ISSUE #01 JULY 2011

An Online Publication by the IBA Communication Club

PREFACE
Wikipedia describes kaleidoscope as container of a circle of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such that when the
viewer looks into one end, light entering the other end creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off the mirrors. Now
imagine IBA as the vessel and the life of IBA, its people, as the mirrors. Picture the many glorious achievements, the vibrant
events and even the everyday humdrum as the colored objects the color to the LIFE in IBA. The very first newsletter in the
history of IBA, prepared by an extremely dedicated team of editors and designers, supervised and published by the IBA Com-
munication Club (IBACC), tried to capture this exact quintessence and reflect it through the name Kaleidoscope. It encom-
passed in its pages, the words of the students of IBA, expressing their thoughts and sentiments about the multifaceted aspects
of this institution and creating a retrospective recap of the eventful year.

EDITORS PANEL
Ehsan Malek Chowdhury Tasmia Tasbih Nova
BBA 16th Batch BBA 16th Batch
Vice President
Press & Publications
IBA Communication Club

Nawazul Kabir
BBA 18th Batch
Coordinator
Press & Publications
IBA Communication Club

THANKS TO: DESIGN & LAYOUT:

Sharjil Muktafi Haque, BBA 16th Sheikh Ashraful Abedin, BBA 16th
Mir Naquibul Islam, BBA 17th
Syed Arefinul Haque, BBA 17th
Kazi Hirok Al Arafat, BBA 19th

An Online Publication by the IBA Communication Club PAGE | 02

EDITORIAL
Substitute damn every Slightly, but surely I can relate to the significance of this quote by the famous Mark
time you're inclined to write Twain, now that I have successfully managed to wrap up the month long toil and
very; your editor will endeavor of putting together this years issue of the IBA Newsletter. Cross checking all
delete it and the writing will the write-ups for the umpteenth time, pondering over a sentence that needed to be
be JUST as it should be re-structured, a word that needed to be replaced and not to mention the number of
times I had to call up the writers to do a status check on their progress! The fruit of all
~ Mark Twain this labor is now a polished print of the Kaleidoscope in your hand, the very first issue
of our IBA Newsletter.

Kaleidoscope is a main course of the IBA moments of glory the achievements of the
young aspirants of this reputed school of business and the grand events that took place
this year, with some contemplation and feelings on the side. It intended to encompass
the happenings of this year the told & the untold, the many experiences of the high
fliers accomplishments. It holds the emotions of the senior most batch, who dread
every passing moment as a step closer to the end of IBA life, while it also embraces the
sentiments of the very new addition to our IBA family 19th batch, who are bursting
with exuberance of starting the most amazing journey of their life, with a known gleam
in their eyes.

Before I put forth my concluding words, it would be wrong not to acknowledge some
saviors, without whom, the sole responsibility of putting together a great newsletter
would have seemed slightly daunting and maybe even impossible at times. I heartily
thank Sami, Nova and Ashraful for selflessly helping through the many tasks of compil-
ing, editing and designing the newsletter. I dont know what I would have possibly done
without you all.

We have tried to capture the many multi-faceted IBA happenings and insights under
one cover, the essence of which is Kaleidoscope. The effort was worthwhile and the
journey, an enlightening and pleasurable one; I truly hope all of you will enjoy reading
this as much as I enjoyed publishing it.
Happy Reading!

Ehsan M. Chowdhury

PAGE | 03
CONTENTS
05 EVENTS 17 ACHIEVEMENTS
06 The Lemonade in the Sun 18 IBA wins KUET Tourney

07 The beginning of something beautiful 18 The Debate Realm

08 26th March: Celebration at IBA 19 The OIC Experience

08 An evening in Black and white 20 Bronze in Hong Kong

09 IBA Renovation 21 HSBC YEA 2011: Experience of a Lifetime

09 Thank you 14th for a fantastic thanksgiving

10 Intra-IBA Debate 2011: Reminder of a Legacy 22 IN RETROSPECT

11 Reliving that scorching day at Gazipur 23 A Bitter Sweet Symphony

24 The trip That Ruined It All

12 SPORTS 27 Never Stop Believing

13 A Fight to the Finish

14 IBA suits down, boots up 28 FREESTYLE WRITING

15 Unmatched pride, passion & perseverance 29 Trap!

16 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: A Firsthand Take

PAGE | 04
Events
06 The Lemonade in the Sun

07 The Beginning of Something Beautiful

08 26th March: Celebration at IBA

08 An Evening in Black and White

09 IBA Renovation

09 Thank You 14th for a Fantastic Thanksgiving

10 Intra-IBA Debate 2011: Reminder of a Legacy

11 Reliving That Scorching Day At Gazipur

The Lemonade in the Sun
Md. Maidul Islam
MBA 45th Batch

The beautiful azure sky and scorching sun

announce the arrival of summer and it is time for
the IBA Annual Picnic 2011. It was a special
Friday on 8 April, 2011. Early in the morning, the
IBA students gathered together on the IBA
campus in order to launch for Shohag Palli Picnic
Resort, Kaliakoir, Gazipur.

There were T-shirts, cap and other kits in each of

the daypack distributed among the picnickers.
After having breakfast, we started for the picnic
spot. It was a hot morning with full of sunshine.
The sunrays were just intruding through the
windows and nearly baking us. The pure fun
started when we all started singing together in
the bus.
After reaching Shohag Palli, seeking shade
became our first and foremost task. The mid-
noon sun was just shining over the head then.
Some people started searching for beverages
while some others were taking preparation for
playing cricket and football. The spot included
forests and plantations, lake, swimming pool,
cottages, playgrounds, small hills, and even a
small mysterious cave guarded by an artificial
giant spider. The place was also populated with
the sculptures of deer, tigers, monkeys and a big
Genie.
The lunch was arranged on a big ground where
there was a stage aside equipped with a sound
system. The coolest thing of the picnic was the six
fabulous beverage icons on each ticket. Is there
any more blessing than the feeling of being
content? Definitely, No! Beuty Lebur Shorbot
(Beauty Lemonade) and juices were the topmost
demand until sunset.
The afternoon came with the most exciting event
of the day-the Raffle Draw. Holding the coupons,
all were eyeing the first prize - a Dell Vostro
Laptop. The excitement reached its zenith when a
number of exciting prizes were being raffled off,
including prizes like Dhaka-Calcutta-Dhaka
airplane ticket, Hotel Sheraton Dinner coupon,
DVD-player, Pride Saris gift voucher for females
etc.
After the Raffle Draw, it was the evening already,
we arrived at the final event- the DJ dance. We
all danced with the music with our utmost zeal
and energy. On the way of returning to the buses
through the paths of the Palli, the tranquil
evening breeze was giving us a fluffy feeling. The
shimmering moonbeams through the leaves of
the trees and their reflection on the calm waters
of the lake created an ethereal atmosphere.
At about 7:30pm, we left the silent Shohag Palli
behind and started for the swarming city of
Dhaka. There was not an iota of fatigue in
anyone throughout the day. Some already began
updating their Facebook and twitter status: a
high-voltage picnic, an awesome daylong fun
etc. The big moon above the head in the starry
sky seemed like declaring the end of an unfor-
gettable day behind.
For sure, there will be picnic held every year, but
as the fresh MBA batch, this daylong fun will
always remain as an exclusive experience in our
mind. We want to thank all the sponsors involved
and specially BBA 16th for such a well-organized
picnic.

After a good lunch, we enjoyed the amazing

Water Balloon contest where BBA boys showed
their throwing skills and running agility through
trees. Just after the water balloon contest, there
was another competition named Sack Race com-
petition where Ziad and Mashrifa, our two MBA
classmates, grabbed the first prize, a bottle of
Horlicks!

