City dwellers' respite in 100 Km walk
Shahnaz Parveen
Bravery can take many forms. It can be war against hunger, illness, terrorism, corruption or simply a 100-mile walkathon along the longest sea beach of the world.In a rare event many Dhaka dwellers proved the point by walking along the beach from Teknaf to Cox's Bazaar for four days along with a team of 500 men and women from across the country. They discovered that walking is a simple pleasure of life, be it on the longest beach of the world or the eroded and encroached sidewalks of the Dhaka city. Which brings us to the point that Dhaka city sadly lacks space for such activities. "I always wanted to do something special in life, something that has never been done before. Walking in Dhaka may not mean anything but walking along the longest beach of the world made it possible," said one of the participants P N Iyer Managing Director, Holcim (Bangladesh). "The most striking experience of the walkathon is to discover how stunningly beautiful the beach is. It is an unexploited beach, a treasure of the country", he added. "When we were walking school children cheered for us. It felt really great. It is definitely a life time achievement", Iyer said. For Urmi Barua it was a challenge. A housewife of 42 years and a mother of two Barua said, "Dhaka city does not have enough room for such activities. We stay confined to our homes." "I challenged myself that there is more to it than sitting idle at home. I wanted to know whether I could do it or not", said Barua. "I am now even more confident with life. If I challenge myself with something more difficult I know I can achieve it", she added. "It was also the greatest fun of my life because my wish came true and I shared it with my family", she said. Urmi Barua shared the joy with her husband and son Shimul Barua. Shimul a second year BBA student of Independent University said, "The beach was mesmerising. It marvelled Dhaka dwellers like us. As we walked, the beach seemed stretching. It seemed never ending" "I am always in to sports and new challenge. I wanted to know how fit I am. I discovered that I can take the challenge of life", he added. "While having fun I also learned teamwork and how to help people when they need it", he said. Organised by Activate Bangladesh, the walkathon tilted 'Longest Beach Challenge-2007' was the first ever effort of the country.
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