Dhaka, April 24 -- Have we sometimes wondered why we should be referring to places and institutions in our country through associating them with places and institutions abroad?

For ages there have been the many references to Dhaka University (DU) as the Oxford of the East. Certainly those who have used that term picture Dhaka University as something of a mirror image of Oxford. It is their way of looking at DU as an institution which strives for excellence in the same way Oxford University has established itself in history. But is that a fair position to adopt? We will not go into analysing the state of Dhaka University today, and will leave it for perhaps another day.

But why must we think of Dhaka University as the Oxford of the East?...