Breaking waves and taboos, Bangladeshi girl surfers enter global stage

DHAKA: Fatema Akhter knew nothing about surfing when she was younger, until she saw people riding the waves for the first time on the beach of Cox’s Bazar, a fishing town in southeastern Bangladesh. As a young girl watching them take on the waves and moving as one with their boards, she could not help but feel the excitement. By the time she started learning how to surf at nine years old, she discovered for herself a joy that was like no other. “When I finally tried it, I fell in love with the f