Ekushey February

[Tmac]

International Mother Language Day observed

Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day was observed today amidst a renewed pledge to establish Bangla in all spheres of national life and promote multilingual culture across the world.

Hundreds of thousands of barefoot people, wearing black badges, visited the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka since early hours of the day paying glowing tributes to the language martyrs.

Strains of the immortal song ‘Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushe February, Ami Ki Bhulite Pari’ resounded through the sprawling Dhaka University campus as people streamed towards the memorial.

This day in 1952, Barkat, Salam, Rafiq, Shafiur, Jabbar made their sublime sacrifice for establishing Bangla as a state language of the erstwhile Pakistan.

The Language Movement inspired the Bengali nation to fight on against injustices and exploitation unto achieving national independence in 1971.

In recognition of the Language Movement in Bangladesh, Unesco has declared February 21st International Mother Language Day to promote linguistic and cultural diversity in the UN member-states. The declaration was made on November 17, 1999.

A total of 188 countries across the world observed the day with the commitment to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education and raise awareness of cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

President Iajuddin Ahmed and Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed led the nation in commemorating the martyrdom of the 1952 Language Movement heroes.

The president was the first to lay wreath at the central Shaheed Minar one minute past midnight that heralded the ceremonies of the immortal Ekushey.

The president was followed by chief adviser to place wreath on the altar of the memorial. They stood in solemn silence for a while to pay respects to the great language martyrs.

Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui, Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, foreign envoys and Dhaka University Vice-chancellor Prof SMA Faiz, accompanied by the DU teachers and alumni, placed wreaths at the altar in the first hour of the historic day.

Among leading politicians, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain and LDP President Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury visited the Shaheed Minar after Tuesday midnight and placed floral wreaths.

Later, umpteen grateful people--men, women and children-proceeded in tandem towards the Central Shaheed Minar and placed their wreaths until 12:00noon.

Thousands of people also visited the book fair on the Bangla Academy premises as a traditional festival marking the victory of the language struggle.

Around 8,000 law-enforcers were deployed in the capital from Tuesday evening to maintain security during the observance of the historic day. No untoward incident was reported.

The day was a public holiday. The national flag was hoisted half-mast atop government, autonomous and private buildings.

Toitunbur, a monthly publication of children and juvenile, organised “Ekushey Mela 2007” at Bangladesh Shishu Academy today on the occasion of the historic day.

The “Ekushey” programmes included hoisting national and black flags, seminar, cultural programmes and decoration of important roads and road islands with Bangla letter-inscribed festoons in the capital city.

Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpokala Academy and Tribal Cultural Institutes organised various programmes, including discussion, cultural function, recitation and handwriting competition.

Bangladeshi missions abroad also observed the day in a befitting manner.

The Ekushey February, Shaheed Dibas, was also observed in districts and upazila headquarters in a befitting manner.

[Tmac]

Amar Ekushey observed with reverence

Barefeet, wearing black ribbons and clutching bouquets of flowers, thousands of people from all walks of life yesterday approached the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital to pay tributes to the fallen heroes of the Language Movement, observing International Mother Language Day.



Like in every year Amar Ekushey once again reminded the Bangalee nation of the supreme sacrifice made by the language martyrs in the historic struggle for upholding the dignity of the nation's mother tongue Bangla, reasserting the spirit of not bowing down before any repression.

Many went to the Shaheed Minar with only a single rose or a tuberose in their hands, toddlers holding their mothers' hands or riding on their fathers' shoulders, youths, freedom fighters, language movement veterans, physically challenged citizens, day labourers, workers, homeless people, academicians, intellectuals, politicians, foreigners and others walked towards the memorial with due reverence in queues, with many of them singing in chorus Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February Ami Ki Bhulite Pari!

The entire Dhaka University (DU) campus and the surrounding area turned into a human sea since 10:00pm Tuesday,

Unesco proclaimed February 21 the International Mother Language Day in November 17, 1999 to honour the supreme sacrifice of language martyrs Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur and the ones whose names could not be known on that historic day in 1952.

