International Mother Language Day today
21 February is the International Mother Language Day . The day is observed as National Martyr's day since 1952.
UNESCO declared 21st February as International Mother Language Day by on November 17, 1999.
The whole nation observe the day remembering the supreme sacrifice of the language martyrs, the brave sons of the country for upholding the dignity of mother tongue Bangla.
The plot of the language movement begins when the then governor of pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on 21 March 1948 declared at a public meeting that ''Urdu and Urdu will be the state language of Pakistan.'' The student community instantly denied his proposal saying 'no' and thus the struggle begins.
On February 21, 1952, students alone with the common people of Dhaka marched in the streets to protest. To protect mother tongue, Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiq and Jabbar sacrificed their lives.
The homage to the language martyrs began with placing of flowers at the Central Shaheed Minar in the early hours of 21st February. The program 'Prabhat Feri' starts in the morning to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the rights of Bangla language.
Language martyrs are remembered with respect in various events throughout the day.
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