Limitless dreams, heart full of courage

On a fateful Friday morning, Reshma Nahar Ratna was cycling on Lake Road, next toChandrimaUddyan, when a speeding microbus recklessly hit herand ran away, shattering her dream of conquering the mountains of the world, in a matter of moments.

Born in Chattogram to Sheikh Afzal Hossain and Rabeya Begum, Reshma Nahar Ratna grew up inNarail. The youngest of three brothers and four sisters, she was a nature enthusiast since childhood.

Brought up in a conservative family, Ratna always believed that people aremeant to cross their own limits through their dreams. Her indomitable desire to see the world from a young age, shaped her into an avid traveller. An educator by profession and a mountaineer by passion, Ratna had a profound love for life.

She was an assistant teacher at Ayub Ali Government Primary School. An active member of BishwoShahittoKendro, Ratna also loved singing and recitation. She took guitar lessons at Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts.

Her journey as a mountaineer started in January 2016, when she conquered Keokradong, one of the highest peaks of Bangladesh, as a member of Bangladesh Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC). Praised for her enthusiasm, she was selected for a basic training programme for 28 daysat Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarakhand, India.Although she was unable to complete the course due to an injury, she returned in full swing in 2019 for higher and advanced training at the institute.

Ratna conquered Lenana peak on Mount Kenya on May 30, 2018.  On August 24 in 2019, she conquered Stok Kangri, the highest mountain in the Stok Range of theLadakh region, North India. Later, on August 30, she climbed Kang Yatse Peak 2 in Ladakh. Ratna successfullyplaced the flag of Bangladesh on the peaks, along with the official flag of Primary Education, as a show of respect towards her profession.

"Amidst various obstacles, we reach the mountain top to fly our country's flag. The love for our country, for our flag, takes us to the top," Ratna told international broadcaster Voice of America (VOA)in an interview in March 2020.

A passionate runner and athlete, Ratna also participated in different marathons. Shefinished the 25-kilometre Kolkata Marathon in December 2019 and the 21-kilometre Kolkata Trail Run in January 2020. She had recently started a live show on Facebook, titledPorbotPremerGoppo, where she featured several Bengali-speaking female mountaineers.

An active participant of the Road Safety Movement two years ago, Ratna herself tragically lost her life on the street. Thousands of 'Ratnas'lose their livesevery year in road accidents in Bangladesh.In a recent humanchain arranged in Shahbagh, seeking justice for Ratna's killer, protesters demanded the proper enforcement of the Road Safety Act 2018,separate lanes for cyclists and severe punishments for reckless driving, among other safety concerns.

Ratna dreamt of summiting Mount Everest one day. "As women, we must overcome all the obstacles in our way with courage. We must never back down from our dreams," Ratnafurther said in the interview with VOA. Her spirit and bravery to break the shackles of patriarchy will continue to inspire young women of our country.

Ratna's dreams might have come to an end, but all of us can keep her spirit alive, by choosing to remember her not as a girl who lost her life in a road accident, but as a bold mountaineer with limitless dreams and a heart full of courage.