New Delhi [India], February 22 (ANI): Hasan Al Bashar Abul Ulayee, Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner on the International Mother Language Day on Saturday, paid tributes to the departed souls who laid their lives in the honour of the national language.

Ulayee, while talking to ANI, said that several residents of Tripura joined to celebrate the occasion.

'Today, the 21st February is the International Matrabhasha Divas (International Mother Language Day 2026) and Shahid Divas, where we did a series of activities, and at the beginning it started with paying tribute to all the Martyrs who laid their significant lives to give honour to the Matrabhasha Divas in Bangladesh,' he said.

'On the occasion of Antarjatik Matrabhasha Divas, in the office of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission, a lot of people joined the significant program to pay tribute to the martyrs. Today at 9 am, we hoisted our national flag and sang the national anthem. We paid tribute to all the martyrs, we remembered them and showed honour to the departed souls,' he added.

Some schoolchildren also performed patriotic songs on the occasion.

'We opened the door of the office of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission to all the people of Tripura to come into the office Premises to pay tribute to the martyrs. Along with the citizens of Tripura, students from a few schools also attended the program and paid tributes through different kinds of patriotic songs,' he said.

Ulayee said that they offered floral tributes to the departed souls at the martyrs' tomb.

'Besides these, the message of the Bangladesh president and prime minister also reached the office that we played over here as a recitation. All the guests offered floral tributes to the Martyrs in the premises of the office of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission to the martyr's tomb (Shahid Minar),' he said.

Ulayee said that several eminent personalities took part in the programme.

'Eminent personalities and dignitaries, including journalists, also took part in this program. The most important point is that, among the cultural and traditional similarities, the most important one is the language people from both places speak the same language, that is, Bengali,' he said.

'International Mother Language Day celebration, I took part in the same occasion in other states also, but here in the state of Tripura, it was very exceptional because the bond of emotion and culture is very similar in the state of Tripura. The happiness I received from the people of Tripura who visited our office today, especially for exchanging emotions on this auspicious day, has touched me,' he added.

Even in Dhaka, people paid homage to the martyrs of the Language Movement. During the language movement in 1952, several students were killed who were demanding Bangla as the official language. (ANI)