IU Lake no longer a habitat for migratory birds

ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY, Kushtia, July 03: Surrounded by eye-soothing greenery, the Islamic University Lake, now called Mir Mugdho Sarovar, no more draws the large number of guest birds as in the past.

A tourist attraction on the west side of the Islamic University (IU) campus in Kushtia, the lake is a source of exquisite natural beauty, which many compare with the Hatirjheel Lake in Dhaka.

The lake was once a habitat for migratory birds, and that's way the university administration declared the area a sanctuary of birds.

However, due to construction of roads for beautification, guest birds are hardly seen to arrive here like before. University students and outside tourists visit the lake every day.

Shaheed Mir Mugdho Sarovar, formerly known as Mofiz Lake, is the proposed new name for the lake at Islamic University (IU), in memory of Mir Mugdho, who died during the July Revolution.

In this regard, Professor D. Naqib Mohammad Nasrullah, vice-chancellor of the university, said, "One of the beautiful places of Islamic University is the lake. Which was known as Mofiz Lake. But now we are able to work independently for the success of the student movement against discrimination. We want to continue working in the future, keeping the spirit of the movement alive. The main goal of this movement was to create a society without discrimination. We want to continue working towards that goal. We will work together with everyone's cooperation to make the university discrimination free."

SM Sweet, coordinator of the IU branch of the anti-discrimination student movement, said, "Mir Magdho was a pioneer of the July Revolution. This name is given so that we can carry this spirit forward, carrying the July Revolution." He also said, "Mofiz Lake is a name that does not carry any identity."

Sohan Arman, a student of the university's marketing department, said, "Everyone likes to go to the lake to remove fatigue from studies. Along with studies, we need to maintain our mental health. But the current administration has stopped at just changing the name. So I would request the administration to work on enhancing the beauty of the lake."

The university's chief engineer, AKM Sharif Uddin, said a lot of work has been done to enhance the beauty of the lake.

Under the Rainwater Harvest Plan (Unmukto Jolashoy) project, construction

of two fountains in the lake was going on with funding from the Department of Secondary and Higher Education (MAOSHI).

But that project has been stalled. However, it has not been discussed yet whether the fountains will be completed with the university's own fund.

According to campus sources, the history of Mofiz Lake is very old; the existence of the lake flowing through this place was discovered before the establishment of the university in 1979.

When Islamic University was established in 1979, rightly at that time,

this lake was named Islamic University Lake, or IU Lake for short. But there are some myths heard about the

lake's name being changed and its popularity being grown as Mofiz

Lake.

An unknown crazy lover named Mofiz committed suicide in this lake to prove his love for his beloved or because he failed in love, after which this lake gradually gained popularity as Mofiz Lake.

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