21st February is a day when the whole nation celebrates its freedom of language as it is officially our Mother Language Day. The brave students Rafiq, Jabbar, Salam, Borkot and many others sacrificed their lives so that we can speak in our respected mother tongue on February 21st, 1952. We celebrate this day for our mother tongue's victory and in respect of the language martyrs by laying down flowers to the Martyr's Monument (Shaheed Minar) and replications of that memorials.
Speaking of which, Shaheed Minar is a national monument. It stands on the campus of Dhaka Medical College, Secretariat Road. To commemorate the dead, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Bangladeshi sculptors Hamidur Rahman in collaboration with Novera Ahmed. Construction was delayed by martial law, but the monument was finally completed in 1963, and stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely during Operation Searchlight. After Bangladesh gained independence later that year, it was rebuilt. It was expanded in 1983.
The enormous design includes a half-circular arrangement of columns to symbolize the mother, with her fallen sons, standing on the monument's central dais, and the red sun shining behind. Moreover, the Central Shaheed Minar of Dhaka goes up to a height of 14 metres (46ft) and is made with marble stones. The stairs and barrier are highlighted in white, to create a divine look. The fence on both sides is painted with lines from poems of legendary poets in iron letters.
As the visitors enter the monument, they will find two statues of the patriots who sacrificed their lives in that heinous police firing of 1952. The marble floor is designed to reveal the moving shadows of the columns. The basement of the Shaheed Minar also includes a 1,500-square-foot mural representing the history of the Language Movement.
The Language Movement was one of the formidable movements which has come up in the country of Bangladesh, thus the Central Shaheed Minar epitomizes efforts to represent the spirit of Bangladeshi nationalism and also highlight the importance of the Bengali language in the social and cultural progress of the country. As a result, the Shaheed Minar has a very significant place in the social and cultural mechanism of Bangladesh. At present, all national, mourning, cultural and other activities held each year, regarding February 21st, have been centered on the Shaheed Minar.
Despite some flaws of proportionality, the Shaheed Minar still stands high. It is one of the city's most important monuments. The Shaheed Minar of Dhaka has a very close association with the city's cultural history. It also happens to be one of the primary Dhaka tourist attractions and is visited by thousands of tourists throughout the year. It is one of the well-maintained monuments in Bangladesh. Special care is taken each year on the occasion of February 21st. The premises are washed and cleaned thoroughly. Artists of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University then colorfully paint the Central Shaheed Minar premises with intricate designs. Thus the Shaheed Minar premises are colorful throughout the year.
Besides the actual Shaheed Minar, there are also other significant monuments in respect to the martyrs, the movement and the victory regarding our mother language.
Near InterContinental Dhaka (Formerly known as Hotel Sheraton or Ruposhi Bangla Hotel) which is under construction, Bangladeshi sculptor Mrinal Haque sculpted a beautiful monument named 'Shaheed Janani O Gorbito Bornomala'. It is of a mother who is protesting while carrying her son's dead body.
Regarding it, the sculptor Mrinal Haque says, "I felt that besides Shaheed Minar, there is no other significant monument that symbolizes our language movement. There should be. Thus, I sculpted the monument 'Shaheed Janani O Gorbito Bornomala'. A mother's son is killed by a bullet. Therefore, she is protesting while carrying her dead son's body. Moreover, to symbolize our Language Movement, I added the Bengali letters on the sculpture. Also, a mother is the most prestigious figure. You can understand that by how we address our language, nation etc. We call Bangladesh our 'Motherland'. We address Bengali language as our 'Mother tongue'. That's why, I thought about portraying a mother as a larger than life character."
Mrinal Haque also sculpted a Shaheed Minar in Agargaon in front of Election Commission. To describe it, he says, "Along with Shaheed Minar, there are 5 figures. A mother is leading a group of language fighters." It is also mesmerizing.
Nonetheless, about sculptures' importance, Mrinal Haque says, "Governments should take initiatives to make and place sculptures. People should understand that these are not statues, these are works of art." Moreover, about sculptures made on Language Movement, the famous sculptor also says, "The path to our freedom and liberation, everything started from our Language Movement. So, it is of great importance. However, there is no other significant monument or sculpture made on our Language Movement besides Shaheed Minar. Thus, I feel and always felt that I should involve it in my works as I couldn't be a part of it back then."
