Humans of ULAB

10/09/2023

I first joined ULAB at the fall session of 2014. The reason to join was that it had a great Media studies and journalism programme, and the commute was very close to my workplace. I had given up on studies and was a full time musician for 5 years. Once I reached a respectable and stable position as a musician, I decided now I can make time for studies again. So I joined as soon as I could.

On the other hand, Music was chosen for me. I have a condition called Single sided deafness or SSD, for which growing up was quite challenging for me, and as a result understanding music became easy for me, while everything else became increasingly difficult. So I made the choice that was obvious.

Performing with Warfaze at the ULAB grounds at Co Curricular fest 2019 in front of my peers and teachers was my special memory in ULAB.

I am grateful to ULAB for giving me a second chance at studies, academics, learning about life, letting me go to do shows even during mid terms, and meeting various people that would become important connections in my life.

Lastly I want to say something to my fellow ULABians that everyone should stop smoking, go use the grounds to get some physical activity, sun, oxygen and much needed workout, keep a friendly understanding with your teachers from day one and be prepared to do everything by yourself.

Samir Hafiz | MSJ 143

09/09/2022

Inbox us for more details

21/12/2021

29/09/2021

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (Bengali: লিবারেল আর্টস বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় বাংলাদেশ) (ULAB) is a private liberal arts-based University in Bangladesh. Founded in February 2002, permission to open was received from the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh in November 2003, pursuant to the Private University Act 1992.

ULAB incorporates the values of Liberal Arts and Sustainability into its curricula, through its General Education Department and its Center for Sustainable Development (CSD). ULAB is a research-intensive University, with multiple research opportunities for its faculty members and students.

ULAB’s founder, Kazi Shahid Ahmed, believes in creating works that benefit the people of Bangladesh and are of service to the country. In this spirit, he created a place of learning where well-rounded students would be fully steeped in the values of their own heritage, yet trained to face the modern global workplace.

𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲: https://ulab.edu.bd

25/09/2021

কীভাবে ব্যর্থতা আর হতাশাকে কাটিয়ে খুশির রঙ ছড়িয়েছেন - আজ সে গল্প একজন কার্টুনিস্টের কাছে শুনবো...

পর্ব ২

প্যান্ডেমিক সময়ে কার্টুনিস্ট হিসেবে অসংখ্যা অর্গানাইজেশন, এনজিও, ব্র‍্যান্ডের সাথে আমি সচেতনতামূলক আঁকা, ভিডিও রিলেটেড যেকোনো ক্যাম্পেইনের মাধ্যমে যুক্ত থাকার চেষ্টা করসি। এইসময়ে টাকা পয়সা নিয়েও খুব একটা ভাবি নাই। ইনফ্যাক্ট সোস্যাল রেসপনসিবিলিটির কথা চিন্তা কইরা আমি আমার আঁকাআঁকির রেটও কমায় দিছিলাম, যাতে সচেতনতামূলক মেসেজগুলা যতভাবে সম্ভব ঠিকঠাক মানুষের কাছে পৌছানো যায়। ফ্রন্টলাইনারদের ট্রিবিউট দেয়ার উদ্দেশ্যে ইউএনডিপি, ঢাকা সিটি কর্পোরেশন, গুলশান সোসাইটি এবং একুয়া পেইন্টসের সাথে মিলিত উদ্যোগে গুলশান দুই নাম্বার ডিসিসি মার্কেটে গ্রাফিতি করছি।

হিউম্যানিটেরিয়ান যেসব কাজ, যেমন ব্লাড বা প্লাজমা ম্যানেজ করা ঐটাতো তো আসলে রেগুলারই করি, এখনো চলমান। সহজভাবে বললে আমার কাছে মনে হয় This is the easiest way to save a life. কখনো রক্ত দান কইরা আর বাকি সময় রক্ত মেনেজ করায় সহযোগিতা কইরা দিয়া। যেহেতু অনেকের ধারণা যে আমার প্রোফাইলে একটু মানুষজনের এনগেইজমেন্ট বেশি। তো এই এনগেইজমেন্টটাকে কাজে লাগানো আরকি। রক্ত সংক্রান্ত পোস্ট করলে বেশি মানুষের কাছে পৌঁছায়, খবরটা ছড়ায় বেশি, অনেকে আগাইয়া আসে, অনেকে নিজে কিংবা বিভিন্ন গ্রুপে শেয়ার করে দ্রুত রক্ত খুঁজে দিতে সহযোগিতা করে।আগে রক্ত ম্যানেজ হইতে সময় লাগতো, এখন দেখি আলহামদুলিল্লাহ নেগেটিভ ব্লাডগ্রুপের রক্তও 15-20 মিনিটের মধ্যে আল্লাহর রহমতে ম্যানেজ হয়ে যায়। So that's a huge অগ্রগতি we have made. ব্লাড অরিয়েন্টেড কাজে জড়িত এমন অসংখ্যা মহামানুষদের সাথে পরিচয় হইসে এই সূত্রে। সত্যি বলতে আমি সবচে সহজ কাজটা করি, স্ট্যাটাস লিখা পোস্ট দেয়া। রক্ত যোগাড় করার মত কঠিন কাজটা আসলে তাঁরাই করে।

