Feature

Words of appreciation from NSU VC

Zannatul Lamea

When something of such great magnitude is achieved, the euphoria and ecstasy do not remain constrained in a limited arena, it keeps on spreading, connecting all the people who really matter. One of those significant personae is the respected Vice-Chancellor of North South University, Dr. Hafiz G.A. Siddiqi, who was extremely happy about the achievement that his students had made. In this regard, Dr. Hafiz G.A. Siddiqi mentioned, “I am proud of my students, it's a rare success! They represented not only the private universities of Bangladesh, but the entire booming student talents of the country and proved their potential. They had the courage to participate and prove their leadership ability, which proves them to be the justified organizers the All Asians Debating Championship. The All Asians is the most prestigious Asian debating tourney and participants from 16 Asian countries will gather in Dhaka. This will be the largest and most diverse Asian youth gathering in our country. It will be an effective platform to project Bangladesh in a favorable light to a significant part of enlightened Asia. On the heels of the unprecedented success of our debaters at the last Worlds, NSU is proud to be the host of the first All Asian in the South Asian subcontinent. The primary objective of our institution is to ensure quality education.

The vital added emphasis is to infuse versatility by developing skills, knowledge, good sense, ideals and judgment among students to be a complete human being. The student activity clubs play a crucial role in this regard. With renowned debaters, past and present, NSU has been in the forefront. NSU was the first in the country to send a team to world University debate to imprint the name of Bangladesh in the international debating arena in 1996.And our students maintained the glory consistently. I personally encourage all the students to nurture their extra-curricular activities and I can assure them any kind of opportunity and help needed in this regard. I wish them all best luck and hope they will reach the peak of success.”
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Interview of the NSU Breaking Team..

Saeed Hasnat

Recently, a team from NSU broke in the ESL category 28th World Universities Debating Championship 2008 at Thailand. Universities from all around the world sent in their best to compete alongside the others for the title of the best debaters in the world. So, what exactly did they break? A window? A glass of cedar? Or the championship cup? Considering our nations record at breaking stuff at any or no excuse at all (i.e. hartal, strikes, accidents, gang fights, and a host of other reasons), it is only likely that we would break stuff. Sorry to disappoint you all, but this time the very word 'break' stands for a totally different and positive meaning. The top 32 teams who make it to the quarter finals of the tournament are referred to as 'breaking teams', and it is a matter of great honor and pride to be one of them. This year, in Thailand, where the tournament was held in Assumptions University, the team of NSU, comprised of Sinha Ibna Humayun and Naim Kashem, pushed themselves to their limits to achieve this extraordinary feat, a feat that no other team from Bangladesh has ever achieved before. With this glory in the bag, not only have they glorified the name North South University, but also they have forced the universities of the world to recognize Bangladesh as a major force in terms of debating. The team raked up a total of 13 points, the highest score from any Bangladeshi team this year. Now let's hear the reactions of the gallant team as they opened up to Saeed Hasnat and Zannatul Lamea .

Naim Kashem, member of the breaking team, exclaimed that immediately after hearing the news that they broke in the tournament, they initially went blank, which was soon overcome with a great overwhelming sense of pride and joy. He said that he was immensely happy that finally their hard work and dedication towards debating had paid off, and thanked the Almighty and his mentors and those close to him for their support throughout this time. He dedicated this to another fellow debater Syed Ahmed Afwan, who is his best friend and inspiration. He also said that next year, he will aim for higher, and will most likely compete in the main stream of the tournament, and not under the ESL category, to truly test their mettle. As a reason for this he went with the logic that if you aim for the stars, you may not reach them, but you won't end up in a puddle of mud either. As for the overall standard of the Bangladeshi debating crowd, he said that we are still learning and improving. The current generation is trying to meet the high standards set by their previous generation, and they are building on it. He also mentioned that Bangladesh is doing exceptionally well in the Worlds School Debating Championship, and they have a huge potential. As for his part, he would like to work as the mentor for the future generation, and at the same time working hand in hand with them as well. As for the tournament, as far as Naim was concerned, 'It Rocked!!!'. He also said that though he is not one of those God gifted geniuses, God has indeed gifted him with patience and the ability to learn from experience, and he is thankful to God for so.