‘Let’s create the world we envision’

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday urged everyone not to accept norms, but to work to create the kind of world they envision.

"I hope we all will try to shape the future of the world with our own hands, creating it as we envision," Yunus said in his speech at the 5th convocation ceremony of Chittagong University.

The CU authorities conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature degree on Yunus for his outstanding contributions to poverty alleviation through microcredit and establishing peace across the globe.

"Everyone should have a dream, imagining what kind of world, what kind of society, what kind of family, and what kind of education system we truly desire," said Yunus, also a former CU teacher.

Everyone must find a way to implement these visions, he said, adding, "If we simply accept things as they are and conform to existing norms, then nothing will change, nothing will transform."

Yunus said he was delighted to be at CU after a long time, and recalled his days as a teacher after joining the economics department in 1972.

He recalled the 1974 famine and how he, along with others, and students worked for introduction of high-yielding paddy varieties during the winter (Boro) season near CU campus, using deep tube-wells and water collected from a fountain.

The chief adviser also narrated the story when he introduced microcredit to the women at Jobra village, near the CU.

"Today, I'm saying this because I came here as a teacher. But as time passed, I realised that I had become a student. I was no longer in the role of a teacher: I was learning, constantly learning."

He added that he learned a lot from the women of Jobra village.

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"I started learning about a new economy from the women of Jobra. In that sense, Jobra became my new university. Everything I have done so far is the outcome of what I learnt from Jobra," he said.

The chief adviser said during that time, he wrote and made remarks asserting that credit is a human right. At that moment, everyone laughed. "You talk about loans, and you talk about rights -- what kind of statement is this?

"Exactly, economics has no place for rights. And yet, here I am talking about human rights."

Yunus said when he talked about sending poverty to the museum, many argued that it was the government's job.

He replied, "I will continue doing my work. If the government tries to stop me, I will deal with it then."

The chief adviser said the economics being taught at universities is business-oriented, not human-centered. "We have built a business-centric civilization:one that revolves around commerce. But this civilization is self-destructive; it will not survive.

"This led me to think on a larger scale. I declared that we must build a new civilization -- one where the foundation of economics is people, where its basis is future planning and forward-thinking ideas."

Yunus at the convocation said that CU can be proud with two Nobel winners, one is he and another is Grameen Bank, as the birth of the bank took place at the university's economics department.

Yunus and Grameen Bank jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

The convocation was celebrated in a festive atmosphere. The entire campus was beautifully decorated for the occasion. After a long time, former students reunited on campus, sharing joyful moments together. Many brought along their parents and children to cherish and share this proud moment of their lives.

Around 23,000 graduates took part at the event.