DHAKA, Feb 20, 2018 (BSS) – President Md Abdul Hamid today greeted people of all languages across the globe on the occasion of Shaheed Day (Language Martyrs Day) and the International Mother Language Day 2018, to be observed tomorrow with profound respect to the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952.
On the eve of the day, the President, in a message, extended his ‘warm congratulations and sincere felicitations’ to the people of all languages across the world along with the Bangla-speaking people.
He recalled with deep reverence all language martyrs, including Shaheed Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur, and all language heroes for their farsightedness, unmatched valour, bravery, able organizing capacity and rapid steps in this regard that facilitated the Language Movement to reach its ultimate culmination on February 21, 1952.
Hamid also remembered with profound respect Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Sarbodolio Rashtrobhasa Sangram Parishad (All Party State Language Action Committee), formed in 1948, Dhirendranath Dutta and Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah for their great contributions to the movement.
Terming the great Language Movement as a historic and significant event in the national history, Abdul Hamid said, “This movement aimed at establishing the right of our mother tongue as well as protecting self-entity, and culture and heritage”.
Being a source of ceaseless inspiration, Amar Ekushey (Immortal Shaheed Day) inspired and encouraged the nation to a great extent to achieve the right to self-determination and struggle for freedom and war of liberation, he said, adding, “With the bloodshed passages of Language Movement, we achieved the recognition of Bangla as our mother tongue and we attained our long cherished independence under the charismatic leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971”.
In fact, to embrace martyrdom for the cause of mother tongue is an unprecedented event in the world history, Hamid said, adding, “February 21 has now been recognized by the UNESCO as the ‘International Mother Language Day’ (in 1999) with the spontaneous keenness and sincere endeavour of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with the primary efforts of some expatriate Bangla-loving Bangladeshis. As a Bangali nation, it was our great achievement”.
The spirit of Amar Ekushey is now the source of incessant inspiration for the protection and preservation of own languages and culture of multilingual people of the world, the President said, adding, “Keeping the inspiration for Ekushey in mind, let the people of multilingual be united, let the almost defunct languages of the world be revived in their respective communities and let the globe be coloured with diverse languages and cultures”.