1. Tell us about your academic background and how you became the director of SEL:
I have an SSC degree from Government Laboratory School and an HSC degree from Engineering University Higher Secondary School. I come from a family of engineers and it was pre-decided that I was supposed to be an engineer. So, in my pursuit of being a Civil Engineer, I dropped biology the first chance I got. Sadly, my HSC results weren’t as expected and therefore I wasn’t eligible for BUET. Despite initial dissatisfaction, it was decided that I was to start studying Architecture at BRAC, it was a good program with a lot of ex-BUET faculty and I felt that it was a rational choice. I did give a thought about studying Civil Engineering but I was afraid of mechanical maths. So, the outcome wouldn’t be favorable for me. Later, I found out my passion for architecture and now I have no regrets. Whatever life chose for me, I am very content with that.
Anyways, my passion for architecture stems back to my childhood when I used to see my father work. Often, he used to bring his plans home and I would gaze endlessly at them, sometimes making ill-advised suggestions. When I became a director at SEL, I added a very necessary modern perspective to their work and it’s been a hell of a ride since then.
2. How many projects are you working towards and would you mind providing some insight about them?
Generally, I’m always present in most projects to facilitate a modern perspective. But personally, I’m working on a few projects right now. The closest to completion are two in Lalmatia and Elephant Road that are estimated to be finished in a few months. Besides, one of the biggest projects I’m working on is a 3 tower housing society consisting of 115 flats – in New Eskaton, back where Shohag Community Centre used to be. This is to be handed over in 2021.
Our projects range all across Dhaka. Besides these, we have many more in Banani and Uttara and a few in Gulshan as well.
3. What are your future plans at SEL in the next 5 years?
It goes without saying that we want to expand our business, there’s a lot to be done. But something I want to work on specifically is a housing project that accommodates children. When I look back at my childhood, I remember a very close bond between neighbors and I don’t think that exists anymore. Modern-day apartment culture has diluted this beautiful tradition and we have a responsibility as developers to facilitate that. When I see children playing football in streets and garages, it makes me feel bad and that’s part of the reason why we’re integrating provisions for this sort of issues.
Truth be told, if you gave me a ball and a place to play, I’d play. But these kids never had the opportunity. When we call them ‘Farm er Murgi’ we often forget that we’re the ones that made them this way. The impact is far reaching and something needs to be done. We all recognize this, but we do nothing about this. We can keep blaming the authorities but that’s not enough, we need to step up to preserve this very important social fabric of children, their livelihood and interconnectivity between neighbors.
Something else I want to focus on is the lost art of gardening. Not enough people do it these days because of multiple reasons but we still need to facilitate it in order to revive this lost art. Back in BRAC, I did a Thesis on ‘Community Gardening’ and the conclusions were very clear – it not only benefits the residents but it also creates bonding between them. If 26 apartments have 26 individual gardens, peer pressure will compel people to work on their gardens. I understand that this isn’t much but the idea is social awakening.
Besides all of this, I want to create shared fitness centers to facilitate a proactive environment.
I also want to work on shared community centers where people can watch games, popular TV series and everything else we watch from the comfort of our own homes but together. These can make strides in building a culture of connectivity between residents.
Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to make an impact. After all, Bangladesh is our country and we’re responsible for it.
4. Now that SEL has reached a maturity stage, what do you plan on doing next?
We’ve matured for sure and we play this to our strengths. The fact that we’re pre-established means that people know that The Structural Engineers Ltd. is not only functional but also credible. This image we’ve built is very important. To answer your question, I’m not thinking of rebranding SEL but I’m thinking of evolving it. The fundamental structure of SEL remains the same as it was always envisioned and we have to utilize our strengths to build on this.
Maturity can often mean constraint but I like working in constraint because of how it constantly requires innovation. Regardless, we’re working on our efficiency. Sometimes, clients will think our 1300 square ft flat is bigger than a 1500 square ft one because of how well we’ve utilized our space. This is a problem with Bangladeshi architecture, we waste too much space and this is a problem that constantly requires attention to fix.
5. Among so many competitors in your industry, which competitors’ work do you admire the most?
Architectural projects are very diverse, from low range to higher ranges. While we all mostly work on mid-range projects, I’d say higher profiled projects are much better because of bigger profitability, and fewer liabilities – even then, the market has its ways and it will often mess these things up.
Aesthetically speaking, on higher end projects I like the work from Bay Development, Shanta Holdings and Rangs Properties. Besides these, BTI is doing solid work and giving us a run for our money as well.
6. Apart from being the director of SEL, you are also the owner and founder of the oldest and most famous Gaming Clan of Bangladesh. How did your journey start as a gamer? How do you maintain gaming and professional responsibilities?
I think we all start off gaming quite simply, we play because we like to play. It is, after all, a game and meant to be fun. Back in 2005, when I was a 9th grader I used to play Need for Speed and Counter Strike on my computer. I used to go to school and play at home, I didn’t know cafés existed and I didn’t know about the competitive LAN gaming scenes.