PAGE | 06
THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
Mayesha Mehnaz
BBA 19th Batch
Eager faces; the boys on their best demeanor, a
little fidgety in their formal attires; the girls too in
their best dresses, surreptitiously looking at each
other and talking in hushed tones. Some had
joyous pride on their faces, and were somberly
taking in the surrounding grandeur, already
making plans; whereas, others had a dazed
expression indicating that they were yet to
believe their good fortunes on their faces. Almost
everyone was out to make friends. The excite-
ment in the room was an almost tangible thing.
The rapid drumming of fingers, the quite hum-
ming of lost melodies were all subtle indicators.
Everyone was ready for the most important
orientation of their lives to begin.
It was ten in the morning when the IBA nine-
teenth batch orientation finally started with
recitations from the Holy Quran. Next in line was
a video showing the universitys rich history and
its countless achievements over the years. Then
professors G.M. Chowdhury, Syed Alamgir
Zafar, Nurur Rahman and Syed Ferhat Anwar
proceeded to inspire everyone with their moving
speeches. The students were exceptionally
delighted when Director GM Chowdhury
informed them of the recently established student
exchange program with Aston University. He also
added that there was a possibility of collabora-
tion of IBA with twenty other universities abroad
His words were met by tremendous applause
from the crowd. Everyone was excited at the
prospect of spending six or more months at such
a reputed university as Aston. The director then
handed over the responsibility of organizing the
21st February program to IBAs newest batch. It
was around midday when the students were
finally ushered to the canteen for a sumptuous
treat of Shwarma and cakes. Most people did a
double take entering the canteen. There were no
chairs; instead, people were having their food
sitting cross-legged on the canteen floor. It was
certainly unique, just like everything else at IBA.
Everyone tucked in their food with glee. It tasted
especially delicious after the long and eventful
morning. After a while the students were again
told to wait in the auditorium. There Saif Noman
Khan, the Chairperson of the BBA program,
shared his life experiences with the students. He
also outlined the basic rules and regulations
which the students had to abide by. He then went
on to introduce everyone to Faiyak Rishad, the
president of the IBA Communication Club.
Rishad Bhaiya listed the various extracurricular
activities that IBA had to offer. To most, it was
very reassuring to know that academics was not
everything IBA was about. The students were
then split into two groups each comprising of
fifty-eight students. They were taken on a tour of
the IBA facilities by Sharjil, Shanil, and Shafquat
Bhaiya. The state-of-the-art library was lined
with shelves of books and had free wifi which
only served to add to everyones joy. Then the
students were shepherded down to the discus-
sion rooms. These rooms were frequented by
students for studying, the free wifi and everything
else. The computer lab too managed to grab
everyones attention with its old world charm.
Everyone was then free to go. The students
climbed down the stairs, still digesting everything
that had happened in the course of a few hours.
Every face was alight with new dreams and
hopes. At that point of time, the entire nineteenth
batch was truly united as one. In the words of the
great Bryan Adams:
"It's a new world - it's a new start
It's alive with the beating of young hearts
It's a new day - it's a new plan
I've been waiting for you
Here I am."
PAGE | 07
26th March Celebration An Evening in Black
and White
At IBA
Mahran Fadlullah
MBA 45th Batch
For the first time in IBA history MBA 45th batch
organized a cultural program titled Ekaturer
Bijoy Gatha to celebrate our nation's indepen-
dence. To celebrate the occasion IBA was given a
new look with a statue of a freedom fighter with
the Red and Green flag at the entrance. The
program which was held at the IBA auditorium
began with the singing of our national anthem.
The proceedings started with the speech of the
Honorable Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University,
Prof. A A M S Arefin Siddique who was the chief
guest of the ceremony. He congratulated IBA on
observing the Independence Day for the first time
and expressed his desire to see such programs in
the future as well. His speech was followed by
Major General(retd.) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury,
Bir Bikram, who is a renowned freedom fighter
himself. As the guest speaker, he shared his
experiences of the liberation war with all the
students. Following this was also a Q and A
session in which he answered different questions
asked by the students. Honorable Director of IBA
Prof. G.M. Chowdhury concluded the first part of
the program with a note of thanks.
The second part of the program consisted of
cultural performances by the students. The
performances included patriotic songs and
recitation of poems. After that a documentary
was shown describing the mass murder which
occurred on the black night of 25th March in the
was staged. The drama portrayed the struggle of
a freedom fighter, remembering his horrific
experiences during the war.
At the end of the performances a common
message was given to all- "We have been
through a lot as a nation. Though we're still
struggling, we have many achievements to be
proud of. And we should take pride in our coun-
try for those achievements. "
As the new comer batch to IBA we had a lot to
prove with organizing the program. But with the
help of our teachers and also from the BBA
batchs we successfully pulled it off! And in the
process new experiences were gained and new
friendships were made and these will make our
stay at IBA much more enjoyable.
Muntasir Tahmeed, BBA 19th Batch
According to mythology, language is the divine
gift which has been bestowed upon the human-
kind by God Himself. And when the 'procession
of language' comes to Bangladesh , travels
through the Bangla language arena it glorifies
itself. On 21st February the bold and valiant sons
of our soils sacrificed their lives in front of the
erstwhile exploiters and snatched away our right
to speak in our own maternal essence. Now, the
historic 21st February is not only glowing in the
calendars worldwide but also stands as an inspi-
ration for all.
This year the newcomers in IBA,(BBA 19th Batch)
being inspired by our honorable director G.M.
Chowdhury took the initiative to organize the
observance of 21st February. In spite of time
constraints and lots of initial hurdles, 19th's
young minds with the direction of BBA chair-
person Saif Noman Khan Sir and in collabora-
tion with other senior batches paved the way
towards a successful program. After long antici-
pated hours of preparation , finally it took place
in the IBA auditorium on 23rd February. To
portray the real commemorating spirit of the red
lettered day Shamroze, Tahrima, Sabah ,
Nashwa and many of our 19th batch students
decorated the whole auditorium as well as the
stage with the heart felt love for their mother
tongue. At,3.30 pm, when the invited faculty
members and our director sir entered into the
auditorium, the jam packed auditorium
welcomed them. The program kicked off with
formal speech from our honorable director
G.M.Chowdhury. The very first performance was
a renowned song 'ami banglar gaan gai'
performed by Mashfique khalid , escorted with a
guitar percussion by Naznoor Rino ,and an
excellent slideshow created by Hirok which
delineated the true sense of the song.This
performance was followed by two consecutive
recitations of Taoseef and Tahrima. Then orpita,
pramiti, anika, juthi and their dance teams took
the stage and exhibited their dancing prowess
with various traditional and mesmerizing Bengali
music. A solo dance performance was presented
by Maliha Tarannum from the 18th batch.The
chorus performance on the revolutionary song '
Karar oi louho kopat' was presented by our
chorus singers Moshfeq,Hirok, Anas, Saeed,
and many others while Sayra took on the harmo-
nium accompanied by Mir Naqibul Islam(17th
batch) with tabla whom we cannot thank
enough for his cooperation . No sooner had they
got down from the stage then an epic perfor-
mance which completely grabbed the audiences
minds. It was a renowned drama on 'Kobor' by
Munir Chowdhury which was adapted and
directed by Hisham and performed by Nabil,
Jishan, Farhan, Naseef, Bivu .Well, drama team,
you guys were splendid!!!
The awesome procession of gorgeous perform-
ing continued and after the drama Tanvir
bhai(18th ),Rahat bhai( 18th ) and naqib bhai (
17th ) came to the stage with a flamboyant
instrumental performance. It was flawless combi-
nation of guitar and tabla and light projection.
While the program was approaching towards the
end Ahabara came on the stage with the final
solo performance. Finally it was our beloved
song , the one closest to our hearts 'Amar Bhai
er Rokte Rangano' was performed in chorus and
needless to mention the whole auditorium stood
up paying homage and reverence to the martyrs
of language movement.The program was
directed and presented by Muntasir ( 19th ).Thus
the program came to an end.
As soon as we entered into IBA , organizing the
whole program was a tremendous job through
which we explored IBA and its environment .
Initially we felt a lot of pressure and huge tension
but at the end of the day we came out with flying
colors. Behind our success we would like to thank
all the seniors, specially Md. Faiyak Zaman
Rishad( 16th batch) who co-operated in each of
our efforts. With this program we have started
our adventurous journey in IBA which we dream
of....
PAGE | 08
IBA Renovation Thank you 14th - For A Fantastic Thanksgiving
Rishad Habib, BBA 17th Batch
Nawazul Kabir
BBA 18th Batch

