::: Star Insight :::

Feature

Jhenidah

Parula's Dream Made Real

Star Insight Magazine tries to reach out to the roots of our society, to the remote corners of Bangladesh where there are people who lives are stifled by meager obstacles. Parula is one such person, whose disability and lack of transportation used to be an obstacle to her pursuit of education. All that has changed.
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Azibor Rahman

Parula with her new transportation; Inset: Parula crawling to school before receiving the rickshaw-van

In response to the article titled “Parula's Pursuit of Education” published on October 8, 2011, in The Daily Star magazine supplement Star Insight's Issue 7 of Volume 5, Parula was donated a rickshaw-van to help her commute to-and-from her home and college. The vehicle was handed over to her on October 20, 2011, by the Harinakundo Upazila UNO Abdur Razzak and Principal Moktar Ali of the Saleha Begum Degree college at 11am. Around 300 students of college were present at the small ceremony. The good hearted man who donated the van has asked for anonymity, despite his valiant and generous donation. He wants nothing more than the meritorious student to continue her education and make a big name so that she can return a bigger favor to the society.

Parula had passed her SSC exam from the Charmunnessa Secondary School, and had later passed her HSC exams from the Saleha Begum Degree College, the same college she is attending now to pursue a degree in order to become self sufficient. The student is disabled from birth, as she was born without legs. Born into poverty in the family from Taherhuda Village under Harinakundo Upazila in Jhenidah, it had always been her dream to alleviate her and her family's misery through an education and becoming empowered on her own despite being physically challenged.

Parula was ecstatic on receiving the generous gift. The gesture has now made it easier for her to travel to college, which is five to six kilometers away from her house on a daily basis, instead of her missing classes for not have been able to travel that far on her own previously. Parula in gratitude says she will offer prayers for the well being of the great man who made her dreams of self empowerment more probable by his chivalrous gesture.

Her father Motiar Rahman said that the person who came up to Parula's help is a man of noble character and that he will pray for his well being.