Aliza Ahmed The Girl on the Bike

By Lilunnaher Chandni
At present, she is passing lazy days, but her mind is as restless as a weasel. The moment I asked her if she is worried about her health, she had a ready answer: “Not about my health but about my next tour. I need to get prepared for my next excursion. And you know what, I’m dreaming of this world tour for such a long time.” One can easily understand how much emotionally inundated and excited she is.
Our protagonist here is Aliza Ahmed, the girl who has crossed over a thousand kilometers with her partner organization “Trek-6500”. Many will be surprised to hear how a girl talk about adventures or journey so full of enthusiasm even after she has met with an accident recently. But the people who know her won’t get surprised as this young lady has always been an epitome of youthful and sunny disposition. Her world is all about cycling, soccer, volleyball, driving, mountaineering and all kinds of adventures that others would think twice before taking them on.
With dreams in her eyes Aliza moved to Teknaf last September with her bi-cycle. She described, “I had only 1500 taka in my pocket. But it didn’t bother me as I’ve waited so long for this. The only thing I had on my mind was never letting go of this opportunity.”
The day she left from Shapuree Island, the sky was overcast with gloom. As she continued on her journey, both rain and sunshine welcomed her to her, and they couldn’t make her stop. After nine days on her bike she reached Banglabandha.
Faced with question of the best memory from the journey, Aliza smiled and replied, “Some kids brought me flowers. I found this to be the best gift a person can give. Getting unconditioned love from people is surely the memory of a lifetime.”
Aliza accredits her family for being her biggest motivation. On the question of what would be her message to the people she had a ready answer, “Let’s plant some more trees on the roadside. It’s so necessary for our country as well as the ecosystem.”
Behind her daunting undertaking there lies a personality who is ready to embrace the people she meets on her way. Additionally, there are friends and sympathizers who continue to lend their support while she is on the road. She takes shelter during the nights at different places. In an interview with the Star Youth she once said that, “People from different cycling groups around Bangladesh have helped her to meet her goal.” Through her Facebook page “Ramble Riders”, she networked with other cyclists before taking off from Teknaf. A group named Himu Paribahan helped her arrange her night stays at different locations. In Chittagong, cycling groups like the CTG South Riders, Dichokrojan and FNF have helped her in determining the travel routes.
Aliza Ahmed is studying Cost and Management Accounting (CMA) at ICMAB. This brave girl from Bagura bought her bi-cycle in 2011 and since then travelled across more than 45 districts of the country. And she is not going to stop any sooner — her dream too is getting stretched on a daily basis.