Feature

IUB Drama Club Production On Climate Change

Nazia Fairuz Tuba

INDEPENDENT University Bangladesh (IUB) held their 6th Drama Club Production on Monday, March 9th at its new campus in Bashundhara. The play was titled 'Tropical Paradise', translating 'Grissho Mondolio Shorgo'. It addressed the issue of global climate change through our social context.

World Bank sponsored IUB Drama Club as the primary platform to create a play for spreading awareness about the worldwide issue of global warming. The hourlong play was based on the effects of global warming on both urban and rural lives of our country. The writer had tried to portray the environmental concerns by relating them to the thoughts of a diverse group of people, the university youths, the master of the fishermen's quarters and a 70 year old villager.

The members of IUB Drama Club were given only a month to rehearse and emerge with this brilliant showcase and they truly did justice to the cause. This would not have been possible without the determination and cooperation of the performers, the writer, the director, the assistant directors, the choreographers, the music players and the volunteers. Tropical Paradise is written by one of IUB's exceptional students, Abu Noyem Md. Sharif Apurbo. It is wonderfully directed by the Chief Patron of Drama Club and the Head of the Media and Communication Department, Dr. G. M. Shahidul Alam, with the help of assistant directors Abu Noyem Md. Sharif Apurbo and Hossainul Abedin Saimum. The outstanding performers are Mahmuda Suktana Mila, Farhat Rahman khan, Afsana Sultana Keya, Mainul Hossain Khan Nion, Hussainul Abedin Saimum, Abu Noyem Md. Sharif Apurbo, Aniqa Moinuddin, Lazina Farhin Anandi, Md. Al-Amin Feroz, Tanvir Ahmed Khan, Al Fattah Md. Azim, Kazi Nawroz Ibne Mizan, Nuzhat Sharmeen, Rabit Amin Yasin, Fahima Islam, Jakia Shirin Nishat, Md. Nahid-Uz-Zaman, Fariha Tashmeen Tinny, and Sakib Al Rafique.

This play was long anticipated by many IUB students as well as faculty members and has truly lived up to its expectations. Amongst the numerous honorary present in the audience were - Prof. Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury, the Vice Chancellor of IUB, Prof. Nazrul Islam, the Director of School of Liberal Arts and Social Science (SLASS), Dr. Niaz Zaman, Advisor of Department of English, and Fulbright Scholar Mr. Geoffrey Hiller, an Ace Photographer and Multimedia Producer, and Mr. Ashfaq, liaison of World Bank.

The drama was performed at four other private universities, namely North South University, East West University, University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh (ULAB), and ended at BRAC University.

Student of Media and Communication Department, IUB

Independence Day
Let's get united

Amatus Samiu Binte Awal

AT the present moment, we all seem to have forgotten the real meaning of the word 'Independence'. The word ' Independence' brings the memories of the past to us, the sacrifice of the great leaders who fought and gave their lives just because we can sit here today and read this article. This is one of the few days when you can get a chance to see some of our freedom fighters in the news channels (which too is becoming rare now) or a drama with the theme of our independence.

I feel that Independence Day is not a day to celebrate; it's a day where each one of us should start changing a bit for the sake of our nation. We can do things like changing ourselves and becoming more independent ourselves. Every youth should know about our Independence because youths are the future leaders of Bangladesh. Nowadays we can see that a major portion of our young generation usually say they want to go abroad and settle there. But they never think of doing anything for their country. Nobody wants to come forward to fight the wrongs in the society. If everyone thinks about himself or herself then we can't change our nation with only a few patriotic people. We need thousands and thousands of them like we had during the 1971 Liberation War.

On this day, 38 years ago, Bangladesh woke up as an independent country. This day is less to celebrate and more to remember and be grateful to those freedom fighters who fought till death for their country. There lies a deep-rooted love for our Motherland and the national spirit of pride, of being a Bangladeshi and the hope for a better future. Each year, this day gives us reasons to contemplate what we have accomplished.
Today, our nation is bleeding under maladies of its own children. Independence Day has to be remembered as a day when we achieved success through the unity and love of its people. In 1971, the unity amongst the people of Bangladesh worked as if it was ONE FOR ALL and ALL FOR ONE. Where is this nationalism now, why is there no feeling of such love for the nation left in our hearts? Are we no longer the citizen of that country where three million people gave their lives just for the sake of their Motherland. Have we lost the love and responsibility for our country ?

Today we are free, free to live in the world, free to express our thoughts and feelings. And we are equally free to work and sacrifice our lives for our nation. Let this day remind us of our responsibilities and love for our country.

We cannot correct the whole nation. Let us correct each one of us and be a proud citizen of Bangladesh. On this day of independence, let each one of us take a resolution that we will protect our Independence and our cultural heritage at any cost.