Feature

Diwali and Eid in Tajmahal

MD. Naimur Rahman Kushal

“Siddarth, Eesha, Tushita, Sumit, Nitish, Amrita…thank you very much for your hospitality and cordial reception!” Those were the words that came out spontaneously when we were leaving Delhi with tears in our eyes.

This is the saga of a wonderful trip of five Bangladeshi boys named Kushal, Rocky, Masud, Sarmed and Shuaib. We were of different ages and from different universities, but our common platform was an international project by the British Council, called Beyond Borders (BB). Through this project, we got to know each other and became very good friends despite our diverse tastes and backgrounds. Since the project was an international one, we had many friends from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and UK. We became so close to our foreign friends that we promised each other that even if BB were to be discontinued, we would keep on meeting each other. So in March 2006,when BB officially ended with loads of appreciation from home and abroad, we were sad about BB's untimely end but never forgot our promise to really go beyond borders.

We started from Dhaka on 18 Oct by bus and reached Culcutta on 19th morning. In the evening we started for Delhi. It was a 28 hour long journey by train. We reached Delhi station early on the morning of 21 Oct. We were so exhausted that we slept for the whole morning at our friend's place. Then we took our lunch in McDonalds. Yummy! Then night came and it was the night of celebrations. Yes you are right! It was DIWALI Night, the largest festival in India.

I have never witnessed so much festivity in one night. The entire city was decorated very brightly and colourfully. There were candles in each and every household. Firecrackers were flaring in every road and alley. Even the elderly were participating in shooting off crackers. There was radiance in every corner of the town. Delhi literally became a city of lights.

The next day, we went to some of the historical places in Delhi, such as the Kutub Minar, Humayun's tomb, India gate etc. At night, we headed towards Ajmer Sharif, the shrine of the famous saint Khaja Moinuddin Chishti. As soon as we reached Ajmer Sharif we felt a soothing feeling inside us. The shrine was a place for all people, from different religious background, to come together.

From Ajmer we went to Pushkar, a sacred place for Hindu pilgrims. The same night,we reached Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, popularly known as The Pink city. By this time we all were very tired, and went for an early sleep hoping that tomorrow would be Eid day.

The next morning when we woke up, I got many sms's from my friends in Delhi and Mumbai, wishing us a Happy Eid. But we got to know from the hotel manager that in Delhi Eid was on that day(24 Oct),but in Jaipur Eid would be celebrated on the next day(25 Oct).

Interesting!! So on that day(24Oct) we roamed around Jaipur city. We went to Birla Temple, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar(Astronomical observatory), Jal Mahal, Amber Fort etc. I would say Amber Fort is a must-visit for all tourists. It was a Mughal fort built on the hill. The view from the top of the fort was simply breathtaking. After visiting all those places in a single day we were simply loaded with historical knowledge! We were also excited for the next day to celebrate our Eid in Taj Mahal.

The next morning we reached Agra. We checked into a hotel, refreshed ourselves and then went to offer our Eid prayers in the Taj Mahal mosque. We entered Taj Mahal without tickets!! Yes! You read it right. We offered our prayer in Taj Mahal and entered there without spending even a single penny. Actually on the occasion of Eid, Taj Mahal entry was free till 10.30 A.M.

Taj Mahal was just too beautiful to describe in words. The white marble stone, the design and structure of the building, the coolness inside the Mahal, in short the whole ambience made me feel like the happiest person in the world. We spent some real quality time there, took a few snaps and brought the memories back with us.

Then we went to Agra Fort. This was the fort where Emperor Shahjahan was later imprisoned by his own son Aurangazeb. After visiting Agra Fort, we went to the bus station for our return trip to Delhi.

On 26 Oct we were again back to Delhi. We went to Delhi British Council and met with all our Indian friends once again during lunch. We all ate together, sang together, smiled together…I will never ever forget that day. Then at last we bade goodbye to all. It was the last day of our Delhi tour, so we did some shopping as well. Then at night we were in the railway station to leave Delhi. Eesha, Siddarth, Ankit and many others came all the way to the station to hug us for the last time. Finally, at 9.50 pm the train started moving. We were looking back again and again and whispering to ourselves:

“Siddarth, Eesha, Tushita, Sumit, Nitish, Amrita…thank you very much for your hospitality and cordial reception”.

The India tour was a tour of a lifetime. This trip will remain as the brightest star in the sky of my memory. I will always cherish those days of India. Thank you once again my Indian friends and we are eagerly waiting for you to come to Dhaka in April next year.

Approximately a kilometer away from the Jigatola bus stop, as you approach this campus you will detect a acrid smell all around as you cross some industrial buildings and factories. You will also find colored (red, blue, black) water streaming by the open drain. The labors are carrying raw skin (Sheep, goat, cow, buffalo), chemical barrels, salt bags etc to and from the track.

What campus is this? It is the college of leather technology. Established in 1949 under the name East Bengal Tanning Institute, students would get admitted here for a diploma certificate. In 1980 the name was changed to Bangladesh college of Leather Technology (BCLT) and started a four-year bachelor degree program in affiliation with Dhaka University. Currently, about eight hundred students study in this institute in three disciplines: leather technology, footwear technology and product technology. Every year about 150 new students get admitted.

Though the surroundings of the campus (Hazaribag tannery area) are extremely polluted, the campus area is still very attractive and pollution-free. Despite being small, the campus has a well-planned structure, neat and clean field, and some rare trees as well (such as Mimosa Hexenda, local name phinni tola). The little hostel in the southeast corner is growing in beauty with time.

Though not free from student politics, the institute still manages to prevent itself from involvement in political violence. Various cultural programs are organized from time to time. Students are active with various social organizations such as Badhon, Youth against Hunger, LEO, and Enjoy Film Society etc. All the students know each other very well and this establishes the main spirit of our campus. We are definitely proud to be the students of such an institution.

By the way, every enthusiastic visitor is most welcome to visit our hidden campus anytime they want.

Mamun Mahmud
23rd Batch
Bangladesh College of Leather Technology
e-mail: aliandesigner@gmail.com