Flood Relief: A nation united, a DU not seen in years

“Move aside! Move aside!”
“Please don’t gather here; let us take these inside quickly!”
These were the calls echoing through the TSC premises of Dhaka University yesterday, as student volunteers carried relief goods on their heads, one after another, tirelessly moving the supplies into the TSC cafeteria and indoor sports room.
For the past two days, students of DU have been working round the clock to collect and organise relief goods and funds for the flood-affected people in 12 districts across the country.
The scenes were nothing short of extraordinary. Vehicles of all kinds — private cars, pickup trucks, and even large trucks — lined up outside of TSC as people from all walks of life brought in donations. From small children bringing their piggy banks to elderly citizens offering whatever they could.

Such a display of unity and compassion has not been seen in DU for a long time, particularly not in the last 15 years of the Awami League regime, when only Chhatra League members called the shots.
The campaign began on Thursday morning, under the banner of  Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and was going on till yesterday night.

Ten-year-old Ihaan stood outside Dhaka University’s TSC with his little piggy bank in hand, accompanied by his parents. The young boy was determined to do his part for the flood-affected people.
Ihaan was not alone. People from all walks of life — corporate workers, day labourers, rickshaw pullers, etc. — flocked to the university, bringing whatever they could, whether it was money, dry food, dates, medicine, sanitary napkins, clothes, or drinking water.

“I wanted to help the flood-affected people. I wish everyone would come forward to help,” said 12-year-old Raisa Mehjabin, a sixth grader.
Marina Akhter, a homemaker who came all the way from Mirpur yesterday, said, “Since students of the anti-discrimination movement are collecting funds, I have decided to donate from a place of trust.”
Not only were students from every department and dormitories of DU participating, but those from other institutions also joined in.
At the entrance of TSC, a public relief booth has been set up, where donations are registered before being moved to the indoor sports room for packaging.
The relief items are then stored in the TSC cafeteria, ready to be dispatched to the flood-affected areas by covered vans.
Several vehicles had already left for the affected regions on Thursday night, according to Nayeem, a student from one of Dhaka University’s seven affiliated colleges.

Ashrefa, a DU student, shared that by Thursday night alone, students collected Tk 29,73,173 through various means.
Meanwhile, by yesterday 8:00pm, the total cash collected (excluding money coming through bank and mobile financial services) had risen to Tk 86,22,172, said Abu Baker Mojumder, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimation Student Movement and the relief campaign.
“The relief goods we collected yesterday [Thursday], have been sent to Feni, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Cumilla, Akhaura, and Kasba this [Friday] morning. We are also sending funds to our coordinators in Chattogram so that they can get the necessary items themselves and provide those to the flood-affected people there,” he said.
“Trucks will leave at 12:00am [early today] with the relief items we collected today [Friday],” he added.
Bhuiyan Asaduzzaman, a member of the Liaison Committee of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, highlighted the unity of people from all classes, professions, and political identities in running the relief camp.
“Our struggle was against the binary identity — the walls that were erected between us. Through this effort, we have reached a stage where personal ideologies are set aside; what matters now is our shared identity as Bangladeshis,” he told The Daily Star.
Dr Samina Luthfa, professor of Sociology at Dhaka University, said, “The way TSC became a centre for relief during the floods of ’88 and ’98 is something we haven’t seen in a long time. These are encouraging signs. It shows that the people of Bangladesh, who have been enduring severe repression and persecution, are now trying to transform the country into a democratic one.”
“Previously, everything was controlled by a specific group of people who wouldn’t let others in; everything bore their mark. Since the situation changed, anyone can now contribute to any social initiative, knowing that it won’t become a part of Awami League, Chhatra League, or the prime minister’s relief fund,” she added.
Professor Tanzim Uddin Khan echoed the sentiment.
“For the past 16 years, we have seen these kinds of initiatives be limited to the government’s student organisations. But before that, during any crisis, we used to see collective participation from everyone. It seems that we have returned to that place,” he said.
“This is the beauty of DU, where, in times of national crisis, everyone ensures their participation equally to overcome it,” he added.