Rikkyo University of Tokyo:
Visit to Bangladesh

Rohini Alamgir
Photos: NUB

Students and faculty members of the Graduate School of Business of Rikkyo University and
Northern University Bangladesh.

A team of Japanese students of Rikkyo University of Tokyo visited Northern University, Bangladesh, (NUB) on September 3, 2012. A Cultural Exchange Programme was arranged on this occasion at the Dhanmondi Campus. Professor Dr M Shamsul Haque, Vice-Chancellor, NUB, was the chief guest and Professor Ken-Ichiro Miyama, Graduate School of Business of Rikkyo University, was the special guest for the programme. Professor Saeed Alamgir Jafar, Dean of the Faculty of Business, chaired the programme. The programme was arranged and organised by the Faculty of Business, Northern University Bangladesh, at its Dhanmondi Campus.

The programme began with a slide show presentation, which included, among other things, highlights of the history of Bangladesh, some of the more famous people of our country, must-visit places which promote so much of our tourism, and some of the products that Bangladesh is renowned for producing. Amidst the plethora of cultural activities what stood out was the fashion show, put together by some of NUB's own more enterprising and fashion conscious business students. This part of the programme was a beautiful blend of the variety and colours of Bangladesh, depicting the different attires worn by Bangladeshis from all walks of life in their various socio-cultural occasions.

The hot kacchi biriyani lunch which followed was a true taste of Bangladesh. A cultural show of Bangladeshi songs and dance sequences exemplified the depth of artistic culture in this country, though an equally awe-inspiring production was put forth by the visiting students in the form of a Japanese flower-making demonstration, all done with balloons. NUB definitely outdid themselves in their attempt to give the Rikkyo students a sense of the Bengali tradition in this sensory overload of an evening, and they clearly had fun doing it.

Md Lutfor Rahman, Associate Professor and Head of BBA Programme, and Shamsun Nahar, Associate Professor and Convener of Cultural Committee, led the way in organising the day-long event. They were strongly and ably supported by other members of the Faculty namely Dr Mohammad Ekramol Islam, Abdullahel Kafi, Mohammad Masum Billah, Jannatul Mawa Nupur, Afia Akter, and Hemin Ashrafi.

Chief guest Professor Dr M Shamsul Haque said that this sort of programmes enhance cultural as well as educational exchange between Bangladesh and other countries. He thanked the Japanese team for choosing to visit Northern University Bangladesh.

Professor Ken-Ichiro Miyama receiving pennant.

Special guest Professor Ken-Ichiro Miyama, Graduate School of Business of Rikkyo University felt it to be a great pleasure to come to Northern University Bangladesh. He stated that this visiting programme would help share cultural, educational ideas and exchange knowledge among both the countries, and they were glad with their take away from the day's events. Chairperson of the Programme Professor Saeed Alamgir Jafar, Dean, Faculty of Business, thanked all who were present at the programme, especially the Japanese visiting team.

He indicated that Bangladesh and Japan are destined to further their economic and business ties in the immediate future and to prepare for such collaboration, NUB will continue to be proactive and the Faculty of Business is planning to incorporate Asian languages like Japanese, Chinese, Malay, etc. as an elective course in the Business curricula.

What began as a simple exchange programme for NUB, now proffers to be something revolutionary for Bangladesh. With the hope that other universities and colleges will follow suit with increasing numbers of exchange programmes, Northern University Bangladesh is not only setting the mode for higher education, but also highlighting the benefits of expanding our learning curves and academic fields by choosing to incorporate newer languages in their curriculum.