Bangla Academy has taken some special events marking the International Mother Language Day on February 21, reports UNB.
The month-long book fair (Amar Ekushey Boi Mela), which is already well underway, is taking a different look as some special events will be organised there in rich tribute to language martyrs of 1952.
On this very day in 1952 many youths sacrificed their lives to establish the right of Bangla as a state language in then Pakistan.
The book fair will run from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm on the International Mother Language Day on February 21 while the fair usually runs from 3:00 pm to 8:30 pm except for holidays.
A self-composed poetry recitation on the Ekushey February will be held at7.30 am at the main stage on the Bangla Academy premises while a musical event will be held on the day at 4:00 pm.
A special event - 'Amar Ekushey Speech' - will be held on the day at the main stage in the afternoon while the eminent professor and literary critic Serajul Islam Choudhury will present the keynote speech.
Director General of the Academy Shamsuzzaman Khan will deliver the welcome speech while president of the Academy Prof Anisuzzaman will preside over the lecture event.
Chittaranjan Saha played a vital role at initial stage behind the celebration of Ekushey Boi Mela.
Bangla Academy will award 'Chittaranjan Saha Smriti Puraskar' to the publication which publishes a good number of quality books in the fair.
Saha, a graduate from Chaumohani College, laid a mat under a mango tree of the Bangla Academy and put on display 33 publications of his publishing house called Muktodhara Prokashoni to pay homage to the 1952 Language Movement martyrs on February 21, 1972. On February 21, 1952, Salam, Barkat, Shafiur, Rafiq, Jabbar and others, mostly students, laid down their lives to establish Bangla as one of the state languages of then Pakistan.
Since then, the day has been observed as the Language Martyrs' Day.
In November 1999, UNESCO declared it the International Mother Language Day in recognition of the sanctity and preservation of all vernacular languages in the world.
The event is being observed from February 21 in 2000 throughout the world each year to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on this day in Dhaka in 1952.