IBA has been the leading business school of the

country; therefore it should have the touch of
grandeur in its manifestation. With the target of
giving IBA a grand outlook, the foundation of the
renovation of ground floor took place in the last
year. The renovation included the base of the
tree at the front yard entrance to the corridor of
the ground floor. This endeavor was sponsored
by British American Tobacco Bangladesh. The
inaugural ceremony of this renovated entrance
was held at the IBA auditorium on the 30th
September, 2010. Borwin Jung, the Regional
Director of HR, BAT, South Asia, Arun Kaul, the
Managing Director and Syed Imtiaz Faruque, the
Head of HR, BAT Bangladesh along with Prof.
What do you get when you put Navjot Singh yours truly won nothing, were announced.. The
G.M. Choudhury, Director, IBA were present at
Sidhu and Chowdhury Zafarullah Sharafat exhilaration on several lucky faces was
the ceremony.
together at the Oscars on Thanksgiving night? contrasted with the dissappointment felt by the
Well, an extremely entertaining award show; one less fortunate sitting beside them. Tasnims com-
The IBA entrance now has a splendid appear-
thats far more engaging than that fiasco put mentary at our table was comprised of interest-
ance with gorgeous looking gates of crafted
together by Anne Hathaway and James Franco ing statistics which seemed to show beyond any
wood, artistic chandelier with fabulous lighting
Junior. reasonable doubt that only a select group of
enhancement, floor of tiles, newly groomed side
The highly anticipated Thanksgiving Dinner blessed people, the chosen ones, consistently
walls of bricks with three new notice boards on
organized by the 14th batch (and Wali bhaia) to won at these events. It appeared to prove her
them.
thank their 4 junior batches for last years 3-day right when Afrida Mahbub, winner of a netbook
Graduation on March 5th at Saffron in Gulshan at the picnic and an LCD monitor at the previous
Recently, there has been a reconstruction of the
was an immense success, partly due to the more thanksgiving, stood up as a contender for one of
gents, ladies and faculties washrooms. The
than lifelike impersonations of the two afore- the best prizes. Bad buzz did its work that day as
mosaic floors have been replaced by high class
mentioned characters by Naheyan bhaia and the collective consciousness of the people
and best fitting tiles and the washrooms have
Aumio bhaia. Their repetitive adjectives and around her stopped her from winning this time.
been facilitated with all modern features and
unrelated proverbs, respectively, delivered in the Another interesting theory was that raffle draws
neatness.
characteristic accent and style of the two com- increase disparity in the IBA population, with the
mentators managed to make the crowd laugh rich getting richer and the poor remaining in
There are still some renovation works going on
every time. poverty. This hypotheses was further strength-
throughout the ground floor and the first floor
The favourites of the night, Takar khela, walked ened when the somebody won his 3rd X-Box and
which will also add more to the grandness of the
away with the most awards, including the presti- the 1st prize of a 32 LED TV went to someone
campus.
gious best video award and best dialogue for who already had a 3D one!
walai-kumassalam. 15th managed to attain all Last but not least, there was the dj party; speak-
4 nominations for technical difficulties and even- ers blaring with the most popular club songs (a
tually clinch the honor while 18ths musical mas- few rock numbers like Summer Of 69 and Its My
terpiece Ami IBA Graduate won packets of Life managed to creep in too), people dancing
Rajar Dudh in the best song category. 17ths on and near the stage with all self-consciousness
boys took home the prize, which was fittingly a strewn aside and singing along with the music in
banana, for best dance number for their some- their loudest, most off-pitch voices.
what lewd but highly amusing interpretation of The party ended after 11:30 that night; a bunch
Momtazs classic Doyal Baba. The award of tired but happy students went back home in
session ended with the Never Stop Clapping high spirits, some with prizes, others with their
video, a humorous yet relevant take on Maverick consolation goody bag, all thanks to the brilliant,
Studios Never Stop Believing, placing the 14th co-ordinated, organized and above all united
batch in the central role previously occupied by efforts of a batch that once again showed the rest
the Bangladesh cricket team. why 14th is the best!

Next came the scrumptious buffet dinner,

followed by the zenith for some and the nadir for
others; the raffle draw. Over 20 prizes, of which

PAGE | 09
Intra-IBA Debate 2011: Reminder of a Legacy
Ashfaq Rahman, BBA 17th Batch
The fresher gets up from the chair with a piece
of paper in his hands. The room is emerged in
utter silence while only his footsteps towards the
podium are resonating. His eyes pop out as he
figures that he has become the center of atten-
tion. After a gulp, he utters the first words,
broken yet approaching logic
The above happens to a debater at the Institu-
tion of Business Administration, University of
Dhaka only once. After the Intra IBA Debate
Tournament, there is no looking-back, neither for
the freshers nor for the others. This years edition
of the Intra IBA Debate Tournament has been a
big success.
The objective of the tournament was to create the
debaters and adjudicators pool for the year
2011-12. A total of 66 students signed up for
debate while 30 students tried out for the adjudi-
cators pool. A majority of our participants were
from the new entrant to our IBA family, BBA 19th
batch. Some of them never even debated in their
life. Therefore, before the real deal of the
debates, a workshop was organized for the
participants on March 28th, 2011. It was
conducted by our veteran debater and adjudica-
tor Tausif Hossain from BBA 15th batch who has
represented IBA in both international and
national endeavors. Tausif Bhai provided the
participants with great insight into both debating
and adjudication. The participants were also
given supplementary resources to aid their
understanding of debating and adjudication. On
the same day, a lottery was conducted to form
the teams. The participants were initially divided
into three tiers. Tier A included those debaters
who have represented IBA in national or interna-
tional tournaments previously. Tier B included
those who were in the pool previously and lastly,
Tier C consisted of the debaters from the fresher
batch.
The big day of debate came on the 1st of April,
2011. Four rounds of debate had to be arranged
within one day- a difficult task in its entirety. As
always, we invited our great Alumni debaters
and adjudicators who have carried the flag of
IBA in many tournaments and have given us
occasions from which we still take inspiration to
become chairs for the debates. This year we had
Waheed Bhai (BBA 12th), Fahmida Apu (BBA
12th), Shakil Bhai (BBA 13th) and Sagor Bhai
(BBA 13th) coming in for adjudication. There was
great participation from BBA 14th from which we
had Kibria Bhai, Ridwan Bhai, Arif Bhai, Salmina
Apu, Albaab Bhai and Laila Apu. Tausif Bhai
(BBA 15th) was surely there all throughout the
way. Apart from the Alumni, we also had as
chairs some adjudicators who have participated
in national and international tournaments last
year. The alumni were also the ones who got to
decide the motions for the debates.
Our first debate started at around 10:30 a.m.
Once it ended, the results were put into the tab
and power match ups for the next round were
prepared. Although there was a doubt about
whether we will be able to finish the second
round before Jumah prayers, we cruised
through the second round and settled for a
break. After offering prayers and having lunch,
the debaters hurled back to the podium for the
third round. Raging debates took place for the
last two rounds as everyone battled for their
place in the pool. With the end of the fourth
round, the debating came to an end.
Everyone waited as the final scores were being
submitted and tab was sorted out. In the mean-
while, Arbaaz Bhai (BBA 13th) joined us before
he along with Shakil bhai and Kibria Bhai
announced the pool for the year 2011-12. In the
end, we had a pool of 30 debaters and 10 adju-
dicators selected from the four rounds of debate
based on individual scores. All of them were
ecstatic since they had the prospect of represent-
ing IBA and leaving their mark on the legacy that
has been created by their seniors. For many, the
feeling was totally new, especially for those from
BBA 19th batch. Yet, they all had the same flare
in their eyes, ready to make IBA proud; ready to
continue the legacy.
PAGE | 10
 Reliving that scorching day
at Gazipur
Lamia Aroni, BBA 19th Batch
Even before getting to know about the pham-
ous lingo of IBA or where each corridor leads to,
I was very well informed about the most longed
event of the IBA-ites _the IBA Annual Picnic. So
finally after the long wait and a lot of anticipation
we finally bumped our way on the 8th of April to
Shohag Palli Picnic Resort in Kaliakoir at Gazipur.
The picnic attendants gathered at the IBA prem-
ise early in a Friday morning which depicted the
level of their enthusiasm and anticipation for a
fun filled day. And boy oh boy, they surely
werent disappointed!
Unfortunately for us it was a very warm and
humid summer day. We all gathered in IBA to see
the sun beaming at us with probably the same
outburst of excitement as us. The picnic spirit was
reflected through everyones attires and their
high spirits.
Almost the entire IBA along with many of the ex
students were present. A long queue was formed
in the ground floor corridor where we were each
given our picnic backpack with some exciting
gifts, two t-shirts, a cap and other goodies. Most
changed into their t-shirts and jumped into their
respective buses for the 2.5 hour ride to Gazipur.
For us, the 19ths, the bus ride was probably
almost as fun, if not more, than the picnic itself.
With the cameras clicking away and capturing
our beaming smiles, we sang and screamed to
our hearts content. The road to Gazipur was very
dusty which probably added to our discomfort
due to the heat. In each bus a senior was
assigned who helped us out, and distributed the
(yummy) food. And after a very short 2.5 hours
ride we finally arrived at the picnic spot.
The panoramic view of the venue, surrounded by
forests and plantations as far as the eyes can
see, awed and mesmerized everyone. In spite of
the weather, the slides, the slippers the huge
dummy cow and the monster turned us all into
the naughty kids that we once were. People took
their turns in posing with the big monster, the
fake cart, and then riding on the boat. The picnic
spot had it all; literally! Its very own resident
monkey, two very proud deer, a giant spider
cave, see-saw rides, football field, waterfall,
boating lake, suspension bridge you name it!
We were assigned a few cottages where we took
refuge after the long bumpy and dusty ride.
There we freshened up, said our prayers
changed into comfortable clothes and got
prepared for spending an exciting day out in the
sun. Also waiting for us, was probably the most
refreshing and satisfying lemonade I have had
till date. Beautyr Shorbot was like heaven in
that hot sticky afternoon.
From then, till lunch was served, we were free to
do what we wanted. So people got engaged in
exploring the area, taking pictures, playing
football and more or less having a fun time. Very
soon food was served. And the food was mouth
watering. With a lot of items in the menu the
lunch was delicious!
After lunch, a few games were arranged for us.
Best among which was probably the water
balloon fight that took place in the wood outside
the premise. BBA 17th batch won the Water
Balloon fight.
Shakira motivated dancing competition and
sprint sharee race for the guys made everyone
gasp for breath and grasp their stomachs with
laughter. But the best part of the day was the
raffle draw. The 19th batch left their mark in this
round. The first prize which went to a fellow class
mate was a Dell laptop. The second and the third
prizes were a home theater and a gift hamper
from Apex.
Soon after, we all cheered as the BBA 16th and
the BBA 18th batches danced to some popular
and chic music. The fun filled day ended with a
crazy DJ Party! And trust me when I say this,
everysoul out there turned absolutely wild! But
ohh wait, calling it wild would be an understate-
ment yes, it was that awesome!
But we all know that, all good things must come
to an end, and the mind blowing picnic was no
different. But even though the picnic was over
there was no stopping us. The bus ride home was
even wilder!! So here goes three cheers to the
BBA 16th batch for their wonderful and orga-
nized effort! That was indeed the BAST picnic
ever!!!!
PAGE | 11
Sports
13 A Fight to the Finish

