July 22, 2018
Volume II | Issue X
Summer XVIII
Architecture department presents fifth Noman award Over the past fifty years, many of the families who have been involved in the metal casting trade have taken on other jobs. The project focused on Dhamrai’s significance and researched ways to attract a large tourist base there while ensuring better living conditions for the inhabitants. The idea is the first step to innovation in the rural area which would not only hold on to tradition, but also develop the surrounding area.
Sumaiya Tasnim Reporter
The Department of Architecture, BRAC University, presented the fifth Noman Award for Excellence in Design (NAED) on May 22nd in the Indoor Auditorium of BRAC University.The award, celebrating the best design project of the graduating batch of 2017, was sponsored by architect Khaled Noman who believes Doito Bonotulshi, one of the members of the project, said of the experience, in enhancing students’ “One of the biggest things this has taught me is that such active participation in projectsrequire a bottom up process. I learnt how to listen the architecture design to the needs of the people living in the area, rather than process. The winning my preconceived ideas of what they needed to improve project, titled “Chach their lives. There were times when this entire project Nogori (Molt town): Revival seemed to be too difficult for me to handle. However, my of Metal Craft of Dhamrai,” instructors kept on pushing me to find the answers to was presented under the every ‘why’ that came my way and as I was presenting it supervision of assistant to the jurors, I realized all those ‘whys’ ended up being professors Mohammad the story that I was trying to find.” Bonotulshi believes Habib Reza, PhD and this project represents the entire neighbourhood of Iftekhar Ahmed, PhD. It Dhamrai and their extraordinary artisans.She is hopeful focused on the present in accomplishing many more projects in the future for the scenario of Dhamrai’s benefit of people with such great craftsmanship. craftsman community. The award ceremony was followed by an exhibition of Dhamrai is the main ten final-year projects. centre for metal casting These projects were shortlisted by teachers and the in Bangladesh. It has Accepting the Noman Award for Excellence in Design winning one was selected by a jury panel comprising of produced handmade metalware (Bronze) for markets throughout Bangladesh using the lost wax casting the teachers and external critics. The department’s official logo, crest, mug and method (cire perdue) and hollow casting method which is over 2,000 years old. T-shirt were also unveiled at the venue. ■
School of Law fights for human rights Kashfia Hassan Reporter The World Organisation Against Torture (WOAT) is an alliance of nongovernmental organisations which aims to fight arbitrary detention, torture, summary and extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances and other forms of violence. They began their 63rd session in Geneva, Switzerland on April 23rd, where Dr Saira Rahman Khan, Professor, SOL, submitted a paper on “Torture and the Law: Rights and Realities”. She has been involved with human rights based activism and research for years and attended a closed meeting organised by the WOAT on May 11th for the submission. Saimum Reza Talukder, Senior Lecturer, SOL and Anusheh Shiham Ali, Lecturer, SOL, have both been awarded a co-consultancy titled “Review and Analysis of the Digital Security Act-2018, Information and Communication Technologies Act -2018 and Pornography Control Act-2012”. It is a section of the “Sexual Exploitation of Children Online and in Travel and Tourism” project by Ain-o-Salish Kendra. To receive this title, they had to study these laws by conducting Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) in Khulna, Sylhet, Chittagong and Dhaka. The conclusions derived from the study is to be shared at
the GDLN Center of BRAC University on July 5th. Saimum Reza Talukder has also fought for freedom of expression, right to peace and developments rights by taking part in plenary sessions as an alumnus of May 18 Memorial Foundation. He attended the Gwangju Human Rights Forum 2018 at Gwangju, South Korea which took place from May 14 to 21. Besides global issues, Md Mostafa Hosain, Assistant Professor, SOL and Farhaan Uddin Ahmed, Lecturer, SOL, have tackled the much closer to home Rohingya issue and published opinion editorials and columns on the topic. In “Myanmar should pay reparations to Rohingyas” published in The Daily Star, Farhaan Uddin Ahmed discusses why Myanmar is liable to pay the Rohingyas Compensation for mistreating them, even though “such material assistance and symbolic gestures will never be able to make the lives of the victims whole again or make up for all the suffering that they had to endure.” Simultaneously, Md Mostafa Hosain penned an op-ed for The Independent titled “Security Council on Rohingya issue: Compromising with impunity” which is a reflection on the role of the UN Security Council in acknowledgement of the atrocities suffered by the Rohingya minority. ■
