It would be unfair to call Abhra just another stray dog of TSC. He belongs to the campus as much as the red-brick buildings, the tea stalls, the protest marches and the countless stories that have unfolded here. He is one of TSC's oldest and quietest residents.
Ironically, Abhra is not an energetic dog. Weighing around 35-40 kilograms, he spends most of his day asleep, usually beside Swapan Mama's tea stall or at Payra Chottor, stretched out wherever he finds a patch of shade. Walking is hardly his favourite activity.
Yet the moment a protest march begins, something changes.
No matter how long the procession is or how far it goes, Abhra somehow finds himself at the front. During the July movement, despite his heavy body and lazy reputation, he walked all the way to Bangabhaban with the protesters.
He did not understand the slogans or the politics behind them. But somehow, wherever the campus stood, Abhra stood too.
Sometimes I feel he has contributed more to the spirit of this campus than many students who simply passed through university life without ever becoming part of it. His presence has been constant, reliable, familiar.
When night falls, Abhra quietly takes on another role. As TSC grows silent, he becomes its unofficial night guard. The sound of an unfamiliar vehicle is enough to make him bark, as if reminding strangers that someone is always watching over this place.
Time, however, spares no one.
Over the years, Abhra has watched many of his canine companions disappear, one after another. Age is catching up with him too. At the same time, my own years at the University of Dhaka are coming to an end.
Nowadays, whenever I visit TSC, I often look for Abhra before I look for my friends. Sometimes I buy a small cake just so we can share it together. Then I remind myself that, considering his weight, I probably should not be feeding him so much.
One day I will leave this campus, just as thousands of students do every year. New faces will arrive. New memories will be made. But when I think of TSC, Abhra will always be among the first memories that come to mind.
Because some beings, without ever speaking a word or holding a student ID, become part of a place's history, culture and collective memory.
Abhra is one of them, the silent guardian of TSC.
