BUET: Why all these concoctions about winds of change?

This small and peaceful campus of ours suddenly erupted in protest against organisational student politics. We common students issued statements everyday to highlight our position. These were analysed by various quarters, discussed and debated over in the newspapers, TV talks shows and became the talk of the town.

You all know about Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in various ways. This is the educational institution for engineering where students spend their time solving difficult math problems, where three political killings took place in a matter of two decades and which is not once again in the limelight due to the stand of the students against student politics.

But there is something missing in all this narratives. For some reason, you all don’t know our own stories and those gaps are filled up by media narratives, click baits and disinformation to serve the interests of certain quarters.

It is essential to hear the stories of the students who have spend four and a half years on the campus free of student politics. There are stories outside of our official statements and these need to be heard. Not only was student politics banned in BUET four and a half years ago, but a reconstruction began at all levels in the institution, just as a war torn country rises from the ashes.

We have termed this transformation ‘winds of change’. Ragging, torture and repression came to a halt. The students were enthralled with freedom of expression. Students of all batches can freely take part in any decision making. The relationship between seniors and juniors is no longer one of fear and coercion, or teaching “manners”, but one of cooperation and healthy socialisation.

It was as if BUET rose up like the proverbial phoenix, with the overall reconstructive efforts of the students and BUET administration. That is why the term ‘new BUET’ gained currency among the students, it lent a sense of relief.

In 2019 many have spoken against banning student politics in BUET, saying that it would obstruct the exercise of free thinking on campus and that the banned fundamentalist evil powers would rear their heads. This narrative has been used time and again against our justified movement.

The fact is that over these past four and a half years, BUET has become one of the most culturally advance and active campuses in Bangladesh. Many are not aware of this or have intentionally eclipsed this truth. So those who claim that BUET is sinking back into darkness, surely have not visited the campus in these four and a half years. If they had, they would have seen a vibrant campus where there is some festive event or the other almost every single day, where excellent work is being done in the cultural, social or technological fields.

Of all the universities in the country, perhaps the most concerts are held in this little campus, with the likes of Nagar Baul James, Miles, Artcell, Shironamhin and other big names in the music arena, creating a vibrant ambience. There is also so much creative work being done here in the areas of film, literature, painting and photography.

The students organise the festivals of the departments and clubs, creating a bridge between culture and engineering. There are very few universities in Bangladesh’s present context that see such growth of healthy leadership, free thinking and freedom of expression through the many cultural events and the diverse activities of the clubs.

There is a despicable lie that appears in many media outlets, that national days are not observed in BUET. The truth is, national days are always commemorated in BUET through all sorts of events and activities.

On the eve of Victory Day, the students spend the night painting murals, covering the walls with decorative graffiti. The graffiti tells the tales of independence, the country and also protests against the various discrepancies on campus. Valiant freedom fighters are honoured, food is distributed among the destitute. Short films on the liberation war are made, drama on the liberation war are staged.

Discussions are organised on 15 August, the National Day of Mourning and flowers are placed before the image of the Father of the Nation. The students join this programmes spontaneously and this has continued through these last four and a half years.

Our rich cultural tradition will stand as a shield against the allegations of fundamentalist randomly made against BUET. Life on this small campus has become so vibrant that we lovingly call it the ‘land of living’. On BUET’s website you can see this line, ‘There is always something exciting happening at BUET.’

We were advancing towards what an ideal campus should be. Over the past four and a half years, no exams were cancelled, the quality of hall living conditions and the dining hall food has improved. BUET’s position in research and international competitions is going up and up. With no ragging, BUET has become the safest campus in Bangladesh for the newcomers.

The general students of BUET have always been actively opposed to the underhand attempts by the kowtowing student politics to make a comeback using the scare of a rise in prohibited politics and fundamentalism. It is the efficient law enforcement agencies that will thwart the unscrupulous activities of evil forces. We do not understand what role the kowtowing student politics has in this regard.

Organisational student politics has nothing new to offer us in this enlightened new BUET. If they return, the campus will be pushed back into darkness again and once again there will be the naked display of brute force and at one point of time, fresh names will join the list along with Sony, Dwip or Abrar.

BUET’s students are alert about their rights, they understand the society and know what is best for them and the campus. The BUET students understand very well the eyewash being forced down our throats in the name of smart, modern and healthy student politics. The students in no way want to become guinea pigs of this social experiment.

That is why almost each and every one of the 6000 present students as well as a huge number of former students home and abroad, all have one demand, that the black cloud of organisational student politics not return to their beloved campus again. They all express their solidarity with this movement by means of the #NoStudentPoliticsInBuet hash tag.

Recently 98 per cent of the present BUET students took part in a mass signature programme by the institutional email for a petition against organisational student politics. This mass demand by the BUET students, regardless of party leanings, views, religion or race, proved the strong distaste the students have for organisational politics.

We appeal to all parties concerned as well as the conscious civil society of our country, please understand the holistic nature of our movement. It is sheer ignorance to tag these few thousand students with the stigma of fundamentalism or being backed by prohibited politics. This is literally undermining the ability of these mature students to think independently.

There is no hidden conspiracy behind this simple and natural aspiration of so many people. This movement is not against any single political party’s student politics. It is against the kowtowing political student organisations. We just want to spend our student lives in an independent and systematic manner. We want to breathe freely on this campus. This small and peaceful campus was advancing so well, free of organisational student politics. Let it continue in this manner, that is all we want.

* Sourav Saha is a final year undergrad student at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.              

* This column appeared in the online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir