CMC 20 years later

February 24th 2009

During my recent visit to Bangladesh, I took a whirlwind

trip to CMC. Thanks to my friend Dr Rupen Ryeed, we
started from Dhaka on the 24th February and reached
CMC campus around 3 PM. After visiting campus, main
hostel. Patenga beach on 24th, we started back for
Dhaka on 25th morning. Could not meet Quadery Sir,
Emran Sir and others as we had to cut short our trip
after hearing Pilkhana BDR news.
Jhhal Bitan fed me till my last day at the
campus. That was January 01, 1994.
Jhhal Bitan: The managers, the menu and the dress of those table boys and
glass boys did not change. Glass boys also will upgrade your lunch
experience by switching glass water with sealed bottles of mineral water.
We ordered beef bhuna, daal, shrimp-shabji, fish. Back in those
days, two of us shared one beef and keep asking for jhol.
Pasta Renasha is a new addition to Deluxe
bakery and Jhhal Bitan. Café Rose now is New
Café Rose. Taher Bhai is now a free man. No
more yelling from father in law .
I probably sat on these stools 20 years
ago
The shingara and the sauce: Still
is the best in the world
 Old Principals office now is Dean’s office. Now
there is another floor over that and principal office
has moved up to second floor
The walkway to the library The Dental College
remains in its old place
I see a lot of new names of old CMC institutions. It will be
helpful if the naming plaque contained background and brief bio
of the person being honored.
The Library: Individual study tables are new additions since I
was there last time. The small holes are still there to borrow
reference books.
Is the person next to the rickshaw Dr Rocky of 29th batch?
How I missed him while I was taking the photo?
The garden in Mojammel Chottor and
the rain shed is new for me.
The greenery next biochemistry lab in college
building has been turned into parking lot.
The post office is in same place, Doctors cafeteria is gone,
that place is now the Agrani Bank. The small newspaper
stand holds its size and location.
South side of the hospital lobby now has a drug store. And west side
remains open after the bank has moved next to Post office.
Grills and collapsible gates in open north/ main entrance of hospital lobby
narrowed the open access. A bangle clad uncovered dead body was blocking the
narrow main entrance.
The hospital lobby now has a TV .
Emergency has moved to east end of the hospital building ( In front of
ladies hostel). Psychiatry ward and Emergency ( Casualty) has
exchanged spaces.
East end of the college building which we used to enter anatomy labs has
become a marketplace. Thanks to the ER and the public toilet next door
There is always a crowd in front of the ladies hostel
Immediately after entering ER,
you will see these two rooms.
Something changes, some
things do not. Hospital
campus now has its own
uniformed security regiment
You no longer have to bang to call the elevators. The hospital has all new
elevators. A lot of effort has been made to beautify the hospital with gardens.
Hospital spider web
gallery. I from our
guess days are
the dust still there.
and the
Coronary Care Unit. Can CMC NA Alumni raise
the funds to ensure free supply of ECG papers
and other supplies at least in the CCU?
The students union-cafeteria building has just been
demolished, possibly for new structure. A building boom is
going on in the campus. Every inch of open space within the
hospital building and the campus is being filled with concrete
The walk way through the hill to the main hostel. The trees were just
being planted when I was a student. 20 years later, campus hills are
completely tree covered. Protecting those trees and allowing them to
grow is definitely a great achievement of the relevant authority
You come to main hostel from the campus. We all walked this way thousands
of times. Something never changes.
Mansur bhai’s brother Hossain bhai now runs the day shift. Monsur bhai runs the
night shift (Till 3 AM). Everything is unchanged except the size of the banana. The
bananas are now much bigger no doubt. They don’t taste as great though.
In some places, time has stopped
In some places, time has stopped
In some places, time has stopped
But life moves on in other places. Gulzar
cinema hall now is Gulzar Tower.
Goachi Bagaan now is Beverly Hill Estate.
In some places, time has stopped
In some places, time has stopped
In some places, time has stopped
But life moves on in other places. The Professor is in LLG 30
minute before the class to rehearse the multimedia power point
presentation containing video clips. The lecturers in tutorial
classes were all equipped with laptops.
CMC Principal Professor Gofranul Hoque is
now a member of this list server