Nation pays homage to language heroes

Bangladesh has begun paying homage to the heroes of the Language Movement. The heroes made the supreme sacrifice to establish the rights of Bangla as the mother tongue of the nation.

Bangladeshis go on barefoot to the altar of the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka in slow pace with the immortal song on Amar Ekushey–“Amar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February” to place flowers on the monuments in the first hours of Sunday.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have paid their glowing tributes to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement on the occasion of Amar Ekushey and the International Mother Language Day.

It is a national holiday. The national flag flies at half-mast in honour of the martyrs. Social and cultural organisations hold programmes in observance of the day.

The day has come this year in a different context as the entire world is fighting the coronavirus pandemic with vaccines and restrictions on gatherings.

The government has themed the observance this year on inclusion and nurturing of multiple languages in education and society.

The authorities ordered all to limit the programmes to avoid infection.

At the Shaheed Minar, a maximum of five people will be allowed to place wreaths on behalf of their organisations, while no more than two individuals can place flowers.

President Hamid in a message marking the day emphasised the use of Bangla at all levels.

The Language Movement began the intense alienation of the Bengalees and finally led to the Liberation War in 1971.

Several youths were killed in police firing on Feb 21, 1952, to quell protests against the then Pakistan government decision to impose Urdu as the state language on the people of the erstwhile East Pakistan, who wanted Bangla to be recognised as the mother tongue.

The UNESCO in 1999 declared Feb 21 the International Mother Language Day. Bangladesh observes the day as the Language Martyrs’ Day.