Inter University Hackathon Faisal Bin Iqbal Reporter
application also has additional features for women such as providing guidance on how to exit abusive marriages and ensure their safety in abusive relationships This triumph adds to the numerous achievements of the students from the CSE department. Team Awkward Turtles’ victory will only encourage our students to get more engaged in such competitions and to bring the glory home. ■
Team Awkward Turtles from BRAC University won the BUET Inter University Hackathon 2018 in the category “Domestic Violence against Women and Children”. It was a one day event and a part of the university’s CSE fest held on their campus on the 4th of May. The team consisted of Anamika Ahmed, Bashar Bhuiyan, Mariam Begum and Samiha Nanjiba. All of the members are seniors from the Department of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE). The hackathon was divided into three categories, aimed for solving three unique problems. These were “Mental Health Problems in Bangladesh”, “Violence against Women and Children” and “Fake news in Social Media.” The teams participating were required to select a single category, develop an idea and design a system which would ultimately act as a viable solution to the given problem. Team Awkward Turtles developed an android application that would allow Team Awkward Turtles. From left to right: Mariam Begum, victims to seek instant help Anamika Ahmed, Samiha Nanjiba, Bashar Bhuiyan. services in emergencies. The
2 | BRACU Express
BRIEFS BIZ BEE’s E-Carnival 3.0 On the 10th and 11th of June, BRAC University Business Club (BIZ BEE) successfully organised E-Carnival 3.0, the third edition of its annual e-commerce fair. It is an annual exhibition of e-commerce, where various online stores and e-commerce giants, have a vast plethora of products on display for the students to purchase. This year’s edition saw 18 stores participate, including household names like Bagdoom. The event was well received by the participants and the customers, as there was a huge variety of affordable products on display, ranging from mobile accessories to makeup, and many stores had stocked up on jerseys for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which was well received by the customers.
Unilever trains in corporate skills Unilever Bangladesh Limited has taken the initiative to train young minds to prepare them for the corporate world and they intend to achieve this goal by conducting a two session event in various universities including BRAC University. The event was divided into a first section called “UpSkill” where the students get to hear from the recruiters themselves! “UpSkill” will be designed to make students better equipped in the job search process, through insider tips and tricks on how to craft better CVs and how to ace the assessment center and final interview. A second segment called “Uniquely Unilever” followed, allowing students to get a taste of the Unilever experience, by getting familiar with the company’s purpose driven brands. This session will be tied in with the “UpSkill” sessions, and will feature brand managers sharing their career journey at Unilever, along with their unique brand stories.
Visiting Fellow Ambassador Tariq Karim has joined BRAC University as a Visiting Fellow. Previously he had joined the Department of Government & Politics in the College of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Maryland at College Park, USA, as Distinguished International Executive in Residence (1999-2000). He served as a Senior Advisor at the Center for Institutional Reforms and the Informal Sector (IRIS) of the University of Maryland (20022005). From 2003- 2008, he served as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Maryland at College Park, George Washington University in Washington D.C., and the Virginia International University, Fairfax, Virginia. Apart from his numerous affiliations with the academic world, he was a High Commissioner of Bangladesh.
July 22, 2018
CAMPUS NEWS
Mongol Tori ranks 13th in URC-2018 Faiza N Rafa Reporter Following the success of “BRAC Onnesha”, “Chondrobot” and “Duburi”, the students of BRACU set out for another space challenge when four months ago their rover design got selected to compete in the final round of the prestigious University Rover Challenge (URC)-2018. The URC is an annual competition hosted by the Mars Society and is known to be one of the toughest university level challenges.