করোনাকালীন বর্তমান সময়ে সবচেয়ে বেশি যেই সংকট দেখা দিতেছে তা হইলো অক্সিজেন। আমার মেজো ভাই আর আমি 'ভালোবাসার ডিব্বা' নামক ফ্রি অক্সিজেন সার্ভিস দেয়ার কার্যক্রম হাতে নেই খবরে প্রতিবেশী দেশ ভারতের অবস্থা দেখে এবং দেশে ইন্ডিয়ান ভ্যারিয়েন্ট ছড়িয়ে পড়া শুরু হইছে এমনটা জানার পর। তখনও অন্যান্য অর্গানাইজেশন অক্সিজেন নিয়ে তেমন কাজ করা শুরু করে নাই। প্রিভিয়াস ঘটনা, ইন্ডিয়ার অবস্থা আর আমাদের দেশের অব্যবস্থাপনার কথা চিন্তা কইরা আমরা তিন চার মাস আগে থেকে ‘ভালোবাসার ডিব্বা’ কার্যক্রম হাতে নেয়ার তাগিদ অনুভব করি, যাতে ইমার্জেন্সি টাইমে অন্তত হাহাকার করতে না হয়। আলহামদুলিল্লাহ কিছু ফান্ড রেইজ করে শুরুতে আমরা ১৬টা সিলিন্ডার নিয়ে যাত্রা শুরু করি। বর্তমানে সিলিন্ডার সংখ্যা ৭০ টিরও বেশি। তিন ধাপে প্রায় ৭-৮ লাখ টাকা ফান্ড রেইজ করে আমরা এতগুলো সিলিন্ডার কিনতে সক্ষম হই। দেশ-বিদেশ থেকে অসংখ্যা মানুষের সহযোগিতা আর ভালোবাসা পাবো এই আত্মবিশ্বাস থেইকাই আসলে ‘ভালোবাসার ডিব্বা’ নামকরণ এবং কেউ নিরাশ করে নাই। এরমধ্যে ২০টা সিলিন্ডার আমরা ঢাকার জন্য রেখে বাকিগুলো আমরা চিটাগং, সীতাকুন্ড, রংপুর, ময়মনসিংহ, বাগেরহাট, জয়পুরহাট সহ দেশের বিভিন্ন জেলায় পাঠানোর ব্যাবস্থা করি। ইচ্ছা আছে এটলিস্ট একটা করে সিলিন্ডার হলেও প্রতি জেলায় পাঠানোর। আশাকরি তার আগেই সবাই টিকা নিয়ে নিবে এবং পৃথিবী সুস্থ হয়ে যাবে। কার্যক্রম চালাইতে গিয়া কিছু খারাপ অভিজ্ঞতাও যে হয় নাই তা না, কিন্তু সেইসব আর না বলি।

আমরা মন থেইকা চাই সিলিন্ডারের চাহিদা কমে যাক। মানুষ টিকা নিয়ে সুস্থ হোক এবং সিলিন্ডারগুলা পড়ে থাকুক। কিন্তু, যতদিন সেটা বাস্তবে হচ্ছে না, আমরা চেষ্টা কইরা যাবো যত বেশি মানুষের কাছে সম্ভব ‘ভালোবাসার ডিব্বা’ পৌঁছাইয়া দেয়ার। এইটাই আরকি।

জী ধন্যবাদ।

মিশু : সিএসই ১২১

25/09/2021

If you are looking for a person who has been recreated by a particular platform, then I am the one you are looking for and ULAB is the platform.

