Lucky 2009

This year is all set to become the most exciting and eventful of my life. Well, by all set, I mean it's already started! In the first 3 months, I've already done some extremely interesting work from the New Age campaign on the elections, then set off for an exciting and long-awaited Eurotrip. I met Sarah after more than 7 months, and I can't even start to believe that the next time I'm going to see her will be on our wedding stage!

I'm also preparing to start the new life, not only as a married (Inna Lillahi...) "man" but also as a student at the university I've dreamed of all my life. Even more than the fact that I'm going to study Public Administration at Kennedy School, what excites me most is the kind of people I'm going to meet and be friends with starting August. Each of them bring in a vast diversity of experience from all over the globe, and are all as passionate, or more, about development and politics. Some of them are probably going to be future ministers and presidents, some the heads of international institutions and even the UN. And maybe, just maybe, a couple of Nobel Laureates might be in there as well. About myself, I'm not so sure!

What will be the icing on the cake will be having my best friend (Sarah, duH!) living with me (hopefully), a blessing in the difficult life of a graduate student who has never lived without his family. But what makes all of it even better is that Utchash is going to be right around the corner at Amherst. Well, not quite...but in the US, a 90 minute drive is pretty close by, right!?

Could I have asked for anything more?

Eurotrip Day 2: Arriving in Amsterdam (19 March)

The Goddess of sleep was terribly dissatisfied this morning, when I woke up at 5:30 to get ready to catch my bus. After double checking my bags and gobbling down a bowl of cornflakes, Lala very kindly decided to drop me and Sarah to Barking Station. I was surprised that it was already daylight outside, unlike the previous time I was in London when it used to be dark until 9. Good start to the day I suppose!

Again a bit of struggling down the stairs with luggage, and we were on the tube to Victoria. We had to walk quite a bit before we reached the bus station though. We waited a while until the bus showed up, and saying bye to her after only such a short while together was unbearable.

The trip would be 12 hours long, but I was excited because unlike a plane, I would be able to see what’s outside. And so I did. Punctuated by occasional spells of sleep (to please the Goddess), I was mesmerized by the wavy landscape of the English countryside, the breathtaking cliffs of Dover Port and the castles on top, the extended fields of France, and the numerous Dutch windmills.

The journey was even better because we crossed the English Channel on a ferry (ship would be more apposite). It took about 3 hours, and the seven-storied ferry had everything from Spa to a Bar and Gaming zone. I explored as much as I could, walked on the deck amidst seagulls and a cool breeze, and had espresso and a choco-brownie in the enormous cafe on board.

On the way, I made a friend in Patrick, a Dutch computer Engineer settled in Birmingham. He was on his way back to Amsterdam to visit his daughter. We talked quite a while, and he turned out to be extremely helpful and considerate. I must make it a point to meet him when I get to London.

I arrived in Amstel Station (situated beside, and named after, the Amstel river) at 8:10 PM, about twenty minutes early. I called Thomas from a payphone, and he arrived just after 8:45. This was a long time since I last met him, and I was a little apprehensive of what to expect because we were never really that close. In fact, we hardly knew each other. I was sure he agreed to take me in only because Floor asked him to. However, all my fears were largely baseless. Thomas turned out to be quite a host, much unlike the average Dutch (according to Thomas himself!). We grabbed some dinner on the way, and went to his home and settled down a little before heading out again.

It was my turn to get around the Dutch style. Well, not quite, but at least I got on the back of his bicycle! I was extremely shaky at first, and was creepy enough to hold him by the waist for balance initially (i know!), but adjusted in time. Thomas took me along the canal to a favorite bar of his, where we had a beer over some really interesting conversations about Dutch history, society, family values, and about our personal interests, dreams and passions.

We then went to another cafe, which Thomas wanted to show me because it was a well known hangout place for intellectuals and artists (you could call it a counterpart of Aziz Super Market). The ambience of the place was really cozy and stimulating, and I loved it.

That was the end of day 2. Will write again tomorrow night.

Eurotrip Day 1: Back to London (18 March)

Today I arrived in London. Can’t really express how it feels to see Sarah after such a long time (6 months 10 days), so I won’t try. Let me talk about how the day went.

