“I swear I will never throw stone on running train; if anyone does I will prohibit him, I will never tell a lie; if anyone does, I will convince him not to tell a lie; I will behave well with my parents and relatives; Amin” it’s the oath of students of ‘Path Pathshala’.
With the slogan “Build clean and safe Naoapara”, ‘Path Pathshala’ established a school for the street children, where the authority distributes educational materials and food among the students for free of cost.
Their activities include cleaning garbage on own initiative, giving health care services through free medical camps and so on.
The idea of Pathpathsala brought forth from the memory of late Shikder Bayezid, a former traffic inspector of Bangladesh Railway West Zone who sustained critical injuries on 18 May 2018 after a stone was thrown to a running train and later succumbed to the injuries at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on 30 July.
While taking to UNB, the main initiator of ‘Path Pathshala’ journalist Sunil Das said, “The incident of Shikder Bayezid made me thinking about identifying whose people who throw stones toward running train and also what could be a solution.”
At first he made a call on social media site Facebook and got some response, he said adding, “But later on, I have got responses from Naoapara Press Club, Daily Naoapara, Udhichi, Biva, Duprok Abhoynagar, Naoapara Literature Cultural Council, Naoapara Journalists Welfare Association and Renessa beside me and form the Path Pathshala untidily.”
‘Path Pathshala’ was founded on May 29, 2018, with 45 students and now it has over 150 students in three branches.
Hoping more participation with such awareness activities, Naoapara Municipality Mayor Susanto Kumar Das said, “It’s a beautiful initiative. A large portion of the municipality works could be reduced if everyone came forward.”
Talking about the hurling incidents, local physician Dr Shivpad Shuvo said that throwing stones to a moving train might be caused to disablement or death of own relatives.
“Therefore, the activities on public awareness have been initiated by the locals. It is very important to bring it on the verge of success,” he added.
Path Pathshala also created awareness among the students who join the school and those children who used to throw stones on moving train are now trying to stop themselves from such hateful works after taking the oath, several locals told this UNB correspondent.
Bithi Gayen, daughter of Shwapan Gayen, who lives in a platform of Taltola Railway Station and a regular student of the pathshala, said, “We are learning many things including morality, drawing and singing at the school.”
Bithi also said that she will abstain herself and others from telling lies, hurling stones toward a moving train, smoking and begging, etc.
Rakib Khan, Shahin Bhuiyan, Asif Billah, Tamimul Islam, Lamia, Iva, Muhit Khan, Noyon Mazumdar, Gopal, Israt Zahan, Tazmina Khatun and many other students of ‘Path Pathshala’ expressed their excitement saying that they have learnt many new things from the classes.
They think that such an educational institution will make their future bright as well as help them to make their lives easier.