Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — In a bid to preserve their langue and heritage, Bangladesh expatriate community across the Kingdom on Wednesday marked “Amar Ekushey”, also known as International Mother Language Day.

In Jeddah, the national flag was raised and lowered at half-mast in the morning by F.M. Borhanuddin, consul general of Bangladesh, in the presence of a crosssection of the community including officials, students, teachers and prominent community members at the consulate premise.

Walking barefoot to the temporarily erected Shaheed Minar in the consulate premises, wreaths and flowers singing “Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano Ekushey February,” the community paid their tributes to the Language Movement heroes who laid down their lives for achieving the recognition of Bangla as the state language.

Borhanuddin recalled the sacrifices made by those who took part in the movement to uphold the dignity of the Bengali language before and after Feb. 21, 1952. He expressed gratitude to the expatriate Bangladeshis who took the lead to get the Language Day declared as the International Mother Tongue Day by UNESCO in 1999.

“The historic language movement paid a far-reaching and significant role in awakening our national consciousness, and Bengali language is one of the principal ingredients of our separate nationhood,” he said.

In Riyadh, Ambassador Golam Moshi formally raised the flag and lowered it to half-mast, according to a statement by Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh. Large members from different community organizations participated in the event.

Moshi read out the messages from Bangladesh president, prime minister and foreign minister on the occasion. The Ambassador recalled the historic struggle for mother tongue by Bangla-speaking people, which remains till today is rare and historic across the world.

The ambassador urged expatriates to work toward achieving vision 2031 of Bangladesh. On the occasion, Dhaka Medical Center organized free medical camp at embassy premises. Formal events that marked Amar Ekushey day was held at Bangladesh school in the capital.

In Dammam, the day was marked at Bangladesh International School among the presence of community members.

On Feb. 21, 1952, students and the common people in Dhaka took to the streets in protest against the then Pakistani government’s denial of Bangla as the national language and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.

Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, and a few other brave sons of the soil were killed in police firing on this day in 1952 when students came out in a procession from the Dhaka University campus breaching Section 144 to press home their demand for the recognition of Bangla as a state language.

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 the Liberation War.

In the aftermath of the Language Movement, the nation eventually obtained recognition of Bangla as its mother tongue and attained its long cherished independence under the charismatic leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971.