University life is a step toward adulthood for the students living in Bangladesh. They get the most anticipated freedom in their hand after stepping into university. In the case of university goers living in student dorms, life becomes more versatile, more enthusiastic, more extrovert, and full of action. And in the case of students living in Jahangirnagar University dorms, all those opportunities become triple in amount.
At present, there are 6 male dorms and 6 female dorms. The butterfly shaped maze like Mir Mosharrof Hossain hall or the zigzag staircase of Pritilata Hall is bound to make everyone hold their breath.
REAZUL HASAN TURZO, a final year student allotted in Mir Mosharrof Hossain hall exclaims:
"Mir Mosharrof Hossain hall is the biggest hall for boys in the Asian sub-continent designed by the Master Planner Mazharul Islam. The dorm is so big that any new person can easily get lost in the corridors! There is a room numbered "32 and half" because of the butterfly shaped design!"
Each of these halls or dormitories has its own canteen, a super store, a dining hall, a TV room, a guest room, with Wi-Fi connection.
When students take admission in Jahangirnagar University, each student is assigned to a dorm by the register office. After getting allotment, first year students do not get the opportunity to stay in personal rooms for the first eight or nine months. Rather they have to stay in common rooms known as "Gono Room", where about 70 to 80 students stay together. Though the cramped up conditions of the common room make students terribly miss the comfort of home, but within one or two months Gono Room becomes the place of harmony.
KAMRUNNAHER MOU, a fourth year student allotted in Begum Khaleda Zia Hall remembers her Gono Room experience:
"At first when I saw the Gono Room, I felt very sad. But now, when I have a room of my own, I terribly miss the Gono Room. I still remember, one night, my friend woke me up from sleep at 1am and I saw that all the girls were up on their bed dancing and celebrating birthday of one of my friends. I wonder what life would have been without that experience! But I can give one guarantee for sure that Gono Room friendships last forever."
The student dorms take up a festive look with colourful lights and banners during national holidays --- Independence Day and Victory Day. The authority hold feasts for the students and food coupons are sold at a very lower price. For the students, feasts become a day of festivity, celebration and good food day! During other cultural festivals --- Pooja and Pahela Baishakh, each of the dorms takes on a makeover of festivity. The whole campus becomes an arena of celebration.
The dorms provide acute chances to the students to become active in sports. The dorms have their own cricket team, football team, basketball team and volleyball team etc. Inter dorm sports competitions are often held in the campus.
MONJURUL EMON, the sport secretary of the Department of English, is very active in sports in his own dorm --- Shaheed Rafiq-Jabbar Hall. When asked about the scope of involvement in sports in the dormitories, he replies:
"The sports events take place either administratively or self sponsored. There are sports like athletics and footballs which are organized by the University Physical Department. My hall, Shaheed Rafiq-Jabbar hall performs very well in sports like athletics and won many prizes."
The students in Jahangirnagar University are identified by their assigned hall. Jahangirnagar is all about tradition and culture, and the residential dorms are its protectors.
However, Jahangirnagar University dorms are also bestowed with some setbacks. The crucial problem faced by the students of male dormitory --- seat crisis. The male students usually don't get individual room earlier. Sometimes they have to share two seated room with 7 to 9 people due to the scarcity of allotted rooms. Other than room scarcity, there are other problems too.
MD ZAHIN AMAN, a student living in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, says:
"The washrooms are of utter misery. Toilets get flooded and the doors are broken. The food in canteen specially fish and meat is not well washed --- these are the problems, we have to face every day."
While all these problems are everyday scenario at the halls, the former students find those to be the essence of student life.
NISHAD ADNAN, a former inhabitant of Mir Mosharrof Hossain hall, who is currently doing Fellowship under Teach for Bangladesh recalls his student life:
"During my studentship, I thought the scarcity of room, unhygienic food, dirty toilets; all those problems are big issues. But now, when I am no more a Jahangirnagarian, I realize that all those problems are what make students realize their responsibility toward the country and society."
In recent times, when the whole country is going through an unstable political condition, the question arises how stable the political condition among the JU halls are. In Jahangirnagar, various political groups --- Chatro League, Chatro Union, and Chatro Dol perform their activities based on the dormitories.
ANIS PIPU, a former political activist of Mir Mosharrof Hossain hall claims:
"Clash between the students from different halls occurs very often but not necessarily on political issues. But the student leaders are always aware in keeping the situation under control. There is totally no pressure on the general students to get involved in politics."
Girls are very aware of their rights, security and roles. They actively protest against national and campus related unjust issues. Last year when the authority tried to change the gate closing time of the female halls from 10pm to 7pm, almost all the female students came forward to protest against the system.
JENNIFER EHSAN JEBA, was on the lead of the protest from Jahanara Imam Hall, said:
"That rule was totally illogical for me because we are studying in a Public Residential University. Sometimes we have classes till 5pm. We all have work. If we set off for Dhaka by university bus at 5pm, it takes 2 hours to pass the Gabtoli traffic jam and reach the city. The movement was done to keep the hall entry time till 10pm, so that we can enter the hall in time."
Despite all the problems the dormitories are the only places that provide not only an identity but also a shelter for the students at the end of the day. Students come to know how to share and care for each other through the dormitory experience. Each student makes a separate world of their own in the little corner of their room.
QURRATUL AEIN RAFIA of Pritilata Hall says:
"Home is 120/B, Pritilata Hall! My dorm gives me the warmth of home, love of all those grass hoppers and lizards, laughter of unveiled sunshine and the comfort of my own darkness. At night when I stroll across the meadows or walk across the corridors, I re-discover myself."
Leaving the dream land dorms at the end of student life becomes a nightmare for almost all the Jahangirnagarians.
MUNIA ISLAM MOZUMDAR, a Teach for Bangladesh fellow and a former inhabitant of Begum Khaleda Zia hall, says:
"I still remember the times when we used to stay up till late night and cook khichuri. But the best part of staying in hall is the cultural exchange that takes place. I also had a friend from Nepal who taught me the diversity of their culture and I also shared our cultural heritage with her. Language exchange is another merit of staying in hall. I had friends from Tribal areas. I learned a lot about tribal language from them too."
FARIA ALAM, a faculty of South East University recalls her JU dorm experience and says:
"I miss my carefree, bookish life of hall. In our room we three (all from same department, same batch) maintained some rule like that person who will rise late in morning will make tea in evening. I miss those moments with them."
Even those who left their studentship and became teacher of Jahangirnagar University cannot forget the charm of dorm life.
SUMANA GUPTA, a lecturer at Department of English, recalls her dorm life with a bloom of nostalgia and adds:
"University life is incomplete without hall life. The dirty environment, unhygienic food of the canteen, the diverse background of people, all these are a representation of the entire Bangladesh. The experience of the JU dorms teaches the students how to get close to life, and how to hold a responsible attitude toward the country."
The dormitories provide the Jahangirnagarians a bigger opportunity to make a place of one's own. It is a place where students from all over the country come over to share their life for 5 long years. It is a place that people call their second home. It is the place where people get the true taste of university life!
The writer is schooling with Jahangirnagar University
