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.