The flights today were extremely smooth. I got a lucky break in my first flight - I was given the seat right next to the emergency exit (which happens to have a greater leg space than even business class seats). Even better, the seat next to me was free, so I could sit more comfortably than I’d ever imagined for an economy class ticket. I watched a movie, slept an hour, and five hours went by in no time. A few things I noticed on the way:

1. Etihad was serving Shokti Doi, the social business product by Grameen. I was glad to see the venture taking off so prominently, but worried at the same time whether Grameen was moving towards the upper end of the market as a means only, or as an end.
2. Planes fly too high nowadays to even watch the mesmerizing beauty of clouds.
3. There were NO laborers going to Abu Dhabi - which was so unexpected that it sent a chill down my spine. Here we are complacent that our country won’t be affected by the financial crisis!
4. Boats, when watched from the sky, look just like comets with a tail.

Anyway, in Abu Dhabi, I took out the laptop and sat for a Wi-fi session. I was checking my mails, browsing, chatting - all with the knowledge that the clock right next to me was giving proper time. My boarding time was supposed to be on 12:30, and I closed my laptop on time (according to that clock). Thanks to the immensity of Abu Dhabi airport, and the fact that that clock was 20 minutes slow, I reached the gate of the plane just as they were giving final calls. It was a close escape!

In the second flight, my initial seat wasn’t as good, but thanks to the global financial crisis, half of the plane was empty. So I shifted to the same seat I was on in my first flight, as soon as the seatbelt sign went off after takeoff! It was a much longer flight (8 hours), but I slept quite a bit of it, and enjoyed the meals as I always do. With the extra legspace, it was not only tolerable, but probably verging on enjoyable.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the London weather as we landed. The last time I came it was raining all day long and the temperature was nearly zero, so the sunny blue skies and pleasant 14 degrees celsius was a warm welcome for me. I waited in the airport about 45 mins before Sarah arrived and picked me up. The absolute ecstasy of seeing her after so long was punctuated only by the struggle of pulling the huge luggage up and down the stairs as we had to change multiple tube lines.

Lala’s (Sarah’s khala) house was apparently preparing for my arrival for quite a while. Sarah reported that Lala spent an exorbitant amount of money redecorating her garden. I was looking forward to seeing it, and it was worthed! That was followed by a grand feast with the famous Morog Polao, which I couldn’t enjoy completely because of the appetite lag that I always face after long air travels.

Everybody liked their gifts. But weirdly, my luggage did not shed much weight even after taking so much off. I am a bit worried how to fit all these in the Amsterdam-Barcelona flight.

Sleep is of utmost priority now. I will get only about 4 hours before I get up tomorrow morning for my bus. Yesterday was no better. So I’m not particularly looking forward to another deprived night.

Dear NLDS’09 people...

It’s been two days since we all returned from an amazing conference. It is only now that I could amass enough physical and emotional strength to sit and write this message for all of you. Two years after graduating from AIESEC, this level of excitement and stress without sleep for five days does take its toll.

On 10th, as is always the case on the last day of an AIESEC Conference, I was torn between the lure of home after four grueling days and the bond that I so strongly felt for all of you. On one hand, I couldn’t wait to get home so I could sleep peacefully in my own bed. On the other, I couldn’t imagine leaving all of you behind after you presented me such amazing memories.

It is because of that bond that I feel for which I’m writing this message today.

My first heartfelt warmth goes to the MC team, especially Fahim & Moin, for picking me as the Chair of NLDS 2009. It was the best gift I could possibly imagine as an alumnus, and I will be grateful to you guys forever for this.

Next is of course the conference team, including the Facis and the OCs, who have made this conference possible. The OC, starting from Farnaz because of his calm and presence of mind, to Iftekhar, Aveen, Afia, Tonmoy, Shabbir and Mafiul for their ever-helpful and assuring presence, to Sana for her refreshing energy, to Subin for the best @ presentation I have seen in my entire life, to Saeba, Ontora and Fahad for being the great people they are, to Intezaar, Fahd and everybody else for their consistent hard work – my love and hugs for all of you.

The Facis were an even more amazingly dedicated bunch – every single person poured their heart into not only their own sessions but everybody else’s – I’m sure the delegates will agree wholeheartedly. I would like to mention especially Saira for getting a lot of the load off my shoulders, Mahnaz for being the sweet and smiling human being that she is, Sarah and Salman for their diligence, Onu for being an inspiration as a project OCP that I never could be, and Shama for the amazing presentations & jaives, for coming to sessions even with a swollen throat, and for lighting up all of our lives for the past few days. Special thanks to Moin & Eshad for making sure I didn’t have to worry about the LR track – it would have killed me to run back and forth between the two plenaries more than I did. And how can I also forget Pratyush and Fion, who arrived as strangers and will leave as a special part of our hearts.

