Mahrin Chowdhury: A teacher's sacrifice and the ideals of the Zia family

Mahrin Chowdhury (42), a brave teacher of Milestone School and College, was laid to rest next to her parents at the graveyard of Bogulagari Chowdhurypara in Jaldhaka upazila of Nilphamari. The scene of the children and students who risked their lives to rescue them during the horrific plane crash at Milestone School located in Uttara in the capital is still vivid in the eyes of witnesses.

Mahrin was the niece of former President and BNP founder Shaheed Ziaur Rahman. Her father MR Chowdhury was Ziaur Rahman's cousin. From this family background, it is understood that patriotism and sacrifice were in her blood. BNP family members said that she was a person who trusted the party and believed in the national ideals.

After the plane crash on July 21, Mahrin Chowdhury rescued about 20 children one by one from the classroom engulfed in flames. Before she could get out, her entire body caught fire in the second explosion. She was taken to the National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery in a burnt condition, where she died in the ICU. Doctors said that her body was 100 percent burned.

Before taking her last breath, Mahreen held the hand of her husband Mansur Helal and said, “Look at my children… I will never see you again.” She told her husband that the children were burning to death in front of her, she could not move herself. This compassion and sacrifice are not only those of an ideal teacher, but also of a mother.

In family life, Mahreen was the mother of two sons. Her husband Mansur Helal is the general manager of a private organization. Although her two children, Ayan Rashid and Adel Rashid, are orphans today, they can be proud that their mother was a true hero. Mahreen had been involved in the teaching profession since 2002-03 and served as the coordinator of the Bangla Medium branch until her death.

Mahreen Chowdhury's death is not just an accident - it is a story of the sacrifice of a great woman. She showed how responsibility, love and humanity can be bigger than one's own life. May her soul rest in peace - and may the nation remember such patriotic children forever.