Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today urged students to shape the future with their own hands to create it the way they envision.

"I hope we all will try to shape the future of the world with our own hands, creating it the way we envision," he said, while delivering the convocation speech at the 5th Convocation Ceremony of Chittagong University (CU), held at the university's central playground.

Prof Yunus, a former faculty member of CU's economics department, was also conferred with an honorary Doctor of Literature (DLitt) degree by the university on the occasion.

"Everyone should have a dream in their heart to think about what kind of world, what kind of society, what kind of family, and what kind of education system we truly desire," he said, adding,

"If we simply accept things as they are and conform to existing norms, then nothing will change — nothing will transform."

Expressing delight at returning to his former workplace, Yunus recalled joining the university's economics department in 1972 and shared memories of his time on campus.

He recounted the devastating 1974 famine and how he, along with fellow faculty and students, worked to introduce the cultivation of high-yield paddy during the winter (Boro) season using deep tube wells and water sourced from a nearby fountain.

Yunus also narrated the story of when he introduced micro-credit to the women at Jobra village, near the Chittagong University.