Thank you to my dearest faci team. It was your sincerity and hard work that made 90% of what the sessions were. In case you are wondering, the rest 10% I would reserve for myself for making you do the dry runs at 5 AM in the morning! =)

Thanks to all the Alumni for coming to the conference, flooding me with nostalgia for the good old days and inspiring the delegates to become true leaders. Shamnoon bhai and Pappu bhai, thanks especially for your kind words, and for understanding when I was rude. Amzad bhai, thank you for helping me through the legal procedures of NLM and NatCong that I so badly suck at! Asif, I can’t express how I felt when you came to NLDS to meet me one last time before you leave Bangladesh. AIESEC creates everlasting friendships, and you and I are a perfect example.

Thanks to all those of you who are tagging me in their photos on FB. I didn’t have a camera with myself, so all my memories will remain etched in your photos forever.

One special thanks to the best delegates of the two tracks – Nazia & Prometheus – and also another person who deserved it equally well – Tahmim. You guys set the standard for the rest to follow. Promi, thank you so much for presenting me the best diary I have ever received.

I can’t thank enough the people who came to talk to me about ‘youth and politics’ during connection time on the 2nd day. You proved wrong everyone who claim our generation doesn’t care about our country and its politics, and at the same time proved me right and inspired me to take my initiatives forward with renewed energy. Look forward to having all of you with Jagoree.

My gratitude to all those of you who have cared to write sugar cubes for me, and all those who couldn’t. Thank you to those who felt for me enough to hug me once before you left. I feel honored that some of you consider an imperfect person like me as your inspiration and role model – it will help me become better, even if only to live up to your expectations.

One last reason for me writing this message is guilt – guilt for not being able to write sugar-cubes for all of you, which I consider one of my sacred responsibilities as a chair. Please forgive my inadequacy, and know that I would have written long messages for every one of you if only I could. All of you have made this conference extremely special for me, not least with the love, admiration and respect you have shown towards me all throughout the conference. I could not have been more grateful to you all for that.

Wish you all an unforgettable, awesome, but at the same time bumpy ride in AIESEC. Our journey together has only just begun.

Your humbled chair,

Rubayat

E-mail: rubayat.khan@gmail.com
Facebook: search my e-mail
Phone: 01811-999-123
Blog: http://rubayatkhan.blogspot.com
Website: www.jagoree.org

What happened in 2008

HARPER'S YEARLY REVIEW

January 1, 2009

The United States marked the five-year anniversary of the
war in Iraq. Over four million Iraqis had fled the country
or been internally displaced, and the total cost of the
war, currently about $650 billion, was expected to rise to
$2 trillion over the next five years. Oil rose above $147
a barrel, and Abu Dhabi bought New York City's Chrysler
Building for $800 million. Somali pirates stole a Saudi
supertanker. President George W. Bush announced that North
Korea was no longer a state sponsor of terrorism. The CIA
expanded its covert operations in Iran. Bozo the Clown
died, as did Jesse Helms, William F. Buckley Jr., Paul
Newman, Heath Ledger, Indonesian dictator Suharto,
comedian George Carlin, didgeridoo master Alan Dargin,
and, at age 110, Louis de Cazenave of the Fifth Senegalese
Rifles, one of the last two living French veterans of
World War I. "War," he once explained, "is something
absurd, useless, that nothing can justify." Ariel Sharon
was still alive, and Israel bombed Gaza in retaliation for
ongoing rocket attacks. Tom Jones insured his chest hair
for $7 million.