14 IBA Suits Down, BootsUp

15 Unmatched Pride, Passion & Perseverance

16 ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: A Firsthand Take


DU Basketball Tournament 2011:
A Fight to the Finish
Siam Hossain, BBA 16th Batch
In terms of sports achievements, the IBA basket-
ball team can be said to be the most successful
in the department for the last few years. In the
Intra-Basketball tournament held annually in
Dhaka University, IBA has been runners-up twice
and semi-finalists a few times but the ultimate
prize had always seemed to be just out of reach.
This year, IBAs very own - Dr. Ziaul Haque
Mamun, has been appointed the Dhaka Univer-
sity Sporting Director, and with Siam from BBA
16 appointed as captain of the team, IBA was
determined to win silverware. Even though the
team lost some key players from BBA 15 to the
corporate lifestyle, everyone went into the
tournament believing that the Force was strong
with them, and this year will be the one.
The team line-up this year: Siam (captain, BBA
16), Niaz (BBA 16), Andalib (BBA 17), Mushfique
(BBA 18), Ahnaf (BBA 18), Maugham (BBA 18),
Sadman (BBA 18), Shamjid (BBA 18), Saif (BBA
19), Tamjid (BBA 19), Dip (BBA 19), Akash (BBA
19), Asif (BBA 19).
Being last years runners up, IBA got a free pass
on the first phase of the tournament. The first
game of the second phase started on the 8th of
April and IBA was picked to start off the season
against IER. It was a good test for the newcomers
from BBA 19 to show off their skills and fight for
a place in the starting line-up. Clad in not so
subtle black and (disquieting) yellow, IBA started
the tournament with a convincing win!
The next game against International Relations
(IR) stretched the IBA players to the limit. The
whole game was a struggle to keep up with the
pace, and at one point, IR was up by 12 points.
Still trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, IBA
finally pulled together and started an unstop-
pable scoring run that saw them take the lead
and eventually triumph at the end of the whistle.
The next game against English was rather the
opposite, with the team walking to one of the
easiest wins in the tournament.
At this phase of the tournament, it took the form
of a league, with each of the 4 remaining teams
playing each other. The last 4 teams standing
were from the following departments IBA,
Applied Physics (AP), International Relations (IR)
and Economics. The team with the highest points
at the end of the league would be the champi-
ons!
The first game for IBA was against Economics.
This was the game where IBA was finally able to
show their true potential. It did not seem like
Economics was one of the favorites for the
tournament, as IBA ran riot and scored with
ease. Supported by the airtight defense, IBA
eventually won by an 18 point difference.
The second league game was against IR a
team IBA had struggled against in the earlier
stages. However, it seemed that the team had
learnt from their mistakes, and were easily coun-
terattacking whatever IR was throwing at them.
IBA won by a difference of 12 points.
And finally the tournament comes to the point
that has, for the last 3 years, defined the results,
Applied Physics vs. IBA - fittingly the last game of
the tournament, where the victor would be
crowned champions. Every time IBA got close to
touching the elusive championship, there was
always AP standing in the way but IBA seemed
determined to change that. Dr. Ziaul Haque
Mamun was one of the chief guests for this
match. As the crowd settled in and the teams
took to the field the game erupted in a blister-
ing atmosphere.
The whole game was an intense power struggle.
The supporters from each department were
definitely making their presence felt and the
noise was bringing the roof down an atmo-
sphere that would put Nou Camp or Old
Trafford to shame(!?). As soon as one team had
the lead, the other team would make a come-
back. This went on until by the end of the
allocated normal time - there was no winner and
the score was tied. The game went into overtime.
The intensity continued to the last minute of over-
time when AP was leading by just 1 point. With
10 seconds remaining IBA had won 2
freethrows, and had the chance to win their first
championship. Unfortunately, that wasnt to be.
IBA failed to convert the freethrows, and as the
final whistle went, AP was crowned the champi-
ons. Being runners-up itself is a big achieve-
ment, but you wouldnt know it by looking at the
IBA players who had almost grabbed the
championship itself. History had repeated itself,
but it was the closest they had gone to winning
the elusive prize.
Dr. Ziaul Haque Mamun had some words of
encouragement for the distraught players. When
the game becomes this close you have to
sometimes rely on luck. Unfortunately, luck was
not with them that day. IBAs Ahnaf was awarded
the player of the tournament, and as Siam lifted
the runners-up trophy, the players realized what
they had achieved, and their spirits lifted. But it
could also be seen that they couldnt wait to start
the tournament again next year and hopefully
go all the way.
PAGE | 13
Intra-IBA Futsal Tournament 2011:

IBA SUITS DOWN, BOOTS UP

Orin Tasnima Haque, BBA 18th Batch

IBA-ites suited down and booted up on a fine
Friday morning to fight for the ultimate glory in
IBA Futsal as the Intra IBA Futsal tournament
made its annual visit this year. On 18th march,
this years tournament came back bigger and
fiercer than ever as 24 teams fought for the
trophy.
Co-ordinated by Mr. Iftekharul Amin sir, assist by
Maayas Secutronics Ltd. and Organized by BBA
18th batch, this years tournament saw some of
the best names in futsal (in IBA), fight each other.
10 teams from IBA alums and 14 from the
current batches were the hopefuls for this year,
but only 6 from the current batches got past the
gruelling and sometimes heartbreaking qualifi-
ers.
To make the tournament even more eye catching
(!), there was also a friendly match between the
girls from BBA 17th and 18th batch (Aww FC),
which was won by 18th thanks to their star
defender Nazikas goal.
Now back to the main tournament, we saw an
awesome futsal display on that day. There were
surprise wins, even more shocking losses and
every match managed to keep the spectators on
the edge of their seats, with 4 games ending in
penalty shootouts. As always, the alumni teams
were dominating the tournament, but the exist-
ing batches did not let go without a fight. Even
though BBA 16th was shocked by 19th in the
qualifiers, ironically it was their players who were
making other teams win.
As the night grew older the tournament reached
its finale and BBA 1st held that cherished cham-
pions trophy tightly. Vuvuzelas blasted our ears,
dust covered our faces, few angry words were
exchanged, dreams were (At least for another
year) crushed and under the floodlights, some
man-tears were shed. But at the end of that day,
what we had witnessed was a brilliant display of
football talent and sportsmanship on the very
futsal ground that we all have come to know and
love.

The teams were from IBA alumni: BBA 1st, 911,
BBA 12th, BBA 13th, ac 15th, inter 15th, Pinduck
Red, Pinduck Black, Pinduck White, BBA 14th,
and from existing batches: GDFC (18th), dj vu
(45D), The underdogs (19th), Modhyorater
Rakhal (19th), Amateur 19th, P.F.C (19th ),
Purplepool 18th, Juvenile MBA 45th, backteria
(19th ), BBA 16th (1), SWOT, Aguner gola(17th),
BBA 16th (2) and guinea pigs.
In the quarter finals, they managed to give the
alumni teams a big fight and as GDFC and BBA
1st faced each other off; the tournament had
reached its peak.
PurplePool, AC 15th, BBA 1st and BBA 13th
reached the semis to bring themselves on step
closer to victory, but only AC15th and BBA 1st
went on to the final.

