As midnight ushered in February 21, the air around the Central Shaheed Minar thickened with reverence and remembrance. Thousands converged in the first hour, clutching flowers and forming solemn lines to honour the language martyrs—those who died defending their mother tongue against Pakistan’s colonial grip in 1952.This year, the annual tribute, known as Ekushey February, carries the weight of a nation transformed by the recent July-August mass uprising, blending pride with a palpable mourning.The scene unfolded with stately precision. President Mohammed Shahabuddin, marking his second Ekushey as head of state under a shifted political landscape, laid a wreath at the memorial altar. Moments later, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus—helming the interim government since the Awami League’s ouster—offered his first floral tribute here. Both stood in silence, heads bowed, their gestures a bridge between Bangladesh’s storied past and its turbulent present. The haunting strains of “Amar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February”—a song etched in the nation’s soul—drifted through the crowd, deepening the sombre mood.

Dignitaries followed in procession: Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed with judges from the Appellate Division and High Court DIvision, advisers to the interim government, and the armed forces’ chiefs—General Waqar-uz-Zaman (Army), Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hasan (Navy), and Air Chief Marshal Hassan Mahmud Khan (Air Force). Each placed flowers at the Shaheed Minar, a towering symbol of linguistic defiance, in a ritual that rippled across cities like Chittagong and beyond.

This year’s observance is distinct, its contours shaped by the student-led uprising that toppled a regime mere months ago. The walls around the Shaheed Minar, traditionally draped in poems, slogans, and lyrics, now bear graffiti from the July movement—a raw testament to recent struggles layered over historic ones. Banners flutter with poetic lines and calls to remember the 21st, their words a chorus of resilience.

Ekushey February transcends Bangladesh’s borders. Recognised globally as International Mother Language Day, it stands as a beacon for linguistic rights worldwide, born from the blood of Bengalis who refused to let their language fade. As dawn nears, Shaheed Minars nationwide brim with flowers, each petal a tribute to the martyrs—and a whisper of the battles still being fought.