It was 21 February. Spring. The month of Falgun in Bengali calendar. A special day. This is the day when young voices refused to bend in front of the then Pakistani Government’s decision to reject Bangla in favour of Urdu. Streets wore reddened, but the voices were so strong that the despotic government had to let go. That day of 1952 came alive once again. The sacrifices of that day are the reasons why we can talk in Bengali today. As usual, the day was celebrated with great enthusiasm. The souls of Salam, Rafiq, Barqat, Jabbar were there somewhere; watching us; shedding tears from the heavens. It was a day of remembrance and mourning, as much as a celebration of the results of their sacrifices. And its no longer a celebration of a historic day alone; its not just a day for Bangladesh; it’s the International Mother Language Day. This is the day when we celebrate the privilege of being able to speak in our mother tongue. This is a day of global significance.
The main celebrations were, as usual, around Shaheed Minar, the monument in remembrance of the sacrifices of the language martyrs. I haven’t gone there for many years, mainly because of the deteriorating security issues. And this was the first time I went there with a camera. I started from Palasey intersection sometime after 7:00AM. And there was a huge crowd waiting there. I slowly moved towards the altar along with the massive crowd. This time, the security situation was even more heart-breaking. We had to go through so many checkpoints and searches that I even forgot why I went there!
The reason behind high security was several attacks by zealots in recent years and their threats. Although their main wings have been crushed in recent times, splinter groups still posed a significant threat. Security measures on that day was especially tight because of an incident the earlier day, where a captured zealot was able to blow up a grenade just before a press conference. The captured zealots leaked enough information to ring the alarm bells.
At the altar, I had already packed my shoes and stowed into the empty camera bag. It’s a long tradition to take off the shoes as a show of respect for the martyrs. The whole altar was in colours! It was some sight! I hadn’t been lucky enough to see Shaheed Minar like this before. I was right in the middle of flowers. Flowers everywhere! I had to watch my steps. There were volunteers at work, who were ‘processing’ the flowers. Using those flowers, they were decorating the altar with beautiful designs, signs, maps, writing, and symbols. A crowd of photographers filled the very little space left on the altar. I was just one of many.
I went on shooting there until I’ve found lighting conditions too harsh for good photography. It was around 10:30AM, when we finally broke off. It was a special day for me, as it was my first real photography at Shaheed Minar. I never had a camera with me when I had visited the place. This was the first time my memories of Shaheed Minar were captured in frames. I just can’t wait for next year.
Captions:
1. For them, its a day when they can play with flags........ street children playing in from TSC at Dhaka University
2. They would carry the flags........ Some of the visitors were really small.... but they kept their above others, enjoying a great view......
3. They would carry the flags........02
4. Part of the scare.......... This is the latest addition to the security forces...... SWAT....... trained in the United States and armed to their teeth, their presence was a real show of force.... but they were also responsible for the scare on people's faces.......
5. Tough security measures scared everyone........
6. They would carry the flags........03
7. We remember the martyrs............01
8. You'll live among our hearts; in our thoughts; through generations..........01
9. Words of remembrance..........
10. The map..........
11. You'll live among our hearts; in our thoughts; through generations..........02
12. Designs..........