PAGE | 14

Without any doubt, Cricket is the buzzword in the
whole subcontinent for the last two months.
Being one of the host countries, people of
Bangladesh were in a frenzy mood during the
whole tournament. As the heat and hype of the
World cup increased, it was time for IBA-ites to
go out there and show our skills in the field. Like
every year, University of Dhaka organized
Annual Inter Department Cricket Tournament.
Under the guidance of our respected faculty, Md.
Iftekharul Amin, lecturer of Institute of Business
Administration, University of Dhaka, we
prepared ourselves for the battles to come and
worked hard in the nets to make our prepara-
tions as thorough as possible.
Unmatched Pride,
Passion & Perseverance -
IBA Cricket
Abdullah Al Rezwan Fuad, BBA 18th Batch
filled partnership, the rest of the teams job was
to maintain the flow of runs and that we did
successfully. Development Studies were never
able to threaten to chase down the mammoth
total as our bowling and fielding were top-notch.
Our bowlers bowled to a specific plan and due
to the spirited fielding, our opponents were
always behind the required run rate. Inevitably,
we won the match by substantial margin and
roared in joy together!
After our first win, we hoped to keep the momen-
tum and play with our heart for the upcoming
matches. We had a tough task in our hands as
we were against the defending champion of the
tournament- Political Science. Our captain won
the toss and chose to bat again. To avoid the
collapse of the top order, we were a bit tentative
in the beginning and it was a slow start for us.
After a steady start, the middle and late-middle
orders job was to accelerate and reach a com-
petitive total. Unfortunately, we lost wickets at
regular intervals and despite a spirited innings
Finally, the day had come! Our first match was
from our captain, Md. Abir hasan, we simply
against Development Studies. Although it is
didnt have enough runs in the board to defend
small compared to other departments, Develop-
against the defending Champions.
ment studies were definitely not short of inspira-
tion and talent. But IBA was equally up to the
Although there were ups and downs, it was
task. Anyways, our captain, Md. Abir hasan(BBA
simply a privilege to be a part of IBA cricket
16th) won the toss and chose to bat first without
team. One or two students from almost every
any hesitation. The decision seemed to back fire
current BBA & MBA batches played their part in
us once the match started. The top order
the team and it was a rewarding experience for
crumbled under pressure and we were in a spot
all of us to go out together to wave the flag of
of bother. Under those grave circumstances, we
IBA.
seemed to find our Messiah in Nazibur
Rahman(BBA 15th) & Ahmed Niaz Murshed(BBA
16th) who counterattacked and actually took the
game away from the opposition. After a stroke-
PAGE | 15
 ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2011 A FIRSTHAND TAKE
Nazia Zebin, BBA 17th Batch
The most sensational event in the history of
Bangladesh took place this year. And no, I am
not talking about Ashraful dancing gracefully to
Momtajs songs. Jitbey! Eibaar jitbey CRICKET! Azam Shaon- another IBAite from BBA 7th batch
Does the verse sound familiar? I bet it does!
For years we have been looking forward to host-
ing one of the greatest sports events of the world-
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. When the time
came, I had been very fortunate to get the
chance to work with the local organizers of the
event NOT as volunteers, but as service provid-
ers which our id cards read. There were a total
of around 24 students from IBA who worked side
by side with Local Organizing Committee (LOC,
ICC CWC 2011) under Bangladesh Cricket
Board in different departments- Commercial,
Logistics, Media, Enhancement, etc. I am sure
when I say this, I am saying it on behalf of every-
one in the team- This was by far the most exhila-
rating experience of our lives.
Cricket World Cup 2011 started with a bang in
our own Bangabandhu National Stadium. The
opening ceremony was, in one word, legendary!
Although at first we were bombarded by stupid
political speeches and poorly and wrongly
pronounced numbers (read: two-jiru-jiru-one),
we were blown away by the grand display of
Indian, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi cultures
proficiently done by participating students of
various schools of Bangladesh and national and
international artists. And the fireworks, aerial
cricket, LED kites, Bryan Adams- All of them took
our breath away. Tahsin Saeed- an IBAite from
BBA 5th Batch and currently the executive direc-
tor of Asiatech- the organization in charge of
conducting the opening ceremony along with
Wizcraft India- mapped out the entire idea of the
grand event. Here I should also mention Gausul
everyone present there. The roars, the screams,
and currently the managing director of Grey
Bangladesh- the organization appointed by ICC
to take care of the promotions and activations
done in Bangladesh. He had a major contribu-
tion in conceptualizing School of Life- the
renowned promotional ad which also premiered
in the opening ceremony.
The much-treasured memories of the opening
ceremony actually worked as an incentive when
we were running around during the matches and
doing all the mundane tasks thrown upon our
back. As a member of the commercial team, I
had gate duty, which was perhaps one of the
worst jobs ever. We had to stand there for 3-4
hours straight after the gates opened asking
people to read what was written behind their
tickets and not bring the things that had been
prohibited inside. In that period, I made three
important observations about Bangladeshi
people-
1.We think that we are right and others are
wrong- even if every reasoning and rule stands
against us.
2.We would rather stand in long queues than go
to relatively small ones because we, as a nation,
have been standing in queues almost everywhere
since ages.
3.People would rather listen to the tokais than
people in uniforms.
The best part of watching matches in the stadium
was the crowd. I remember the last minutes of
the match Bangladesh played against Ireland.
You could feel the joy and pride in the air and in
the smiles, the celebration of victory. I was com-
pletely overwhelmed by the feeling of unity and
by the end of the night I had a broken throat due
to shouting at the top of my lungs. But who
cares?
Bangladesh is a very small country. But I can
definitely say that through hosting the Cricket
World Cup successfully, we have affirmed that we
are not far behind than others. The Bangladeshi
cricket team may not have performed their best
this time, but should we lose hope? Henry
Kissinger once said about Bangladesh- It is and
will always be a basket case. I bet he never
thought we would be able to earn independence
by kicking the Pakistani army out of our mother-
land. Nothing is impossible if we set our mind to
it. Victory shall be ours one day. And that day, we
shall hunt down Sidhu and give him a black eye
and a broken nose!
PAGE | 16
Achievements
18 IBA wins KUET Tourney

18 The Debate Realm

19 The OIC Experience

20 Bronze in Hong Kong

21 HSBC YEA 2011: Experience of a Lifetime

DEBATE COMPETITIONS &TOURNAMENTS
IBA Wins KUET Tourney!
Ashiq Alam, BBA 18th Batch
Khulna University of Engineering and Technol-
ogy (KUET) campus is a serene place with lash
green fields all around the beautifully planned
structures. A fierce battle of words took place in
this serene place during the 2ndProthomAlo
KDS Debate festival organized by KUET Debat-
ing Society (KDS) from 27th to 29th January. The
Bangla and English tournament ran simultane-
ously during the festival.
IBA participated only in the English tournament
of the festival. Team IBA comprised of Gaows
Mohammad, Mohammed Masudur Rahman
and Ashiq Alam. All of them are from BBA 18th
Batch. It was a very new combination. Moreover,
the name IBA added a lot of pressure. Nobody
was expecting anything less than a champion-
ship. But the competitors were not that easy. The
other teams participating in the tournament were
Dhaka University Debating Society (DUDS),
Rajshahi University, Khulna University, Stamford
University, Chittagong University, United Interna-
tional University, East West University and the
host institution, KUET. All of them were very
talented teams and could give any other team a
run for their money on their day. But Team IBA
managed to pull it off. And they did it in style.
In the grand finale, IBA was poised with team
UIU-1. The motion was This house believes that
Palestine is responsible for its own status. IBA
was the Government side. The debate was a
high voltage one. IBA was confident but the
debate might go to other side. After an hour or
so of formal ceremonies, it was time to
announce the results. The master of the
ceremony declared IBA the winner on a stagger-
ing 5-0 ballots. It was a flawless victory. Not a
single ballot was lost by IBA in the whole tourna-
ment. The young Team IBA finished it in style.
Gaows was ruled to be the best speaker of the
final. Prizes were handed over by the Vice Chan-
cellor of KUET, D. Md. Alamgir and few other
dignitaries.
The tournament might not have been that big
like a tournament in Dhaka, but the quality of
debating made sure everything had to be done
right if the trophy was to be won. IBA did just that
once again.
The Debating Realm
Moshfeqa Karim, BBA 17th Batch
IBACC debate team consisting of Syed Ibrahim
Saajid (BBA 17th), Moshfeqa Karim (BBA 17th)
and Nawazul Kabir (BBA 18th) became runner
up in the Sandalina-Prothom Alo 14th Inter Club
Bengali Debate Competition 2011 organized by
Viqarunnisa Noon Debating Club in February.
Total thirty-six teams participated in the competi-
tion and after four knock out rounds they made
it to the finals. Topic of the final round debate
was-This house believes that information war
would be the third world war. The team was in
the proposition side and lost it to the Dhaka
University Debating Society. Moshfeqa Karim
also stood second in the public speaking compe-
tition held among the best speakers of the first
round.

In the 1st Round, IBA as the Government

defeated Chittagong University in 3-0 ballots on
the motion This house believes that sanction on
Iran is no good. For the Quarter finals, IBA
faced the home team, KUET. It was sheer pres-
sure from the home crowd who applauded the
KUET team when they were talking and even
when they were not! On the motion Yellow is the
new White IBA knocked out the home team by a
2-0 ballots. The semi-final was a treat for the
neutral. On the motion, This house believes that
SEC is not responsible for the share market
crash, IBA and United International University
(UIU)-2 faced each other in a close debate. IBA
once again came on top with a 4-0 ballot win.