Team Mongol Tori at the Mars Desert Research Station
The challenge was to build a rover to help explore Mars. Over the course of four months, the group of six members grew into a multidisciplinary team of 21 members consisting of students from Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), Pharmacy and Business departments.The students were divided into eight sub groups that
managed the electrical, mechanical, control, communication,writing, design, science, financial and promotional aspects of the rover that was being constructed to essentially serve as an assistant to astronauts. The ‘Mongol Tori’ passed all challenges thrown its way with flying colours scoring a perfect hundred in the science section and secured its place in the finals with 35 other teams from all over the world. The final round
BUAPS debuts with annual exhibition Akter Tonima, lab assistant, sent in her craft for display, which made the event all the more special. The Art and Photography Society Spectators began to swarm into (BUAPS) has been proudly organizing the auditorium from 10am on both art exhibitions year after year and 2018 days and lost themselves to all the was no exception. On June 3rd and 4th, fabulous displays until the event’s this annual exhibition was organised closing at 4pm. Like every year, the with the aim of providing a platform to exhibition received media coverage, this time from ATN Bangla. T h e exhibition was inaugurated by Lady Syeda Sarwat Abed, Founder and Director of BRAC Institute of Languages. The honourable Vice Chancellor Lady Abed viewing the work displayed at the exhibition. Professor Syed Saad Andaleeb, the showcase the artistic talent of BRACU honourable Pro-VC Professor Ansar students, faculty and staff members. Ahmed and Lt Col Md Foyzul Islam, With the Art Society becoming the Art Registrar of BRACU were all guests and Photography Society, this year to the closing ceremony. photographs were exhibited alongside Rad Shahmat, President of the artwork for the first time. BUAPS, described how artists often BUAPS collects artwork, crafts and hesitate to compete, but are always photographs from all groups of people willing to submit their work for a and puts them up for display in the showcase. Hence, by showcasing exhibition. their talent, Shahmat believes it A record number of three hundred encourages them to pursue their submissions was received by BUAPS passion. BUAPS hopes to host an this year, a staggering one hundred inter-university Art and Photography more submissions than last year. Nahid competition in the future. ■
Rafsan Zia Reporter
took place from May 31st to the 2nd of June, 2018 at the Mars Desert Research Station outside Hanksville, Utah in the United States. According to the team it was difficult weather to work in since it was foreign and made to resemble Mars. The environment was extremely new to them compared to the lab in UB5 where the rover was built. Throughout the whole journey Associate Professor Dr Md Khalilur Rahman and Lecturer Md Saiful Islam from the CSE Department acted as the co-advisors of the team constantly supervising their work. The team had a great experience at the event meeting like minds and sharing their knowledge. After four months of hard work and 4 days of anticipation, on June 2nd the results revealed that “Mongol Tori” secured 13th place in the global rankings. While that is an outstanding achievement in itself the “Mongol Tori” team will continue and take part in the competition again next year with newer features added and more improvements made. ■
Spreading the rays of Ray Faiza N Rafa Reporter From May 27th to May 31st, BRAC University Film Club (BUFC) celebrated one of the greatest filmmakers of Bengali cinema, the iconic, Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Ray won numerous national and international awards and recognition for his contributions to cinema. To celebrate this iconic figure who changed the course of Bengali cinema, BUFC hosted a three day long film festival. The goal of the workshop was to familiarise the film making enthusiasts of BRAC University with the knowledge of the film industry and many other aspects of filmmaking. Though a filmmaker of the late 1900s, Ray till date manages to have a full house whenever his films are screened.On the first day of the festival, the indoor auditorium located at UB1 was filled up to watch “Jolshago” and “Charulata”, two of Satyajit Ray’s best films. On the second day in between the screening of “Aranyer Din Ratri” and “Joy Baba Felunath” the audience was surprised by the arrival of a prominent director of our country, Amitabh Reza Chowdhury who shared his experiences of the film industry through an open discussion session with the audience. The festival ended with a workshop on the third day conducted by MHM Mubasshir, senior lecturer of the Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MNS) department. Shamim Hasan Sarkar, leader of the Mango Squad and the YouTube channel of the same name, joined him as guest speaker. ■
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July 22, 2018
OPINION & ACADEMICS Nurul Amin made Professor Emeritus Najibah Rahman Reporter Professor ATM Nurul Amin, PhD, Chairperson of the Department of Economics and Social Sciences (ESS) here at BRAC University, has been honoured with the title of Emeritus Professor by Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) at their 129th graduation ceremony on Friday, May 18th. The decision was approved earlier this year by the AIT Board of Trustees, and on the day of the ceremony the title was bestowed upon him by AIT President, Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai and 129th graduation ceremony on Friday, May 18th. and Vice Chairperson of AIT Executive Committee, H.E. Pradap Pibulsonggram. Professor Nurul Amin completed his PhD in Economics from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, in 1982. Five years later, he joined AIT as an Assistant Professor. In 1998, he achieved professorship at the same institution and served there for 21 years. He has a total of 176 publications, focused mostly on consequential issues like the urban informal sector, economics of rural-urban relations, urbanizations, urban employment, urban poverty and the designing of public policy interventions for environmental protection and
The BRAC University Scholars Programme is an opportunity for motivated and talented students to expand their undergraduate degree with a multidisciplinary study programme that includes specialized coursework and leadership training closely monitored by members of faculty. At present the participating departments are English and Humanities (ENH), Economics and Social Sciences (ESS) and School of Law (SoL). The Scholars must possess an ability to understand and absorb topics and issues outside of their current disciplinary framework. Students will have to take six courses, two each from the three departments participating in the programme. Dr Samia Huq, ESS, one of the founders of the programme, told us how the aim is to provide a holistic approach to the students, preparing them to solve social problems through applying the knowledge gained. In addition to the courses, students will also have to write a interdisciplinary dissertation. This teaches them how to draw across disciplines in order to address one specific problem, including how to deeply study literature to develop an expertise for articulating the arguments logically and coherently.
