The Shaheed Minar : National Monument of Bengali Nation

The Shaheed Minar

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(Bengali: শহীদ মিনার Shohid Minar) is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Language Movement demonstrations of 1952.

On February 21, 1952, dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani police force opened fire on Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status to their native tongue, Bangla. The massacre occurred near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka. A makeshift monument was erected on February 23[1] by students of University of Dhaka and other educational institutions, but soon demolished on February 26 by the Pakistani police force.

The Language Movement gained momentum and after a long struggle, Bangla was given equal status as Urdu. To commemorate the dead, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely during Operation Searchlight, during which the Pakistani Army estimates they inflicted 26,000 civilian deaths, while other organizations such as National Geographic estimate casualties numbering over 3 million.[citation needed] After Bangladesh gained independence, it was rebuilt.

Today, the Shaheed Minar is the centre of cultural activities in Dhaka. Every year, the Language Movement is remembered at the monument.

The first Shaheed Minar, built on February 22, 1952. It was demolished by Pakistan Police and Army four days later.

The First Shaheed Minar

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The first Shaheed Minar, built on February 22, 1952. It was demolished by Pakistan Police and Army four days later.

The first Shaheed Minar was built immediately after the events of February 21. According to Dr. Sayeed Haider, a main planner and the designer of the first Shaheed Minar, the decision to build it was first taken by the students of Dhaka Medical College. The planning started at midnight on February 22 and the work started the next day.This Minar was sponsored by Pearu Sardar, one of the old dhaka panchayet sardars when some of the students asked his help at the midnight of 22 February to contribute the raw materials needed to build the monument. Although curfew was in place, students started building the Minar in the afternoon of February 23. They worked through the night and finished it at dawn. A hand written paper was attached to the Minar with ‘Shaheed Smritistombho’ written on it. The original Minar measured 10 feet (3.0 m) by 6 feet.[3] The Minar was inaugurated by the father of Sofiur Rahman, killed during the massacre. It was demolished within a few days by the police and Pakistani Army.

Shaheed Minar (1963-1971)

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When the Awami League government came to power, it became possible to construct the new monument without fear of government retribution. Famous architect Hamidur Rahman created the design of Shaheed Minar under which construction was started in 1957. The foundation stone of this Shaheed Mianar was laid on February 21, 1956. Hamidur Rahman’s model was a huge complex on a large area of land in the yard of Dhaka Medical College Hostel. The enormous design included a half-circular column to symbolize the mother with her fallen sons standing on the monument's central dais. Yellow and deep blue pieces of stained glass, symbolizing eyes reflecting the sun, were also to be placed in the columns. The marble floor was designed to reflect the moving shadows of the columns. The basement of the Minar also included a 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) fresco depicting the history of the language movement. A railing decorated with Bangla alphabet was to be constructed in front. Two footmarks coloured red and black, indicating the two opposite forces, were also in the design. Besides this a museum and a library were also included in Rahman's design. A fountain shaped like an eye was also to be constructed. Rahman specifically designed the materials of the monument to withstand the area's tropical climate. Construction started in November 1957 under the supervision of Hamidur Rahman andNovera Ahmed. Most of the work, including the basement, platform, some of the columns with the rails, footprints and some of the murals were also finished when the Martial Law was introduced and construction was forced to a halt. Construction work was completed in 1963, leaving much of Rahman’s design unfinished. It was inaugurated on February 21, 1963 by the mother of Abul Barkat, Hasina Begum. The Minar was severely damaged during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The columns were destroyed during the fighting. The Pakistani Army crushed the Minar and placed over the rubble a signboard reading "Mosque

Current Shaheed Minar

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The current Shaheed Minar design mainly follows the original plan of 1957. The minars are constructed with pure marble stone upon a 14 feet (4.3 m) high stage. The stairs and railings are painted white to create a heavenly appearance. The fence on both sides is highlighted with lines from poems of famous poets in iron letters. The entrance of the monument includes two statues.

The previous plan of Watch house, library and other statues were also included.

The plan was again accepted on May 5, 1973 and Hamidur made a rough agreement to submit to the Purto Secretary for sanction.

Previously, in February 1973, the government had hurried to repair the Shaheed Minar. As a result the Minar was constructed incorrectly. The height of the column was shorter and the head bent more than originally planned, and the proportions of different parts of the monument were not propertly maintained.

Repair of the Shaheed Minar was again started during the Ershad regime. This time the main stage and the columns were unchanged, but the stairs were extended forward and the huts at the bottom of the Minar were closed. The front premise was also made higher. As a result, the area of the premises and the stairs was increased.

A replica of the Shaheed Minar at Altab Ali Park, in east London

The large scale emigration of Bangladeshis to other parts of the globe has led to several permanent replicas of the Shaheed Minar being built outside Bangladesh. Two of these are in England. One is in Altab Ali Park, near Whitechapel and Brick Lane in Tower Hamlets, east London. The second is in theWestwood neighbourhood of Oldham, in Greater Manchester.