Feature

English Department's (DU) river cruise on Meghna

Sabbir Ahmed Osmani

"How are you doing, son?"

“Oh Mom! I am tired, bored with exam preparation! Don't like to study anymore. I can't.”

"No darling! Only a few more days!"

Well, this was not a conversation between a mom and her son. The son was making the prelude to do something stupid by this intentional boredom! He had only seven days before his final exam.

But I was really adamant about joining the river cruise fun! The February 29th cruise was organized by the Department of English, Dhaka University and supported by Department's Alumni Association.

The ticket read, “Please come within 7:30 in the morning in front of British Council (positively)” So, my early morning sleep was under threat. Undoubtedly we were all positive (?) about the tour and so we all started as early as 8.30 for Sadarghat(!?). Some of our teachers and their family members, some members of alumni association and their family members, office staff of the department and some students stared our journey in 5 buses.

Despite the festive mood all around, I was not feeling greatly enthusiastic. I had that exam fear and the feeling of a truant boy, escaping from his red-nosed math teacher. But my fellow excited juniors had already started to sing and dance wildly. Eventually the tension began to erode from inside me…

When we reached Sadarghat, I noticed some people peeping inside the bus. Probably they took us as some wild bhokto (disciples) of BABA as they heard the noisy maizvandari chorus singing of our students!

We entered the cruise ship named Ostrich, which was a two-storied luxury vessel. Entering the ship I started to look for lifebuoys since I didn't know how to swim. There were enough in the cruise ship. Around 10.30 we started our 5 hours long Meghna trip.

After breakfast all gathered on the main deck to have fun. In the mean time few students selected some people to honour them with peculiar gifts. Best look male and female were given a pocket mirror each, best smile male and female a brand new tooth brush each, best hair male and female a 200ml bottle of hair oil each, best cell users(as they were not having fun like others!) male and female a refill card each. Fortunately they didn't notice me… I was taking notes (occasionally) for this story using my mobile pretending as if I was sending sms.

There were also some semi-serious competitions like songs and telling jokes and the winners also got rewards. We enjoyed some really wonderful as well as some terrible song performances. And students, alumni members as well as teachers all joined in the fun.

Unfortunately there weren't any dance talent in the group. But lot of them tried their best… This time I decided to roam around for a while and went down to the engine room of the ship. Well, I became a bit scared as it seemed the wooden roof might break down upon us…you know, it was our dancers!

I found a wooden stool near the engine room where I sat down to enjoy the beauty of the serene river and the lush greenery passing by on the distant bank. Some kingfishers were catching fishes diving in the water. It was a complete visual delight. The spring breeze from Meghna made me drowsy and subconsciously I was in search of a pillow! But no way! I felt a bit jealous of the boatmen of the country boats occasionally passing by in a relaxed mood. The balmy weather and the calm river reminded me something like that of a happy face of a sleeping maiden!

My romance with river finished as my friends came down to fetch me. It was lunchtime. After a somewhat chaotic breakfast our teachers ordered us to follow the unwritten rules of the department during lunch time. First the juniors and then the seniors will get their lunch … and then ex-students and finally the teachers. But my poor stomach failed to understand the sanctity of seniority. Fortunately (?) our ex-students could collect their foods before the students! And as usual, our motherly teachers tried their best to bring order but there was chaos as usual. They were the last ones to take the food.

After lunch some pupils tried a DJ party on the main deck. This time I found myself in a bizarre situation. The death metal like high volume dhumdharakka sound seemed to crack my brain! But I decided not to move from the deck in fear of being considered not trendy enough!

When the trip was to end, it seemed a school party had been held without their guardians. The littered peals of oranges, tissues and leftovers of the lunch were all around. I caught two staff cleaning the dining hall and asked them what usually happened when others visited your ship. They replied with humility, “Well, you know, everyone does it actually". But he later did admit with a smile, “Not as much as you did'. I tried to lighten the environment by telling them, “You see, they are mere kids (including graduates and about to graduate kids like me!).” Probably our syllabus needs some minor revisions! Our accompanying teachers must be thinking about the same thing!

When we entered the periphery of Dhaka, the tormenting smell of Buriganga was tickling the nostrils to remind us of our own city - where we live. Before getting down, I found one of my relatives, unknown to each other, studying in the same department though in different semesters. Indeed it was a bonus for me.

Thus a typical day turned out to be an exotic one. But the thought of exam reappeared on the scene. Only seven days to go…! Wished it were like the cruise time.

(Department of English, DU
sabbir.osmani@gmail.com)

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