Since the Unesco proclamation, 188 countries across the globe observe the day to promote linguistic diversity, multilingual education, and to raise awareness about cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

On February 21, 1952 the erstwhile rulers of what was then a united Pakistan imposed section 144 banning any demonstration protesting the rulers' decree making Urdu the sole state language of the country, although the majority of the combined population of the country spoke Bangla. The hegemonic rulers from erstwhile West Pakistan ordered law enforcers to open fire on the protesters who had defied the ban to establish their right of being able to use their mother tongue in every sphere of their activities.

Volleys of rifle fire, ordered by the chauvinistic West Pakistani rulers, took the lives of many protesters, who had worked out a plan led by Dhaka University students to defy the ban right at what is now Dhaka Medical College, which was the campus of Dhaka University back then.

The state decree amounted to denying the national identity of the people living in Bangladesh, what was then East Pakistan.

The decree was an attempt by the chauvinistic West Pakistani rulers to subjugate the Bangalees and to wipe out the identity of an entire population ignoring the claims and sentiments of the majority.

The emergence of Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign country definitely came as the obvious conclusion of the peoples' movement that started in 1952.

As the clock struck a minute past midnight yesterday, President Iajuddin Ahmed led the nation in paying tribute to the martyrs by placing a wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar, followed by Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government Fakhruddin Ahmed, who stood a while in solemn silence showing respect to the fallen international heroes.

Speaker Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar, Deputy Speaker Akhter Hamid Siddique, Dhaka City Corporation Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, foreign diplomats and members of international organisations, DU Vice-chancellor Prof SMA Faiz, members of DU Teachers' Association, DU Senate and Syndicate, and DU Alumni Association placed wreaths following the chief adviser in line with the protocol.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia led her party in paying the tribute.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina accompanied by her party colleagues including Zillur Rahman, Abdul Jalil, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Obaidul Quader and others placed wreaths at 12:25am.

Gano Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain, LDP President Badruddoza Chowdhury also placed wreaths at the memorial.

The lone entrance to the Shaheed Minar was opened for all around 12:37am after the departure of the VIPs. Alongside a continuing stream of people different political parties and their front organisations, and socio-cultural and professional bodies also placed wreaths.

The Shaheed Minar and its adjacent areas had gone through a facelift, and the roads and medians had been adorned with Bangla alphabets and the national flag on the occasion.

Yesterday was a public holiday. The national flag was hoisted at half-mast at offices of different government, non-government, autonomous and private organisations and at private residences across the country. Besides, black flags were also flown as a sign of sombre commemoration.

Some 10,000 security personnel drawn from Special Security Forces (SSF), Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and other intelligence agencies stood guard at the Shaheed Minar and on and around the DU campus where the memorial is situated. The security measures went into effect on the afternoon of February 20.

Around 800 volunteers from Bangladesh National Cadet Core (BNCC), Rover Scouts and the Girls Guide helped the law enforcing agencies manage the crowd.

Different government and non-government, socio-cultural and political organisations organised elaborate programmes to mark the day.

State-run Bangladesh Television (BTV), Bangladesh Betar, and private TV channels aired special programmes. BTV telecast the wreath laying ceremony live from the Shaheed Minar. Newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day. Different national dailies however came out on the holiday through special arrangement.

Many people including political leaders and cultural activists went to the Azimpur graveyard also to pay homage to the martyrs.

Swedish Writers' Union that had came to Bangladesh to join the National Poetry Festival, and a number of other foreign nationals also paid tribute to the language martyrs.

Laying of wreaths continued until 3:30pm yesterday since a minute past midnight. After paying their tribute at the Shaheed Minar many of the people thronged the ongoing month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair in hundreds on the Bangla Academy premises.

[Tmac]

Nation pays homage to Language Movement martyrs

[Zaki]

May we never forget the sacrifices of the people who fought for our language. Joi Bangla

[Dhakaiya]

Ekusher Chetona Chirojibi Hok! Bangladesh Zindabad!!