We used to play Need for Speed till 2007 and then moved on to Counter Strike in 2008. I went to many competitive rounds, Top 16, Top 50 and even a semi-final once and it was quite an experience till then. In 2008, I became a champion at BRAC’s LAN tournament and I was selected to play a very important tournament abroad, I got exposure on all kinds of media and it was quite a big deal. I never thought my parents would let me play because of my HSC and the general bias against gaming but they ultimately did because of the positive publicity.
After coming back, I realized that the problem was with our lack of information and strategy and that needed to be identified if we were to improve in gaming. After 2008, we all moved to Counter Strike, I started a team with a friend and a few of his cousins and just played games without ever knowing each other. We first met in a National Finals, that’s how unattached we were. Anyways, despite being a relatively inexperienced team, we decided to make jerseys, with SEL as a sponsor and we played quite well actually.
In 2011, we made a website with a lot of inspiration from international teams like FNATIC and it had people like Nafi bhai approach us and his ray of optimism did wonders for our team. After a lot more, Gigabyte sponsored us for our jersey so that we can start branding our clan.
After that, UCC approached us and they agreed to pay us for playing games and we were ecstatic about that. Can you imagine getting paid for playing games at that time that too in Bangladesh? We still reminisce over how we started a revolution.
We started the journey of our gaming clan Red Viperz in 2008 and the drive and hustle behind Red Viperz gave me huge lessons for my professional career. It’s still stressful work and it’s hard to simultaneously manage with SEL but we still do it because we’re massively passionate about it. These days, IT companies are very involved with the gaming scene and professional safety nets always exist for the gamers.
We still play now, it’s more of an escape after a hard day of working hard. When I join a call to play a match with my friends, it feels like I’m there with them and that’s a massively uplifting feeling when you live a life as busy as ours. Gaming is special because it prevents my life from becoming monotonous.
7. We’ve heard that you’re a hardcore Manchester United Fan, care to tell us more about that?
On a national level, I’ve supported Brazil since 1994 because of how I’ve seen my father support it. On a club level, I love Manchester United whereas my brother is a Liverpool fan.
One of my cherished memories of Football was when I was 10/11 years old and I got gifted a Manchester United Vodafone Jersey and I absolutely adored it. However, I didn’t watch football as much then as I did when I got into University. In my time at University, I didn’t miss a single Manchester United Match and I still don’t.
To conclude this answer, I would just like to remind everyone that neither Argentina nor Liverpool has won a major championship since I started supporting their rivals.
8. Would you rather have Liverpool beating City for Premier League or Manchester United going on a trophy drought for 20 years?
We’re not supposed to go on a drought for 20 years but If that happens, I’d be depressed. However, Liverpool is still the enemy, making this a very hard question.
I’m willing to send De Gea as a forward and Andreas Pereira on goalkeeping if it means losing the game will stop Liverpool from winning the premier league.
9. Would you rather leave gaming forever or roam around in a Liverpool jersey?
I’m never wearing a Liverpool jersey, I’d rather quit gaming which has been my lifelong passion.
10. Would you care to elaborate on your fascination with cars.
I like cars, I don’t exactly keep up with the scene but I have a fascination towards them.
Back in the day, we used to ‘rice’ these cars up with inspirations from Need for Speed but these days, we prefer to keep it clean. We once installed a medium muffler to get a nice sound during driving, now I understand that it’s more about the engine sound than the sound from the exhaust.
I own one of the freshest Altezzas in the country, and it brings me a lot of joy. Ultimately, I don’t need a super expensive car, I need one that is integral to my identity.
11. Three qualities that define you.
Firstly, I’d say that I criticize myself a lot. I know where I go wrong and I always feel the constant need to improve. Speed is a static situation and I feel the need to accelerate.
Recently, a lot of people have been dying from car accidents and we don’t delay our response in calling bus drivers murderers. Yet despite this understanding of how we need to fix our road system, we don’t do it ourselves. This is a problem and I recognize this and always work on fixing issues like this internally within myself.
Secondly, I’d say I’m ambitious. I always dream of big things.
And finally, I see perspective. I’m the kind of boss that is empathic towards your problems and understand. Rather than going berserk on someone, I try to understand their problem and help them. Mistakes are sometimes mistakes, and if people are happy to learn – I’m happy to educate. Therefore, I’d say I’m empathic.
12. Besides Gaming and SEL, what are your personal aspirations in the next 5 years?
I’m from a public school and my father was from a public university. He always told me how we’re getting educated with the money of the common man and therefore we have a responsibility towards them. So, I want to give back.
In our country, without money and power – nothing happens. But in our pursuit to attain them, we forget people who don’t have them. We need to enable these people, we can’t just complain about things and blame authorities, we have to take an active step in fixing them.
Therefore, I’d like to say that we need to utilize our privilege and help people to the best of our capabilities.