PAGE | 18
 THE OIC EXPERIENCE
International debate tournaments are always a
lot of fun. I had my first exposure to international
tourney when I was in my second year at IBA and
I still treasure that as one of my memorable
experiences. Representing my institute, making
friends from different parts of the world (having
a German friend added in facebook really
seemed awesome :p) and most of all, addafying
with bhias and apus and polapains from all
batches (from 14th to 17th means all for then,
sorry 18th and 19th) was amazing!
Experience at OIC was a bit different though. We
had only one team from IBA which had me, Abir
and Gaushey in it. But we had Masud from 18th
Ashfaqul Haq Chowdhury,
BBA 16th Batch
Their campus, which had hills, rivers and cloud
in it, was huge and there were a few Bangla-
deshis who joined in the tournament as specta-
tors and supported us throughout the tourna-
ment.
As like any other debating tournament, OIC IV
was also not confined in debating. We had gala
diners and barbeque parties after the debates
were gone every day. And that is where the
Bangladesh contingent proved how spontaneous
they are even outside the debating rooms. We
made a huge noises in the diner party and our
fellow Bangladeshi debaters performed songs
like Saadher Lau which seemed to mesmerize
the audience (if not with the singing talent then
with the ever flowing enthusiasm of us).
But it was definitely all about party, it should not
be even. Yes, we waited for the parties every
waiting in Malaysia to join us. Four of us together
night but before that we had to go through
had spent some great times together the day
grueling sessions of debating everyday and we
before the tournament started. Roaming around
were determined to do well to take the IBA and
in KL, tasting something in almost all known and
Bangladesh Flag one step higher.
unknown food shops (from SubWay to Indian
roadside cafes) and annoying the superstore
The day of the final started early in the morning.
salesmen did a lot to relieve us from the tension
We were less than 5 minutes late and that
that we were feeling about the debates.
resulted in a huge queue of buses because no
buses could start until the bus carrying the final-
The debates went great though. Starting with an
ists start its journey. Not knowing how to feel
opponent from Egypt, we faced team from many
after receiving so much of embarrassment (it
nationalities and whatever the result came out,
doesnt feel nice to know that you kept more than
we became good friends after the debates,
150 people waiting, even if that is for only 5
having a few more foreigner friends in facebook.
minutes) I myself decided never to be late again
And IIUM was just mindboggling as organizer.
in my life in these debate tournament.The final
had a huge arrangement. Malaysian govern-
ment officials, ambassadors from different OIC
member states and an enthusiastic crowd waited
for us there and it felt so nice to make our
supporters happy after the results.
Before ending this piece, let me get a bit serious.
As we all know, achieving anything might be
tough but keeping that is even tougher. I hope all
the junior IBA-ites understand that how huge
responsibility has bestowed upon them with this
win. I believe, you all understand that and you
will act that way and you will take the flag of IBA
and Bangladesh even further. My time is running
out really fast and its a nice feeling to handover
the responsibility to you guys because I know,
YOU CAN! Signing off-
PAGE | 19
BRONZE IN HONG KONG
For the first time ever, Bangladesh won a Title in
the PolyU Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Global Student Challenge (GSC) 2011 orga-
nized by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
during June 11th to June 17th, 2011.
Team Reborn consisting of Nusrat Tamanna
Prianka, M. Faiyak Zaman Rishad, and Asif Iqbal
Arnob, final-year students (BBA 16) of Institute of
Business Administration, University of Dhaka
won the Bronze Award in this prestigious Global
Competition. After three rounds of keen compe-
tition, the Gold Award for the University Division
went to Purdue University of the US and the Silver
Award went to the Hong Kong Polytechnic
University. The Finalist Teams included big
names such as the Princeton University, South-
east University, P.R. China, etc. It is an extremely
great honor for the Bangladeshi Team to beat
such big names and bring back glory for its
home country.
Apart from the competition, the 7 days spent in
Hong Kong turned into a melting-pot of culture
and heritage of 21 different countries. Starting
from the University Tours to visiting Ocean Park
and trying out Tai-Chi, every little experience was
once of a lifetime.
Talking of shopping in Hong Kong, it was one
hell of an experience. None of us knew that well
be bargaining like how we do that in Bangla-
desh! Whenever you ask a price, they would
bring out a calculator and type a number, which
is actually the price! We somehow managed to
end up with a good strike price (!) and buy the
things.
Memories have we had all throughout the trip!
Starting from Prianka getting locked the fire
escape staircase to Arnob talking about
Random stuff with a random French guy at Georgia
7eleven and me having no idea where to find
Arnob at 2 at night in lung kuo feng popularly
known as the party place (!), everything was like
little pieces of puzzles which made up the whole
trip a lot more fascinating.
We made friends, a lot of them! One guy from
Australia amazingly understood very well what I
said when I shouted Arnob, birir packet tor
kase? He was actually from Assam, and one of
his teammate also enlightened us with the fact
that, this guy smokes so much that probably he
knows what Cigarette is called in every
language! Then there was Idris from Kenya who
would carry a Dagger (trust me, it was!) with his
traditional dress.
Ok I might now move to the details to competi-
tion, or else the editor will have me beaten up for
writing these faul pechal all along! This unique
event was launched by PolyU in 2010 as a major
initiative to embrace internationalization, inno-
vation, and entrepreneurship. This year, a total
of 60 teams from 21 different countries partici-
pated in the University Division and out of these
60 teams, only 6 teams were chosen to compete
in the Final which was held on the 16th June in
the Jockey Club Auditorium of The Hong Kong
Polytechnic University. The competition attracted
prestigious and world-renowned universities
from all round the globe, including Princeton
M. Faiyak Zaman Rishad
BBA 16th Batch &
President, IBACC
University, Purdue University, Johns Hopkins,
Institute of Technology, Carnegie
Mellon, University of Manchester, UTS Australia,
National University of Singapore, and many
others.
The idea that won us the Bronze Award was To
produce and market more affordable, more
effective, and eco-friendly bio-diesel and
bio-fertilizer from Jatropha in Bangladesh. This
business primarily focuses on pulling down the
cost of fuel and fertilizer used by farmers by
producing the alternatives from Jatropha seeds,
a plant that naturally grows in abundance in
Bangladesh. We found out that the centralized
nature of the distribution system of diesel oil for
irrigation pumps in Bangladesh rarely meets an
adequate amount supplied to the farming com-
munities. Also, high import cost of fuels and
chemical fertilizers worsen the situation. To
mitigate these problems of high cost, we plan to
has introduced Jatropha Bio-diesel and
Bio-fertilizer, both of which are organic,
environmentally-friendly, and most importantly,
cost-effective. The idea was very much praised
by the judges of the semi-final and the final
round.
Last but not the least, mingling with students
from all over the world, the International
Students came to realize that us, the Bangladeshi
students, are not far behind than the rest of the
World. We might be a developing country, but
the young talents that we have are absolutely
capable of competing with the best brains of the
world!
PAGE | 20
 HSBC YEA 2011:
Experience of a
Lifetime
Nusrat Sharmin Moutusi,
BBA 17th Batch
The journey began in January 2011, when
suddenly one day we, Upoma, Shehreen and I,
decided to participate in HSBC YEA 2011. After
one or two days of brainstorming, Upoma first
came up with the idea of CocoCrete, an idea
that became so close to our hearts that it literally
changed our lives 6 months after its inception.
We, team Stalwarts, started working on the idea
and after the rigorous preliminary selection
process; seven teams out of more than 300
applicants were shortlisted based on their
submitted business plans for the final presenta-
tion to be held on April 26, 2011.
April 26. We arrived a little late at the Lakeshore
hotel, the venue for local finale of YEA, which
only accelerated our already palpitating hearts!
All of the other six competing teams were
brilliant. Either they had the YEA experience of
participating in YEA in the previous years or they
were experienced in participating in business
competitions. In comparison with them, we felt
like novices! After four astounding presentations,
we were up next! I do not know how we did, but
half an hour later, when all the presentations
were over, the judges announced us as the gold
winners of YEA 2011!
Preparations begin for the regional finale. From
making PowerPoint presentation, brochures,
CDs to designing sharee for our final presenta-
tion and shopping for our anticipated tour to
Hong Kong- all had to be done within 16th of
June. To make matters worse, this semester
turned out to be the toughest and we had to
attend four finals before departing for Hong
Kong, one of which was on the very morning of
our flight, 16th of June!
17th to 25th of June- 9 days of our lives we will
never forget. HSBC in collaboration with
Chinese University of Hong Kong arranged
programs for us, which included team-building,
trip to Ocean Park, visiting the culture and
heritage of old Hong Kong at Wan Chai, semi-
nar on cross-cultural communication, and a
guided tour to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clear-
ing Limited. And of course, the heart of the entire
tour-the grand finale, which was held at the
HSBC Head Quarter on June 20.
7 gold teams from 7 different countries with
innovative ideas, battled to become the Best of
the Best, Diamond and Jade award winners.
With the dream of continuing the IBA legacy of
getting a place in the top three in YEA regional
round, with the help of brilliant seniors like Siffat,
Rifat, Laura, Lamia, Sababa Apu and Aumio
bhaia and with the support of wonderful friends
like Sumaya, Amani, Rishad, Adib, Walid,
Adittya- we managed to give our very best.
The moment we had all been waiting for came
finally. Thailand was announced as the Jade
winner. Team Stalwarts from Bangladesh is the
Diamond award winner! All the hard work and
sleepless nights of the past six months seemed
worth it! It was an amazing feeling!
This entrepreneurial tour to Hong Kong was an
experience of a lifetime that taught us so many
things. It helped us to become closer to our
seniors, provided us with the opportunity to have
a glimpse of the business hub of Asia-Hong
Kong, to work with the brilliant young minds of
Asia, and to have some of these brilliant people
as friends. Even if we had not won the Diamond
award, I think we would not have had any
regrets. Because this experience was just a
steppingstone to achieving something bigger in
life, sky SHOULD be our limit!
PAGE | 21
In Retrospect
23 A Bitter Sweet Symphony

