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Campus Feature

An evening, la gracious…la glorious!

Faheem Hasan Shahed

He dislikes speaking just for the sake of saying something. He never hesitates articulating anything that is plausibleregardless of your liking or disliking it. Because, when he speaks he ensures that his heart is intensely involved with his deliberations.

I pointed out this fact directly to him while sipping my cup of tea. It had been my personal judgment, I told him. I felt as such since I have known his reputation as a phenomenal Professor of Law at Dhaka University (presently Dean, Faculty of Law), and as an advocate of human rights.

Professor Borhan Uddin Khan readily pointed out toward his wife Ms. Tahmina Gafur (Chair of Population Science at DU) saying: 'For your information Faheem, she bears this ability far more than I do!'

Everyone burst into laughter as Shoaib bhai (A.K.M. Shoaib, ex-national debater and president of National Debate Federation) tossed a remark, 'Till now we haven't seen bhabi talking much. But we obviously have seen her doing much…can anyone disapprove her interior decoration ability!'

We looked around the living room. Spectacularly designed. Touch of class in every corner. Paintings and art crafts placed in immaculate perfection. As bhabi smiled, Borhan sir continued, 'Hundred percent has been done by your bhabi herself…'

'…With hundred percent euphoric support of sir himself,' tagged Nazmuzzaman, our beloved “legal” colleague (Assistant Professor of Law in both DU and AIUB).

Well, these were some of the sweet nitty-gritty of the evening adda we had in Prof. Borhan's residence three weeks back. His house, quite adjacent to the International Students' Hall, is one of the best places in the DU campus when it comes to location and architecture. He has been living there in his capacity as the Provost of Muktijodhdha Ziaur Rahman Hall.

Prof. Borhan Uddin Khan (Left) AKM Shoaib, Shafayet Hossain & Md Zahirul Islam

Actually we were at the Zia Hall in the afternoon to attend its debate workshop. Now, Shoaib bhai went there as a special guest while Arif Ashraf Nayan went as Star Campus reporter. But my presence was simply coincidental which, to my utter surprise, was magnanimously transformed by Nazmuzzaman (who is also the Moderator of Zia Hall Debating Club) into an 'attendance as an honorable observer'.

Result? My compulsory stay till the end, plus a winding up lecture!

As usual, in that debate session, Prof. Borhan was at his eloquent best, and I decided to have a brief session with him at his Provost chamber. We would talk on some academic and human rights issues, I was planning. But who knew that session would eventually turn out to be a delightful adda at his house continuing till 11.30 at night?

In an almost BBC hard-talk manner, I asked him about his opinion regarding today's “declining standards of studentship”. He straightaway objected.

'I don't agree that the overall standard of studentship has fallen. Rather, an interesting phenomenon has occurred over the past three decades. More and more students from rural background are entering our universities,' he said, 'and, they ARE doing well.'

The issue of urban etiquette came. Nayan asked, 'Can we guarantee the development of urban smartness in just 3-4 years?'

'Why not? It's an automated process…as part of academic process, students grasp it. As a teacher you've seen it too Faheem, haven't you?'

Shoaib bhai explained, 'See Nayan, we have so many renowned personalities who held important positions throughout their careers, who represented Bangladesh in international forums so far… . Have you ever asked yourself where they had come from? Villages and mafassal towns. They had studied in rural schools, and they were so pretty smart!'

Nazmuzzaman interrupted, 'Don't forget the quality of school education at that period! Those teachers have gone, and so have their teaching!'

I said, 'Each of them was an institution by himself or herself…'

'Exactly true', said Borhan sir. 'But nevertheless, I do not lose hope. I am impressed by today's youth. You know why? They do a lot of extra things besides studies. We couldn't, 'coz we didn't have the opportunities. Now these boys and girls are engulfed by so many engagements…and I appreciate that they maintain their academic lives successfully. I remember myself at that age. I just used to study whole day, that's it. No other business!'

Shoaib bhai added, 'We see now students activating themselves in multifaceted activities…drama, debates, music, fashion, journalism and what not! So to put it on the other way round, today's young people have ensured financial solvency as well which is making them self-confident.'

'Not only that, by engaging themselves in such activities professionally, they have created solid platforms for these activities. So what has happened is: creative acts like music, drama, fashion, art, designing, debates etc. have gained professional acceptability in society. This was unthinkable even two decades before. To me, it is a sweet progress,' Nazmuzzaman maintained.

Shoaib bhai enthusiastically added, 'Today's competitive market has got lot to do with it. A girl or a boy of this era knows, if s/he is to survive, s/he must know a wee bit of extra issues besides her/his classroom. Therefore, today's youths are professionally more qualified and flexible. Don't you feel it's a great sign for our society?'

Finishing his tea, Borhan sir said, 'Twenty years ago I was a student of LL.M. We never imagined in our wildest of dreams that we could do anything outside other than tuition-job to earn money, Today, I don't find full attendance in any of my LL.M. classes. Students are caught up with so many jobs that they cannot afford attending classes regularly. But at the same time, their results aren't being hampered.'

'I know how true it is!' supported Nayan.
Borhan sir continued, 'Let me tell you the simple reason. Economy. There's no doubt about it that ours is a much developed economy now. This “much developed economy” has involuntarily enhanced students' professional busyness. They have wider avenues open in front of them. Very justifiably, they have been exploring those.'

Shoaib bhai sounded definite, 'Right. So when someone sings the tune regarding today's students “less attentiveness”, at least I wouldn't play the drums with it.'

At this point, Borhan sir highlighted a significant fact. Emphatically he threw a query for all of us, 'Does anyone remember when DU was closed sine die for the last time?'

Well, none of us could recollect. And so he went on, 'In fact, I don't either. That culture has stopped. Do you hear any more gunshots in the campus? What you hear is an occasional maramari with lathis…and that too for a little period of time. A mere hatahati in DU campus now becomes “news” in the papers. The winds of change have been blowing toward betterment day by day. There IS improvement. There IS hope!'

Finishing the chawmchoms, Nayan was about to clutch the remainder of payesh and shemai from the trolley. He had to refrain from this heinous (!) act when Shoaib bhai screamingly reminded him, 'Nayan, we are talking of young people's attaining extra knowledge and extra wisdom, not extra fat!'

Well, this free-flowing adda had to stop. Night had started losing its youth by thenignoring the exuberance of the environment. 'The man named “Time” should have got used to extra-curricular activities and stay busy elsewhere,' I said to myself, 'Why wouldn't he allow us some more chatting!'

We came out and met the rain. 'The smell of the wet soil is an inexorable mark of God's artistry,' Nazmuzzaman whispered. I recalled a classic Rabindrasangeet that Kishore Kumar rendered best, 'Shawghono gawhono raatri, jhorichhe srabono dhara/Awndho bibhabori, shongo porosho hara…' Honestly, rain-at-night has always been an intriguing incident for me…

'Achha, why is that adda still memorable after so many days?' I asked Nazmuzzaman that day.

'If I say, Borhan sir and bhabi's cute hospitality made all the difference,' he said with an impish glare, 'will I be wrong?'

(The writer is an Assistant Professor of English & Communication Skills at AIUB, Dhaka.)