize a seminar Population Problem in Bangladesh Parishad in the town, he participated there as Chief Guest driving his Foxwagon all the way. We have had published a magazine, there was an article written him.

I used to meet him, I can remember two of his advice to me “ don’t go behind journalists, if you do good job, they will run behind you”, and “ if you speak good bangla then you must have to speak good English too, if you know good bangla then you can do good communication with your own people and if you know good English you can learn good from other country and tell your country good to foreigners.” Still I believe these and tell all these to my colleague. Somewhere I heard another one of his statements “you need to do whole year work in a day “. I practice and I preach all these still.

I spend almost ten years 1972 to 1982 in this green lovely campus. I always remember the huge playground; I did Marathon and Football practice in the ground. My lovely singing time in shuttle train. Reading in library during summer vacation. My nighttime gossiping and political meetings in hall room and corridors of AF Rahman Hall. I remember my breakfast only with one Singara and cup of tea, in arts building cafeteria. My meeting, slogan and speeches in front of this art building cafeteria. I also miss my Freind Iqbal songs especially while we 60 students traveling whole over India may be during 1980. Today I feel nostalgic.

I got Chancellor Gold Medal, which I received in 1994 (maybe) convocation from the hand of the than Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. I did full time politics, I did good studies ( I always secured positions in my honors and masters ), I did social work during my student life ( I formed landless cooperatives in my village ), I formed cultural organizations. I wrote articles in national dailies; I have participated in TV debates. All these has shaped my present character and leadership capacities. I want to tell it to my young / youths’ friends, it is needed to make you leader. Please consider it. These has helped me even in my student life, to learn, how to study different philosophy of politics and revolutions, how to do public speaking, how to mobilize and gather people, how to do conflict resolution in a team of diverse people, how to develop public opinion, how to make daily, monthly and long-term plan, how to organize an event etc.

I clearly see a vivid link of my present job to my previous background. I am managing micro finance I am managing an NGO. I am standing by to poor and marginalized population. I feel proud of present job. Still, I feel strong that I need to do more, I don’t feel tired.

We have a lot of memorable time with my classmates (a huge names, Iqbal, Rita, Nargis, Dalia , Bithi, Lutfa, Nuru, Dulal, Dulu, Komol, Sisir I am afraid to mentioned these long lists). I am sorry, I forgot the names of our dining hall and cafeteria staff, without them our life was impossible.

I feel heavily in my heart, today I should be there. Now there are a lot of changes in the campus, I am sure, I will go there with my family members in an off day. But my best wishes and best praying will be for all the graduates, wherever we go, we will build a Bangladesh with equity and justice.