ULAB's Department of English and Humanities hosted its 2nd Inter-University Student's Conference and Cultural Competition titled "Shakespeare: Then and Now" on April 21 in order to observe the quatercentenary of the Bard's death. The conference was divided into two segments - academic and cultural.

The academic segment commenced with an inspiring speech by special guest, George Mesthos, Cultural Affairs Officer, The American Centre. Students from BRAC University, Daffodil International University, Dhaka University, East West University, Independent University Bangladesh, Jahangirnagar University, North South University, Southeast University, Stamford University and ULAB itself presented academic papers on a variety of ideas stemmed from Shakespeare's works. While some papers focused on the various aspects of the plays themselves, others drew connections between his works and modern day issues like gender discrimination and religious sentiments in the western world. Professor Shaheen Kabir who adjudicated this session expressed how pleased she was with their overall efforts and lauded the students on their individual successes.

After a tea break, the cultural session kicked off with BRACU's rendition of "A Comedy of Errors". Students of DU then took the stage to tell the fictional account of a tormented Bengali bride and how female characters from Shakespeare's plays inspired her to take a stand against her oppressor. 

EWU's students chose a musical path and performed scenes from Shakespeare's plays while the students from IUB put on their cloaks and hats to play the roles of The Three Witches from Macbeth. NSU presented the Sonnet 18 where the performers tried to showcase through contemporary dance the Bard's emotions while writing this masterpiece. Finally, ULAB concluded the competition with their take on three of Shakespeare's greatest soliloquies.

The event was graced by chief guest Barbara Wickham, Director, British Council, while media personality Sara Zaker and Rubana Huq, Managing Director, Mohammadi Group were the jury members. Reflecting on the performances, Sara Zaker said, "What I found most impressive was how the students did not find it mandatory to stick to the originality of each play but had their very own interpretations of the playwright's works."

The programme came to an end with the judges awarding Tani Deepavali Nawaz from ULAB the 2nd runners-up, Sabah Tasnia Rowshon and Upoma Sanyal from East West University as the 1st runners-up and Nusrat Tajkia from Jahangirnagar University as the winner of the academic presentation. Barbara Wickham then announced East West University and North South University as the joint winners of the cultural competition. 

Shams Rashid Tonmoy, who played the role of the maestro himself in NSU's act, commented on the theme of the conference and how it related to their performance. He said, "We wanted to bring forth the mindset of the society during Shakespeare's time and what influenced him into writing Sonnet 18. Through our dialogues, we also wanted to show how society has changed since then."

With a proud heart, the Vice Chancellor of ULAB, Professor Imran Rahman, concluded, "We wanted to give students from all universities an opportunity to take the stage and share their knowledge about Shakespeare. We have succeeded in our aim and the students have all performed brilliantly in both the academic and cultural segments."

Shreyosi Endow is a tea addict who likes to read poetry and is obsessed with plants. Send her a mail at endow1211s@gmail.com