Representing Bangladesh in Japan

The Tohoku University Foreign Students Association (TUFSA) has been working for the past 45 years on behalf of international students of Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. TUFSA is in charge of developing supportive events and facilities for international students at Tohoku University. It arranges the international festival almost every year to create a common platform to exchange the cultures of different countries. The foods of various participating countries are sold in the festival. Side by side, cultural programmes of different countries are also performed. The international festival of this year was held on October 30. Bangladesh has been one of the main participants in the festival for many years. The Bangladeshi stall is very attractive to those who usually come to the festival. We, the Bangladeshi people living in Sendai, try to represent our country not only by a variety of foodstuffs but also through diverse cultural activities. This year we decorated our stall by writing the name of Bangladesh in red and green letters. The map of Bangladesh was made visible in the background. The flag was also hoisted on one side of the stall. All these things made our stall clearly distinct from those of others. Our main food item was 'hotchpotch' 'khichuri'. It was served with chicken curry and omelet. They were sold in boxes. Milk-tea was given to the customers as service. In order to attract the customers, there was a detailed description of the ingredients of 'khichuri' along, with information about how it is prepared. A Bangladeshi-Japanese also explained the process of preparing it to the enthusiastic people. We prepared omelets and milk-tea at the stall so that the customers could see how they are prepared. Like the case in previous years, it was also proved this year that the Bangladeshi food is delicious. Sales turnover was astonishing. With the help of a group of dedicated people, we sold as many as three hundred and fifty-two lunch-boxes within a short period of time (four hours and a half). Initially, we prepared about three hundred boxes, but in response to the demand for our food, we had to prepare more. Our presentation on the stage programme was also very lively. We participated in all kinds of events such as fashion show, singing and dancing. A group performed the fashion show where the traditional costumes of Bangladesh were focused on. 'Sharee' was very interesting to the audience. At the end of the fashion show, some audience members took pictures with those who wore sharee. Then Mrs. Tasneem Chowdhury came to the stage and sang a passionate Tagore song which made the audience spellbound. There was a pin-drop silence during the whole period when the song was being sung song. The audience got the message of the song, although its language was not common to all. Finally, there was a dance with a patriotic song performed by Mrs. Tamanna. The song for the dance which was chosen from the great film of "Lal-Sobuj" was appropriate because it was about the country, the flag and the commitment of its people to protect it and the reflection of their aspiration to live in peace and happiness. Before the festival ended, there was a lucky coupon draw. The coupons were drawn by the children of various countries. There were six prizes for the participants. The coupon for the sixth prize was drawn first. At last, the coupon for the first prize was drawn by a Bangladeshi child. After he drew the coupon, everybody was waiting for its number. The number was declared and it was won by a Bangladeshi participant. Thereafter, the organizers of the festival came to the dais. They thanked all the countries for their spontaneous participation and sincere cooperation. They also expected such participation in greater numbers will continue in the years to come. The writer, an Assistant Professor, Department of Banking, Dhaka University, is currently pursuing PhD at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. E-mail: main_mr2000@yahoo.com