Leaders of the 14-Party Alliance place a wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka to pay homage to the Language Movement martyrs in the first hours of Martyrs Day on Sunday, Feb 21, 2022. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi
Bangladeshis are remembering the Language Movement heroes who sacrificed their lives in demanding Bangla as a state language of Pakistan in 1952.
People began flocking to the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka and other memorials up and down the country on Sunday night to pay homage to the martyrs.
Barefooted, they carried flowers in their hands and the immortal line -- “‘Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushey February, Ami Ki Bhulite Pari’ (Can I forget the twenty-first of February/ incarnadined by the blood of my brother?) on their lips.
The observation of the day, Shaheed Dibosh or Martyrs Day, kicked off at 12:01am on Monday formally with President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina - taking precautions because of the coronavirus pandemic - sending representatives to place wreaths on their behalf at the Shaheed Minar.
Salam, Rafique, Shafique, Jabbar and Barkat embraced martyrdom in police firing as they took to the street to intensify the campaign to establish Bangla as a state language of the then Pakistan, sowing the seeds of subsequent movements for independence.
Eventually, Bangladesh snatched independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Feb 21, therefore, is not only a day of sacrificing lives for the right to speak one’s own language, but also a memorabilia of Bengali nationhood, individuality and cultural identity.
The UNESCO in 1999 declared Feb 21 as International Mother Language Day.
The day is a national holiday. The national flag will fly at half-mast in honour of the martyrs.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the authorities have made it mandatory to present a coronavirus vaccination certificate, besides wearing a facemask, to pay homage to the martyrs at the Shaheed Minar.
Individuals can pay tribute to martyrs in groups of two at a time while the number of representatives from any organisation has been limited to five.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police have put in place a six-tier security system centring the monument and asked the people not to take any bag to the Shaheed Minar.
After the president, prime minister, political parties and dignitaries, people were allowed to place flowers at the Shaheed Minar.
The leaders of the Jatiya Party, the main opposition in parliament, paid tributes to the martyrs in the early hours. The BNP said it would place a wreath on Monday morning. Both parties will hold discussions.
Social and cultural organisations and educational institutions will organise other programmes, including meetings, seminars, symposiums, and cultural competitions following the health protocols.
Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission to the UN and other missions abroad, too, will organise programmes to observe the International Mother Language Day with due solemnity and fervour.
Hamid and Hasina greeted all on International Mother Language Day and paid homage to the martyrs and the heroes, including Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who took part in the 1952 movement.
Hamid extended his “warm congratulations and sincere felicitations” to the people and ethnic groups of different languages of the world along with Bangla-speaking people.
"It is a unique celebration in protecting mother tongue as well as own culture and heritage," he said in a message.
Hasina in her message said the importance of the Language Movement is immense in the history of Bangladesh’s liberation struggle.
The foundation for a non-communal, democratic, language-based state system was laid through this movement, she said.
