We entered Dhaka College in 1969 to begin our post SSC life. It was supposed to be a rite of passage, moving into the adult world. Growing up is fine, we had no problems growing up and in fact most of us were quite adult intellectually. I suppose most meant becoming mature but then that is something we haven't exactly become even after all these 50 + years, both younger and older than us.

For me personally, it was great because I would be making and meeting new friends and be able to explore new intellectual avenues unlike my sports obsessed school - Shaheen. I was an avid reader and wanted to mix with similar kinds of people who read the same kind of books. Looking back at that time now fifty five years ago, that was the part which seems to have been most fulfilled there.

I could write an entire page of just names which are eminent fellow students from the Editor of UNB to one of the most eminent constitutional experts of the land to top ranked academics and journos in three part of the world. And we now even have a politician in jail. we were to put it accurately were all "achievers". We all wanted to do something special, something others hadn't done or not done well and we would walk in quite insensitively and declare our presence.

I agree it sounds quite arrogant and it was maybe but then please remember that we were in the proverbial eighteen-nineteen years old age frame and when you belong to this age you can do anything. Correction-you think you can do anything.

Very Good students

We were all good students obviously because unless one had a certain level of marks admission application forms weren't given but more than that we fitted into a particular socio-cultural frame. We wanted to be there. Several of us were from English medium schools but we were more comfortable rubbing shoulders with a wider crowd. Two names are still alive and close friends, Chandan and Rizvi. And how co-incidental that these two mentioned above and myself ended up marrying our DU classmates. Talk about connectivity.

Of course we had the Laboratory school and St. Gregs boys who had traffic jammed the merit list. Farabi, Enayet, Manju, Haider, Shahdeen to name just a few were always ready to answer questions if asked. In other words, a crowd of kids who were very smart and also knew they were very smart. However, we were not exactly rude but just hyper confident. And I guess it showed.

Movies and studies

For us, the big naughty thing was of course going to Balaka cinema hall nearby and watch movies at student concession rates. It was great fun. The problem was the timing. Balaka cinema matinee show would end just as the Geography class was starting. So we couldn't always make it but then we found a way out of this.

We calculated the time we took from rushing out of the hall and then rushing to the class- 7 minutes. A little too long we felt. So we held an emergency meeting and found the solution.

You could walk very fast from Balaka to the college but not run as would be crossing the road. But once we had entered the college premises, you could rush hard and then run up the stairs and enter in just under 5 minutes - the indulgence limit of the teachers for being late.

Not that we fooled our teachers. They too knew where we had been and why five students always entered the class panting. He would just smile very sarcastically and say" Ah the Balaka batch is finally here. "We would remain quite sheepishly smiling. But it was good fun. And I hope Sir saw that most of the members of the Balaka batch got star marks in his class.

We were aware but not arrogant of being who we were. I remember an incident concerning how we would sit in the coming final exams. We had a big protest "hawkaw' led by the ever noisy Rizvi which probably damaged a tube light. It was the highest level of political violence we had committed before 1971. We got our demands met but of all things the parents -fathers- got called to the college by the Principal. Some came, some didn't. My father did.

So Mr. Hafiz the Principal told the slightly embarrassed assembly of fathers of Dhaka college students about to sit for the 1971 batch finals that, "I know your sons are often perhaps in most cases, better students than most faculty members but do they have to cause such a mess and ruckus ?."

Our dads scolded us in return but it was also an admission of who we were and quite frankly if you look at Dhaka College today and our time, you could very well see how innocent we were but how smart we were compared to the rest of the kids. Is that arrogance? Best wishes and the last remark was a deliberate joke. Cheers