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Mridul Chowdhury Mridul is currently a graduate student at Harvard University , USA . Although his professional field is in the area of development economics and public policy, he has a deep-rooted passion for making films that reflect the largely ignored societal issues. He has been involved with non-professional theater and filmmaking for more than 10 years. ‘Deshantori’ is his second formal production. He is the Co-Founder and Chairman of StoryTailors. 
Riyad Shahjahan
Riyad A. Shahjahan is an anti-colonial researcher and pedagogue, who is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Theory and Policy Studies at OISE/University of Toronto. He was born in the U.K., grew up in Kuwait and received his post-secondary education in Canada. His parents are from Bangladesh. He has published extensively and presented numerous conference papers locally and internationally on areas of equity, diversity and social justice in the transnational context, spirituality and education, international "development", indigenous knowledge and anti-colonial thought. Recently, he has co-authored a book published by University of Toronto Press, entitled "Schooling and difference in Africa: Democratic challenges in the contemporary context" with George Dei, Alireza Asgharzadeh and Sharon Bahador. He is currently writing on issues of social difference, diversity and social justice in the Bangladeshi context. Riyad has earned a BSc. in Human Biology, a Master's degree in Adult Education, Community Development and Counseling Psychology, from the University of Toronto. He is scheduled to graduate with his PhD in June 2007. As an anti-colonial pedagogue, he hopes his scholarly praxis contributes to the spiritual healing, affirmation and self-determination of minoritized bodies in the broader community with the goal of social justice in the transnational context. 
Fariah Chowdhury
Fariah Chowdhury, the president of the Bangladeshi Students’ Association at the University of Toronto has over the years established herself as an epitome of Bangladeshi youth leaders in Canada. Besides working as a translator at the Immigration and Refugee Board, she is also extensively involved with volunteering in the realm of social activism with groups like No One is Illegal, The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre and the Daily Bread Food Bank. Fariah has also worked with youth in Bangladesh. During her stay in Dhaka from December 2005 to June 2006, Fariah taught literature at Scholastica (a leading English medium school in Dhaka). She attended teacher training here, as well as coordinating their Newspaper Club and Drama club as after school activities. She also worked as a newscaster for Bangladesh Television and volunteered at a local Madrasha (religious school) teaching English grammar and literature to the students. Currently in her 3rd year of a double major in Equity Studies and History at the University of Toronto, Fariah has had the opportunity to work with Bangladeshi youth both here in Canada, as well as in Bangladesh. |