University of Dhaka: A tale of two eras
1921
I was rooted in foot
amid visibly green grasslands of Bengal
Holding the souls in person
amateurs, experts,
admirers, critics,
curious, anxious,
Bengali, non Bengali,
in my Dhakai landscape.
2021
I walked online
soaring in the cosy clouds of Zoom
Boarding the spirits on screen
experienced, novice,
confused, confident,
dislocated, distressed,
visible, invisible,
on my virtual platforms.
We had to rise through chaos and conflicts
Beating off doubts and worries.
We ventured to wander
and cultivate our raw minds of wonder;
We had to embark on the new
with little logistics and materials,
to meet the unlimited wants, demands, worries and queries of Bengal,
to build new dreams, desires and destinations for Bengal.
Mr. Smith , if only you saw,
how we were guided by an "invisible hand", as you said,
of an unexplored supply of limited resources
against an increasing demand of an unyielding time,
Only to invest our tiny assets for a bigger gain -
'Late', they say! 'But better late than never'!
We built on crises - physical, mental,
psychological, educational,
national, local,
and, of course, financial.
1921
Donated lands by generous hands,
Aspiring intellects born in local lands,
Hired academics from foreign fields,
Wondering students, though very few,
Crossing boundaries, barriers, not anew,
Only to lead us through agonies
And bring in glories,
local, marginal,
national and international, joined
to create histories
2021
Chased through panting lanes
by insolent COVID-19,
Dislocating our folks to remote realms,
Only to stumble at exclusive data pack,
And fall off to unaffordable devices,
The tech savvy novice wizards
with advanced skills,
The experienced minds
with refined thoughts, rejoined
to create histories
Great minds walked through 1921 and 2021
For a century of great glories
Awaiting further wonders in further decades
Anjuman Ara is Assistant Professor at the Department of English, University of Dhaka. She is interested in exploring identity formation and identity crisis in fiction and non-fiction.
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