Feature

First stride to reach Mt. Everest in 2010
Langsisa Ri Expedition, Bicycle Rally, & Campaign against Drugs

Mahmud-Ur-Rashid

NO Bangladeshi has climbed the Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth yet. As measured by the height of its summit above sea level, which is 29,035 ft. But soon it may be changed. At least we can now think of making footprint in the highest peak of the world.

North Alpine Club Bangladesh (NACB), a club with a vision to reach Mount Everest in 2010, is going to send a mountain climbing team to Langsisa Ri Peak (21,081 ft), situated in the Langtang Trekking Region of Nepal. It is a technical & challenging peak for the mountain climbers to use their experience with full climbing equipment such as rope, ice axe, harness, ice boot, tent etc.

This is the first attempt of the club to reach Langsisa Ri, in preparation to reach Everest in 2010. The expedition to will commence from 27 October, 2008.

On 17 October NACB has organized a bicycle rally & campaign against drug with a view to aware & encourage the youth of Bangladesh to mountain climbing & adventure and to discourage taking drugs. Musa Ibrahim, General Secretary of NACB and Team Captain of Langsisa Ri Expedition, said about the purpose of the program, that many Bangladeshis now is engaged in difficult task of mountain climbing. For these reasons now some can think of reaching the Everest. NACB wants to become a frontier of making this dream a reality. The slogan of this expedition is “Youth Unity against Drugs”. Adventure can be helpful to make anyone aware of severe consequences of drugs and also to bring back the addicted. 'If we want to refrain anybody from any kind of harmful activities or behavior, then putting a barrier or punishing the guy for not doing it or changing the behavior does not work. In this situation, s/he may not do it for a time being, but still is vulnerable to that specific harmful activities or behavior. Rather making a diversion with another interesting activity may refrain him totally from doing that work or behavior. That's why we are trying to attract youth generation those are too vulnerable to abusive use of drugs to adventure activities and mountaineering rather not asking them only to stop the activity or behavior'- he added.

Mr. Shafiq Alam Mehedi, Chairman, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, inaugurated the program as the Chief Guest. Mr. Saifur Rahman Chowdhury, General Manager, Destiny Group was the Special Guest of the Program. Mr. Kazi Jamaluddin, Best Male Model, Meril Prothom Alo Award 2007, Mr. Ashrafuzzaman, who visited 54 countries of the world in bicycle, Mr. Rashidul Hasan, Squadron Leader, BAF (Retd.) & Mr. Kazi M. Ahmed, CEO, Future Leaders, was also present in the program.

The bicycle rally comprised of more than 100 bicyclists started from the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. All of them were between 15 to 28 years old and mostly from educational institutions rallied through Firmgate, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Press Club and ended its journey in the Institute of Education & Research (IER), University of Dhaka. At the end of the rally there was arrangement of slide show and video show for the participants of the rally to make them aware of the consequences of taking drugs. Salma Akhtar, Director of IER addressed the campaigners and bicyclists and asked them not be engaged to dangerous or any harmful works or activities. She also told the folks to be smiling all time through doing adventure and mountaineering. Mr. Moshiur, proprietor, Safe Bangladesh also asked the folks to ensure safety while doing adventure.

It is to be mentioned that Six Mountaineers of Bangladesh, Musa Ibrahim, Mir Shamsul Alam Babu, Rafeh Uddin Siraji, Rimon Khan, Afrin Khan & Towhid Hossain are going to make an attempt to climb the 21,081 feet high Langsisa Ri in preparation of Climbing Mount Everest in 2010. NACB also conducts swimming expeditions, extreme trekking to hills and mountains, scuba diving, training on jungle survival, trekking and mountaineering.

This expedition is sponsored by Destiny Group. The media partners are Channel I, Radio Foorti, Bangladesh Info.com and Parjatan Bichitra. The event partners are Incitaa Tourism, Delta Outdoors, Future Leaders, Safe Bangladesh, LabAid Group, Nitya Upohar, IER (DU) and Professionals Systems.

(Mahmud2saber@yahoo.com)