Tributes rain down on language martyrs

Tens of thousands of people from across the broad spectrum of society began to gather at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, the memorial for the 1952 Language Movement martyrs, late at night on Thursday.

At the midnight hour, they joined the political leaders, diplomats and social and cultural activists to pay their respects to those who had laid down their lives protesting the imposition of Urdu as the only language of Pakistan.

President Md Abdul Hamid was the first to pay his tribute at 12:01pm Friday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid her respects after him.

She walked to the memorial’s altar twice – once with the members of her Cabinet and then with her party colleagues as Awami League President.

Then Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Leader of the Opposition Raushan Ershad and many others followed Hasina in paying their tributes to the martyrs.

However, the BNP alleged that Chairperson Khaleda Zia had failed to go to Shaheed Minar to pay her respects in the first hour due to police ‘obstruction’.

Later, around 1:00am, she along with senior party leaders paid her tributes by placing wreaths.

After the President, Prime Minister and other dignitaries paid their respects, the Shaheed Minar was opened to all and soon it was a sea of flowers with thousands placing wreaths and many more waiting for their turn.

People had thronged the Shaheed Minar premises and streets around them all over Bangladesh since late Thursday night. Many from different parts of Dhaka and its outskirts will come to pay their tributes as well on Friday morning.

‘Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushey February, Ami Ki Bhulite Pari’ (Can I forget the twenty-first of February/ incarnadined by the love of my brother?) was on their lips.

Security was beefed in on Dhaka University campus and surrounding areas since Thursday evening to maintain peace.

Police put up barricades at all the accesses to the university and were only letting its students in after ID check.

People in the districts were also descending on the Shaheed Minars.

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 erstwhile East Pakistan, who wanted Bangla to be recognised as the mother tongue.

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

The UNESCO in November 1999 had declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day.

President Hamid, Prime Minister Hasina, Leader of the Opposition Raushan Ershad and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia led the tributes.

Hamid in his message said, “The great language movement is a historic and significant event in our national history… aimed at establishing the rights of our mother tongue and it was to save our ethnic identity and own culture as well.”

“We feel proud that Ekushey February is no longer a glory for the people of this land alone. Let the people of the globe of all languages be united, let the world’s almost defunct languages revive in their own communities – this is my expectation on this great ‘Shahid Day’ and ‘International Mother Language Day’.”

Hasina, in her message, said ‘the greatest Ekushey is the symbol of our democratic values, Bangali nationalism, spirit of liberation struggle and secularism’.

“The blood-stained resonance of Amar Ekushey is now resounded in the hearts of the people of 193 countries surpassing the boundary of Bangladesh.”

“Let us take a fresh vow being imbued with the spirit of the great Ekushey to work together for improving the lot of the people, sinking all differences,” she said.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia recalled the valiant Language Movement martyrs in her message and expressed deep respect.

The day is a national holiday in Bangladesh and national flags would be kept half-mast during the day.

In India, which is also home to millions of Bengalees, the day is also observed as “Language Martyrs Day”.

The day will also be commemorated in West Bengal and the states of Tripura and Assam, which have large Bengali populations.