THE most heart-rending accident of a BAF training fighter jet鈥檚 crashing into a city school and catching fire has caused irrecoverable losses to the nation as it has so far left dead 35 learners who had a long way to bloom in life as better human beings than us. It is a disaster beyond enduring limit for the parents bereaved of their most loved ones in life. It is not to leave them in consolation, let alone in peace for a moment throughout the rest of their life. It seems that as a nation, we have been under some catastrophic spell as this kind of life-tolling event has repeatedly taken place at intervals.
Among the people who died, Maherin Chowdhury, a teacher of the Milestone School and College, will be remembered for her scarifying efforts to save as many students as possible by bringing them out of the hellish fire at the spot. This brave lady had been a dear face to every guardian for long as she had always been dutiful about accompanying the children up to the gate after the school hours and handed them over to parents awaiting there.
The time the jet crashed, she had been away from the spot. But she rushed in immediately after seeing the blaze from the distance. She risked her own life by repeatedly entering the area, bringing out a new face every time. She continued doing this, being totally oblivious of her own physical condition until her body caught fire. She saved at least 20 lives. She died in hospital from serious burns. The attending physician said that she had been badly burnt. Witnesses to the accident and a rescued guardian described that Maherin Chowdhury could not support herself on foot any more while she was for last time trying to bring out a student trapped inside and collapsed on the way. She was rushed to hospital but died immediately after being taken to the intensive care unit.
Doctors observed that her death was due to deep burns causing muscle and tissue damage that also affected her bones and internal organs.听But as she strove to save more lives without caring for her own and diving deep into the flames again and again, the whole body eventually got severely affected because of imbalance in body fluid, which seeped into already damaged tissues potentially leading to dehydration and shock. Salute to the torch-bearer of humanity! And, I feel sorry knowing fully the incapacity of the terms used to greeting you!
Another daughter of the soil of similar height in bravery and upholding humanity, Mashuka Begum, a senior English teacher of the school who followed the same path to eternity as did Maherin Chowdhury as she suffered irrecoverable burn injury in saving her students negating her own existence. She ceased living in this mundane time of ours two days after the hellish accident.
When thousands of onlookers were serving their best by obstructing the passage of entry for the rescue team, videoing the flames and smoke from a distance keeping them safe, Maherin Chowdhury was a savoiur to the innocent children caught in fire. She is no more a teacher in the Milestone School and College at Uttara. Neither would she be smiling any more at the parents at the school gate while kindly guiding her students holding their hands. Conversely, we, the bearers of values of an age-old society that has groomed most of its members to remain utterly indifferent and apathetic to victims of any crisis involving humans, would be merrily living, multiplying our number, days in and days out. Meanwhile, the indifference and denial to any humane appeal would be technically enhanced by the supply of lots of megapixel-led cameras and other gadgets.
One might wonder if Maherin Chowdhury could usher us anywhere to the least illuminated path of heavenly light that she would have been enlightened with throughout her life. Could it be beyond expectations that in the days to come, we might grow in scores like Maherin Chowdhury without the millions, some of whom just played the spectators that day.
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Md Mukhlesur Rahman Akand is a joint secretary to the expatriates鈥� welfare and overseas employment ministry.