[Dhakaiya]

Mohan shei dinguli


Tomra Amader Gorbo, Amra Tomader Bhulbona

[mirzazeehan]

Who would believe that this is the same border where the BDR and BSF pratice shooting at each other so often?This is how powerful the spirit of EKUSHEY is:

Ekushey brings love to border
A correspondent, Benapole


Hundreds of Bangla speaking people from Bangladesh, and West Bengal of India had a get together on the no man's land at Benapole border yesterday on the occasion of International Mother Language Day.
Individuals and cultural and social organisations from the two countries jointly observed the day there.

Singers from both the countries sang patriotic folk songs and the national anthems of the two countries.

They hugged each other and exchanged sweets and flowers among themselves.


Elated with fraternal emotion, many of the participants started to cry with joy during the event.

They observed a minute of silence in honour of the martyrs of the language movement.

Members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Border Security Forces (BSF) of India exchanged greetings and wished for peaceful environment on the border on the occasion of the day.

Bibhas Chowdhury, a CPM leader, led cultural activists of Durganagar Youth Society, and 24 Pargana District 21 Celebration Committee to come to Benapole. As many as 150 cultural activists came to Benapole on bicycles.

Benapole Provati Sangha and Sargam Sangeet Academy of Benapole also participated in the event.

Meanwhile, members of BSF started to learn Bangla yesterday from the Bangla speaking Indian citizens living in the border area in an effort to remove the language barrier. The BSF members will teach Hindi to the local people in exchange for lessons in Bangla.

A correspondent from Benapole reported, quoting a Bangla daily published from Kolkata, that no less than 70 to 80 people will participate in the course at Bithari camp of BSF in 24 Pargana.

Source:http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/02/22/d7022201127.htm

[Dhakaiya]

Subhan Allah Mirza. May Bangladesh and its neighbours stay like brothers in arms forever.

[Suncity]

Respect and preserve the languages of the world

http://cities.expressindia.com/fulls...?newsid=223545

Kolkata, February 21: The International Mother Language Day was observed in the state on Wednesday with the Bangladesh deputy high commissioner urging the people to preserve the world’s languages. February 21 was declared The International Mother Language Day by UNESCO. A gamut of events has been lined up for the occasion.

“People must respect the languages of the world and they should help preserve them,” said Mohammad Imran, deputy high commissioner, Bangladesh. For Bangladesh it is an important day as it is the language martyrs’ day. “Thousands of students from Dhaka University sacrificed their lives for the recognition of Bangla as a language and the declaration by UNESCO has made it all the more memorable for Bangladeshis,” a spokesperson said.

The deputy high commissioner fervently hoped that other languages of the world would also be regarded in high esteem. “The languages of the world are an asset and one should preserve them,” he stressed. The day was also observed at Calcutta University and the Matri Bhasha Samiti organised a meeting where several proposals were made. It was pointed out that attempts should be made to increase the usage of Bangla in administrative work. Proposals have been made that the vernacular language was used in the minutes of syndicate and senate meetings. Rules and regulations of the university should be written in Bengali, the authorities urged. Floral tributes were paid to the language martyrs at Curzon Park.

[tareq79]

Yeah, the Benapol get together was live telecasted on 'Tara News' channel and I was really moved watcing it...it was so amazing...people just didnt care about the border of two countries. They hugged each other, shared sweet rosgullas! Language is so close to heart that nobody can make a seperation by border lines.
Sometimes, I just think how would be the map of this sub-continent if the British were never here...may be a single country or may be more than five countries!

[Dhakaiya]

Yeah, they ruled brutally. Even worse for us Bangladeshis...no sooner had we recovered from one group of colonial rulers before another struck us. Thanks to the martyrs of Ekushey February 1952 who paved way for our independence in 16 December 1971. Thanks to them- for the first time in history, Bangalis are ruling Bangalis.

[meghnarmajhi]

Shundor shongroho.