The deepest feeling of the nation is associated with the Sheed Minar (monument erected to commemorate the sacrifice of the language martyrs). No wonder, people throng at the central Shaheed Minar to offer their floral wreaths or bouquets as a mark of their homage to the memory of those who laid down their lives for the love of their mother tongue Bangla on February 21, 1952. But what was consecrated as a symbol of love and respect certainly drew the wrath from the Pakistani invaders in 1971 and they demolished the monument immediately after their crackdown on the Bangalee people on the night of March 25 of that year. The desecration of the most revered monument of the Bangalees only steeled the nerves of the people here to fight a grim battle and earn their liberation.
After liberation the Shaheed Minar was rebuilt and people exuded a renewed vigour in observing the hallowed event. It did not however take long to overwhelm the sombre and grateful occasion and turn it into ritualistic enthusiasm with chaos and ugly competition for photo sessions predominating. Scuffles over placing wreaths and other deplorable occurrences made a poor statement on the sanity of political parties which vied for their dominance in offering the floral wreaths. An abominable attack on a procession, targeting women and girl changed the concept of paying homage at the Shaheed Minar once for all. In an effort not to defame the entire occasion further, the Dhaka University was given the responsibility to maintain order and sanctity of the occasion. Today some discipline has returned in presence of volunteers and of course a heavy contingent of law enforcers all around. Still, pushing and dashing go unabated so much so that a number of people tumble together right at the time of offering wreaths and bouquets.
Not all is well right in front of the Shaheed Minar. Discipline is enforced but where is the spontaneity that once brought people in their droves to the Sheed Minar? Unbounded love made people humble and they did not care if the TV camera captured their pictures or not. This nation is not particularly reputed for discipline and order. When heavy contingents of police have to be posted in order to make people behave in the procession, spontaneity evaporates. This is exactly how an occasion of immense significance with which people should easily identify themselves and before which stand humble has lost much of its glory and sombreness.
It is against this background the nation now witnesses a most alarming and outrageous development involving the demolition and vandalism of shaheed minars in a number of places including Pabna and Kushtia where a 46-year old monument came under the infamous attack. It is not difficult to understand who the attackers are. Such things are bound to happen when religion is left to half-educated moulanas to interpret distortedly. Religious radicalism stands at odds with cultural liberalism. Yet the downside is not everything here. A Bangla newspaper has published a picture of small children standing in front of a beautiful shaheed minar they have shaped out of jute stalks and paper to pay their homage to the language martyrs. One has every reason to be optimistic about the future of the nation so far as its love for the language and its defenders are concerned. Â
Sanctity of Shaheed Minar
Neil Ray | Published: February 24, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
Share if you like