Professor Emeritus Dr Hafiz G A Siddiqi Roshni Shamim Reporter
management. On his work in the field of urban environmental management, Professor Amin says, “The dichotomy between the informal and formal social citizens can be maxed out when three things are put to importance, namely, regularity, economy and moral ethics. In order to reduce the dichotomy, these elements can be used at a fair point.” The title of Emeritus Professor is awarded to only a selected few who have made substantial contributions and achieved outstanding international professional status in their respective fields via numerous teachings and publications. Professor Amin’s work over the years has contributed a lot to urban environmental management, which is one of the most pressing problems of Bangladesh in recent years, and in years to come. ■
BRACU’s interdisciplinary programme for earnest academics Sumaiya Tasnim Reporter
Tribute to
On May 22nd, Professor Emeritus Dr Hafiz GA Siddiqi of BRAC Business School passed away after his fierce battle with a protracted illness ended. The news left his colleagues and students alike bereft. In the many years he served in academia, Dr Siddiqi amassed a long list of accomplishments working as a professor, researcher, international consultant and business executive for more than 50 years. Dr Siddiqi worked for the World Bank and Asian Development Bank and as an advisor for various agencies of the government of Bangladesh. He served as the Director and Professor of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka for 21 years; and as former Vice Chancellor of North South University. Dr Siddiqi was widely respected and honored by his peers and students alike. He was known to be a gentle, soft spoken man whose knowledge encircled many far reaching fields. He always kept a positive outlook on life
Professor Firdous Azim, the Chairperson of the Department of ENH, shared her insight about the programme: “You see, through this special thesis we will see how the scholars students have gained the ability to combine the methodology picked from these three departments and create one element. We see students who are professionally motivated and have the urge to explore their horizon with challenges at the same time.” Farhin Rahman, an undergraduate from ENH, has shared her insight as she continues her journey of participating in the programme. “I think it is important to take chances in life especially when you are an undergraduate and I believe this program will help me develop analytical skills better,” says Farhin. The participating students must complete 18 credits of coursework and a 6 credit worth of special thesis in order to complete the program. As the programme is highly demanding, the department makes a list of eligible students and arranges interviews and assessments for selection. Students with a CGPA of 3.5 or above who have completed 60 to 70 credits at BRAC University and have at least one and half year before their graduation are eligible to apply. Students are finally selected via an interview. This list is updated every year to include new students to this cohort. ■
Professor Siddiqi, daughter of Dr Siddiqi, speaking at his memorial.
that inspired many of his colleagues to look up to him as their mentor or even as a trustworthy confidant. Dr Siddiqi’s topmost priority in his professional field was he always focused on the development of quality education. He was a pioneer in the establishment of most private universities in Bangladesh. BRAC University organized a memorial in his honor on the 29th of May in the Building 2 Indoor Auditorium of the University’s Mohakhali campus. His daughter, Dina M Siddiqi, Professor of the Department of Economics and Social Sciences at BRAC University, was present at the memorial and spoke of her father’s love for knowledge, which she carries with her still. She expressed hope that Dr Siddiqi’s legacy would carry on through his students. ■
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July 22, 2018
SPECIAL FEATURE
BRAC University is home to many inspired musicians who over the years use music as a release from the pressures of completing a four-year degree. These talented individuals seek expression in the form of music: be it in front of Jahangir mama’s tong, social media platforms and even on stage in front of roaring crowds; each one of them has a story that has music stitched in their lives. This time we tried to explore some of those stories.
