On track, against all odds

Jharna Akhtar, 14, flashing the V sign and holding her trophy. The student of a madrasa dodged child marriage when she was 12 and became the fastest woman in Rangpur division twice. Jharna with her parents, right, at their Bamna Bamni village home in Nilphamari. The photos were taken recently. Photo: Star

A 14-year-old female madrasa student of Nilphamari has proved her worth against all odds.
Jharna Akhtar, a student of class nine at Kachukata Uttar Para Dakhil Madrasa in Sadar upazila, has clinched the title of fastest female sprinter in Rangpur division in the recently concluded divisional school and madrasa sports competition.
Jharna said she used to rise early in the morning and practised in the fallow land adjacent to her house.
She did that due to superstitious beliefs among her fellow villagers who were not ready to accept a girl running in broad daylight.
The perseverance ultimately paid off, as she clinched the title in          100-metre sprint for the second consecutive year.
In spite of being deeply in poverty, she never stopped dreaming about chasing her own dream.
But her journey to glory has not been easy. A blanket of darkness shrouded her whole world even two years back, as her parents settled her marriage with a person twice her age.  
Driven by self-respect, Jharna sought help from a non-governmental organisation that had been working in her village to stop child marriage and dowry. The UP chairman ultimately intervened and foiled the marriage, opening up a scope for her to continue her study and pursue her dream in sports.  
Jharna, daughter of sharecropper Jahurul Islam and Arjina Begum in Bamna Bamni village, now hopes to get admitted to Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP) in Dhaka, where she can concentrate both on studies and sports.
Abu Sayeed, sports teacher of Jharna's madrasa, said nothing could stop the talented girl from achieving her goal.
Abdur Rouf, chairman of Kachukata union parishad, said Jharna had set an example for other girls in the village.