Cultural activities at the University of Rajshahi have nearly come to a standstill as student cultural organisations are struggling amid severely inadequate infrastructure amid a growing administrative neglect.
Cultural activists and teachers said that the situation deteriorated after student cultural organisations were relocated from their long-used spaces in the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union building following the long-awaited RUCSU election held on October 16 last year.
The election to the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union, hall unions and senate student representative posts was held after a gap of 35 years, with the previous election having taken place in 1990.
For years, 15 student cultural organisations had operated from rooms inside the RUCSU building amid the absence of a functioning student union.
Following the election, however, the organisations were shifted temporarily to an old building previously used by Sheikh Russell Model School after university authorities had told them that the existing Teachers-Students Cultural Centre lacked sufficient space for accommodating the groups.
A recent visit to the relocated site found the building in a dilapidated state.
The rooms were narrow, dark and damp, while broken windows, damaged tin roofing and peeling wall plaster reflected years of neglect.
The courtyard was strewn with garbage, while the building lacked adequate rehearsal space, storage facilities, safe drinking water and reliable internet connectivity.
The entire structure had only a single small washroom.
Cultural activists alleged that the adequacies severely disrupted rehearsals, performances and other organisational activities.
Leaders of several theatre and cultural organisations said that many groups were now forced to rehearse in open fields and corridors because the allocated rooms were too small for regular practice sessions.
President of theatre group Samakal Natyachakra Siuli Sebanath said that the relocation had created serious problems for theatre troupes as large spaces were needed for rehearsal and for storing props and equipment.
‘The rooms allocated to theatre groups are tiny, which is our main problem,’ she said, adding that her group was now operating from an abandoned room which they themselves had cleaned and repaired, although it was not allocated to them.
She said that the relocation had also affected recruitment of new members as relocation seriously reduced their visibility to general students.
‘Earlier, students easily knew where our rooms were. Now many do not even know where we have relocated,’ she said.
Sanat Krishna, president of RU Sangskritik Jote, a platform representing 10 cultural organisations on the campus, also alleged that building was unsafe and unsuitable.
‘The building is not fit for people to stay in. Rainwater leaks through the tin roof. There are also issues with electrical wiring,’ he said.
Award-wining theatre activist and playwright Professor Malay Bhowmick said that the crisis reflected a broader institutional neglect of cultural activities in higher education institutions.
‘Education is not limited to classrooms. Cultural practice helps develop leadership, social awareness and humane values among students,’ he said, alleging that university authorities had long ignored demands for a functional student and cultural centre equipped with adequate rehearsal facilities.
Referring to the university’s cultural legacy, he said that once Rajshahi University was one of the country’s strongest artistic and cultural strongholds.
He also criticised what he described as a growing social attitude discouraging students from participating in cultural activities.
‘Many guardians and even teachers now discourage students from engaging in cultural activities, thinking it will damage academic results,’ he said.
He warned that continued neglect of cultural activities could deepen alienation and intolerance on university campuses.
‘If universities fail to nurture cultural practice, not only culture but the broader spirit of education will collapse,’ he said.
RUCSU cultural affairs secretary Zayid Hasan Zoha said that they were constrained by a lack of administrative support.
‘I spoke with representatives of the organisations. But due to the lack of administrative support, we could not implement necessary measures,’ he said.
RU pro-vice-chancellor (administration) Professor Mohammad Main Uddin said, that the old school building was the only available option for the cultural groups’ relocation.
‘We had no other infrastructural option to rehabilitate the organisations,’ he said.
He added that the university had instructed its Planning and Development Division to prepare a separate project proposal to address the issue.
‘Once implemented, the university administration will be able to review the organisations, bring them under a registration process and arrange permanent rehabilitation. But it will take time,’ he said.
