Shahiduzzaman Selim is a household name in Bangladesh's entertainment arena. For more than two decades, he has left his impression on the stage, TV and the silver screen alike. In recent years, apart from powerful roles in films like “Devdas” and “Chorabali”, he has concentrated on direction, and has found success there as well. In a conversation with The Daily Star, the veteran artiste reminisced about his student days.

“I spent my early years in Dhaka, mostly in Shantibaag and Shantinagar. Later, my family moved to the old parts of Dhaka, of which I have some great unforgettable memories. I also stayed in Tangail for a while during my childhood.
“I cherish my days in Old Dhaka; I stayed there through class seven to nine. I was deeply involved in sports. We played football all around, and I even had the chance to be on the field as a hired player. Another fun experience was roaming around the streets of Old Dhaka. The variety of food Old Dhaka has to offer was also a key ingredient of my teenage years.
“My first school was Tangail Bindubashini Government High School, where I stayed till class two. After coming to Dhaka, I was admitted to a school in Shantibaag and later went on to pass my SSC from Motijheel Ideal School.
“I was a restless kid. I never had a shred of calmness in my bones. Our batch in school was the most notorious one. There was not a single naughty thing that we didn't do. We would bunk classes to watch films, steal fruits from trees etc. Back then, we had to go to Modhumita or Obhishar cinema hall to catch a silver screen feature.
“It's no wonder that I was punished a lot too. In our days, Ideal School was the strictest among all Dhaka schools. They used to make us stand up on the bench and hit us with canes.
“On some days, my friends and I would decide on skipping the class of a particular teacher. We would leave the classroom together and the teacher would arrive to find the class half empty. Naturally, a notice would be waiting for us all in the following class, and the final penalty was dealt using a cane.
“Looking back, I will never forget the ceaseless addas I had during my years at Jahangirnagar University. I loved my room, which was 458(B) at the Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall. I was a student of economics and we had a great staircase near our department. It was right behind a theatre stage. That staircase was our preferred adda venue.
“We would chat whenever we had a break between classes. A second round of Adda would begin in the evening and continue till early hours of the day.
“I miss a lot of things from my past, but what I miss the most is the Jahangirnagar University campus, its classrooms, my dorm room. I've visited many countries, but no place had been able to claim a place in my heart like the Jahangirnagar University campus.”