Mountaineer Shakil Returns Flag Hoisted on Mount Elbrus; 50-Photo Exhibition in Dhanmondi Runs Until 12 November
Bangladeshi mountaineer Ikramul Hasan Shakil has formally returned the national flag of Bangladesh used in his expedition after successfully climbing Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe.
On 26 September at 7:30am Russian local time, Shakil hoisted the flag of Bangladesh on the 5,642-metre summit of Mount Elbrus, the highest point in Europe.
On Thursday at 4pm, he handed the flag to guests at a ceremony held at the Russian House in Dhanmondi in the capital. After the handover, Shakil presented the feelings and images of his expedition through a visual presentation.
Alongside the success story, the mountaineer expressed anger and regret over the uncertainty in the country's mountaineering sector and the severe lack of sponsorship.
After the flag-return ceremony, a solo photography exhibition of 50 selected photographs from Shakil's Mount Elbrus expedition was inaugurated. The exhibition was formally inaugurated by Alexandra Khlevnoy, director of the Russian House in Dhaka.
Sadia Sultana, secretary of the organising body Bangla Mountaineering and Tracking Club, said the photography exhibition at the Russian House in Dhanmondi will be open to visitors every day from 11am to 6pm, and will run until 12 November.
Speakers at the event included bird expert and Antarctica explorer Enam Al Haq, Bangladesh Bird Club president Dr Niaz Abdur Rahman, IUCN Bangladesh programme manager Simanta Dipu, MK Enterprise Limited managing director Muntasir Karim, Change Initiative co-founder M Zakir Hossain Khan and Zap editorial consultant Akib Safwan.
Special recorded video messages from Nature and Life Foundation chairman Mukit Majumdar Babu and Russian House director Alexandra Khlevnoy were also shown at the event.
