The nation is observing Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day today, paying glowing tribute to the martyrs of the historic 1952 Language Movement.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the nation in paying homage to the valiant sons of the soil by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar at zero hours.
President’s Military Secretary Major General SM Salahuddin Islam and Prime Minister’s Military Secretary Major General Naquib Ahmed Chowdhury placed wreaths at the memorial on their behalf.
After playing the wreaths, they stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect for the language heroes who had laid down their lives for the cause of establishing Bangla as a state language of Pakistan.
Usually, the President and the Prime Minister place wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar at one minute past zero hours in person.
But, they were not present physically this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On behalf of Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Sergeant-at-Arms Commodore MM Naim Rahman placed a wreath at the monument.
Central Awami League leaders later paid homage to the language martyrs placing a wreath at the Shaheed Minar.
Afterwards, common people with barefoot, wearing black badges, holding bouquets in their hands and singing Ekushey anthem ‘Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February’ paid tribute to the language martyrs.
Commoners and activists of different political and socio-cultural organisations stood in queues in front of the Central Shaheed Minar before the clock struck midnight.
Street paintings, festoons, banners, buntings and placards with popular inscriptions on the language movement featured the Shaheed Minar area, adding to the solemnity of the event.
The day is a public holiday.
The national flag has been hoisted at half-mast and black flags flew atop government, autonomous and private offices across the country.
State-run Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and private TV channels and radio stations are airing special programmes.
Newspapers published special supplements highlighting the significance of the day.
On February 21, 1952, the Pakistani police opened fire on a peaceful procession in Dhaka and brutally killed many people, mostly students, including Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and Shafiur.
Their demand was to declare Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan.
The day is being observed as International Mother Language Day in 193 countries across the globe following UNESCO’s recognition of Ekushey February on November 17, 1999.
The Language Movement was a watershed in history as it fortified Bangalee nationalism and its spirit ultimately led to the country’s independence in 1971.
Back in 1952, the autocratic government imposed Urdu, the language of less than 20 percent people, as the only official language of Pakistan.
But students and people of East Pakistan rose in revolt against the then Pakistan government’s refusal to recognise Bangla, the language of 56 percent people of Pakistan, as one of the state languages.
In the face of strong opposition in 1956, the government was compelled to make Bangla, alongside Urdu, a state language of Pakistan.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages, extending sincere greetings to the people of all languages and cultures of the world on the occasion.
The President in his message said the spirit of Amar Ekushey is now the incessant source of inspiration to protect own languages and culture of peoples of different languages in the world. "…imbued with the spirit of Amar Ekushey, let the bond of friendship among multilingual people of the world be strengthened, world's almost defunct languages be revived with glory in their respective races and diversified societies of respective languages and culture be formed - it is my expectation on Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day," he said.
He recalled with deep homage Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur and many other unknown language martyrs who laid down their lives to establish the right of mother tongue Bangla.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said with Bangladesh, UNESCO has been celebrating this day with due dignity since 2000. “This year's theme of the day - 'Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities: Crisis and
Prospects' - which I think is very befitting; because the Awami League government has been working for a long time to implement an equitable and inclusive education policy through the use of digital technology," she said.
She said the importance of the Language Movement in the history of Bangalee's liberation struggle is immense.
The foundation for a non-communal, democratic, language-based state system was laid through this movement, the Prime Minister said, adding that on this day in 1952, Abul Barkat, Abdul Jabbar, Abdus Salam, Rafiquddin Ahmad, Shafiur Rahman and many others sacrificed their lives to protect the dignity of the country's mother language -- Bangla.
"I pay my deep respect to the memory of the martyrs of all languages, including Bangla. I remember with deep tribute all the Language Movement activists, including the greatest Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose supreme sacrifices and struggles elevated the esteem of our motherland and people," she added.
The glorious history of the Language Movement from 1947 to 1952 serves as a source of inspiration in people's national life from time and again, Sheikh Hasina said.
In observance of the day, ruling Awami League chalked out a two-day programme.
The party will organise a discussion at its central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital at 3:30pm tomorrow with its President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
