Monday | 13 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Monday | 13 January 2025 | Epaper

Reflections

A public school of distinction

Published : Wednesday, 18 January, 2017 at 12:00 AM  Count : 287
Mahbubar Rahman

"Forty years on, when afar and asunder Parted are those who are singing to day"
    ï¿½EE Bowen (1836-1901), an English school master.

Fifty years ago in 1958 in a crisp sunny winter day, a boy of ten years of age, hand in hand with his father, was passing through a thoroughfare called Ice Factory Road, Chittagong. Overlapping the thoroughfare a majestic red-brick structure standing on a huge area stretching one length to another of the long road came to boy's view he gazed onto with a curious mind. Boy's father introduced the structure to his son as Chittagong Collegiate School --- one of the leading schools in the country and asked his son to take all necessary preparations for admission in the school next year after he crossed the threshold of primary school. The boy was thrilled and deeply inspired and after short passage of time set for the admission test in the school premises in 1959. While in invigilation, the Head Master of the school Afzalur Rahman Sir came near to boy, who looked a bit nervous, and gave a kind look at him and inspired the boy with his kind words to be confident. The admission test was over in time and the boy went back home with fear and suspense in his mind whether he would get through and be selected for admission or not. After a couple of days, the admission result was out and to his pleasant surprise the boy noticed his name in the list of boys qualified for admission. After going through the admission formalities with the help of Ohidul Alam Sir, a serving teacher in the school and a good friend of boy's father, at last the boy who was none other than this writer got into admitted in class six of this prestigious school and became a proud Collegiate for his life time.
Looking longer back with flashing through the recesses of imagination to an era of late 1950s and early 1960s, I discretely remember my first day in Chittagong Collegiate School in the class room with Bhupati Sir --- the class teacher of class six who appeared with his kind gesture and words to new comers with a view to making them feel easy and relaxed in the new environment.
The classroom was filled with old and new students and the newly admitted students obviously looked nervous of which I was not an exception. A handsome and healthy boy named Lokman Gani set beside me and extended his hands of friendship at me in the very first hour of the day. Friendship with other boys like Aamir Khosru, Sardar Rafique, Rupam Kishore, Hasan Imam, Subash, Deepak, Taher, Rabiul, Badrul, Mannan, Panaullah, Abdullah Farook, Showkat Kamal, Mahbubul Hoq, Omar Farook, Ataur, Jashim, Jalal, Aminul Hoq, Nazrul, Farhad Reza and lot many others of their likes developed soon over the days which continued to stretch long transcending the time frame of six year (1959-64) in the school till 1964 even after our passing out. Friendship being developed in the school days die hard even in the ripe age of sagging skin on any occasions of meeting with each other, old buddies just come out from all social barriers and quickly fall back upon the left behind days of the past in equal zest and gesture that they have had in their jubilant boyhood days in the school. Such occasions come in greater spirit and gusto when the school observes its founding anniversaries on occasions.  
A school of great fame and repute established in 1836 and still stand with its head held high with fame & repute and charm & grandeur, Chittagong collegiate School has observed its 180 years of founding anniversary recently making three days elaborate program in all gaiety and bonhomie beginning from 23 December to 25 December 2016 in the school premises with large numbers of participants of old and young boys of past and present generations. I have had the opportunity to be in this august gathering and in the first opportunity have had a brisk tour of the school watching keenly every detail of the structure and its surrounding that we had left behind long years ago. Keeping the pattern of the building intact, the school had some vertical expansion and with that turned into a majestic double storied building without much alteration in design. The only prized object that I missed in the Common Room with a little jolt inside was the Honour Board featuring the lists of the brilliant students of the school in different academic years. While stepping into wide lawn in front of the school where the daily School Assembly used to be held before the classes started, I got a little shock to see the lawn as an arid piece of land without any speck of greenery, Further, to my utter disappointment, I found the playground which was so enormous and ideal for football and Cricket to have turned a barren land filled with disturbing heaps of sands and dusts. My shock and disappointment further intensified having watched an spot in the south-west boundary line of the school, where a beautiful eye-soothing private school park with gardens and a small pond in the middle was in place for recreation of students, no more exits and the designated piece of land has been turned into an irritating and abandoned piece of jungle. I, however, negotiated and reconciled my thought process with the wind of changes which may have shattered and blown away the soothing ambience of the by-gone days to a great extent over the years.