I was a student of the business studies group back in my school and college days. Just like all Bengali parents, my father and mother had some dreams which are yet to transform into reality. Expectations are naturally created by your parents and the people around you, when you are constantly performing well academically. As a result, I did extremely well in my SSC and HSC which increased their expectations level. When it was time for the admission exams, Dhaka University was the first choice of mine and my family members. The members of my family were sure about the fact that I will get the chance to read into Dhaka University. By the grace of Almighty and blessings of my parents, I got the chance to study Theatre & Performance Studies in Dhaka University. But, I always had a fascination for subjects like English, Law and International Relations etcetera. For some personal reasons and misfortune I was not able to cope up in that place and cannot continue more than 6 months there.

I still remember the way to go to Dhaka University everyday, I saw a university named UNIVERSITY OF LIBERAL ARTS BANGLADESH (ULAB) as I used to live in a hostel near Lalmatia, I heard a lot about the liberal activities of the university from my friends and neighbours. The time when my father asked, "If you have planned not to pursue your studies in Dhaka University anymore, then in which university you want to get admitted to?" My answer was, "ULAB". Since that day my journey in ULAB began. I got admitted into the Summer-2016 session in my desired department which is the Department of English and Humanities. This Institution has changed my life in various ways which I will be grateful for a lifetime. Mostly the faculties in ULAB are so considerate and liberal about their classes and opinions of the students. For this reason the classes were so fun to attend and interactive at the same time. I consider myself lucky as I got the opportunity to attend classes of Dr. Shamsad Mortuza Sir, who has always been my inspiration. In my first mid term in ULAB, I did not perform that much well. Afterwards Shamsad Sir called upon me to motivate. The motivation uplifted me well enough to do better in finals. It amazes me how our honourable faculties of ULAB motivates every student. I have made so many amazing friends in this University which have played major roles in my educational life. After completing a year in this university, suddenly I have been getting sudden opportunities of modeling. Never in my wildest dreams I thought of modeling anytime. But I did it anyway to uphold the opportunity I got at the moment. Afterwards, I got more opportunities in the modeling industry.

Life began to become a roller coaster ride for me as I have managed both my studies and work at the same time and that too, accordingly. I used to study in my week days and shoot for the commercials on the weekends. During this whole time, my faculties and friends were the ones who supported me the most. Faculties were aware and considerate about my situation. My friends were so cooperative and patient about the things that I wonder if I did not get admitted into ULAB, I would never understand and miss out the meaning and joyousness of friendship which is truly beautiful.

ULAB has become a core part of my life which has taken a major place in my heart. This wonderful institution has recreated me in thousands of ways and gave me the opportunity to explore and find my passion. The co-curricular activities of ULAB is truly commendable as it helps a student to prepare for the corporate world and bigger challenges of life. The amazing and liberal act of ULAB which I personally experienced is this, here you are not going to get your identity through your department, here we all are ULABIANS and we all are equal and cooperative to each other.

Afia | DEH 162

20/07/2021

কীভাবে ব্যর্থতা আর হতাশাকে কাটিয়ে খুশির রঙ ছড়িয়েছেন - আজ সে গল্প একজন কার্টুনিস্টের কাছে শুনবো...

