Feature

Trip to a Heavenly Garden

Students of FASS

13 March 2010 arrived as a glorious Saturday morning, and the class of Digital Imaging (Advertising and MCMA students) assembled, somewhat bleary-eyed, yet lacking no excitement, on Campus 7 of AIUB. Transports were ready and after everyone finally made it, a few rounds of tea to perk us up and we rolled out at nine-thirty on Niaz Sir's (our course teacher Niaz Majumdar) instruction. The sun was shining hot and with a gentle breeze to accompany it, the atmosphere was full of excitement. We took the scenic route, that is of Ashulia through Uttara and then through the EPZ area. After maneuvering some highway traffic, we finally managed to reach our destination, a heavenly garden. As soon as we entered the garden, we were awstruck and that got us all to be speechless. Once we overcame our initial shock from the sheer beauty of the place, we managed to dig into some hot shingaras and tea. After the session, we headed out again, with a juvenile spirit to explore all that nature had to offer.

Students arched back, squatted down, reclined, raised themselves on their toes, and twisted themselves to get the best shots possible. We clicked on as time flew by and were simply overwhelmed by the serenity of the place. Then it was a moment of laughter and warm conversations with the main group again. This continued for the remainder of the day, and Niaz Sir, with the patience of a saint, did not berate us for this.

Taking photographs, laughing, walking, sweating and enjoying never stopped. By the time we made our way back to the cottage, we had been on the field till almost three in the afternoon. Thoroughly dehydrated yet completely high on the celebration of life, we returned exhausted, having taken at least a few thousand pictures between all of us, and it was all smiling faces everywhere. The day just couldn't get any better. But Niaz Sir took us to the next level with an awesome lunch, cooked on the traditional mud-stove which involved fried fish, chicken curry, bhuna egg, daal and veggies.

To call the entire day divine would be an understatement. We had no idea that a beautiful place such as that cottage existed anywhere near city limits. It was wonderful and it was manicured to each blade of grass with every flower blooming and absolutely glorious under the clear blue sky and sunshine. We had one of the best Saturdays of our lives, and no one really wanted to leave. But every moment has its end and the memories will be preserved, in our memories to enjoy a lifetime. We are extremely grateful to O.K Chowdhury and his wife Nina Shaheen Chowdhury (owner of the Garden) for allowing us to be there and also for their kind hospitality.