Akif, a senior in the department of Computer Science and Engineering, was only in the 2nd grade when he was first exposed to heavy metal. His neighbor introduced him to Iron Maiden, a british heavy metal band. From that moment on, Akif fell in love with their performances, skill and energy on stage. It was shortly afterwards that that Akif realised his true calling. Despite the lack of support from his family, he relentlessly pursued his dream. Akif started playing his first instrument, the guitar, from 2007. Although he currently owns other, obscure musical instruments, guitar is still Akif’s favorite because of its versatile nature. Akif’s latest obsession is
Atif is the vocalist of the band Conclusion. They released an album recently, titled Mohakashchari, and it gained quite a lot of buzz around the campus and overall in Dhaka. However, before it all began, he just jammed and practiced music with his friends. Atif says, “I learned a lot from all the friends I jammed with, and honestly, I still do.” In his last year as a CSE major, Atif got professional training in singing from a very young age. Thanks to his mother’s encouragement, he never gave up singing and learnt to play new instruments later in high school. Atif admits that starting young does indeed give you an edge, but regardless of age, if you have the zeal and passion, it is never too late. For Atif, it was his drive to teach himself more and to create his own songs that inspired him to continue. When asked about his thoughts on the band and the recent album launch, he admits that it is hard to put it into words. He and his bandmates definitely struggled but he does not regret anything. “As for the album launch, it is extremely overwhelming to see our supporters singing along with our songs on our show. All I can hope is for this to stay like this and prosper for more albums to come,” he added.
with a musical instrument known as Oud, a Turkish, fretless and 11-stringed musical instrument that belongs to the lute family, and is tough to get a hang of. Akif used to be a part of the band Invictus, whose genre could be best described as thrash metal. When asked about what he thought of the underground metal scene in Bangladesh, he replied, “There is a lack of audience. Powersurge is the only mainstream band of this genre that I can think of, although good bands like Thrash, Dissector, Exalter and Sacrilege exists.” However, he claims that the amazing turnout during the EP launch of the death metal band, Nekrohowl, has given him hope. Akif is currently in the process of recording new music with Saptak Khan. Be on the lookout for Saptak and Akif’s new collaborative work, as well as the performances at the upcoming club fair where the duo may perform together!
You can download their album Mohakashchari for free from their website: conclusiontheband. com
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July 22, 2018
SPECIAL FEATURE Written by Nishat Shahara and Rafsan Zia.
Photos are collected.
It all started as a spur of the moment thing, when Shanila decided to upload an Elvis Presley song that she had recorded on her phone. Though still a sophmore in the Department of Architecture, Shanila has over 3.4k subscribers on her YouTube channel to-date, and has released an original music
video, Joto Ja-e Bolo. Shanila started playing the guitar and taking lessons when she was in high school. Her family and friends were always supportive, and eventually encouraged her to create and upload proper videos of her song covers. She further honed her guitar skills with the help of her mentor, Shahriar Nabi Orchi. Shanila enjoys performing in shows, and advises young musicians: “Get yourself out there. Work hard and practice to reach a certain level where you yourself will know that you are good enough and I guarantee you won't disappoint yourself.” She added that there will always be people who will criticize a struggling artist, but it is best to not pay any heed to them and appreciate the ones who
support you. When asked about the inspiration behind her debut original music video, she mentions her family, friends and loved ones. “I wrote and tuned this song a long time ago, before I finally had the guts to get it out there. I'm glad that I was able to do it with the help and support of my mother, who has been there throughout the entire recording and shoot.”
Despite coming from a family of has not been great so far. His first musicians, Saptak Khan (Senior, ESS) band, Canvas, lasted only a short while. is a self-taught artist. Disappointed in Another band broke apart just before the superficiality of young musicians, the launch of their debut album. In fact, Saptak’s mother had disapproved of his he had to change bands multiple times. interest in music. It was the early 2000’s As of yet, Saptak feels that he has not when, inspired by Jason Becker and his been able to connect with fellow band music, Saptak sold his Eid clothes and members as their sole aim was about bought a Bangla guitar worth 1500 BDT. portraying a certain image, while his He hid it with a friend and practiced his was the search for authenticity. He is a music in secrecy. member of the band Caffeine, but it is “It took me months to learn a single currently on hiatus. chord. There was no internet, no Saptak has other solo projects where YouTube. I only had books and music to he experiments with the blues rock. His rely on,” Saptak recalls. learn everything on his own and never gave future plans focus on building content Young and passionate, he continued to up. Unfortunately, Saptak’s luck with bands and originality in his work.