পর্ব ১

আমার ইউল্যাবে ভর্তি হওয়ার পিছনে বেসিকালী একটা ফানি স্টোরি আসে, আমার ইউনিভার্সিটিতে ভর্তি টর্তি হওয়ার তেমন একটা ইচ্ছা ছিলোনা, তো বাসায় মোটামুটি ছোট ছেলের ভবিষ্যতের কি হবে এই সংক্রান্ত মিটিং বসিয়ে কথা কাটাকাটির পর প্রথমে ঢাকা কলেজ নিয়ে ভর্তির জন্য আব্বা জোর দিলেও, পলিটিক্স করার মতলব বুঝতে পেরে বড় ভাইয়া সেই পরিকল্পনা বানচাল করে দেন। তারপর অনেকটা জেদ করার পর ইউল্যাবে ভর্তি করানো হয়। তখন আমি কার্টুন টার্টুন করতাম না, উন্মাদেও জয়েন করিনাই। ভর্তি হওয়ার পর প্রথম দুই সেমিস্টারের সিজিপি ফোর আউট অফ ফোর ছিলো তার উপর আবার আমার আব্বার ফ্রীডম ফাইটার কোটা ছিলো, তাই কেম্নে কেম্নে জানি ফুল ফ্রী স্কলারশিপ পেয়ে গেলাম, যে টাকা ভর্তির পেছনে গেছিল সেগুলাও ফেরত পেলাম। ফুল ফ্রী স্কলারশিপ পাওয়ার পর আমারে আর কে পায়! আমি ২০১২ সালের "ফল" সেমিস্টারে সিএসই ডিপার্টমেন্টে ভর্তি হই। ব্যাচ নং ১২১, ওই বছরই উন্মাদেও জয়েন করি। ফার্স্ট সেমিস্টারে বড় আপু ভাইয়াদের ক্যারিকেচার করে দিয়ে মিডিয়া ক্লাবের সাব্বির ভাইয়ের নজরে পরি আমি, তখন মিডিয়া ক্লাবের প্রেসিডেন্ট যদ্দুর মনে পরে শিশির ভাই ছিলো। তো ওনারা আমাকে নোটিস করার পর বলছিলো মিডিয়া ক্লাব জয়েন করবা। ক্লাব ডে তে লুঙ্গি আর লাল ফতুয়া পরে ফ্যাশন শো করে আমার মিডিয়া ক্লাবের যাত্রা শুরু আরকি। মিডিয়া ক্লাবের প্রতি আমার অলওয়েজ একটা সফট কর্ণার আসে আর এই মিডিয়া ক্লাব ই আমার কাছে ইউল্যাব কে রিপ্রেজেন্ট করে। I was the youngest president. ইউজুয়ালি প্রেসিডেন্ট করার সময়ে তো সিনিয়রদের প্রায়োরিটি দেওয়া হয়। কিন্তু আমার সময় ২-৩ সেমিস্টার টপকায় আমাকে প্রেসিডেন্ট করা হইসিলো আমার মনে আসে, আর এটায় কারো তেমন কোনো আপত্তিও ছিলোনা।

তবে যদি বলতে হয় ইউল্যাব নিয়ে সবচেয়ে বেশি কি মিস করি তাহলে আমি বলবো যে ক্লাব ডে, এই ইভেন্ট টা আমি সবসময় এটেন্ড করার ট্রাই করি। প্যানডেমিকের আগেও আমি লাস্ট ক্লাব ডে তে উপস্থিত ছিলাম। ক্লাব এক্টিভিটি তে বেশ এক্টিভ ছিলাম সবসময়ই। ইনফ্যাক্ট আমরা ব্যাক্তিউদ্যোগে মিডিয়া ক্লাব থেকে আলপনা উৎসব আয়োজন করছিলাম ২০১৪-২০১৫ সালে যদ্দুর মনে পড়ে। এ ক্যাম্পাস থেকে বি ক্যাম্পাস পুরাটাই আলপনা করা হইছিল। মিডিয়া ক্লাব আয়োজন করলেও, উদযাপন করছিলাম আমরা ইউল্যাবের সব ক্লাব মিলে। মিস করি অনেক কিছুই, বি ক্যাম্পাসের আড্ডা, বি ক্যাম্পাসের বেইজমেন্টে ঘুমানো, এ ক্যাম্পাসের বেইসমেন্ট- ক্যান্টিন, হিমু দিবসে খালি পায়ে ক্লাস করা, হাফ পেন্ট পরে ক্লাস করা।

