DHAKA: The nation is observing the International Mother Language Day (Amar Ekushey), paying tribute to the language movement martyrs who fought and died on February 21 in 1952 to make mother tongue Bangla a state language

The whole country is observing the 62nd Martyrs’ Day to commemorate the Language Movement martyrs through various programmes.

In the first hour of the day, President M Abdul Hamid paid homage to language movement martyrs placing floral wreaths at the central Shaheed Minar in the capital at 12:01am.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also ruling Awami League president, placed wreaths along with her cabinet and party colleagues.

They stood there in silence for a minute in honour of the language heroes.

The Central Shaheed Minar and its adjacent areas on Dhaka University campus got a different look with street paintings and hanging Bangla alphabets from branches of trees and pasting on walls.

On this day in 1952, students and people from all strata of society took to the streets in Dhaka to protest the then Pakistan government’s refusal to recognize Bangla as one of the state languages and its attempt to impose Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.

Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiur, Jabbar and a few other brave sons of the soil sacrificed their lives to establish Bangla as a state language of the then Pakistan.

The day has been being observed as the Language Martyrs Day since a UNESCO declaration on November 17, 1999.

The day is a public holiday. The national flag will fly at half-mast at all government, autonomous and private buildings.

Different socio-political and cultural organizations have chalked out various programmes, including seminars and cultural functions, to observe the Amar (immortal) Ekushey and International Mother Language Day in a befitting manner.

The different newspapers published special supplements marking the day and radio and television channels are airing special programmes on the occasion.

BDST: 0015 HRS, FEB 21, 2014