The organizers dedicated this year’s initiative to the memory of the martyrs and Father of the Nation and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of his birth centenary.
To observe International Mother Language Day and pay homage to the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement, a million candles were lit at the Kurir Dob Field beside Narail Government Victoria College on Sunday evening.
The Narail Ekushey Udjapan Parishad has been arranging this unique program every year since 1998.
The organizers dedicated this year’s initiative to the memory of the martyrs and Father of the Nation and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of his birth centenary.
The candles – arranged following the shapes and designs of the Shaheed Minar, National Memorial, Bangla alphabets, and other structural models inspired by our Liberation War of 1971 – signified the great sacrifices made by the people of this country for their mother language, Bangla.
Narail Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Habibur Rahman inaugurated the candle lighting program at the college ground at around 6:30pm.
The event was presided over by Prof Munshi Hafizur Rahman, president of district’s Ekushey Udjapan Parishad and former principal of Government Victoria College.
Members of the Narail Sammilita Sangskritik Jote sang folk songs and recited poetry to mark the occasion. The event was aired live on national television.
Many who visited the event said that it was a creative way to pay tributes to the Language Movement martyrs. They found it difficult to explain in words how they felt while experiencing the event.
They also said that anyone who is yet to visit this “tradition” of Narail is in for something “wonderful.”
As many as 100 law enforcers and 300 volunteers provided security and assistance to make the event a success.