A shared passion for “Breaking Bad” sparked an enduring friendship between college classmates, Tofael Ahmed and Sanjid Apurba Bin Siraj. They first met in the morning on 2 February 2023. They had just been admitted to Chittagong College and happened to sit together in class that day. After introductions, the conversation turned to movies and TV series. Breaking Bad, Peaky Blinders, Friends… they found common interests and they chatted for hours.
Their bond, which began with movies, quickly expanded to a shared passion for music and books. They discovered new bands and swapped stories. Both friends achieved outstanding results in their university admission exam. Tofael topped the admission test for Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), and Sanjid finished as runner-up in the medical college entrance exam.
Outside academia
While one`s goal was engineering and the other`s was medical studies, they shared many common interests. Tofael said, “We both love watching movies and web series. When a new film is released, we both inform each other, Like when we watched Forrest Gump together.”
Tofael loves to read various books. He has about 250 books at home, including works by Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhay, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay and Humayun Ahmed. Sanjid mentioned that he has borrowed and read many books. They discuss politics and society. Alongside movies and music, they have debates and disagreement but not serious arguments. Sanjid loves hip-hop and rock. His favorite artiste is Juice Wrld. Tofael has also started listening to rap and hip-hop.
Two friends, two dreams
Now their academic paths are separate, but they both believe there friendship will not falter. The bonds that began on a classroom bench, and grew through movies, music and books, will remain
Sanjid`s is from Garangia in Satkania upazila, Chattogram. His father was a college teacher who passed away colon cancer in 2014. His father's death deeply affected him. From that day on, he decided he would become a doctor and work with cancer patients. Now he is a student of Dhaka Medical College.
Tofael is from Purba Chandipur, Cumilla. His mother is Mina Begum and his father is Monirul Islam. He finished his early schooling at Sarai Para City Corporation School. After enrolling his college, his interest in computer science and artificial intelligence grew deeply and so got admitted to BUET this year.
They would explore the city and have debates, but always focussed on their studies too. Mathematics is a favourite to them both. Sanjid said “We would both share our class notes. Sometimes I would help him and sometimes he'd help me.”
Their preparation for university entrance exams was also well-planned. They would set small daily goals, sometimes studying for 10 hours. However, they never expected that they would actually get such good results.
Sanjid mentioned that his classes at medical college started just five days ago. Tofael started his classes about three month earlier. After classes, they often hang out and talk about their futures. Now their academic paths are separate, but they both believe there friendship will not falter. The bonds that began on a classroom bench, and grew through movies, music and books, will remain.