24 The Trip That Ruined It All

27 Never Stop Believing

A BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY
FLASHBACK:
The eve of Fresherz 08
Tasmia Tasbih Nova, BBA 16th Batch
The IBA premise was beautifully lit and adorned,
ready to greet us freshmen. With some nerve and
unmatched valor we walked through the main
gate dressed in the most outrageous outfits ever!
The guys of our batch sported punkjabis & real
short shorts, gelled up spikes & collar high
attitude! And us girls?! Clad in neon orange and
yellow bua der shari with a pair of sunglasses
to (mis)match, we had all marched in, leaving
the senior bhaiyas and apus completely stunned,
and for most of them, not in a good way. As
hilarious as the situation was, the desired effect
was not very desirable; a practical joke had gone
wayward. We had, most unconventionally,
violated the dress code and were in for a REAL
reception! The director was ever so mad and
declared that we were not to step into the audito-
rium before we had a change of clothes. And I'll
tell you the truth, we WERE scared. And we felt
horrible for letting down our seniors the very first
day they were to welcome us into the family.
Three long years have passed by since then but
the memory is raw, like an un-attended cut. And
when I jog down the memory lane right into the
corridors of IBA that night, it is not bitterness or
regret that I see. What I see is the closeness that
we shared when the entire batch had taken the
blame on its shoulders instead of pinpointing at
any one. What I see is the unimaginable spirit
that we managed to display even after being
chastised by the director for our wardrobe
malfunction. What I see is the undaunted cour-
age and unity with which we faced the pochani
of the evening
This seems like such a long time ago. Heck, I am
a senior now! My life is mostly a blur of all
kinds of 7th semester pera. Everyones at the
point of their life where they are shaping up and
honing themselves for the corporate world out
there, for very soon, we are to step out of our
shells. Priorities, they are called! Its true that the
carefree fun we used to have in the first couple
years are rare occasions these days, its true that
we have exhausted a lot. But we still try to hold
onto some precious time of togetherness. A little
bit of respite, a lot of laughter. At least I do. hang
outs, the birthdays, the last minute report and
assignment works, the month-long busting our
backs to organize events and SO MUCH MORE
have been captured in an irreplaceable time &
frame. And when its hard to catch a break with
my friends, I indulge in reminiscence. I switch on
my laptop and browse through the countless
photo albums that are neatly categorized,
semester-wise, in my IBA folder. Some of the
pictures make me smile, some make me laugh
out loud and some bring a lump in my throat.
They remind me of all the bitter sweet memories,
the big IBA events, the most humdrum of days. A
photo from our first picnic us girls doing what
we can to win the tug of war, Aumee sprawled on
the ground after slipping on the soap water! Our
very first Pohela Baishakh, where we performed
our very first dance and managed to look like
white-faced, red-lipped ghosts in broad daylight!
A photo where Raquib is dressed as Rupbanu in
a saree for our Bhanga TV shoot! A photo from
the Comilla road trip for Bangladesh Studies,
where our car broke down and we sat on the
bonnets drinking dab er pani! The Grads, the
Fresherz, the countless aimless hang outs, the
birthdays, the last minute report and assignment
works, the month-long busting our backs to
organize events and SO MUCH MORE have
been captured in an irreplaceable time & frame.
I cannot quite fathom the intensity of affection
that my friends and batch mates have towards
IBA, but I can certainly say its more than I can
comprehend, more than they portray. Just like
me. It has always been easier for me to pour out
my feelings on paper than in action, and this
article is an outlet for my pent up sentiments. I
believe my life had started when I stepped into
the doors of IBA for the first time. I learnt to grow
up here, to devote, to hate, to envy. I tasted the
sweetness of true friendship, the bitterness of
losing friends who werent meant to be. I fell in
love here, I got my heart broken. I was praised, I
was reprimanded. Sometimes I was disap-
pointed, sometimes devastated; I learnt to get
back up on my feet and embrace what I had. I
was let down, I let others down; but I learnt to
forgive and forget. I learnt to laugh like theres
no tomorrow, to care unconditionally and to be
happy. And I learnt not to regret, for my experi-
ences are what made myself ME.
Truth be told, it was out of boredom that I had
offered to do this write-up for the news letter. Had
I known then that Ill be coming to the harsh
realization of the fact that Im only a few precious
months away from the end of what was the most
inexplicable, overwhelming journey of my life, I
would probably have written about something
mundane. For I am not ready to believe my IBA
life is coming dangerously close to the Finish
Line. I am NOT ready to let this aching numb-
ness and anguish sink in yet.
PAGE | 23
 THE TRIP THAT RUINED IT ALL
Sami Ullah Khan, BBA 16th Batch
Batch trip has ruined it for me.
Seriously. I had a post batch trip depression
period of one month. Family trips bore me to
death now. Overnight stays at friends houses
are much less fun without the 4 am walks on the
beach. And whenever someone uploads an
album of a Coxs Bazaar trip on Facebook, I go
through all the pictures and inevitably come to
the conclusion that we had 10 times more fun!
So what happened in the 6 days between 21st
and 27th December that made it THE trip, the
best trip ever, the trip that made life worth it for
those 34 people? Well, lets take a look.
The Train Journey
Our trip plan was something like this: Dhaka-
Chittagong-Teknaf-Saint Martins-Coxs Bazaar-
Dhaka. Why the unnecessarily complex route?
Because everyone wanted the trip to start with a
TRAIN JOURNEY! And Turna-Nishitha it was, set
to leave Dhaka at 10 30pm. Batch trip was
finally going to begin!
So everyone reached Kamalapur on time. There
was just so much of excitement that when it was
announced the train will leave at 12 am instead,
nobody cared much. Instead, the entire batch
just sat on the platform, took out our guitars and
started to sing in front of an extremely diverse
audience (parents, random travelers, railway
officials, cha-walas, beggars, dogs). Things did
get worse, however, when we got to know there
will be another hours delay. And finally, when
the train did start at 3:30 am in the morning,
bad buzz was the only word on our minds. The
word became BADD BUZZZZ!! at 8:30am,
when news came that there was some problem
with the rail line or something, and we were only
halfway through! When the journey did end at
1:30 pm in the afternoon, we had lost an entire
morning and all our energy by then. Not the best
start to the trip, and everyone prayed the rest of
the trip would go smoother. Well, our prayers
were answered, and not for a single moment did
anyone feel bored in the next five days.
Astounding Astronomic Acumen
We carefully timed our trip so that it coincides
with the night of full moon. Naturally, when night
came on our first and only night at Saint
Martins, everyone expected the moon to come
out and dazzle. Except that it didnt come out. It
was past 6 30, an hour after sunset, and there
was still no trace of that thing! And then some-
one uttered the following words of wisdom Ami
to agei bolsialm purnimar porer raate chaad
uthe na!!! Seriously? And yet, no one had
enough knowledge on the topic to challenge that
statement! Almost accepting that the night was
going to be dark, we just sat and sang together
on the beach with a guitar. So, when out of
nowhere, an orange disk (yes, orange) twice the
size of a football (yes, twice) appeared through
the middle of the two large swaying boats in
front of us, its out-of-this-world beauty was
enough to make us speechless. The light, the
reflection on water, and the rocking boats that
is one wonderful image to cherish for years to
come.
BHAAT DE
Food has been a mixed experience throughout.
Hundys Biriyani of Chittagong is by far the best
biriyani I have had I my life, and 90% of my
classmates will agree. Mermaid Caf in Coxs
bazaar, on the other hand, was an entirely differ-
ent experience. Lets just say unbelievably over-
priced food, annoyingly long cooking time and
half cooked food was not worth the two hours of
make-up that our girls put on before going to
this supposedly best restaurant in Coxs Bazaar.
The night we reached Coxs Bazaar, everyone
headed straight to the famed Angel Drop right
after unpacking. It was 11pm already and we
were ravenous. Naturally, when food didnt
come even by 12pm, it was really hitting the
nerves. 12:30am and still no food - it was finally
too much. So some resorted to the desperate
trick of crying out Bhaaaaat deee!!!, which was
met by the oshobhhogula kotha theke aschhe?
stare by the waiters. Bhaat came at 12:45, and
it tasted like heaven. If there was any discontent
over the food, it was wiped away by having
coffee at Sweetys at 2am, and late night walks
on the beach till 4am! Ahhh I miss those days!
PAGE | 24
The Bond That Will Never Break
This is the most emotional event of the trip.
Memories will fade, but the union of the souls
that took place on the night of December 25th
will remain for eternity. There were 10 of us. It
was way past midnight. The beach was cold and
empty. The moon shone, the sea roared. Even
though we stood in a line, one meter away from
each other (the hygienic distance), we felt
connected like never before. We were the band
of brothers. The unbreakable bond had been
formed. A bond that could only be created by
urinating in the sea together.
Fear of the Dark
It was with a heroic effort that I was able to
repress a scream when our speedboat took an
almost 90 degree turn, and managed to say with
all my masculinity and cool attitude Haha. Bhoy
e to lage dekhi. Haha. Stupid social norms that
say men cannot scream!
The trip to Maheshkhali was totally unplanned
and totally worth it. It took a 15 minute super
exhilarating speedboat ride from Coxs Bazaar
to reach the island. And right after getting down
on the jetty, we were flooded by numerous
proposals by locals that made many wonder
whether we were in Thailand! Anyway, we
politely declined (stating time constraint as the
reason), and took 90 minute rickshaw rides
through this exotically beautiful island. However,
after getting back to the jetty, it was discovered
with horror that there were no speedboats
waiting for us! So we waited with anxiety, and
when the speedboats did arrive, there was com-
plete darkness. Thus began the most hauntingly
memorable journey of our lives. Through the
middle of the Bay of Bengal, with huge waves
PAGE | 25
and no light whatsoever, not even a searchlight
on the speedboat. The memory still gives me
goose bumps. Unbelievable.
Fall of the Wall
Dear 18th batch, your crushing of the wooden
stairs in this years IBA picnic was not the first
time IBA students have destroyed others prop-
erty and gotten away without paying for it!
Theres this nice open beachside place called
pacific caf where we had a barbeque dinner on
our last day of the trip. Good food, good music
and the fact that we had the entire place to
ourselves put us in a real festive mood, and
accordingly many went dancing in a newly built
open cottage of the caf. Everything went well,
until suddenly all the dancers came back with
faces full of fake innocence that said something
was wrong. What had happened? The mystery
was solved when the clearly irritated manager
came and said Sami bhai, oi BORO Apu ta to
amar wall bhenge felse! Someone had actually
broken a part of the 2 feet wall by sitting on it!
And it was very confusing when Navid Sarwar of
our batch came forward and casually confessed
that he did it. Navid cannot possibly be the
BORO Apu, he is not BORO by any means! The
mystery remains, and we are just happy the
manager didnt charge us extra!
The Minor Hiccup
No trip is completed without some small compli-
cations, right? On the last day of the trip, we had
a minor problem. And by minor, I mean one of
us sitting over the side railing of a chaander gari
and hitting the steel bars of a bridge at full speed
and falling off the vehicle and rolling over the
bridge for 10 seconds and in the process
convincing us that he is not going to live. Well,
he did live, and turned out the injuries were,
miraculously enough, only minor. But the major,
permanent damage was done somewhere else.
Those of us who had to lift that 200 pound lump
up on the chaander gari had waist pain for the
next two months. More tragically, those who had
to witness him in the disturbingly disordered
state of clothing right after the accident and in
the hospital are yet to recover from the trauma.
AndBBA 16th Batch
Ill only say that I am proud, glad, thankful and
fortunate. Being a part of BBA 16th has been a
life changing experience, and this trip would not
have been half as much fun without this group of
multitalented high-spirited awesome people. No
need to say anything else.
So many other stories that I couldnt tell here
regular verbal molestation of Sharjil by everyone
during the Mafia games; the failed attempt to cut
NIazs birthday cake with a steel ruler; the RAM-
BOBRA; rise of the addictive game of Bhabi-
Bhabi; improper dancing moves; Shafquat-
Tasnuva-Sidrat triangle; Kawsars cowboy hat;
Arnobs motivational speech; custom made
super-cool hoodies for the trip; certain disap-
pearances, sightings and new beginnings that
keep us talking even today the list goes on. End
of this year, there is nothing stopping me from
going on the Batch Trip: Volume 2, and I am sure
everyone else feels the same way. So, my dear
classmates, let the planning begin, again!
PAGE | 26
 NEVER
STOP
BELIEVING
Sidrat Talukdar, BBA 16th Batch
This is a story of how the tiny efforts of a faithful
few can still make a difference.
11 March, 2011. ZAC Stadium, Chittagong. As
the ninth Bangladeshi batsman walked onto the
pitch that night, hundreds of disappointed fans
started to leave the stadium. Across the country,
many more switched off their TV's, unable to
swallow the bitter disappointment of early elimi-
nation from the first Cricket World Cup to be
held on home soil. At 169-8, with another 57
runs required for victory against a resurgent
England side, and with the memory of an
embarrassing capitulation to the West Indies still
fresh in their minds, Bangladeshi cricket fans felt
something far too familiar: a sense of utter
hopelessness.
But not everyone had lost faith. And as those
who kept watching would soon find out, a little
belief can truly make a world of difference.
Mahmudullah Riyad and Shafiul Islam - the pair
at the crease - did not give up hope. Together,
they put in an inspired and heroic last-ditch
performance. Their partnership turned the
match around - ball by ball, run by run - so that
by the time the bewildered Englishmen realized
what was happening, the two had scripted one
of the most dramatic and sensational comeback
victories of all time.
At the post-match press conference, the new
heroes were asked about their performances.
Where did they find the strength and the guts to
do what they had just done? We were heavily
inspired, they replied, by a video.
That video, entitled Remember the Spirit, was
made by us, Maverick Studios. Along with
another video titled Never Stop Believing
(shown to the team before the Ireland match), it
was part of an internet-enabled, fan-based
movement that centered around the slogan
Never Stop Believing. The objective of the
movement was simple: to inspire the Bangladesh
Cricket Team to play their best in the World Cup.
And after suffering a crushing defeat to West
Indies in their third match, the Tigers bowling
coach (with whom we had worked before) asked
us to do whatever we could to raise the teams
spirits before the do-or-die England game. So
we got to work. We brainstormed. We asked
each other: if we were them, what would inspire
us? What would lift our spirits and drive us to
play our best?
Two approaches came to mind. The first was the
Bengali heritage. If theres one thing that weve
proven in the dark days of 1971 and in the innu-
merable disasters that weve faced throughout
our history, its that we, as a people, never give
up.
The second idea was fan support. Few other
national teams can boast such emotional
(sometimes over-emotional) fans. We knew that
if the team could just see how much the whole
country was backing them, through thick and
thin, they would feel less insecure and more
confident about playing their best. But how
would we communicate this fan support to the
team?
Enter Facebook! We created an event where we
invited every supporter of Bangladesh cricket to
send in a picture of themselves holding up a
supportive message for the team. We would then
use the submitted photographs in our video, as
well as print them out as a mosaic-poster that
would be given to the Bangladesh team prior to
the match against England.
Within hours, the event had some 3000 invited
guests, and the pictures started rolling in. People
of all ages, from all walks of life, and from all
over the world joined in to show their unabashed
support for the national team. In the end, we got
some 350 photographs, along with a similar
number of supportive wall posts, in just three
days.
Using this material, we were able to create the
Remember the Spirit video, and a quartet of
posters with the message Amra kokhonoi
bisshash harabo na, which we hand delivered
to the national team coaches Ian Pont and Julien
Fountain in Chittagong just hours before the
match got underway. Later, the were kind
enough to notify us that posters were hanging
proudly in the teams dining room, and that the
team had seen the video. The rest, as they say, is
history.
In conclusion, although it is easy to be disap-
pointed by the Bangladesh Cricket Team in the
world cup (since they got knocked out early), we
prefer to look at it differently. Rather than letting
the nervous defeats or the wholesale drubbings
be the highlight of our World Cup, we like to
remember those moments against Ireland and
England, especially the dewy night in Chit-
tagong, when we could have capitulated so
easily, but against all odds, we didnt. We want
to remember how, after those matches, our
chronically divided nation was united in frenzied
celebration for just a few moments, forgetting all
the hardships of life. That was the whole point of
our movement., after all: to show people that
anything and everything really and truly is
possible, as long as there are enough people
who Never Stop Believing!
PAGE | 27
Freestyle Writing
 Trap written by
Anik Ehteshamul Arefin,
BBA 19th Batch