কার্টুনিস্ট হবার পেছনে মূল কারণ মূলত বাকি আর কিছু না পারা। অনেক কিছুই চেষ্টা করতেছিলাম, সব কিছুতেই ফেইলও মারতেছিলাম। একমাত্র এই কার্টুনেই ছিলো যেটাতে দেখতেসিলাম যে অনেক কিছু এক্সপ্রেস করা যায়, নামও পাওয়া যায়, আঁইকাও আরাম পাওয়া যায়। পত্রিকায় নামও ছাপা হয় আবার টাকা পয়সাও পাওয়া যায়। যখন দেখলাম মেন্টালি, সোস্যালি প্লাস ফিনান্সিয়ালি তিন জায়গা থেকেই স্যাটিসফেকশন কাজ করতেসে তো ওইটাতেই তখন মনোযোগ দেওয়া শুরু করি তখন আরকি। এতটাই মনোযোগ দেয়া শুরু করি যে ৮ম সেমিস্টারে উঠে ইউনিভার্সিটি ড্রপআউটের সিদ্ধান্ত নেই। আল্টিমেটলি আমি খুব খারাপ ইন্জিনিয়ার হইতাম আর এই প্রফেশনে কিছু করতামও না। তাই শুধু একটা সার্টিফিকেটের জন্য গ্র্যাজুয়েশন শেষ করাটা সময় নষ্ট মনে হচ্ছিলো। যাই হোক, মেইনলি ফেইলার থেকে ইন্সপিরেশন পাইসি কার্টুনিস্ট হবার। আবার বলতে গেলে বলা যায় এমন একটা প্রফেশনে উপর ওয়ালা সাকসেস দেখাইসে যেই প্রফেশনে লোকজন তেমন একটা আসতে চায় না বা আসতে চাইলেও হাল ছাইড়া দেয়। বেশিরভাগ মানুষেরই ধারণা আর্ট, কার্টুন বা ক্রিয়েটিভ যে কোন সেক্টরে আমাদের দেশে তেমন একটা ফিউচার নাই। এই ধারণা খানিকটা পরিবর্তনের জেদও মাথায় ছিল। এখন তো অনেকেই নাকি আমার থেইকা ইন্সপিরেশন পায়, আমিও তাদের থেকে ইন্সপিরেশন নেই। কার্টুনের মাধ্যমে ম্যাসেজ দেয়া, সেই সাথে নিজের কাজের যায়গায় ডেভেলপ করসি, নিজেরে গ্রো করসি আস্তে আস্তে। কাজ করে গেছি এবং যাচ্ছি, আমার কাজ আমারে দেশে যেমন পরিচিতি দিছে, পরিচিতি দিছে ইন্টারন্যাশনালিও। এখন আস্তে আস্তে সাহস কইরা নিজেরে কার্টুনিস্ট হিসেবে পরিচয় দিতে পারি আরকি।

আগামী পোস্টে মিডিয়া ক্লাব নিয়ে আরো মজার কিছু গল্প বলবো, আমার “দি গ্লোবাল হ্যাপিনেস চ্যালেন্জ" প্রজেক্ট নিয়েও কিছু কথা শেয়ার করবো আর করোনা পরিস্থিতি কে কেন্দ্র করে কি কি কার্যক্রম চলমান আছে এ নিয়েও বেশ কিছু তথ্য দিবো।

সে পর্যন্ত " জ্বী ধন্যবাদ " সবাইকে। ঈদ মোবারক

মিশু : সিএসই ১২১

13/07/2021

Congratulations Kishwar Chowdhury ! 🇧🇩🇦🇺

Kishwar Chowdhury, a non-resident Bangladeshi who currently lives in Melbourne, has secured third place of MasterChef Australia season 13. The other contestants are Pete Camobell, Justin Narayan and Elise.

Justin Narayan was the self-proclaimed underdog heading into tonight's MasterChef grand finale, with 51 points to favourite Pete's 53.

But in the end, Justin romped to victory with a total score of 125 points to Pete's 124 and 114 from Kishwar.

03/07/2021

"I am the lucky notepad. That notepad who has interviews written on his empty pages. Most of the interviews are taken from random people in the campus. I like that. Sometimes interviews are taken from the people who are known to everyone. I like that too. I am a happy notepad, people! Everyday I fill myself with stories. Everyday I fill myself with wonderful experiences of life. I love all the stories, no matter who is telling it. Because, I know, every human here is unique. Every story is amazing!"

02/07/2021

Let’s hear an untold story of victory!

We went to play The Bangabandhu Gold Cup Tournament and that was our most recent play. In total,18 teams participated in it and BUFT was the organizer. After we got our invitation, we started training immediately. We had to give our best, and so training hard every day was mandatory. Before this tournament, we lost 3 big inter-university tournaments and so, there was a lot of pressure to win this one.

Our first opponent was BUTEX (Public university). We knew what we had to do and how to beat them. I knew, we practiced with full dedication every day. Finally, the day arrived for our first match and we ended up winning with the score 2-0. I still remember that ridiculous volley by Uthsho Bhai clearly. It was absolutely epic. After that match, we played against Daffodil university and we were victorious once again. We were overwhelmed with happiness and pride. We were on a winning streak. The next match after this one, was against IUB and they were a strong opponent. When the match started and continued, till half time, the score was 0-0. Our strong side was our defense line and their strength were the attacking line so the fight tough. We were hungry for a trophy and we played with full strength and dedication. We believe that if we tried our best we would achieve glory, and that is exactly what we did. We gave it our 100% and in the second half, our keeper Piyash made a shoot from our D box to theirs. It was a highly ambitious shoot and we were very nervous but shockingly, that was our ticket that lead us to the semifinal. It was one of our proudest moments as a team and we were incredibly excited and happy. We all rushed to hug Piyash bhai(goalkeeper). We were full of joy and pride but it wasn’t over yet.

