The Trip of a Lifetime: 100 Member Youth Delegation (Part II)

Arrival at the President House.

My roommate, Sarzina, Radio Jockey, Radio Foorti, and I woke up in the early hours, still in a daze. Breakfast was always served by 7 AM, with only half an hour in hand before the bus would be ready to leave. Sarzina and I were always fashionably late (no more than 15 minutes, I swear). Even so, we were always ready with high spirits for the new adventures of the day. 

This day, we knew, would be different than all other days of the trip, even before they even came. This was the day that would actually be marked in history, the day the Youth Delegation from Bangladesh in 2016 would be given the honour to meet the President of India, Honourable Shri Pranab Mukherjee, for whom we had travelled to India. Upon his invitation and the initiative of the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh, and 100 professionals and students, best in their fields, get this once in a lifetime opportunity. The meeting was to be held in the evening, so naturally we went into 'tourist mode' during the day.

The second day's adventures began with a trip to the Gandhi Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi (funerary monument) resides. The Raj Ghat is a plain black marble platform that marks the spot of his cremation that took place on 31 January 1948. It is left open to the sky while an eternal flame burns at one end. A stone footpath in between soothing green lawns leads to the walled space that houses the memorial. The memorial has the epitaph 'Hē Ram', (literally 'O' Ram', but also translated to 'O God'), believed to be the last words uttered by Gandhi.

Mahatma Gandhi's Memorial

After we paid our respects to the great man, we left to be bewildered by the Red Fort. To our utter dismay, as it remains closed on Mondays, we could not explore the insides. But some of us constantly spoke about Lal Bagh Kella and its sheer resemblance to the Red Fort. Sarzina and I stuck by each other almost throughout the whole trip, so this was when we also began making other friends. A friend from before, Ariq Anam Khan, theatre activist and budding filmmaker, was busy photographing the grandeur of the fort from the outside, while Sarzina and I chit-chatted with new friends Md Saad Uddin and Sadman Islam Anik, where we learned that we were actually speaking to the Midfielder of Abahani Football Club and the U-19 National Football Team, and the opening batsman of Bangladesh A team, on the verge of joining the National Test Team, respectively! 

The next wonder we went to was the Delhi Jama Masjid. That is where I witnessed the true diversity of India. In the Masjid, as we were mystified by the size and grandness of the mosque itself, we saw people from all walks of life, from all class, races and religion being able to admire the Holy place. With peace as the ultimate signatory, the aura of the Masjid would give a calming vibe. We strolled around the big, open space in front of the Masjid, as some people fed the pigeons, some prayed, some explored and some stood still- in awe. During the visit to the mosque, Sarzina and I, along with a student of Media Studies and Journalism, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Imran Khan, took a little tea-break. The roadside ginger tea, made purely with just milk and no water had its own charm on us. Every little bit of the trip was something new, something different, something we could fall in love with. 

The Delhi Jama Masjid

We then hurried back to the hotel as fast as we could. With an hour in hand, we had to make sure to look our finest for the President. Adorned in a plethora of traditional sarees-- starting from Jamdani, to Nakshikantha, to Muslin-- the ladies made sure to highlight the best materials of our own land, while the men looked sharply clad in classy suits. We were then, finally, on our way to the grand residence of the President- the Rashtrapati Bhawan. 

The arrival itself had our hairs on our arms standing on their ends. We were actually not just witnessing the grand residence, we were invitees. A 100 people from Bangladesh, once again, had their lives changed with an opportunity as such. How many people can boast of meeting the President of India? How many have the privilege to hear him speak to them face to face? This meeting is what the whole trip revolved around and this very meeting is the medium of a stronger bond between our two nations- Bangladesh and India. 

What happened once we entered was even more thrilling and emotional for all of us. To know about the next days of this once in a lifetime trip, keep your eyes on next week's Star Weekend for the third part of this series. 

To be continued…

Photos and Text: Naziba Basher