Marufa Akter, a famous Bangladeshi cricketer, came from one of the most inaccessible parts of northern Bangladesh to become a star in Dhaka.
His narrative is more incredible than any fairy tale you’ve ever heard.
Stories or plots in movies often resemble real people’s lives in some way. However, there are certain narratives of people’s lives that just cannot be adapted into movies or books. Marufa is the focal point of this particular narrative.
When she was born in Dhelapir, which is located in the Saidpur upazilla in Nilphamari, Bangladesh, into a family that was struggling to make ends meet in a sea of poverty, the idea that the daughter of a farmer named Aimullah would one day pursue her ambition of becoming a cricket player seemed like an extremely improbable scenario.
But if a dreamer is fearless, who would have the guts to try to stop them? The key to Marufa’s success is in adhering to his mantra: in maintaining hope. She did not have any qualms about acknowledging the fact that working in the field with her father had helped plant the seeds of bravery and tenacity in her.
After some time had passed, on July 16 of this year, Bangladesh won their first ever One-Day International match against India. The 18-year-old Marufa’s four-wicket haul had been the crucial, assisted by colleague Rabeya Khatun’s three scalps, as the groundwork was built for the Tigresses to win by 40 runs in a match that was cut short due to rain at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) stepped in when the news of Marufa’s acceptance to the BKSP was leaked to the public. At the time, funding constraints prevented Marufa from being accepted into the program.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) realized that it had a raw diamond in its possession, which was subsequently shown when she became the greatest wicket-taker in the Women’s Dhaka Premier League and, despite the fact that she was only in the tenth grade at the time, she justifiably won the award for the best developing player. As a direct result of this, Marufa was selected to be one of the 15 players that will compete in the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers.
In the 1960s, imprisonment was a common practice among the women of Old Dhaka, who, for example, were required to curtain the rickshaw while commuting. In the Bangladesh of today, however, people like Marufa continue to shatter whatever vestiges of restraints there may be because she works with a fierce drive. This type of bravery was something that our women had gained over the course of the Liberation War.
For a very long time, women had been discriminated against and denied equal opportunities in the name of societal norms, traditions, or religion.In her works, Begum Rokeya, a pioneer of the awakening of women in Bengal, explained how patriarchy misled women into being subjugated and she did so by pointing the finger at themselves. “Whenever a sister attempted to raise her head, it was crushed by a weapon in the name of religion or the scriptures,” the narrator said. “The Bible says…” What we first refused to comply with, we eventually agreed to in the cause of maintaining sacred order. Men have been preaching those passages as God’s instructions for the purpose of keeping us in the dark.
Marufa is a fantastic representation of women making strides ahead and shattering boundaries; she is an inexhaustible source of inspiration in a culture that is still mostly patriarchal.
Women in this nation are attaining success in a variety of professional disciplines, including administration, education, banking, non-governmental organizations, and so on. Our massive garment industry employs girls who, despite the social shame associated with doing so, come from rural areas in order to contribute to the economic growth of the nation.
Permit our accomplishments in the fields of sports and culture to continue to go beyond the boundaries of our country.
Sister Marufa, continue to shine bright like a light while going ahead like the cheetah that you are. Keep moving forward.
Alamgir Shahriar is both a poet and a researcher, and he is the author of this essay.