Our next match was against SAU(Sher e Bangla Agricultural University). Before this semifinal, we already lost 4 semifinals. We were really nervous before that match. Our semifinal luck wasn't that good. Before every match, we invited our friends and classmates to come and support us. But as always, the only supporters we had were our own players and our driver mama. We were habituated to empty seats on our side so it doesn't bother us very much. In the first half, SAU made a goal and created a very strong defense. In the half time break, we discussed tactics and strategies. We were already one goal behind and if we failed to win this match, we would fail to achieve everything that we were dreaming of. It was a now or never situation. We shifted our strategy to long ball and passing football and just within the first 5 minutes, we noticed that it was working so we stayed hopeful. Following our plan, we continued playing when suddenly, Saju scored his first goal with his head, a wonderful header and it was a big relief. We started cheering seeing that the score was 1-1. We played a passing game smoothly. And the crowd was cheering for us. We felt overjoyed and motivated to perform better, and then Saju scored again and that was it. We won with the score 2-1. We made it to the finals. Our dream came to life.

Some of our teammates had their exams, presentations and classes. If we wanted to play, then we couldn’t attend any of these and we would get a big F. To resolve this, we went to the authority for help. But it was futile. We went to faculties for help as well. Mehedi Rajib sir helped us a lot and he requested our faculties to cooperate with us. He was an excellent mentor, guiding us alongside and Toufiq bhai who helped us as well. Some of our teachers were not ready to help so, Tanvee sacrificed his mid-exam to play. Many of our teammates sacrificed important exams for this match as it was a weekday. After all of our sacrifices, we achieved the honor and the ticket for our grand finale.

The final match was against BUFT. The host team of this tournament. We had to beat them in their home ground. It was tough for us to perform well and as usual, we invited our university friends and faculties but no one arrived. But we have pictures with our one and only fan Shohag mama (our bus driver). He is our biggest support.

We only focused on victory that day. But when we reached the field we saw 1500 people on the opponent side, and 30 supporters on ours. That was a slightly demotivating. Before our match started, some of the opponent supporters were using slang and throwing stones and many things at us. We didn't concentrate on that rather we focused on the game. The match had started and within the first 10 minutes, our defender Chinmoy Roy, we call him chinnu da out of respect and love, scored a wonderful solo goal. It happened so fast but it was spectacular. He scored again and we felt as though chinnu da was playing like Messi but he's actually a defender. A while later, Shoshy scored another one and Zakir Saju scored the last one ending the game with glory on our side. After the 4th goal, BUFT supporters completely lost their cool and became aggressive towards us. There was a fight between the players as well as supporters from both teams. Before the situation could get any worse, BUFT volunteers rushed to our aid and tried to calm everyone down. Despite the horrific behavior we faced from BUFT, we felt bad for them as they looked so sad. We tried to appreciate their work and told them you all did great and better luck next time.

Therefore, after 15-16 years, we gave a trophy to ULAB. When we got hold of the trophy, everyone was over the moon. A trophy means a lot. We worked our hardest to prepare for the tournament. There were people who doubted our abilities and some of the club members would make fun of us. We beat the home team and we won that trophy. We brought ULAB glory from the football team.

At the end of the day, still now, we do not get assistance or any form of support from our university. A quick congratulations is all we get. Everyone is excited to share credit and feel pride when they share the post and news but no one comes to see the match. Still now, the trophy is in our possession and our university is not interested to take it. To be a sportsman in a university, we have to sacrifice our exams and midterms. Some of our teammates had their exams, presentations and classes. If we wanted to play, then we couldn’t attend any of these and we would get a big F. To resolve this, we went to the authority for help. But it was futile. We went to faculties for help as well. Mehedi Rajib sir helped us a lot and he requested our faculties to cooperate with us. He was an excellent mentor, guiding us alongside and Toufiq bhai who helped us as well. Some of our teachers were not ready to help so, Tanvee sacrificed his mid-exam to play. Many of our teammates sacrificed important exams for this match as it was a weekday. After all of our sacrifices, we achieved the honor, victory and pride.

