This is just the beginning: Bithi steadfast in her pursuit of sports

Morsheda Khatun Bithi, an eighth-grader from Adarsha Girls High School in Pabna district, is steadfast in her unwavering pursuit of plying her trade in sports.  

At the tender age of 14, Bitthi has fixated on what she wants to do in life and has chosen sports as the only avenue through which she desires to turn her dreams into reality.

Last month, Bithi led her district to the top when Pabna beat Rangpur in the final of the Inter-district Volleyball tournament organised by Bangladesh Women's Sports Association. A total of 14 districts qualified for the final phase of the tournament in Dhaka after rigorous qualification stages. Having gone through it all, Bithi, standing at five feet and two inches tall, was able to showcase her talents with eye-catching displays as she was adjudged the best player of the tournament in the Under-15 category. 

"I love to play, more so than studying," Bithi told The Daily Star. "Today's success is just the beginning of my sporting career. I want to build a career as a successful player." 

Bithi's journey into volleyball came from a typical love for sports but what makes her achievement unique is that she stumbled onto the sport after coming to the district's athletics trials with no certain sport in mind. She just wanted to get out onto the field and supervisors noticed her ability to leap with ease which led to them to suggest her to try out volleyball. That is when she started to weave her dream of a career in sports. 

"Bithi has the talent as well as the devotion needed. We are giving her training and with more of that, she will become a successful player," Hosne Ara Khatun Hawa, secretary of Women Sports Association in Pabna said. 

When asked why she did not venture into the world of much popular and success-oriented sports like cricket and football, Bithi simply replied that she wouldn't be able to bear the expenses of the instruments needed to play those sports. She revealed that she had equally excelled in badminton but had to cut that journey short due to the expensive nature of the sport at a professional level. 

Born in the Radhanagar Baganpara area in Pabna Sadar upazila, Bithi, who is battling poverty hopes to alleviate her struggles and provide for her family through a career in sports.  

Her father, Mohammad Azizur Rahman, who works as a Night Guard, however, said he always wanted Bithi to focus on her studies but has had to give in to her whims in sports. 

"I've always wanted to educate my child so that she can build her life but she prefers playing. Initially, I did not give enough support but now, I try my best to back my daughter." Azizur said.