Says first Bangladeshi Everest princess on her return
The first Bangladeshi woman to conquer Mount Everest said her achievement had proved women were not lagging behind and could do everything if they had confidence, determination and skills.
“Conquering Mount Everest is the toughest task in the world. My success will inject confidence among Bangladeshi women to take up all sorts of challenges in their personal and professional lives,” Nishat Majumder said.
She was describing her feelings to newspersons at the VIP lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka immediately after her arrival. Nishat’s mother Ashura Majumder and Mohit’s father Monwar Hossain were present at the airport.
Nishat and her fellow mountaineer MA Mohit landed at 5:25pm by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight after around 50 days of trekking during which she made history.
Sharing her views with the reporters, Nishat said, “Our women have a lack of confidence as they are restricted by families and society. I think they will come out of their cocoons and engage themselves in all kinds of activities similar to those of their male counterparts.
“We have dedicated our victory to the young generation of Bangladesh. We hope they will be attracted to adventures instead of drugs,” she added.
This was a joint adventure of a young man and a young woman. If the young generation irrespective of gender merge, they can be a strong force and can overcome all obstacles, Nishat observed.
“I cannot express my feelings of that moment when I hoisted the national flag atop Mount Everest. I just thought of my country and people from my soul,” she said, adding, “The weather on the peak was very rough. It seemed that the wind would sweep me away.”
Talking about their trekking experience, Nishat said, “I think I have been born for the second time because we escaped death miraculously during our trekking. We went through all kinds of hazardous moments that one may face during trekking. We were between life and death.
“I sustained injuries on my head and nose due to the avalanche during the trekking,” Nishat added.
Asked about her future plans, she said, “I am committed to serving the nation and upholding the image of the country through my activities.”
Expressing the feeling of climbing the peak for the second time, Mohit said, “Scaling Mount Everest through the Nepal side is at least 20 times tougher than climbing through the Tibetan side.”
Both Nishat and Mohit expressed their hope of continuing with mountaineering in future.
Nishat’s father Abdul Mannan Majumder, who was also present at the airport, said this achievement had become an example for every woman in Bangladesh and would help them to break out of social superstitions and engage themselves in tough tasks.
Relatives, colleagues, members of Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC), and representatives of different government bodies, including the ministry of women and children affairs and Bangladesh Tourism Board, greeted the duo at the airport with flowers, banners and festoons.
Leaving the airport, a motorcade arranged by the sponsors and BMTC passed through different streets in the city. Later the duo went to the Central Shaheed Minar to pay homage to the language martyrs.
On May 19, Nishat reached the summit of Mount Everest, while Mohit became the first Bangladeshi to have scaled the peak from both sides.
Nishat, accompanied by Mohit, started her expedition on April 9 from Kathmandu under the campaign “Because I am a Girl” by Plan Bangladesh.
Musa Ibrahim, the first Bangladeshi to achieve the feat, conquered the Everest on May 23, 2010.
Meanwhile, another Bangladeshi woman mountaineer Wasfia Nazreen, who also conquered Mount Everest after Nishat, reached Kathmandu at around 9:00am yesterday.
She will return to Dhaka around four or five days later on completion of all the procedures, including receiving a certificate at Kathmandu.
Wasfia, who scaled the Everest on May 26 as the second Bangladeshi woman to do so, started her expedition on March 26 under a campaign titled “Bangladesh on Seven Summits” supported by the Liberation War Museum of Bangladesh.
-With The Daily Star input
