Feature: Hundreds of thousands pay tribute to martyred language heroes in Bangladesh

Hundreds of thousands of Bangladesh people Tuesday thronged to the Central Shaheed Minar, a solemn and iconic monument in capital Dhaka, to lay wreaths and bouquets of flowers to show their deep respect to the sons of Bangladesh who sacrificed their lives on this day in 1952 to promote Bangla as a state language of the then East Pakistan.

Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the language martyrs by laying floral wreaths at the altar of the Central Shaheed Minar one minute after zero hour Tuesday marking the language martyrs' day, Feb. 21.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, among many foreign dignitaries, laid wreaths and bouquets of flowers to show their deep respect to the Bangladesh 1952 language movement heroes.

After ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, also chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) along with her party leaders placed wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar at around 1:30 a.m. local time it was opened to the public.

Even kids in black and white traditional dresses came with their parents covering their heads and foreheads in the national flag amid festive look.

The whole Shaheed Minar area has been decorated with festoons, banners, walls and roads painted with Bangla alphabets.

Many walls on the Dhaka University campus in front of the Shaheed Minar have been inscribed with quotations from Bangla literature befitting the occasion, and poets were heard reciting poems as they sat on street islands.

Women wore black and white sharees, Bangladesh's national dress for females, in their own traditional style while men in Panjabi and Payjama, long white tunic-like shirt worn over close-fitting or baggy white pants as they gathered at the central monument here to pay tribute to the country's martyred language heroes.

By afternoon on Tuesday, the entire Shaheed Minar turned into a veritable sea of flowers.

A very sad and touching song, Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano (My Brothers Blood Spattered), was to be played repeatedly in electronic media and cultural gatherings throughout the month, and especially on Feb. 21, which is now also being observed across the world as International Mother Language Day.

As part of the commemoration activities, Bangladesh people, not just in the capital city but also elsewhere in the country, which became independent in 1971, also placed floral wreaths at thousands of monuments across the country.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared on Nov. 17, l999 Feb. 21 as International Mother Language Day. Since then the date has been observed throughout the world every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

International Mother Language Day originated as the international recognition of Language Movement Day, which has been commemorated in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) since 1952 when a number of people, including many varsity students, were killed in a police firing in Dhaka during a Bengali language movement protests.

Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Safiur and other brave sons of now Bangladesh sacrificed their lives on that day in 1952 as they marched in the streets calling for the use of Bangla as the official language of the then East Pakistan.

However, Bangladesh President Hamid in a message highlighted the observance of the day across the world.

"We feel proud that the spirit of Amar Ekushey (Immortal 21st February) is now inspiring the people of different languages around the globe to protect and preserve their own languages and cultures transcending the boundary of our country."

In a separate message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged all for getting rid of petty differences with the spirit of the Immortal 21st February and for development of the country and upholding democratic values.

Immortal 21st February is the symbol of grief, strength and glory in the life of every Bengali, she said. Enditem