Dew (Senior, CSE) was just a toddler when he first started singing and playing around with tabla. He started playing the guitar when he was just twelve years old and has been simultaneously learning and playing new instruments ever since. When asked, he gave us the list of instruments he can play: tabla, harmonium, guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, ukulele, mandolin and dhol. Dew modestly claims to know very little in the knowledge of music and aspires to learn even more.
His inspiration behind pursuing music is his mother. Dew states, “She always pushed me. In fact, she is the one who insisted I learn new things and bought me my first guitar even before I knew what a guitar was.” He considers himself lucky that both of his parents are music enthusiasts. He was first a part of the bad called Dimatrik. They often performed around Dhaka University and gained a niche fanbase. Later in 2014, he officially joined his friends’ band Venomous, as a guitarist. They launched an album soon after, titled Mukhosh. The response was amazing. Mukhosh sold over 150 copies just on the first day. However, the band lasted only that year. Dew prefers jamming with friends instead of focusing on music launches and forming bands. His advice for aspiring musicians is similar to his preferences, “Play music for yourself, because you like it. Do it often and with people around you. Passion and collaboration is the only way to go forward as a musician.”
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OFF CAMPUS & SPOTLIGHT
Passion in photography turned profession Faisal Bin Iqbal Reporter What started out as a hobby, turned into a passion and is now a running business. This is the story of Penta Prism, a new yet dedicated team of photographers covering different events in Dhaka. Owner and chief photographer, Mueed Hasan Atul ( Junior, CSE) is accompanied by Kazi Saad Asif ( Junior, EEE) and Labiba Ferdous ( Junior, Pharmacy). We caught up with Mueed to learn more about his passion project. How did the idea for this business strike you? Well it was not always about the ‘business.’ It was, is and always will be about my passion. What inspired you to dive into this passion of yours? You know the photographer, Chonchol Ahmed? He once praised one of my pictures saying that it was really impressive. This inspired me to do more, like innovate new framing techniques, play with light effects and muchmore. All great photographers out there are “light-benders.” Every day I wake up and think about how I can create a picture which will look unique. Nowadays, many people are photographers of some sort but you will get one such picture by someone that stands out from the rest and that’s what I try to keep doing every day. What, according to you, makes a photographer a professional? It’s the experience that differentiates them and nothing else. Those who call themselves ‘protogs’, a word we photographers use as a shortcut for “professional photographers”, will always complain about things for instance like the lighting, gears and every other things. Give a protog a toy camera and they will give you astonishing results. They will never call themselves professionals. They will always claim that it’s a never ending school. How big of a team do you have working with you right now? We have a really small team compared to our competitors. Currently, we have three photographers and a manager. Do you have additional help for editing? The photographers do their own editing because when they take a picture they are the ones who know how the picture will look and how they want the picture to be after “post processing.” What sort of events do you usually cover? All sorts. Mainly weddings, but we also do conferences and products. Any words of wisdom for the aspiring photographers out there? A lot more is there to learn about photography. Never stop being thirsty for knowledge. ■ Contact Penta Prism Photography at facebook.com/PentaPrismWeds
July 22, 2018
Free the mind: in conversation with an alumnus Shaila Nusrat Correspondent In conversation with Tahmid Hussain, BRAC University Alumnus and Teach For Bangladesh Fellow Understanding social struggles and wanting to change lives is what drove Tahmid Hussain, an alumnus of BRAC University with a degree in Economics and Teach For Bangladesh Fellow, 2016 to co-found “FreeTheMind” (FTM), a social enterprise with the mission “Changing lives by democratizing education through collective action and technology.” One of their virtual learning platforms “Teach It!” (a FreeTheMind initiative with the purpose of enhancing learning experience by making teaching available for everyone on anything) has been selected as a “Banglalink IT Incubator 2.0” startup. Banglalink IT Incubator is a joint initiative of ICT Ministry, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, and Banglalink. The idea came to Tahmid and his co-founders during their Fellowship at Teach For Bangladesh, when they were placed as fulltime teachers in under resourced government primary schools. He and his colleagues, Teach For Bangladesh alumni Yameen Ahmad and Saifullah Al Azad and their friend Naimul Hossain, first