Even after all of our hard work, the football team is greatly under appreciated. We don’t play for help or support we should receive from our university, but if we bring home a trophy and shine our university’s name, they should do something for us in return.

However, we are trying every day. Because even without no support from our university, no appreciation, we still thrive for the best and we continue dreaming about winning more trophies. Whenever we participate in any tournament we represent our university. If we want to play inter-university tournament, our university will give us permission but they will not consider our attendance or transportation cost. But we have survived for a long time without assistance and we have proven ourselves to be champions, and will continue to do so hopefully as well.

ULAB Football Team
Champion (Bangabandhu Gold Cup)

20/05/2021

রাজধানীর কামরাঙ্গীর চর এলাকার টমটম (ঘোড়াগাড়ি) ব্যবসায়ীদের মাঝে ঈদসামগ্রী ও ঘোড়ার খাবার বিতরণ করা হয়েছে। স্বেচ্ছ....

04/03/2021

Harvard had always a special place in my heart since I started growing up. From the 11th to the 14thFebruary 2021 I had the privilege to represent my country from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh at the sixty-seventh session of Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN) conference. The event lasted for 4 days and drew over 2500 delegates from 33 countries making it the largest MUN conference in the world. In HNMUN, I had been assigned to Disarmament and International Security Council (DISEC) where I had a chance to discourse on ethnic violence specifically on Rohingya Crisis. Since I used to be an active participant of AYIMUN (Asia Youth Model United Nations), I could easily cope up with the ambience of this well-renowned international conference. On the first day of committee session, the committee voted for the topic and debate started. I was overwhelmed by the highest level of spontaneity and competence of delegates. Probably I was one of the most fortunate persons who got the opportunity to interact with Yale University, Princeton University students who were superb in terms of research and presentation skills. During the second day of committee session, the delegates continued their debate on the topic. Subsequently, we were deeply engaged into the task of making working papers for writing down draft resolution. Working paper is something in which the delegates are asked to share ideas about a topic. We integrated those ideas into the draft resolution and worked out practical solutions to resolve ethnic violence. In the final session, our paper was voted on and passed.

Now, I would love to throw some lights on the event flows of HNMUN which were very unique and entertaining. I simply can not forget the movie session with fellow delegates. It was an Italian neo-realist movie called the Battle of Algiers which was released in 1966. This movie chronicles Algerian war, the struggle of Algerian people and the atrocities of French colonial government. I was highly mesmerized by the cinematography of this film.

Harvard Virtual Tour held out an opportunity to move much closer to the realization of my long -cherished dream. One of the students from Harvard University named Grace facilitated us to get acquainted with Harvard University campus. I was astonished to see the statue of John Harvard who founded this world-class university in 1636. Then, we started exploring some significant areas of Harvard University campus. For example, we paid a visit to Winthrop House where the US president John F. Kennedy used to live in. Besides, Grace covered up Memorial Church, Harvard shuttle bus, Memorial Hall. There are a lot of beautiful libraries in Harvard University campus. Harvard Virtual Tour was indeed an unforgettable experience for me. Probably it is one of the fondest memories that I have ever had in my life.

Professor Joseph Nye was a keynote speaker in the opening ceremony of Harvard National Model United Nations. He is one of the most influential personalities in the world now. A former Dean of John. F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, he currently holds the position of University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus. While speaking about the moral dimensions of US foreign policy, Professor Joseph Nye pioneered the idea of soft power which was used in Clinton Administration and Obama Administration. On the other hand, he explained what instigated Harry S. Truman (33rd US president) to attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War. He enunciated in a delicate manner about Donald Trump’s foreign policy. Americans constantly make moral statements about their presidents and foreign policy. Unfortunately, many of these statements are poorly thought through. A president is either praised for the moral clarity of his judgments or judged solely on the results of their actions. We listened to him with fullest enthusiasm and concentration. I have never known such a virtuous person who is combined with intellectual prowess and warm affection. The most loveable part was that he took the audience through his in-depth knowledge in international relations. I was very lucky to have met such an erudite person in this well-esteemed conference. His recent book Do morals matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump was published in 2019.

International Cocktail Hour was a fantastic moment for all delegates because we were able to interact with each other virtually. The most memorable part was that I got involved into a pleasant conversation with one of the students from Harvard University named Matthew Dickey who is now serving as Under Secretary General of Business. We talked about films, literature, international affairs. He was appreciative of my literary and cinematic taste. Furthermore, I met some really nice friends who were from New Mexico, India, South Korea, Taiwan. The interaction helped me to know about their culture, language, and life-style. I must say that International Cocktail Hour was one of the most delightful events in HNMUN.

