All roads led to the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum on Monday, with thousands of mourners thronging the historical landmark of the country’s War of Liberation, to pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on his 36th martyrdom anniversary. Road No 32 and its adjoining areas turned into a sea of human faces, as early as seven in the morning, with people coming individually and in groups, to pay their tributes to the architect of the country’s independence, by offering wreaths at his portrait there.
President Zillur Rahman was the first to place wreath at the portrait of the country’s founding president, at 6am. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the elder daughter of Bangabandhu then placed wreath twice, first as the prime minister, and then as the chief of Awami League. Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad, Abdul Hamid Advocate, cabinet members, members of parliament, chiefs of the three services, and leaders and workers of Awami League were present.
Among the party leaders and cabinet members were Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdur Razzak, Suranjit Sengupta, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Advocate Sahara Khatun, Nurul Islam Nahid, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Raziuddin Uddin Razu, Shahjahan Khan, Mohammad Nasim, Obaidul Kader and Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif.
The chiefs of the three services also placed wreaths at the portrait of the great leader, which was followed by the guard of honour by members of the three forces.
After placing wreath, Sheikh Hasina, along with her sister Sheikh Rehana, entered the historical house to revisit the memories of their beloved father. The Prime Minister, later, placed roses on the staircase where the Father of Nation was brutally killed on the black day in August.
She also spent sometime inside a room of the house, reciting verses from the Holy Quran, and seeking eternal peace for the departed souls of Bangabandhu and others killed on the fateful day in 1975.
Later, the Prime Minister flew in a helicopter to her ancestral home at Tungipara in Gopalganj and placed wreaths at the grave of the Father of the Nation. She also offered fateha beside the grave and offered munajat.
After placing the wreaths, the Prime Minister stood in solemn silence for some time, when the bugle played the last post. A smartly turned out contingent, drawn from the three services, presented a state salute on the occasion.
Later, a munajat was offered seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of the Father of the Nation and other martyrs of the August 15 carnage.
Bangabandhu’s younger daughter Sheikh Rehana was with Sheikh Hasina.
The Prime Minister also placed a wreath on behalf of Bangladesh Awami League at the mazar with the senior leaders of the party.
Ministers including Syed Ashraful Islam, Engineer Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Syed Abul Hossain, Faruk Khan, Dr Dipu Moni, Nurul Islam Nahid and Dilip Barua, Prime Minister’s Adviser Prof Dr Modasser Ali, Awami League Presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Qazi Zafurullah, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad and other central leaders of Awami League were present. Chiefs of the three services and top civil and military officials were also present on the occasion.
After the Prime Minster, people from all walks of life, including central leaders of different associate organisations of Awami League, paid their rich tributes, by placing wreaths at the mazar.
The Awami League ran gruel kitchens at various places of Dhaka City and distributed iftar among destitute, as elsewhere in the country. The recorded historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu was played on public address system in different parts of the capital.
Roads and islands in cities, towns, villages and market places were decorated with the portraits of Bangabandhu, as well as flags and banners reflecting the people’s love for the great leader.
State-owned BTV and Bangladesh Betar as well as other private television and radio channels aired documentary films on Bangabandhu’ s long struggle for independence and the post-independence reconstruction of war ravaged Bangladesh.
In Gaibandha, National Mourning Day and the 36th martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu was observed in the district with due respect.
In observance of the day, the district administration chalked out elaborate programmes.
The programmes included hoisting of the national flag at half-mast, holding milad and doa mahfil, art competition for children and special prayers in mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship.
Party leaders and workers, as well as people of all strata, paid homage to the leader, by placing wreaths at his portrait in the morning. Deputy Commissioner of the district, M Shahidul Islam, and lawmaker Mahbub Ara Begum Gini were present, among others. In Rajshahi, various government and non-government organisations, political parties, socio-cultural and sports organisations, educational institutions, including Rajshahi University and RUET, observed the day through separate day-long programmes.
The day’s programmes began with the hoisting of the national flag at half-mast and a black flag, offering of floral wreaths at the portraits of Bangabandhu and four national leaders, special prayers and mourning procession.
Local units of Bangladesh Awami League also hoisted party flags at half-mast in the morning. In Natore, National Mourning Day was observed through various programmes. The programmes include painting competition for children, discussion meeting, Milad Mahfil, Khatme Quran and special prayers.
In Netrakona, the day was observed by paying glowing tributes to the memory of Bangabandhu and recalling his outstanding contribution for achieving independence.
Different socio-cultural organisations, political parties and professional groups chalked out different programmes to observe the day.
In Barisal, the National Mourning Day was observed paying rich tribute to Father of the Nation and greatest Bangalee of all time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Awami League and its associate organisations and local administration drew up different programmes, including milad mahfil, placing of wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu, and discussions to mark the day.
In Khulna, National Mourning Day was observed with due respect. Participants raised demands for execution of the remaining absconding killers of Bangabandhu and his family members.
People from all walks of life paid rich tributes to the memory of Bangabandhu and the members of his family, who were brutally killed on August 15, 1975.
Different government, socio-cultural organisations and educational institutions, chalked out elaborate programmes to mark the day.
In Bogra, different political, socio-cultural organisations observed the day with due respect. The programmes included hoisting of the national flag at half-mast, holding milad and doa mahfil, and painting competition for students.
To observe the day, local branch of Shilpakala Academy organised different programmes on the colorful life of Bangabandhu.
In Chapainawabganj, Kalyani Mahila Sangsad and Chapainawabganj Government Women’s College arranged a discussion marking the day, apart from programmes organised by the district administration.
Courtesy of The Independent