Five members of the national football woman team hailing from the greater Chittagong Hill Tract region, who won the Saff Championship in Nepal, was accorded a warm reception with torch procession in Rangamati district on Wednesday.
The five champions are - Ritu Porna Chakma, Rupna Chakma, Monika Chakma, Anai Mogini and Anuching Mogini.
Local people welcomed the five footballers by lighting torches on the three kilometre road.
Around two hundred people lined up on both sides of the roads with torch to cheer the Saff champion ladies.
The players were welcomed with garlands when they reached home at Mogachhari area in Ghagra union of Kaukhali upazila at 8pm.
Birsen Tanchagya, Shashi Mohan Chakma, Shanti Moni Chakma and along with the villagers were present to welcome them.
When talking to some of the villagers, they said: “Ritu is the daughter of our village. She played football in Nepal and brought fame to the country. We are proud of her. So we gathered to welcome others including Ritu Porna Chakma.”
Ritu said: “We have returned home after a long time after a successful tournament. And we never imagined that the villagers would welcome us like this. We are grateful to the villagers.”
“We have come this far for our teachers…. The way they and the villagers welcomed us with flowers and torches will be remembered for the rest of our lives,” said Monika Chakma when expressing her feeling.
Anai Mogini said that though her home district is Khagrachhari, she spent most of her time in Ghagra village. She has learned sports along with study there. When she comes home, she also comes here to meet her teachers and to pass time with them.
“We are very grateful to them,” she said.
Shoshi Mohan Chakma, teacher of Ghagra High School, said: “After finishing primary we admitted them to our school. We arranged to keep them in the hostel. Today they have become the jewel of the country through regular sports along with education.”
Among the five footballers, Rupna and Ritu are the residents of Rangamati and Monika, Anai and Anuching are of Khagrachhari. They are the students of Ghagra High School.
Meanwhile, an arrangement has been made to accord them in the school on Thursday morning.
Rangamati Hill District Council and Rangamati district administration are set to jointly welcome them in the afternoon at Ching Hla Mong Mari Stadium.