Australian police tasered a ram. France banned TV shows
for babies. Pope Benedict XVI toured the United States,
and the Vatican released a list of seven "social"
sins--including littering, genetic tampering, and creating
poverty--to complement the seven cardinal vices. The World
Health Organization announced that virtually untreatable
drug-resistant tuberculosis could now be found in 45
countries. Japanese men began to wear bras. The cost of
rice increased by 30 percent, and food riots broke out in
30 countries. The United Nations expected the number of
starving people in the world to rise to 950 million. North
Korean hunger scientists announced a new noodle. In an
expanding thousand-square-mile low-oxygen zone growing
along the coast of Oregon and Washington, every fish,
crab, and sea worm was dead. A 7.9-magnitude earthquake
centered in China's Sichuan Province left tens of
thousands of people dead and millions homeless. The Summer
Olympics were held in Beijing, heralded on television by
fake, computer-generated fireworks. Structures built for
the 2004 Athens Olympics were falling into ruin. A man in
Swansea, Wales, died from eating too much fairycake, and
an elderly German woman filed a lawsuit against a hospital
in Bavaria after she went in for a leg operation and was
instead given a new anus. Paddington Bear turned 50; both
the cubicle and the assassination of Martin Luther King
turned 40; Viagra turned 10. One in 100 American adults
was behind bars.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that detainees held as "enemy
combatants" by the United States at Guantanamo Bay have a
constitutional right to challenge their detention through
habeas corpus petitions in federal courts. Scientists
located the part of the brain responsible for
understanding sarcasm. Global stock markets lost $3.1
trillion in four days, and the Dow Jones Industrial
Average fell below 10,000 for the first time in five
years. The real estate boom in Dubai slowed. Nobel
Laureate V. S. Naipaul declared that there are "no more
great writers," and Bob Dylan won a Pulitzer Prize.
Illinois Senator Barack Obama was elected President of the
United States. Gunmen terrorized Mumbai, and inflation in
Zimbabwe reached 23 million percent. Iceland went
bankrupt. Zookeepers across the United States put their
animals on diets, feeding gorillas according to a Weight
Watchers point system and offering polar bears sugar-free
Jell-O. The thoughts of a monkey in North Carolina
controlled the actions of a robot in Japan. New York
researchers used carbon nanotubes to create the darkest
material known to man. Two teams of physicists, one in
Calgary and the other in Tokyo, successfully stored
nothing within a gas in the form of squeezed vacuum
composed of uncertainty.


Permanent URL for this column:
http://harpers.org/archive/2008/12/hbc-90004107

Copyright 2009 Harper's Magazine Foundation

In 2008, I...

• Helped establish Drishtipat Bangladesh and became its first coordinator, but later failed to get it off the ground
  
• Met some wonderful people like Annu Di, Asif bhai, Nadia apu, Lokkhi Apu, Munir bhai, Shameran bhai, Tanim bhai, Kristi apu, and many others
  
• Attended the Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Concordia College, Minnesota
• Went to sub-zero temperatures for the first time and froze my a$$ below -30 degrees temperatures
• Saw it snow and threw snow-balls for the first time in my life
• Met one Nobel Peace Prize winner - Dr. Muhammad Yunus, and a future laureate and someone I really idolize - Greg Mortenson
• Went to NY for the first time, and loved it
• Got admitted to 9 out of 15 grad schools, including Harvard, Princeton & Columbia – and chose to follow my heart against my head
• Deferred my admission for a year to gain experience as well as the girl of my dreams
• Got hooked on to two elections, and ironically, had a favorite in the US one but none in my own country
• Decided to get married and started to prepare for it
• Went to Keokradong after several attempts (Alhamdulillah), although couldn’t reach the summit due to bad weather and worse luck
• Set up Jagoree, an organization for political engagement of youth, from scratch with the help of a few friends
• Became Valedictorian and Chancellors Gold Medalist for the Class of 2008 at IUB
• Pushed Sarah to go for her masters in UK, and had to endure the hardest 4 months of my life after she left
• Started preparing for my masters, studying politics and economics extensively and taking up opportunities to further my political maturity and experience
• Got a chance to work at Google France and also a social business in Brazil, but passed them up in order to work in the country
• Became a (more) responsible person and started contributing financially to my family
• Became popular at the in-laws house (unthinkable a year ago) and started talking and interacting with parents-in-law
• Planned a trip to Europe for next year, along with a long awaited visit to WorldMUN
• Toured 4 divisional cities over 21 days for the BBC Nirbachoni Sanglap, and had a heck of a time with the endless food and luxurious accommodation
• Published op-eds and articles in major national dailies and magazines for the first time
• Got a tremendous opportunity to work in New Age for coordinating the campaign on national elections
• Developed a fully functional election web portal for Bangladesh with interactive maps for the first time ever
• Organized and led a campaign to encourage young voters to cast an informed vote through Jagoree
• Had his first TV talk show appearance in “Shombhabona’r Noya Digonto”, hosted by Ambassador Wali-ur Rahman, in BTV
• Was invited to speak in seminars on politics and elections
• Celebrated a historic win by Barack Obama
• Witnessed a landslide victory for Awami League and was extremely happy that all war criminals (except one) were thrown out of parliament
• Blogged more often than ever

Initiation on TV and a lesson

Today was my first time on television. Being a guest on a talk show was novel for me, and something I hardly expected to do at this age! Although the show, called "Shombhabona'r Noya Digonto", that too on BTV (which nobody I know watches), was certainly not a widely recognized one, I considered it a great first opportunity to express my views to the people, since BTV is still the only option in many places of our country.

