Nation salutes martyrs, celebrates Int’l Mother Language Day

Streams of barefooted people from all walks of life filed past the shaheed minars after placing flowers at the altars across the country at one minute past Monday midnight with the nation paying tributes to the 1952 Language Movement heroes.
People from all walks of life and ages gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital and other memorials, mostly at educational institutions and important locations, built to commemorate the heroism and sacrifice of language movement martyrs as the nation also celebrated the International Mother Language Day.
State dignitaries first placed wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar. Wreaths were placed at the altar of the monument as Amar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February was sung in chorus.
After the dignitaries had placed wreaths and flowers, the Central Shaheed Minar was opened to people to pay tributes.
Visiting Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende, the Dhaka city mayors Annisul Huq and Sayeed Khokan and chiefs of three services also placed wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar.

President Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina stand in solemn silence after placing wreaths at the altar of Central Shaheed Minar one minute after Monday midnight, marking Shaheed Dibash and International Mother Language Day. — Sanaul Haque

Artistes sang patriotic songs and recited poems on the Central Shaheed Minar premises, decorated with Bangla letters against the backdrop of a rising sun. 
On February 21, 1952, which fell on Phalgun 8, 1359 on the Bangla calendar, the rulers of the then Pakistan banned any rally or procession to stop protests against the announcement that Urdu would be the only state language of the country even though a majority of the 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 War for Independence in 1971.
Ekushey February, known as Shaheed Dibas or Martyrs’ Day, has come to be observed as International Mother Language Day since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism after a proclamation by UNESCO general conference in November 1999.
The United Nations, in the light of Sustainable Development Goals, has set the theme of the International Mother Language Day 2017 as ‘Towards Sustainable Futures through Multilingual Education.’

Chiefs of army, navy and air force salute to the language movement martyrs after placing wreaths at the altar of Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka early Tuesday, marking Shaheed Dibash and International Mother Language Day. — Sanaul Haque

The day is a public holiday.
Quran Khwani, milad mahfil and special prayers were arranged at Azimpur graveyard in the city for the martyrs of the Language Movement.
The national flag was hoisted at half-mast atop government, autonomous and private buildings and black flags were hoisted to pay tributes to the martyrs, including Salam, Jabbar, Rafiq and Barkat who were killed in police firing into a students’ procession brought out defying ban demanding Bangla as a state language in February 1952.
Like the previous years, Dhaka University supervised the Amar Ekushey observance programmes. Fine arts students decorated the walls around the monument with floral designs. Roads, dividers and islands have been decorated with the national flag and festoons and cardboard cut-outs with Bangla letters.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police have taken all-out security measures for a smooth observance of Amar Ekushey.
Political parties and socio economic organisations organised various programmes marking the day.

Diplomats of different countries place wreaths at the altar of Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka early Tuesday, marking Shaheed Dibash and International Mother Language Day. — Sanaul Haque

The state-run Bangladesh Television aired live the observance at the Central Shaheed Minar. 
Bangladesh Betar and private television and radio channels are airing special programmes on the occasion. Newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day.
Amar Ekushey was observed officially in all district and upazila towns while various organisations also placed flowers and wreaths at local shaheed minars. Bangladeshis living abroad are also observing the day, reports reaching Dhaka said.

 

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