aimed to reduce the teaching-learning gaps of ICT, performing arts, visual arts and physical education by connecting universities to primary schools as part of sustainable community service. By connecting interested stakeholders, they established four fullydedicated computer/innovation labs in underserved Government Primary Schools in Dhaka. In these facilities, they conducted a variety of events such as- the informative “Hour of Code”; careeraspiration session, “Girls in ICT”; and basic ICT literacy courses with children who had no previous computer literacy skills. The conviction and passion towards sustainable social change instilled in him through Teach For Bangladesh’s Fellowship program drove Tahmid to leave his job post fellowship, in a local conglomerate and start his own entrepreneurial journey full time. As Tahmid explains, “My 4th graders are now teaching other kids online using virtual reality as part of peer-assisted learning! Since then, I have not stopped believing in the possibility of bringing in a cultural revolution in education-technology. Every day, I feel the dire need to be the one to share my hands-on experiences that could vouch for the model of bridging ambitious graduates to the under-served, but promising future workforce and dreamers of our nation.” ■
A pioneering artist on the rise Rafsan Zia Reporter Yash Rohan. A multi-talented individual with a range of skill sets, Rohan is an award winning filmmaker, actor, founding member of Icon Films and a Computer Science and Engineering student at BRAC University. BRACU Express had the distinguished opportunity of catching up with this young and aspiring actor and filmmaker in light of his debut film “Swapnajaal”, a love story between two teenagers faced with insurmountable injustice. Tell us a bit about Swapnajaal. How was the experience? Swapnajaal wasn’t just a big break for me but a journey full of knowledge and experience. I learned about the whole film making process, not just acting. I think the experience is a mixture of ecstasy, frustration, fear and nervousness. What was it like working with Giasuddin Selim and Pori Moni? Working with Giasuddin Selim and Pori Moni was a little surprising and brilliant at the same time. Giasuddin Selim’s simplistic approach to filmmaking made things easy. With Pori, I was a little concerned about our different backgrounds but thankfully we got along fine. What is your expectation from the film?
Everyone in the team made a tremendous effort to tell a story properly. If the audience views and admires it, then all of us would feel appreciated. Who or what motivated you to get into acting and filmmaking? Filmmaking is my hobby. As for acting, I starred in a Coca Cola TVC directed by Piplu R Khan. That was my inspiration. My mother and Giasuddin Selim were also among my core motivators. What was your big break in the industry? In terms of acting, Swapnajaal. I have not yet gotten my big break in directing. How was BRAC of assistance in this journey of yours? I am extremely thankful to all the faculty in the CSE department. Especially, Mr. Shamsul Kaonain. I owe my first TVC to him. What are your future plans? I plan to study filmmaking abroad. However, right now my main concern is to complete my studies and continue acting. Do you have any advice to offer to other aspiring actors? Rohan: Wait for the right work. Don’t do anything and everything. ■
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July 22, 2018
SPORTS NEWS Power Forward, Monika! Fahim Imtiaz Editor Gulnahar Mahbub Monika plays Power Forward for the Bangladesh Women’s National Basketball team. A passionate sports person, she is an inspiration to women in sports in the country. Which tournaments have you recently played in? Recently we participated in the All India Invitational Basketball Tournament in West Bengal, which was organised marking the hundred years’ celebration of Kolkata’s traditional club Rakhi Sangha. What other sports do you enjoy other than Basketball? I enjoy playing Football, and have played for BRACU before. I also enjoy playing Cricket.
was always into sports from a very young age. My father was also a huge fan of sports. He supported and encouraged me. I cannot see myself away from anything sports-related. How do you juggle work and Basketball? I consider myself lucky to have understanding parents who told me, “As long as your grades are good you can do whatever you want.” Some other parents would not allow their daughter to play despite them being called for the national team. Since Basketball cannot be our only profession, we have to juggle work and practice before any tournament. 3 hours of practice after a long day at the office is really difficult, but it just shows that where there is a will there’s a way.
