After facing widespread online trolling over a video of herself walking in a sari to the tune of a song, schoolteacher Beauty Rani Pal has expressed gratitude to the people of Bangladesh, her family, and journalists for their support.
In a video message, she said she was initially devastated after seeing the wave of negative comments and reactions on Facebook. However, the support she received from her family and people from all walks of life gave her the courage to recover and move forward, reports bdnews24.com.
Beauty, headteacher of Pitaitikor Government Primary School in Sylhet’s Fenchuganj, had posted a short reel synchronised with a song.
The video, which went viral, showed her walking around the school premises wearing a sari. It featured a portion of the popular 1990s song "Shrabaner Meghgulo Joro Holo Akashe" by Mezbah Rahman of the band Different Touch, including the lyrics: "Aaj Keno Mon Udashi Hoye Dur Ojanay Chay Harate" ("Why does my heart long to drift away into the unknown today?").
After the video spread across social media, Beauty became the target of widespread criticism and online trolling. In response, many women came forward in solidarity, posting similar videos and sharing them across social media in support of her.
Expressing her appreciation for the support she received online, Beauty said in her Facebook video message:
"I am truly grateful to everyone across the country. They have shown me immense love. There will always be one or two people like that in every society, but I am sincerely thankful to everyone. I am especially grateful because although one journalist's post made me go viral, many other journalists stood beside me. For that, I am deeply thankful to all of them.
"I am also grateful to our minister, the prime minister, government officials, teachers, and people from every profession. Thank you all."
Meanwhile, a Facebook page called "Fenchuganj Protidin" shared her video with a negative caption. An expatriate named Asif Iqbal Eron has been accused by Beauty of cyberbullying and publicly harassing her.
The page published the video under the headline: "Headteacher's TikTok Dance on School Premises in Fenchuganj! Parents Outraged." The post alleged that she had made "obscene gestures" on school grounds, triggering a flood of offensive comments and online ridicule.
Responding to the criticism earlier, Beauty told journalists:
"If we cannot modernise our mindset and become truly digital and progressive, we will never be able to keep pace with the developed world. We have to move forward equally in every aspect."
Following the incident, she filed a General Diary (GD) with the police against the expatriate and others allegedly involved.
Responding to journalists' query about the viral video, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj said he did not view the incident as any wrongdoing or offence.
Beauty also said that despite the intense criticism on Facebook, her family stood firmly by her from the very beginning.
She said, "When I first saw the video online, I was deeply upset. But my family—my sisters, who are also teachers—told me, 'File a GD with the police. Why are you feeling so discouraged? You are in the right. You haven't done anything wrong. We know who you are.'"
Beauty, an alumnus of the Department of English at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, was named Best Headteacher of Sylhet District in the National Primary Education Award 2026. Her Facebook profile features videos of her teaching in classrooms, leading students in physical exercise, using music and dance to teach mathematics and textbook lessons, planting trees with students, and distributing saplings.
Speaking about her family's support, she said:
"All my siblings, as well as my husband, have supported me tremendously. My younger daughter especially keeps telling me, 'Mom, you're right. You're always right. I look up to you. I want to be like you.' So I have never experienced any lack of support from my family. They have always stood by me and continue to do so.
"I'm not very skilled with computers. Whenever I needed help understanding analytics or figuring out whether I had made any mistakes online, they repeatedly reached out and helped me."