President Abdul Hamid on Friday greeted people of all languages across the world on the occasion of Shahid Day and International Mother Language Day 2015.
In a message on the eve of the day he said, “”I extend my sincere felicitations to all the people of different languages of the world on the occasion of the great Shahid Day and International Mother Language Day 2015.”
The President said the spirit of the language movement is now embedded in honouring others’ languages and cultures being imbued with own language and tradition.
“Let the people of the globe of all languages be united, let the world’s almost extinct languages revive in their own communities, let the globe be colourful with diverse language and culture. This is my expectation on this great language day,” he added.
He paid his tribute to the “unfading and glorious memories” of the martyrs of the language movement.
The President said Amar Ekushey is the eternal source of inspiration of Bangali Nation.
“I recall with deep reverence the language martyrs namely Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur and other unknown martyrs who made supreme sacrifices in our great Language Movement for the cause of mother tongue,” he added.
Simultaneously, the President also remembered with profound respect Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Dhirendra Nath Dutta, the then Gonoparishad Legislative Member and all the language activists for their immense contributions in this regard.
“Their unmatched valour, able organizing capacity and taking rapid steps helped the language movement reach its culmination on February 21, 1952. Consequently, the Bangali achieved their right to mother tongue,” he said.
“The great language movement had been a historic and significant event in our national history. This movement was aimed at establishing the rights of our mother tongue and side by side it was to protect our entity and own culture as a nation too,” President Abdul Hamid said.
“Bangali nationalism emanated from the spirit of language movement. Being a source of ceaseless inspiration, Amar Ekushey later inspired us to a great extent to achieve the right to self-determination and sovereign state. In line with the spirit of language movement, we achieved our long cherished freedom with the declaration of independence by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 26, 1971 and through a nine-month long armed struggle under his leadership,” he added.
It is, in fact, a rare event in the world history to embrace martyrdom for the sake of mother tongue, the President said, adding, “I believe, Bangali is the only nation in the world who made supreme sacrifices for attaining the right to mother language.”
“We feel proud that the spirit of Amar Ekushey 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,” he pointed out.
Ekushey February, therefore, is no longer a glory for the people of this land alone, rather it has now become as an indomitable source of inspiration for the people of different languages as this day is being observed as International Mother Language Day all over the world, the President said.
He wished all the programmes in respect of the great Shahid Day and International Mother Language Day 2015 a grand success.
