My name is Ashraf Ahmed. My close family members call me ‘Mamun‘ (মামুন). I am from an ordinary middle class family, and my childhood was quite non-dramatic. Ours was a nuclear family with only four members — my parents, a younger brother and I . Occasionally, one of my uncles or aunts would come from Sylhet for short stays. Some of our family members also stayed with us for higher studies in Chattogram and Dhaka. As my father was in public service, we used to move a lot. During my childhood, we lived in various places in Chattogram and Dhaka city.
I was born in Chattogram in 1987. My father, a retired police officer, started his career in Chattogram during the 80s. My early education started in the city. I do not remember much of my early education in Chattogram. I have a obscure memory of the night of the cyclone in 1991. All the family members were in our living room together as we heard the whooshing sound of the strong wind outside. In the morning, we went out to find out the devastating effect of the cyclone. When I grew up, I came to know that it was one of the most deadliest natural disasters in the history of Bangladesh.
We moved to Dhaka and I got admitted in class two in a school near our home. The school was in a low-lying area. During the rainy season, I could not go there on feet. I still remember that my father had to carry me like a baby so that my uniform is not ruined on my way to school. The school was located a dreadful swampy area in Agargaon, and my experience of the school remains one of the worst experiences of my life. Unfortunately, I could not complete my studies of class two and we moved to a Police Staff Quarters in Mirpur 14 later on.
We lived in Mirpur area for many years. I completed my high school and college education (up to class XII) in Mirpur. The housing of the staff quarters does not offer exclusive facilities. These small apartments were suitable for small nuclear families. I, along with my younger brother and parents, had lived quite a joyful life in the staff accommodations as all the other families were from the same economic class. Boys of the same age group would play cricket on the streets of the staff quarter.
Cover Photo from UNSPLASH
