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Linking Young Minds Together
    Volume 2 Issue 50| January 02, 2011 |


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Star Chat

Reminiscing the Good Old Days

Kaniz Almas
talks to Rakibul Hasan

Photo courtesy: Kaniz Almas

Whenever I think of my childhood, I remember a big house with lots of people brimming with exuberance. We were a big, happy family with my parents, five sisters and three brothers, in addition to my cousins and their parents. Living under the same roof, the ties amongst us were so strong that it was quite impossible to feel lonely even for a minute. One of my fond memories from childhood is going to school early in the morning with my 'gang' of brothers and sisters. I consider my days at the Siddheshwari Girls' School as the best days of my life. We used to live in Malibagh. The school was at a walking distance from our house. As most of my classmates were from the same neighbourhood, we would often meet outside school as well.

The chilly days of winter always leave me feeling nostalgic. December meant school closing down. My joy knew no bounds! I used to play badminton on our rooftop with my brothers and sisters along with friends from school.

My father has always been a great source of inspiration for me. Although he was always strict as a parent, he always encouraged us to explore our minds and souls. He would take us to the cinema whenever a good movie was released. I especially remember the two movies I thoroughly enjoyed. They were called 'One Million Years BC' and 'The Absent-minded Professor'. He helped us nurture a habit of reading. Once we were finished with a book, we were asked to talk about the parts that we liked best. My mom was passionate about cooking. She would ask what we would like for dinner and sometimes she would go as far as cooking individual meals for each of us. The memories of those home-made meals still make my mouth water.

After graduating from school, I joined the Siddeshwari Girls' College. The college building was situated within my old school campus. So it was not much of a new experience for me. During my years at the Siddeshwari Girls' College, I remember feeling liberated. I had more time for friends. It was the time when I grew a fascination for music. I used to learn classical music from an ustaad during those days. I, along with my friends participated in the annual cultural competitions of my college and I ended up being the champion several times.

After completing my HSC exams with flying colours, I got admitted to Eden College. I loved my days at the Eden College as for the first time, I felt like an adult. I made a lot of friends over there. I still miss those endless hours of chit chats with friends at our college cafeteria. As New Market, the shopping hub of Dhaka was very close to our college, we would often drop by for a little shopping.

Since childhood, I loved preening up people. I can remember during the wedding seasons or before any special occasion, my girl friends would show up at my house as me and my elder sister happily helped them with their makeup and hairdos. I believe my enthusiasm towards good grooming later transformed into my passion which landed me in the beauty business.

I got married during my college years. My husband always supported me at every step I took. Back in those days, it was not easy for a woman to enter the world of entrepreneurship. It was even difficult to start a beauty business as the concept was not so popular in our conservative society. However, I was confident with what I wanted to do. Hence, once training began, there was no looking back. I started my journey with only one beauty salon but with the passage of time, my business grew and soon more people came out to join me. Today I am content with my profession as a beauty expert because I love to bring out the beauty in people.

Though the blissful days of campus life are long gone, they still remain fresh in my mind. The hectic lifestyle has sadly compelled me to lose touch with a lot of people I would have liked to stay in touch with. I can honestly say that I would do anything to relive those heart-warming days of my student life.

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