A school with distinction, Chittagong Collegiate School has produced many students who became the distinguished citizens of the country and brought many accolades and laurels nationally and internationally in the field of education, peace, art & culture, professionalism, civil and military bureaucracy etc. The only Nobel Laureate of the country Professor Dr Muhammad Younus is the brilliant product of Chittagong Collegiate School. Eminent scientist and mathematician Professor Dr Jamal Nazrul and Prof Dr Abdullah Al-Muty Sharfuddin, reputed civil bureaucrat Shafiul Azam, reputed playwright and dramatist Ataur Rahman and Abul Hayat, famous writer and novelist Humayun Ahmed and his brother Prof Dr Jafar Iqbal, Dr Mustafa Nurul Islam, Dr A F M Yousuf, Dr Mahmoodul Alam, Dr Moinul Islam, Abul Momen and lot many more of equal fame and academic excellence were all prized products of Chittagong Collegiate School. The school was equally gifted with learned and dedicated teachers like Afzalur Rahman (Head Master) Sir, Tahmidur Rahman (Head Master) Sir, Serajul Haq (Head Master) Sir, Ohidul Alam (Senior Teacher) Sir, Rahman Ali (Asst. Head Master) Sir, Saber Ahmed Sir, Syed Ahmed Sir, Saadatullah Sir, Hussain Galia Sir, Mujibur Rahman Sir, Sobhan Sir, Fazlul Haq Sir, Mukhlesur Rahman (Drawing teacher). Sir, Harilal Babu (Maestro) Sir, Mahbubul Alam (Drill & Sports teacher) Sir, Bhupati Babu (class teacher) Sir, whose fond fatherly figure gestures, skills in minding and shaping the character of Students is deeply riveted in mind and still afresh in memory. They are all gone long time ago but their gracious shadows still loom over the heads of their all living students who were drenched by their pristine and unalloyed love and affection apart from their having instilled the pearls of knowledge and wisdom and all core values in the formation stage of life of all the students in the school. At this point, I pray for our all departed teachers. May Allah grant all of them with eternal peace in heaven!
Memory line of Chittagong Collegiate is so long and stretching that at this ripe age I cannot even forget few names of 'School daftaries', like Kala Mia, Shafi and Rash Mohan who used to cater to the needs of students with adequate care and compassion. I cannot forget that harrowing moment when daftari Rash Mohan, presumably having been unable to bear the pity and burden of life, committed suicide by hanging him in his earmarked quarter located at the south-western corner of the school boundary line. Memory of Zetu-the vendor selling mouth watering chana biriani, piazoo and fuska in the school premises still gives me back lustrous tresses of boyhood flashing through the niches of my imagination even at the long passage of time. Comical squeaks of daalpuri wala, shawnpapri wala and a hilarious song "mai chana banane wala ... yar malai hi majadar mera chana choor garam" sung by a vendor, sporting a pair of big mustache, in the school premises still resonates in the ears with equal joy and zest.
Side by side with all academic excellence, Chittagong Collegiate School diligently provided its students with facilities of various sports and games including Football, Cricket, Hockey, Volley Ball, Basket ball, Boxing, Table tennis and even Baseball which was not familiar in this part of the world in those days. Jafar, Nasir, Tangi and others of their likes used to play football in both district and national level. Chittagong Collegiate School was the only school in the then East Pakistan where a Para-military training course named J.C.C. (Junior Cadet Core) was mandatory for all students reading in class nine and ten. Every day in the evening, after school hour, one hour military parade and drill; divided in three groups namely Babar Platoon, Khalid Platoon and Tarique Platoon; used to be conducted regularly under the command of Suvedar Major Jashim Ustad, Havildar Ashraf Ustad and Naik Haroon Ustad, following strict professionalism and discipline. A cup of hot meat with a pair of sizzling paratha supplied from nearby Gani Restaurant after a daily routine parade was of much gastronomical delight. As a part of training, a yearly camping used to be held outside Chittagong where there was a cantonment nearby. I have had the occasion to be in such a camping at Comilla and have had occasion of firing 303 bore rifle at firing range of Mainamoti Cantonment in such an young age. Besides, as a part of increasing the skill of firing, firing was often practiced at the firing range of Police Line at Dampara, Chittagong. On one of the national days all J.C.C members including me displayed an exciting mock show of 'attack & defence' in full military fatigue with rifles and bayonets in hands and thunderbolt sounds of sound grenade at Niaz Stadium (now MA Aziz Stadium), Chittagong amid round of loud applause of the viewers.
A school known for both academic and personal discipline, producing scores of disciplined and brilliant students who were successful in life and contributed greatly in different fields in the country, there were of course, no dearth of school bullies who were like 'pain on neck' to both teachers and fellow students. Assistant Head Master Rahman Ali Sir, dubbed Hitler for his high-voltage strictness in maintaining school discipline and sporting a pair of moustaches like Hitler, once declared outrageously that if he was given proper authority, then he would build a prison cell at the corner of the school premises to throw all the school bullies into that prison cell for correction. Rahman Ali Sir's 'noble' plan was never materialized and the bullies continued to co-exist with mainstream students for eternal time.
Canvas of Chittagong Collegiate School is so widespread in its trait laden with hundred of episodes during our tenure, it is virtually impossible to narrate all such small and smaller episodes that used to be dramatized in our time in the school.
In observing the 180th founding anniversary in all 3 days long festivities, ex-students spoke reminiscing from memory many interesting and funny episodes of their lustrous boyhood days in the school. Many distinguished ex-students from different disciplines and
professions came up with promises and ambitious plan in rhetorical words for extending their moral and material supports in development works towards creating new facilities at the school premises. Such move is undoubtedly laudable and deserves commendation as long as the overall get-up and physical feature of the premises remain intact.
Chittagong   Collegiate School is one of the few Schools in the country spreading over a huge area of land with picturesque surrounding. Side by side with all such urgently needed development works only, it is more important to revamp the idea of recreating the lost park with a small pond, recreating the playground good for all kinds of games and sports and recreating a lush green Assembly Lawn with a flag post and a marvellous garden brimming in flowers right in front of the main school building which were all graciously in place during our days in 1960s. It would be best serving the cause of the school if the distinguished and influential ex-students, side by side with government's development plan, come forward to recreate and upkeep the splendid ambience that Chittagong Collegiate School had in its good old days. It is not an exaggeration to make a point that awe-inspiring environments with profuse greenery close to nature energies the aesthetic sense and creative faculties of mind of the students making good citizens and good human being while walking in the long highway of life.
In fine, I have the pleasure congratulating the
president of the organizing committee Mr MA Malek, Convener Mr Aamir Humayn Mahmood Chowdhury and General secretary Mr Mustaque Hussain and other office bearers including obviously the school authority and seating students for their untiring efforts and all sincere and commendable services in making this august occasion of 180th founding anniversary of Chittagong Collegiate School a grand success.

Mahbubar Rahman, an ex-student of Chittagong Collegiate School, is a former civil servant


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