What's in a name?

Its still fine if we Bangladeshis keep on fighting with each other and keep on throwing salt at each other’s wounds for silly issues, but just imagine how you feel when a foreigner takes the opportunity to point out something really silly but which leaves you a bit unprepared and sans réponse too.

In our Chinese class being held at North South University, we learnt that we are xuesheng (students) of Chinese Language at the Nan-Bei Daxue (North South University). She also recalled that she came across another university in Mohakhali called dong-xi daxue (East West University). By the way, we were learning how to say directions in Chinese language. Our laoshi (Teacher) asked naively why the universities were names as such and which other ‘direction-led’ universities were in town. The answers came as Northern, South-east, Eastern etc. We realize that ‘direction-name-slots’ still up for grabs include north-east, south-west, up-down, left-right university etc. Also, ‘ishan-kone’ is one of my personal favorites as the ‘direction-led’ naming of any new born private university. In the same tune, my teacher, who had the eyes of a tourist and paid greater attention to detail in and around the streets of Dhaka pointed out the geographic variety while naming universities. She claimed that many big universities are in place as they have big names of continents and countries such as World University, American University, Asian University and the recent discovery of British American University (not tobacco) Dhanmondi, Dhaka! So no wonder our naming gurus of those private universities cum companies are visionary people who have set their ambitions high and across boundaries, surely they can see the sky much closer from their 10 storey building, which also happens to be their only campus most of the times.

So much so for the Chinese teacher, who cares what she thinks. But I think when I will set up my university I will again write a post asking for your help to propose some innovative names based on directions, geographic locations etc. Your children might get enrolled in Upre-Nichey University, Daaney-Baamey University of which I will be the VC. Education is a hot-cake business in Bangladesh isn’t it? Lets bake it nasty!