Alhamdulillah, by Allah’s grace today was a beautiful day. The kind of day you keep. I do not know whether I will get another one like it.
Yesterday Sujon called and asked me to come to campus today. No reason, just to wander around. Exams were over, it was a holiday, and I was not doing much at home anyway, so I got up in the morning and set off for campus. I had barely arrived when Sujon called. I had assumed he was already on campus, but he said he had just woken up and was on his way, could I wait a little.
I called Rasif. He was out too, and it would take him a while to get there. What could I do? I went to the garden, wandered around a little, took some photos and walked over to the hall, the student residence. Rasif had arrived, so the two of us went for tea. A little later Sujon turned up as well.
Setting off without a plan
So now what? Wandering around was fine, but where? There was no plan at all. Rasif said, let’s go to the garden, we have not been there in ages. Sujon wanted to go too, so I did not argue, and we went to the garden a second time. We drifted about and chatted for a good while, and somewhere in the chatting I blurted out, let’s go to Ramna. Ramna Park and Suhrawardy Udyan are the two big parks right beside the university, so if we went through Suhrawardy Udyan we could take in both. And with that we set off.
We walked all the way to Suhrawardy Udyan. I cannot describe how good it felt. No pressure on the mind, no hurry. Three friends walking along with easy minds, talking, and what could be better than that.
On the way in we saw a crowd of people waiting to see the Independence Museum. I had never been, so I suggested we go in, and it turned out Rasif had never been either, which made it easier. Look at the state of me: this museum is right next to campus, and I had got through two whole years and stepped into my third without ever finding the time to visit. Anyone who heard that would laugh out loud.
The museum under the ground
Anyway, in we went. The whole thing is below ground, every room of it. Newspaper reports from 1971 onwards, along with some of the memorable events of that time, are presented beautifully here. But what I liked most was the artificial waterfall. That alone was worth the visit.
By the time we came out it was half past one. It was clear that Ramna was not going to happen today. We turned back towards the hall.
A tree-naming contest by the roadside
On the way back Sujon suddenly called out, nageshwar tree. That is the Ceylon ironwood. Rasif heard him and said, Mesua ferrea. Just to have some fun, I added the synonym, Mesua nagassarium. Then I thought, why not start a tree identification contest right here? They would get to know a few new trees, and the ones they already knew would get a bit of revision.
So, to push things that way, I asked, who knows this tree? Both of them did, but Rasif gave the scientific name and went a step ahead of Sujon. For the next tree Sujon answered before Rasif could, and pulled ahead. The one after that they got together. It was a close fight all the way.
By the time we got back we had learned the names and scientific names of a good number of roadside trees. It worked out well: we had our wander, and some study along with it. The funny thing is, we do so much with plants in the lab, but how many of us can recognise those same plants when we meet them outside?
A little further on we noticed a rope tied to a tree like a swing. Rasif ran to it first and Sujon followed, and the two of them took turns trying, with great effort, to get a swing out of it. I was sure one of them would snap the rope and land with a thud, because it did not look very strong. But watching the two of them turn into children, that worry seemed very small. Luckily they finished their swinging in one piece.
A feast at Mamun Biryani House
We might have stayed a while longer, but Sujon had some urgent work, so we got back to the hall as fast as we could. I had imagined we would all go and eat together, but when we got there Beni Amin was already sitting with his food, Mominur had his plate in hand and said he had eaten, and when I asked Hasibur outside, he had eaten too. If only we had come back a little earlier. No matter, it did not happen today, another day inshaAllah.
After a short rest we went out to eat. The plan was to go somewhere far off, but our hunger shrank the distance as far as it could, right down to Mamun Biryani House. The three of us went and ate well, Sujon’s treat, and ate until we were thoroughly satisfied. We ate so much that walking back was out of the question.
We just sat there until our bodies finally gave some sign of being willing to walk, then somehow dragged ourselves up and headed for the hall. On the way we saw a game on at Shahidullah Hall and went over. Sujon and I came back, and Rasif stayed on there.
Sujon lay down as soon as we got into the hall. When I asked, he said he was not going home. And I caught my 5:10 university bus and went home.
It was a lovely day. I want more days like this to come back into our lives. Next time, inshaAllah, we will go to Ramna Park. Very soon.
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