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Published : 21 Feb 2025, 01:32 AM
In the stillness of the early hours of Ekushey February, Bangladesh has begun honouring the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue defying the brutal repression of the Pakistani colonial rulers.
On Friday, as the first hour unfolded, thousands gathered in solemn tribute at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital - their hands laden with flowers, their hearts heavy with remembrance.
The observance, steeped in both sorrow and pride, begins amid the charged atmosphere of the July Uprising.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus led the tributes as the mournful strains of “Amar Bhayer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February/Ami Ki Bhulite Pari…” played through the loudspeakers, filling the air with echoes of history.
For Shahabuddin, this was his second time paying tribute as the president, but in a markedly different political reality shaped by the recent mass uprising.
Yunus, having assumed leadership in the wake of the Awami League’s ouster, paid his respects by laying flowers at the memorial for the first time ever as the chief advisor.
Across the nation, from Chattogram to Dhaka, similar tributes unfolded.
The walls surrounding the Shaheed Minar, usually adorned with poems and slogans in homage to the martyrs, bore fresh imprints this year—graffiti reflecting the spirit of the recent July-August mass movement.
In 1999, UNESCO declared Feb 21 International Mother Language Day, transforming what was once a local battle for linguistic rights into a universal call to protect linguistic diversity.
CHIEF JUSTICE HONOURS LANGUAGE MARTYRS
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed paid tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement by laying a wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar.
He came to the Dhaka University campus area in the wee hours of Friday to pay his respects.
He was accompanied by justices of the Appellate Division and High Court Division of the Supreme Court, according to a statement.
After presenting their tribute, the judges stood for a moment of silence.