Hosted by ex-Ambassador Mr. Wali-ur Rahman, the topic of the episode was "Upcoming elections and lessons from recent American experience". One of the three guests failed to turn up at the last moment, so I had more time to speak than I was supposed to. I could hardly complain!

In the show, I spoke mostly about how our democracy is still at an early formative stage, and that it would be unfair to compare with US, even though US style democracy is anything but perfect. I uttered my frustrations at the way things were at present, but at the same time of my dreams and efforts for a better future. I demanded more space for youth in policymaking and politics, and expressed my realism that things won't change in the near future with the current set of leaders, but with time, if we work hard enough, we can get nearer to democracy both in society and in government.

It was a good chance to speak my mind, and I was surprised to feel no camera fright (certainly owe it to AIESEC!). However, despite all this, I gained an insight through this experience that was more valuable than the experience itself.

To understand that, I must first share how I got invited to this talk show. A few days earlier, in a roundtable discussion organized by Shujan at Press Club, I got a chance to speak for a few minutes. Among other things, I challenged the luminaries sitting there saying..."We see all of you on TV nearly every day. But how come we never see a member of my generation, who are going to be the future leaders of our country, up on the same platform, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives into those discussions?"

Ambassador Wali-ur Rahman was present there, and he liked my point so much that he took my card and later called to invite me to his talk show.

I think this shows how we often don't demand things that belong to us, and end up complaining (without basis) that we are not given space. We forget that space will only be created when we push our way in.

If not for the TV show itself, I will forever remember today for this handy lesson.

Bytes of knowledge

Two very clear and concise articles:

Failures of Modernization theories -
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=116803

The enlightenment project's dark side
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=112019

Laughter Bytes: The Development Set - by Ross Coggins

Excuse me, friends, I must catch my jet
I'm off to join the Development Set;
My bags are packed, and I've had all my shots
I have traveller's checks and pills for the trots!


The Development Set is bright and noble
Our thoughts are deep and our vision global;
Although we move with the better classes
Our thoughts are always with the masses.


In Sheraton Hotels in scattered nations
We damn multi-national corporations;
injustice seems easy to protest
In such seething hotbeds of social rest.


We discuss malnutrition over steaks
And plan hunger talks during coffee breaks.
Whether Asian floods or African drought,
We face each issue with open mouth.


We bring in consultants whose circumlocution
Raises difficulties for every solution --
Thus guaranteeing continued good eating
By showing the need for another meeting.


The language of the Development Set
Stretches the English alphabet;
We use swell words like "epigenetic"
"Micro", "macro", and "logarithmetic"


It pleasures us to be esoteric --
It's so intellectually atmospheric!
And although establishments may be unmoved,
Our vocabularies are much improved.


When the talk gets deep and you're feeling numb,
You can keep your shame to a minimum:
To show that you, too, are intelligent
Smugly ask, "Is it really development?"


Or say, "That's fine in practice, but don't you see:
It doesn't work out in theory!"
A few may find this incomprehensible,
But most will admire you as deep and sensible.


Development set homes are extremely chic,
Full of carvings, curios, and draped with batik.
Eye-level photographs subtly assure
That your host is at home with the great and the poor.


Enough of these verses - on with the mission!
Our task is as broad as the human condition!
Just pray god the biblical promise is true:
The poor ye shall always have with you.

Laughter Bytes: Palin Edition

Best impersonation of the year (Palin & Hillary on VP Debate):



Second best impersonation (Sarah Palin in Katie Couric interview):



Best prank call of 2008 (Sarah Palin pranked by Canadian Comedian):



As you can see, I'm obsessed with Sarah Palin. How can you not be? The woman is hilarious! The Obama victory brought a tinge of sadness with it because I won't be able to hear Palin and refresh my mood every five hours or so!

Before I end, one last: Sarah Palin Meets her Match