DHAKA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- By afternoon on Tuesday, the entire Shaheed Minar, a solemn and iconic monument in the capital city of Dhaka, turned into a veritable sea of flowers.

Bangladeshi President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid wreaths at the country's Central Shaheed Minar at one minute past midnight, early on Tuesday morning.

They stood in solemn silence for some time and paid homage to the language heroes.

A smartly turned-out contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, meanwhile, gave a state salute, while a bugle played a dirge.

After local and foreign dignitaries placed wreaths at the monument, it was opened to the public.

Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life thronged to it to lay wreaths and bouquets of flowers to show their deep respect to the sons of Bangladesh who sacrificed their lives on this day in 1952 to promote Bangla as a state language of then East Pakistan.

Even children in black and white traditional dress came with their parents, their heads and foreheads covered in the national flag promoting a festive look.

The whole monument area had been decorated with festoons and banners, with walls and roads painted with Bangla letters and graffiti.

Many walls on the Dhaka University campus in front of the monument have been inscribed with quotations from Bangla literature befitting the occasion, and poets were heard reciting poems as they sat on street islands.

Women wore black and white sarees, Bangladesh's national dress for females, in their own traditional style, while men in Panjabi and Payjama, long white tunic-like shirts worn over close-fitting or baggy white pants, gathered at the central monument to pay tribute to the country's martyred language heroes.

A very sad and touching song, Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano (My Brothers Blood Spattered), will play repeatedly on electronic media and in cultural gatherings throughout the month, especially on Feb. 21, which is now also being observed across the world as International Mother Language Day.

As part of the commemoration activities, Bangladeshi people, not just in the capital city but also elsewhere in the country, which became independent in 1971, also placed floral wreaths at thousands of monuments across the country.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization declared Feb. 21 as International Mother Language Day to honor the supreme sacrifice of language martyrs.

Since then, the date has been observed throughout the world every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)