Ahona: The 10-year-old girl who made it to the Annapurna Base camp

At the sound of the doorbell, 10-year old Ahona ran to her room, curiously peeking through the door to see if she should hide again.

Who could tell this same girl, just a while back, climbed to the foot of the Annapurna Sanctuary, standing at a height of 4,130 metres above the sea level?

While the intense low temperatures and the narrow mountain ridges did not scare her, speaking to someone new did.

And it's definitely not everyday that you get to hear the news of a girl - who has just the double digit - racing up a mountain.

The venture, to the passionate 10 year old girl, was nothing but "savouring a beautiful surrounding."

For the uninitiated, the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), is a high glacial basin situated 40 km north of Pokhara, Nepal.

The camp, surrounded by the peaks of the Annapurna Range, is a very common hub for trekkers all around the world, accessible through only one narrow valley.

Higher altitudes mean lower oxygen levels and as the hikes become increasingly exhaustive while soaring up, the temperature also drops. What was it exactly like?

In a conversation with The Business Standard, Ahona Zahra Chowdhury, accompanied by her parents, shared that in bits and pieces.

When you judge Ahona by her appearance - a sweet little girl in a denim jumpsuit over a pink T-shirt - she is the girl from your school or the next door; utterly ordinary.

Her countenance blends with faces of kids her age; hair neatly parted to the side, clipped with a beautiful white ornament.

But beneath all these lies a tremendous love for trekking, which came to light in a rather strange way.

It all started thanks to Ahona's parents, Aniket and Evvana Chowdhury, both of whom used to learn taekwondo. They also inspired their daughter to learn the martial art, among many other extracurricular activities.

But nothing really impressed Ahona as such, until she, along with her parents, visited Nafakhum in February 2021.

"That's when we discovered Ahona's love for trekking. While we were all tired and lost all energy, she seemed to have no difficulty continuing to play with other kids after coming back," said Evvana.

Inspired by their daughter's passion for trekking and adventure, the Chowdhury family embarked on another journey to Debotakhum in Bandarban. Once there, Ahona eagerly scaled the hill's summit, outpacing her parents.

Like this, they continued to another adventure to the Hazarikhil Trail, although Ahona was not allowed to take part in a tree-climbing activity, because she did not meet the height requirement.

Prior to that trek, as a part of preparation, Ahona was also tasked to climb the Sitakunda Hills twice, within 5 hours, which again, she had excelled at.

After a few consecutive adventures like this, Ahona participated in the basic mountain training camp organised by Rope 4 Outdoor Education, founded by Marufa Haque.

Whilst most of the participants – aged 20 years and above – struggled to perform the physical activities lined up at the camp, Ahona finished all activities a lot smoother and faster, in spite of being the youngest of all the participants.

Seeing this, the organisers of the trek, team leader Mohiuddin Mahi and Ahoshanuzzaman Toukir, decided to take Ahona on the ABC trek.

However, choosing to take Ahona to this trek was far from an easy choice.

"I was extremely sceptical when my wife initially told me about the trek. Getting a school leave, taking care of her throughout the trek, and making sure she was ready to go on it - all made the choice a difficult one," said Aniket, Ahona's father, who was also one of the 11 members of the team.

Following the support of the principal and school authorities, coupled with the efforts of the team leaders, Mohiuddin and Touqir, Ahona reached the ABC camp safely, becoming the youngest Bangladeshi girl to do so.

Ahona and her team left Bangladesh on 30 October, managed to reach ABC on the fifth day, on 3 November.

Arriving in Kathmandu on October 30, the team boarded an overnight bus to reach Pokhara the next morning. From Pokhara, they undertook a three and a half-hour motor ride to Jhinu, the starting point of the trek.

The ascent to ABC began on October 31, passing through Chomrong, Devaang and Derauli, before finally reaching an altitude of 4,130m on November 3, followed by a three-day descent, bringing them back to Jhinu on November 6.

Ahona makes one thing very clear. It's not the risk that discourages youngsters from being adventure friendly. It's simply the thought of leaving your comfort zone and stepping out for something new scares most children away.

Like any other child of her age, Ahona's calorie consumption is quite low, making her look comparatively weak and small. But looks can be deceptive when it comes to someone's energy level.

Looking at her, one may only see a shy, quiet and introverted little child, making it very hard to understand the level of stamina this child carries to be able to reach that height. Throughout the six-day trek, she suffered only a bit of nosebleed and headache, owing to the punishing temperature.

Mohiuddin Mahi, one of the founders of Rope4 and a certified mountaineering trainer, reckoned that "children, because of their adaptability power, can do such activities a lot more easily than adults. It's because of the way they are brought up, under so much protection, that they don't attempt to step out of their comfort zone."

However, what truly defines Ahona is her enchanting connection to animals — be it cats, dogs or any creature she encountered along the way.

When questioned about the favourite aspect of reaching the top of the base camp, Ahona joyfully exclaimed, "Dogs, puppies, kittens. I even forged friendships with some monkeys along the path."

According to her, these animal encounters were the highlight of the entire trek, apart from the beautiful mountain sights.

It was, however, not only Ahona and her father's efforts that managed to get them till the camp. It was also the efforts of the organiser, Touqir and Mahi, that made the journey so much easier for them.

"They did everything they could do for Ahona. They even sent someone to India just to get the instruments, like headgears, boots, jackets and backpacks, so that Ahona would have no trouble throughout the trek," said Ahona's father.

Little Ahona aspires to become a veterinarian one day. She wants to treat and provide her favourite souls with a happy life. "Ahona is a dear girl, her determination is beyond expectations. Once she believes she can do something, she sets heer whole soul to doing it and does not quit until it's done," said Mahi.

In future, her parents and the entire support team of Rope4 aspire to take on higher altitudes, ascending her to the EBC (Everest Base Camp), which rests at an altitude of 6,000 metres. In July 27, 2023, a 12-year-old Indian girl scaled three 6,000 metre peaks in 49 hours, setting a new global record.