Feature

A memorable day with 2200 students

Subrata Kumar Das

NO doubt, a picnic day for an educational institution is a very regular schedule every year but it is surely a special day for the young students, particularly when some new facets could be added to it. The annual picnic day of Cambrian School and College appeared with some special features to me, possibly to many like me, with regard to its volume, extravagance and expenditure.

It was 03 February. Somewhat new in Cambrian Campus, I began to feel the essence of the picnic when in the last week of January the Chairman of this promising educational seat Ln. M.K Bashar announced in a meeting before the teaching and others staff members about the most significant forthcoming annual event of the whole year. The mid-30 young businessman as well as educationist made me eager when I heard that about 45 buses would troop to Tepantar, some 70 kilometers far, on the picnic day.

On the most anticipated day when at 7am in the morning I reached the Baridhara Campus, at the gate of Basundhara Residential Area, I found the buses parked in a long row along the Progoti Sarani, from the college premises to nearly the American Embassy. By the time I reached there, many of the volunteer students along with the organizing teachers like Md. Golam Mostafa, Gobindo Chandra Roy and Mahbub Hasan Linkon were busy with the nitty gritties.

At 7:30 the buses began to roll on. The enthusiastic Chairman had been monitoring everything all the time. The bus that I climbed into had a sticker no. 41 in which I counted some 44 students along with a volunteer named Faruk.

With the movement of the bus, the naughty and restless minds of the students, kept engrossed in studies and strict rules and regulations throughout the year, began to melt. Within some 10 minutes when we approached Bishaw Road Roundabout, I succeeded in taking all the cheerful minds in my grip after an intentional and short but funny introduction.

After a series of songs and dances for about one odd hour journey, we reached the huge gate of Tepantar. The day began to fill with some extra enchantments when Ashraful Azam and Bivash Kumar Joyadhar of the Bangla department showed their interest to be in my company.

This was the first time I was to pay a visit to this venue, especially renowned for cinema shooting. For that reason, in a quick round I covered the entire picnic spot. And through taking snaps and videos soon we reached the circular centre spot with a lake inside. There were arrangements of a stage for the performers and all hundreds of students and teachers gathered around it.

After some preparation, the cultural show began with the appearance of the Principal Prof. Dr. Karuanamaya Goswami accompanied by the Chairman on the dais.

First, the media session, for the photographers and cameramen. The audience posed in different ways which followed the melodious voice of Bulbul Ahmed, a real literary personality of the college.

Many of the students performed to their best. Different Bangla songs, dances and fun items made participants enjoy thoroughly. During these hours before the delicious dishes for lunch were served, I gathered all my colleagues of the English department who didn't disagree to pose for some photos. The senior most personality Azizul Haque i.e. everyone's Aziz sir also showed much hilarity. Young lecturers of the department like Shahidul Islam, Noor Alam, Nasrullah or Kamrul Hasan wore simply befitting faces. The goggles of Abdul Hai alias Akash always made him the eleventh among the ten people. Not to mention that I enjoyed Reza Baker's company for a long time.

The lunch was provided from different food booths and in an organised as well as skilled way. Afterwards the musical soiree began with the singing stars of Khude Gaanraj of Channel-i. But I observed that the jubilant mood caused so much anxiety in Mohammad Harunur Rashid, the School-in-Charge that he could not remain in his seat for long!

By then I had to buy two tickets costing taka 20 for the raffle draw. Two young pupils of the junior classes were invited to conduct it. The prizes distribution began with the twentieth place and thus creating much throb, even in me, reached the first one, making me simply hopeless again about my bad luck after attending so many raffle draws in my life!

My tragedy became more intense when I found Faruk, the volunteer, getting into the same bus with the heavy prize - a television!!!

Subrata Kumar Das, Associate Professor of English in Cambrian College, can be reached at subratakdas@yahoo.com.

A Get together at SSB hall JU

Mannan Morshed

JANUARY 25 was an exceptional day for us, the students of the 35th batch of Shaheed Salam-Barkat (SSB) hall, Jahangirnagar University. That day, after two and a half years, a daylong get together was arranged for our batch. It was a fun filled day with mouth-watering food and music. Oh and there was fog, a very thick, white, misty fog covering the whole campus like a blanket.

We planned to start the day early in the morning but the hazy weather prevented us. At around 11am we finally started from our hall gate with a rally. We could walk, but instead we voluntarily hopped our way through the campus. Our respectable teacher Abdullah Hell Kafi was with us for a while with his encouraging words.

After hopping several kilometers inside the campus, our hunger went out of hand at around 2:30pm. The hunger was finally placated with a feast of polao, chicken roast, vegetable curry and a bottle of soft drinks. A modest menu, but the stomach was happy.

The sun slowly went back to sleep and a blanket of misty fog started to cover the campus all over again.

A campfire under the open sky was the final event of the day. Music and dance around the fire like the Red Indian tribes kept us going for hours. With latest hit songs playing in the background, some of us bounced like ping-pong balls all around. The fun night went on. Parents would be assured to know that the boys of SSB 35th batch were good enough to return to the dorm before dawn.

(Student of International Relations)
Jahangirnagar University