Two youths have hoisted the Bangladeshi flag on the top of Yala Peak, a mountain in the Langtang area of Nepal. Although a third youth had climbed with them up to 3500-metres, she was unable to reach the peak due to illness.
The duo officially announced this to media in a program titled “Mission Himalaya 2018 –Flag in ceremony,” held at the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation and organized by Rope4 Outdoor Education on Friday.
The two youths are: Mohiuddin Mahi, founder of Rope4 Outdoor Education,a platform where one can learn about and share knowledge on outdoor activities; and Masud Parvej Sujon, a civil engineering department student of Sylhet Engineering College. The girl is Sadia Sharmin, a student of the Tourism and Hospitality Management department at Dhaka University.
They scaled the 5,525-metre mountain on October 29, 2018.
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Chairman Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir spoke as the chief guest at the ceremony. He said: "The mountaineers of Bangladesh are gradually making their name renowned in the world by hoisting the country's flag. These are the youths who will make Bangladesh progress."
"If anyone comes to us for help, we will assist them in various ways, including financial support. We undertook some good initiatives to expand the Parjatan industry that will be helpful for mountaineers," he further said.
Mir Shamsul Alam Baboo, a mountaineer and special guest of the event, said: "The sport of mountaineering brings joy to every mountaineer, but we face extreme financial problems. However, many youths are taking up the sport and representing Bangladesh to the world."
Mohiuddin Mahi shared his experience of climbing the mountain, saying: “I led the three-member team and hoisted the Bangladeshi flag on the peak, which gave me great happiness. I launched Rope4 outdoor education to be ‘open for all’. The organization is supporting interested mountaineers in various ways.”
Masud Parvej Sujon said: “I cannot express how the feeling was then. I feel pride for hoisting Bangladeshi flag on a mountain that is outside of the country. We climbed the peak through severe cold. We needed a total of five days to climb the mountain. I would like to climb a bigger mountain in the future if I get proper financial support.”
Sadia Sharmin said she had wanted to reach the top of the mountain but was unable to do so due to physical illness. In the future, she wants to climb many mountains across the world.
Chairman of Rope4 Outdoor Education Marufa Haque said they had instructed climbers on various essentials of mountain climbing. They had wanted to send their three Mission Himalaya 2018 Expedition winners announced in April, but one girl could not go because of examinations.
Regarding the initiative, Marufa said: "We conducted three workshops for this, which were attended by 60 interested participants from different places of the country. Later, we shortlisted 23 participants from the workshop for a three-day long preparation for expedition training."
The best three persons were selected from among them. The organization wants to provide support to interested mountaineers and give them guidance, she added.
