When a cleaning staff is chief guest!

The programme was going on as usual. But the 60-year-old chief guest was apparently feeling uneasy – it could be seen on his face. Maybe, it was the best-ever experience in a cleaning staff's life.  A few moments later, he became normal and paid attention to the speakers.

Not even in his sweetest dream, the elderly person thought of becoming the chief guest at any programme.

An environmental organisation at the Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Mymensingh set the unprecedented example by making Kazi Abdul Latif, the university's cleaning staff, the chief guest in recognition of their contribution to keeping the environment clean. 

The Institute of Learning and Promoting Tolerance organised the event at the university's social science auditorium yesterday afternoon.

Sadik Hasan Shuvo, a teacher at the local government and urban development department, at the event, discussed what measures should be taken to save environment from pollution. 

Students of different departments took part in the discussion.

Chief guest Abdul Latif said, "I regularly clean the auditorium before a university programme begins. I never thought of becoming the chief guest in such an event. At the beginning, I was very nervous. Moments later, I became normal." 

He said, "You [students] are educated people. Why do you throw litters indiscriminately? Use dustbins to keep your campus clean." 

Sadik, organiser of the discussion, said, "We have been trying to raise awareness among people to save environment.

"In the last one month, I collected plastic waste used in my house and made a dress with them. Today I have come to the programme wearing that dress.

"With this I want to make people realise how much plastic we dump in nature every day," he added. 

"As cleaning staffers see this scene very closely, we selected one of them as the chief guest at the programme," Sadik said.