Rajshahi University, one of the best and largest universities of Bangladesh, is also well known for its natural beauty and for being the centre of learning as well as all sorts of political movements and struggles.
It is also famous for its green foliage encircling the campus under Motihar Police station.
The most enchanting landscape of the varsity is the Paris road. It starts from the Paschimpara (West Quarters) of the campus and stretches till to the main gate of Sher-E-Bangla hall. Both side of the road are decorated with a kind of rare, tall and splendid trees called Gaganshiri.
It is learnt, these rare trees were imported from Paris of France when the University was under construction and accordingly the road was named as Paris road. Many people opined there are no such fascinating trees in any other universities or any other places of the country.
All the students, teachers and aliens who visit the campus must admit that the Paris road is the most attractive place ever seen in the country. Many people, specially, admission seekers at the varsity say, they visited Rajshahi University not only for admission purposes but also to watch the beauty of the Paris road.
Mala, a student of Kushtia Government College who reached here recently for an educational tour informed, she visited RU last month when the weather was very hot. She wanted to leave Rajshahi as soon as possible but when she visited the Paris road; she forgot all her tiredness and drudgery and wished she could walk around the road every day.
Tanoy, a visitor from Chittagong said, he has watched many green valleys, hills and streams but The Paris road is incomparable.
Mahmuda, a guardian of a student at RU from Dinajpur informed, she felt proud that her daughter was admitted to such a picaresque, green campus. She added, she had heard about the exotic Paris road from many students but after visiting it she could realise it is more than she had thought about it.
The students who read at RU also love this road. All the former students and the sophomores have their memories and emotions entangled with this road. As a result, any former students visit the road with their family or friends, whenever they get a chance to do so.
Hundreds of students are seen gathering with their friends and gossiping here by sitting on the grass behind the trees or on the benches placed beside the road every day. Many also stay there till the night fall. Not only the students but also teachers and staff of RU take a walk through the road whenever theycan.
Students also organise cultural functions there.
The road has also witnessed many historical events in the past. The glorious Mass Upsurge movement of 1969, the martyrdom of Shahid Shamsuzzoha whose beautifully foliaged tomb is situated at the confluence of the roads in front of the Administrative Building, the great struggle of liberation in 1971 and all the bloody clashes and confrontations among rival student groups aftermath of the liberation.
It is very painful to watch, some of the tall Gagansiri trees are being felled. As a result, the Paris road is losing its beauty. The Gagansiri trees do not bear any flower or fruit and the way of regeneration of the new saplings of the same is still unknown to the agriculture scientists.
Students said, these trees bear the legacy of RU. So the authority of RU should take steps against felling the trees and find a sustainable way to prevent these trees from being devastated and those have already been felled should be replaced by importing the saplings of the trees from abroad or to find out a way to regenerate the trees through scientific research.