Deep beneath the cover

Of another perfect wonder
Where its so white as snow..

Privately divided
By a world so undecided
And theres nowhere to go..
Snow - Red Hot Chilli Peppers..
[~]

You do know that its not the stuff that makes me come here, dont you?, the boy would always ask. The girl would just
smile back at him.

The white flakes of snow infiltrated their nervous system with amazing effect. Nothing else mattered now- all the problems
and harshness of life were now suddenly a distant past. Utopia. Zenith. Ecstasy. Call it whatever you want, all that mattered
to the two of them now was that they were together, the syringe full of the drug amplifying the experience to tremendous
extents.

By street language, they refer places like this as traps. Very justifiable given the number of hours the young couple spent here
in the old, abandoned warehouse, getting high all the while. In a way, both knew what they were doing was not the right thing
to do, but every single time, the human conscience gave in to the mighty syringe in their hands.

It was all so easy. Just one little push, and your off to wonderland.

Holding hands and getting high- not the most romantic of scenes, but that was love to them in their own little world. In a weird
way, yes, but love nonetheless.

So the day when the girl suddenly dropped lifeless on the dusty warehouse floor right next to him, the boy wondered where
he really stood: the reality, or in a realm of fake promises? Next to the exhausted syringe, her numb body still emitted the
usual, warm glow. Her dark, slender hair covering half of her peaceful face; of the other half, the familiar hazel eye seemed
to beckon for one last kiss.

Her lips were cold.

He took her in his trembling arms. You do know that its not the stuff that makes me come here, dont you?, the boy whis-
pered softly to her.

She never smiled back.

[~]

Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball,

Where were you when we were getting high?
Someday youll find me, caught beneath the landslide,
In a champagne supernova in the sky..
Champagne Supernova - Oasis..

PAGE | 29
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