In closing ceremony, Irina Bokova was invited to deliver a speech. She was basically the former Director -General of UNESCO. She also held several prestigious positions in her career. For instance, she was a deputy minister of foreign affairs and minister of foreign affairs ad interim under Prime Minister Zhan Videnov of Bulgaria. Her father was also a dignified political figure in Bulgaria. She was so gentle, eloquent and sophisticated while delivering her speech. She inspired the young leaders to work collectively to tackle some pressing issues which are happening around the world right now. I personally felt that she is born with the gift of the gab which is a great quality to become a politician. After finishing the closing remarks, the director general of each committee announced the winner’s name one by one. Most of the American and European delegates bagged such prestigious awards for their outstanding performance in committee sessions. This is how I ended up my HNMUN journey with full of youthful spirit.

I have been feeling more enlightened from the flashes of Harvard University’s ever emitting wisdom and knowledge. Possibly I was the lone participant from Bangladesh who represented my country and institution in such a global platform.

Deepto | BBA 211

24/02/2021

I started my journey in ULAB in 2015. At the beginning, I started my career as a research assistant. Most probably, I am one of the youngest researchers from Bangladesh. At the age of 20, my first research paper was published in Malaysia 2017. After that, I started working at Plan International. One of the biggest reasons behind my passion for research was Shumon Rahman Sir and if I have to give the credit for inspiring me every time then Jalaluddin Shikder Sir is that person. I was admitted into ULAB for studying in the Journalism Department. At that time, I had no idea what Public Relation was. Gradually I started to understand what Public Relation, Reputation Management is. One of the major reasons behind taking Public Relation as my major is again Shumon Rahman Sir, Mahmudur Rahman Sir and Jalaluddin Shikder.

I decided to take researching as my passion and was determined to build a career upon it. I started to work on my own research papers. Three of my research papers have been published. Two of them are about media studies and the other one is on social development. I needed to go to Bogra for my internship purpose. I had to go to a rural area of Bogra for work and that time, my period got started. There was not sanitary napkin available anywhere. Then, a local lady from there gave me a piece of a cloth and told me to use it as a napkin as it will take me about 5 hours to return from that rural area. They used to have a layer of sand into that piece of cloth and then by following a certain technique, they used to use it as a napkin. This scenario of menstrual hygiene truly traumatized me and after returning to Dhaka, I started to research menstrual hygiene in the rural and remote areas of our country.

I visited Sylhet, Bandarban and many different places and got to know about possibly every rural area, the scenario remains the same. They are not able to afford sanitary napkins and that is why they use a piece of cloth in different techniques as an alternative to a sanitary napkin. Ovarian cancer started to increase and the percentage is 1 out of every 10 women because of not using sanitary napkins.

Then, I thought, I needed something on it and I formed a team which is known as 'All for One Foundation'. Till now, we have managed to train about 10 lacs and 11 thousand people on menstrual hygiene, self defense, safe s*x, family planing, reproductive health etcetera. In Bangladesh, we introduced the term s*x education for the first time. We explained the necessity of knowing about s*x education and reproductive health from an early age. I got the 'Joy Bangla Youth' award after just six months of the beginning of my foundation. I started to get Government Projects after that and lead many projects to make them successful from the front by leading the team.

Now, we are working on a specific project tagline from the Dhaka North City Corporation which is 'নারী-পুরুষ সমতা, রুখতে পারে সহিংসতা'। We are working on this project with a vision of ensuring a safe Dhaka for women, children and the autistics and I am the project director of it. In the history of Bangladesh, I am the youngest election coordinator as a nonpolitical person. I served as a strategic election coordinator. Now, I am a political consultant and I own a pr consultancy firm. I got the 'Princess Diana Award' in 2018 from the Lords of House. I am thankful to the few people of ULAB who are Shumon Rahman Sir, Mahmudur Rahman Sir, Naima Ma'am etcetera.

One of the best part of ULAB is that they started to teach research techniques and strategies from an earlier semester whereas many other reputed universities do this from quite after completing many semesters. For all the things that I have achieved in my life so far, I am truly grateful to ULAB and my honourable faculties from every perspective.

Kamrunnisa | MSJ 142