Bangladesh: Nation recalls language heroes

Military secretaries to president Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina pay homage to Language Movement martyrs by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka early Monday, marking Bhasha Shaheed Dibas and International Mother Language Day. — New Age photo   

The nation observes Amar Ekushey today paying homage to the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement by placing wreaths and flowers at the shaheed minars across the country amid Covid restrictions and heightened security.

People in their thousands in bare feet started filing past the shaheed minars after placing flowers at the altars as clock struck the zero hour past Sunday.

They expressed their love, respect and gratitude to language heroes—known or unknown—who laid their life for the mother tongue, by placing flowers and wreaths at shaheed minars.

Due to the ongoing Covid crisis, the number of people visiting the shaheed minars this year is less as the authorities have allowed a maximum of five people  from a political party or organisation to place wreaths at a time.

For the common public, a maximum of two individuals have been allowed to place wreaths or flowers at a time.

The use of facemasks was made mandatory for entering the shaheed minar premises.

Ekushey February, also Bhasha Shaheed Dibas or Language Martyrs’ Day, has come to be observed as the International Mother Language Day since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism after a UNESCO announcement in November 1999.

People from all walks of life and ages began to gather at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka and other memorials to the martyrs, mostly at educational institutions and important locations, built to commemorate their heroism and sacrifice, much before the midnight.

The military secretary to president Md Abdul Hamid, Major General SM Salahuddin Islam, was the first to place a wreath at the altar at the Central Shaheed Minar on behalf of the president a minute after Sunday midnight followed by the military secretary to prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Major General Naqib Ahmed Chowhdury, on behalf of the prime minister.

A team on behalf of speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury placed a wreath followed by a team of the ruling Awami League led by party presidium member Matia Chowdhury.

They stood in solemn silence for a while as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the language heroes.

Homage was paid by the education minister, chiefs of the armed forces and foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka, and ruling Awami League-led alliance followed Dhaka University teachers, language movement heroes and others.

Soon after the departure of the dignitaries, people from all walks of life would start paying tribute to the martyrs at about 12:30am Monday.

Political parties, including the ruling Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, socio-cultural and professional organisations and educational institutions have taken elaborate programmes to mark the day.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders and activists are scheduled to gather in front of the Balaka cinema hall near New Market at 6:00am today, from where they will go to offer fateha at the graves of language movement martyrs at the Azimpur Graveyard and pay tribute to the martyrs at the Central Shaheed Minar, said a release.

President Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina issued messages paying rich tributes to the language martyrs and on the occasion of International Mother Language Day.

The president said that the spirit of Amar Ekushey was now a constant source of inspiration for people across the world.

Hasina said that the glorious history of the Language Movement from 1947 to 1952 k serving as a source of inspiration in people’s national life from time and again.

‘…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,’ Hasina said in her massage.

On February 21, 1952, which fell on Phalgun 8, 1359 on the Bangla calendar, the Pakistan regime banned rallies and processions to prevent protests against the announcement that Urdu would be the only state language even though the majority of the country’s combined population spoke Bangla.

It was the first uprising of Bengalis against the colonial attitude of Pakistani rulers that became the prime inspiration for their struggle for self-determination throughout the 1950s and the 1960s leading to the emergence of the independent Bangladesh through a nine-month-long war in 1971.

The day is a public holiday. The national flag is hoisted at half-mast atop government, autonomous and private buildings to pay tributes to the martyrs.

Black flags are also hoisted in a mark of pain for the loss of lives of the martyrs, including Salam, Jabbar, Rafiq and Barkat, who were killed in police firing into a students’ procession brought out defying a ban.

Like the previous years, Dhaka University is supervising the Amar Ekushey observance.

DU fine arts students decorated the walls around the monument to the martyrs with floral designs.

Bangladesh Betar, the state-run radio, and private television and radio channels are airing special programmes on the occasion.

Newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day.

The government has already asked all educational institutions, local government bodies, local administrations and Bangladesh missions abroad for measures to observe the day maintaining health guidelines.

A ‘Provat Feri’ (Dawn March) led by DU vice-chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman will be brought out at 6:30am, starting from the base of Aparajeyo Bangla Sculpture.

Everyone was asked to carry vaccine cards to enter the Shaheed Minar.

Similar health guidelines are to be maintained at all other places in other cities, district towns and upazilas, decided an inter-ministerial meeting at the cultural affairs ministry on February 16.

Law enforcers have taken the tight security measures in and around the Central Shaheed Minar.

The DMP has announced special traffic management measures for the Central Shaheed Minar and surrounding areas on the occasion.

Amar Ekushey Udjapan Kendriya Samanwan Committee has drawn up a route map for people to help them visit the Central Shaheed Minar and Azimpur Graveyard on February 21 to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement.

The route map came into effect from 8:00pm on Sunday.

No traffic is allowed on the roads running by the Shaheed Minar between 8:00pm Sunday and 2:00pm today except for vehicles with authorised stickers.

New Age