The nation observed the historic Language Day Saturday amid an added patriotic zeal as tens of thousands of barefoot men, women and children visited the Central Shaheed Minar paying floral tributes to the martyrs of 1952 Language Movement, reports UNB.

President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed wreaths at the altar of the central martyr memorial just after Friday midnight leading the nation in paying homage to the heroes who had laid down their lives to establish the right to Bengali as a state language during the then Pakistani rule.

They were followed by thousands of mourners wearing black badges and singing the mournful chorus 'Can I for get the 21st February stained with the blood of my brother'.

Toddlers holding their mothers' hands or riding on their fathers' shoulders also joined the waves of people in showing respect to the language martyrs, who sowed the seeds of national independence.

On this day in 1952, police opened fire on a procession of Dhaka University students demanding that Bengali must be one of the state languages of the then Pakistan. Several students were killed forcing the Pakistani regime to recognize Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan.

UNESCO declared February 21 International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999 to honour the supreme sacrifice of language martyrs.

Political parties, socio-cultural organizations and television channels observed the day by organizing discussions, cultural programmes and book fairs highlighting the significance of the day.

The Language Movement generated Bengali nationalism and inspired the people of Bangladesh to liberate the country from Pakistan in 1971.

On February 21, 1952, the erstwhile rulers of Pakistan imposed section 144 banning any demonstration against their decree making Urdu the sole state language of the country even though the majority of its combined population spoke Bangla.

Students, mainly from Dhaka University, who had brought out a procession defying the ban to establish their right to use their mother tongue in every sphere of their activities, were killed or wounded. Among the martyrs were Salam, Rafiq, Barkat and Jabbar.

Though it is a mourning day, general people observed it as a day of pride and festivity. In their colorful dresses children were seen joining book fairs or cultural shows.

The authorities tightened security to ensure peaceful observance of the day.

The President and the Prime Minister were followed by Speaker Abdul Hamid Advocate and deputy speaker Shawkat Ali, members of the cabinet, chief whip Abdus Shahid and foreign diplomats to pay their respect to the language martyrs.

Leader of the Opposition and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, accompanied by her party leaders, paid homage to the martyrs placing wreaths at the Shaheed Minar at 00:25am.

Dhaka University Vice-chancellor AASM Arefin Siddique, Dhaka city mayor, Sector Commanders Forum and different social, political, cultural, professional bodies also placed wreaths at the memorial. On the occasion, President Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia issued separate messages, paying their homage to the memories of the valiant sons of the soil who made the supreme sacrifice to establish their mother tongue as the state language.

The day was a public holiday.

The national flag flew half-mast atop the offices of different government, non-government, autonomous and private organisations and private residences across the country.

Youths, freedom fighters, language movement veterans, physically challenged citizens, day labourers, workers, homeless people, academicians, intellectuals, politicians, foreigners and others walked towards the memorial with due reverence in queues, many of them singing 'Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February Ami Ki Bhulite Pari!'