Source: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Long gone are the days of teachers with intimidating looks, thick black rimmed glasses perched on their nose, an occasional nod or two for the world outside, living in a world of books and papers. Add a few decades, smiles and rock concerts to the package and you get someone like Imran Rahman -- a Vice Chancellor by day and a guitarist by night.

Popularly known as the guitarist and vocalist of the band Renaissance, Imran Rahman is also an educator -- VC of the University of Liberal Arts, Bangldesh (ULAB), located in Dhanmondi. "I did work at a bank once," says Imran. "I earned a lot, but I hated it. I saw no progress or development within." But, teaching the youth, sharing ideas and creating a platform for healthy exchange drove him to move to the next level in life.

Imran Rahman completed Class 10 (Cambridge School Certificate) from Saint Joseph's and eventually shifted to London, where he completed his A levels (Class 12). He got into the London School of Economics (LSE) for his undergraduate studies, but remembers spending a lot of time outside the confinement of his classrooms. "There was just so much more going on outside!" says Imran. "Film shows, fun lectures, meeting personalities -- this is what made me what I am today!" And he continued to love life outside the walls of his classrooms during Graduate studies at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Dhaka. "I still remember my viva exams at IBA," he reminisces. "Professor GA Siddiqui, the Chairman of the interview board back then, proudly announced my degree from LSE to the other professors present in the room and showed his confidence in me. However, I could not answer a single question! But I still got in!" In fact, Imran taught at IBA for many years and was quite popular with his students.

As an educator, Imran Rahman has always been vocal about how schools should place equal emphasis on teaching both Bangla and English. Emphasising on one language only would result in students missing out on so much from either one of the languages. "After 1971, steps were taken to uphold and protect the Bengali culture and traditions, and rightly done so," says Imran. "But laws were also made to emphasise more on Bengali rather than English in schools. This is why generations after the liberation war find it difficult to read, write, speak or communicate in English." One cannot ignore the language, adds Imran. "Now, however, the government is allowing schools with English medium curriculum," he adds. "But this should have been done much earlier."

"Music has always been a part of my upbringing," says Imran. "My family was an enlightened one. All through out my youth, I would listen to the latest music, play the guitar with friends and have fun doing so. I lived in Manchester, England for a few years with my family while studying there on scholarship at the Manchester Business School. My friend Bogie, a well known musician himself, would send me cassette tapes of all the compositions of Renaissance released here in Bangladesh. Back then, I was not a part of the band, but I loved the music and I loved the band! My children would listen to them as well."

With the digital world coming up with new distractions every day, it would be fun to take up a book and read while listening to classics on a rainy weekend. "We play a lot of oldies and classics!" chips in the popular Imran sir, as his students would call him. "You guys should come and check us out sometime."