21 February is a memorable day in our national history. We observe the day every year as International Mother Language Day. The day is a national holiday.

On this day, we pay tribute to the martyrs who laid down their lives to establish Bangla as a state language in undivided Pakistan in 1952. The struggle to achieve our language rights is known as the Language Movement. The seed of the Language Movement was sown on 21 March, 1948 when Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Governor General of Pakistan, declared in a public meeting in Dhaka that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan. The declaration raised a storm of protest in the eastern part of the country. The protest continued non-stop, gathering momentum day by day. It turned into a movement and reached its climax in 1952. The government outlawed all sorts of public meetings and rallies to stop it.

The students of Dhaka University defied the law and brought out a peaceful protest procession on 21 February, 1952. When the procession reached near Dhaka Medical College, the police opened fire on the students, killing Salam, Rafiq, Barkat, Safiur and Jabbar. As a result, there were mass protests all over the country and the government had to declare Bangla as a state language. This kindled the sparks of independence movement of Bangladesh.

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives.

Mother Teresa was moved by the sight of the sick and dying on the streets of Kolkata. She founded a home for the dying destitute and named it 'Nirmal Hriday', meaning 'Pure Heart'. She and her fellow nuns brought the dying people off the streets of Kolkata to this home. They were lovingly looked after and cared for. Since then many men, women and children have been taken from the streets and carried to Nirmol Hriday. These unloved and uncared for people get an opportunity to die in an environment of kindness and love. In their last hours they get human and divine love, and can feel they are also children of God. The Missionaries of Charity try to find jobs for those who survive, or send them to homes where they can live happily for some more years in a caring environment. Regarding commitment to family, Mother Teresa said, "May be in our own family, we have somebody, who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our families, or do we put our interest first? We must remember that love begins at home and we must also remember that future of humanity passes through the family".

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives.

Zahir Raihan was one of the most talented film makers in Bangladesh. He was born on 19 August 1935 in the village Majupur in Feni District. He was one of the ten students to go out in a procession on 21 February 1952 despite a ban on such activities imposed by the authorities. As a result, he and many others were arrested and taken to prison. Raihan was also present at the historical meeting of Amtala on 21 February 1952. He also took part in the mass movement in 1969. In 1971, he joined the Liberation War.

All through his life, Zahir dreamt of a democratic society, a society that would ensure freedom of speech. He had many dreams about our film industry too. He made a legendary film Jibon Theke Neya based on the Language Movement of 1952. It was a protest against the autocratic government then ruling our country. The family portrayed in that film symbolically represented East Pakistan. The family was ruled by an autocrat who had to go to the prison for her conspiracy. During the Liberation War in 1971, this film was shown outside Bangladesh. Celebrated film makers like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak appreciated the film. Raihan gave all the money the film made to the Freedom Fighters' trust. Besides, his great documentary on Pakistani atrocities, Stop Genocide, helped create world sentiment in favour of our Liberation War.

On 30 December 1971, someone informed Raihan about an address somewhere at Mirpur, where he might find his brother, the famous writer Shahidullah Kaiser, who had gone missing from 14 December 1971. Kaiser was captured and killed by the Pakistani army and the local collaborators during the last days of the war. Accordingly, Raihan left home to get his brother back but he never returned.

Zahir Raihan's dream was fulfilled. He could see the emergence of an independent Bangladesh though he did not get back his brother. And it's a pity that this dreamer could not live to see his dream come true.