A salute to women's fighting spirit
They came from all over the country and their stories were all unique, but they had one thing in common: theirs were stories of success achieved through immense struggle.
Leading Bangla daily Prothom Alo brought them together at the Chhayanaut auditorium yesterday so they could share their stories, at an event marking International Women's Day (today).
“My father taught me to dream big; to live with honour. But after I was married, I learnt that real world is not easy for a female… Today I am a doctor. I had to struggle a lot for this,” said Dr Naznin Akter, who returned to school in tenth grade after she was divorced in 2009.
She has passed her MBBS recently.
Rahima Begum is another symbol of struggle to spread quality education among underprivileged children in Char Khatipur on Padma river, near the Bangladesh-India border.
For the last nine years, she, along with her several colleagues have been travelling by road and risky waterways to reach Alor Pathshala, operated by Prothom Alo Trust. Now, children in that char land have started to flourish their potentials.
The audience became emotional listening to the story of Sima Sarkar, who was listed in BBC's “100 Women 2018” for her struggle to take her disabled son Hridoy Sarker to Dhaka University last year.
Matiur Rahman, editor of Prothom Alo, handed over a cheque for Tk 1 lakh to Sima Sarker.
Nusrat came to Dhaka all alone, and started to earn livelihood as a motorbike rider, with the dream of living independently. Mirona Khatun, the first women football coach, dreams to make her mark in the international football arena.
The story of Jenifer is a bit different; she works for security of women in cyberspace.
As presenter Sumona Sharmin introduced the women and narrated their stories, applauses from the audience rang across the auditorium.
Popular Singer Tahsan and Sa Re Ga Ma TV series star Sithi performed songs at the programme.
At the beginning of the event, F-Minor, a band comprising five indigenous women performed songs in the event.
Women's rights activists and renowned personalities attended the programme.
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