AMOR Ekushey is being observed today in due solemnity to remember the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement and with elaborate socio-cultural festivities in the sidelines. In fact it is a day of awakening for the nation. Amor Ekushey is a landmark event in the history of the Bangalee nation as it had laid the foundation of our future nation from that blood tainted event. As we know that the then Pakistani rulers had wanted to introduce Urdu as the state language ignoring the emotion of the people of the then East Pakistan who had constituted the majority of the nation. The Pakistani government wanted to suppress the protests of the people spearheaded by the students of the Dhaka University. They deployed police to stop the movement but the students refused to accept Urdu as the State language. Police opened fire on them and made four of the students the first martyrs of the Language Movement which eventually led to the creation of Bangladesh. We remember Salam, Barkat, Rafique and Jabbar on this occasion for their valiant sacrifice and also express our indebtedness to help establish Bangla as the state language and pave the way for the liberation of the country at the end.
February 21 is not only the symbol of pride of the Bangalee nation; it has become the International Mother Language Day from the year 2000 at the initiative of the UN. It is being celebrated in all countries all over the world today as the Mother Language Day when Bangladesh remembers its language veterans in full honour and dignity. The event has developed into a melange of festivities and socio-cultural activities. Bangla Academy starts the month-long Book Fair from February 1 to culminate in an offering of floral wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar from midnight.The President, Prime Minister and the Cabinet Members, Leader of the Opposition and other political parties and their workers, academics, students and cultural activists lay wreaths on the occasion at the altar of the Shaheed Minar. Foreign diplomats pay homage at the Shaheed Minar on the occasion. Bangla Academy also awards literary distinctions and national awards to the distinguished sons of the soil on this occasion.
The event has become preeminent in all aspects– visibly and invisibly to promote the socio-cultural psyche of the nation and find newer ways for the fulfilment of people’s aspirations for the future to come. Moreover, the occasion promotes many business activities in the sideline. Vendors open businesses on roadsides and sell home-made artifacts, vocalists render songs in small and large groups in parks while cultural activists stage short plays on the roads. People come out from their homes on the occasion and celebrate in the open air from morning to late evening. We share our joy and happiness on this occasion.