How long do you plan to keep playing? Any plans after retiring? Monica can do both! As long as I can! After retirement I Other than sports, what hobbies interest you? want to keep working in sports. Some of us want to start a Office hours keep me busy but I like travelling a lot and club and try to engage more young women in our country have travelled with the team before. Hiking and trekking are to play. It would be great if we could make it easier for them to enter into sports. some of my favourite outdoor activities. Monika was chosen as the only female representative If you were anything other than a Basketball player, what of Bangladesh to attend the 58th International Session for would you be? Young Participants next month, at the Olympics Academy in If I had not played basketball, I would be a Cricketer. I Greece. We wish her the best on all her future endeavors. ■
Players sold for big bucks at the BUFL Bidding Battle Safir Zawad Reporter The Bidding Battle for BRAC University Football League (BUFL)2018 was held on June 9th, at the BRACU Indoor Auditorium. The Bidding Battle is where the pool of elite players are auctioned, with all 12 teams scrambling to buy the best players to build the best team on the path to BUFL glory. Each team is a l l o tt e d 6000 Bidding Points ( BP), which they have to spend on 5 pool players. The maximum amount that can be bid for a player is 5200 BP. In the case of two or more teams bidding the maximum amount for a player, one of two things will occur. If the player is present, then he would be given the
choice of choosing the team he would play for. In case the player is absent, a lottery would be done to determine where the player would go. Two players received the maximum amount in this year’s auction. Shahzeer went to BIZ BEE for 5200 BP, and Rayan was picked up by Monon for the same amount. Other notable purchases include Real to BUAC for 5000 BP, Rajo to CBU for 4500 BP, Pratik to EDF for 3900 BP, Raymond to BUCuC for 3800 BP, Raian to IABC for 3800 BP, Asif to BUFC for 3200 BP, Aranya to NSC for 3100 BP, Nahin to BULS for 2600 BP, Saad to BUDTF for 2200 BP, and Musaab to BUIGC for 2000 BP. This year’s Bidding Battle has seen teams take different approaches to building their team. ■
CBU, BIZ BEE, and DTF qualify for BUFL 2018 Safir Zawad Reporter The BRAC University Football League (BUFL) 2018 Playoffs were held on June 4th, at the Swat Field, Banani. The BUFL Playoffs are the precursor to the actual tournament, which is going to be held later on this semester, and this season’s playoffs featured five teams; Cricket BRAC University (CBU), BRAC University Business Club (BIZ BEE), Drama and Theatre Forum (DTF), Business and Economics Forum (BEF), and BRAC University Marketing Association (BUMA). The playoffs were played in a round robin format, where each competitor faced off with every other competitor in a league and the top two teams qualified for BUFL 2018 for which 10 other teams have already qualified. This year’s playoffs were dominated by the CBU, who racked up 9 points, winning almost all their fixtures. CBU’s final fixture vs BIZ BEE did end up deciding the fate of the playoffs, as both BIZ BEE, and DTF were equal on 5 points, with BIZ BEE having that game in hand. CBU were in red hot form, and expected to win, butBIZ BEE held on tight and got that much needed point they needed to qualify. DTF’s campaign seemed tohave come to an end, but with one of the teams that have already qualified pulling out, DTF were awarded the remaining spot in the BUFL, on the virtue of finishing third in the playoffs. This year’s BUFL promises to be a blockbuster, with the three teams from the playoffs joining BRAC University Entrepreneurship Development Forum (BUEDF), BRAC University Natural Science Club (BUNSC), BRAC University Law Society (BULS), BRAC University Cultural Club (BUCuC), BRAC University Monon, IABC – BRAC University, BRAC University Film Club (BUFC), BRAC University Adventure Club (BUAC), and BRAC University Indoor Games Club (BUIGC). The auction was held on June 9th. ■
8 | BRACU Express
July 22, 2018
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Deadpool 2: bigger, filthier, better
Editor-in-Chief Sayema S Hossain Managing Editor Selima S Kabir Senior Editor Zahra Mayeesha News
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In Deadpool 2, the titular character, played by Ryan Reynolds, dons his red suit again to star in a worthy sequel to the R-rated hit filled with just the right dose of breaking-the-fourth-wall and pop-culture references that leaves the audience aching with laughter. After an extensive marketing campaign run by the enthusiastic Reynolds, the movie released to great critical acclaim. While the movie delivers its promise of crass humour and violence, the film’s greatest strength is its focus on a family-driven arc for the notorious mercenary, complete with a story of redemption. To add the already hilarious cast, Deadpool’s attempt to create the X-force also leads to a larger ensemble
with a few heavyweight actors hidden amongst them. The most anticipated appearance of course has been Deadpool’s partner-in-crime Cable, played by Josh Brolin. The banter and forced camaraderie between the two is one that fans have dreamed of for years. Certain scenes do feel as if they have been picked right out of the panels of a comic book. Deadpool 2 is a hilarious sequel chock full of excellent CGI, hilarious cameos by Fox’s other Marvel characters as well as having the self-aware hero taking jabs at politicians, pop-culture icons, the rival DC Universe and much more. Reynolds has hinted at a possible third being on the way and we just cannot wait! ■ Written by Rashaad Habib.
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