23 February 1952

Shaheed Minar Martyrs' Memorial

Posted in:

Monuments /Memorials

Author:

Mahima Khan

In 1999, a Shaheed Minar (Martyrs’ Monument) was installed in the southwest corner of Altab Ali Park. The monument consists of a semi-circular concrete plinth with five white steel screens, depicting a mother and children, with the mother in the centre bowing her head in front of a blood-red circle. It is a smaller replica of Dhaka’s Shaheed Minar, originally designed by Hamidur Rahman to honour activists of the Bengali language movement who lost their lives in 1952.

After years of requests and petitions, the Whitechapel monument began to be planned in 1996 with contributions from 54 organizations and the assistance of the Council, particularly through Mike Howes, the Acting Head of Leisure. The Free Form Arts Trust, represented by Tim Ward, was commissioned to create a larger version of the monument, which was produced by Arts Fabrications. The Council was responsible for the landscaping and plinth, and the monument was unveiled on February 17, 1999, by Humayun Rashid Choudhury, Speaker of the Bangladeshi Parliament. Another copy of the Dhaka monument was made in Oldham between 1996 and 1997.

The Language Movement marked the first act of nationalism in Bangladesh and ignited a sense of national consciousness amongst the people. In February 1999, the United Nations recognised the Language Movement by declaring 21st February as International Mother Language Day. This day is observed globally to recognise the sacrifices of the Bengali language martyrs who laid down their lives for establishing the rightful place of Bengali language. A remembrance ceremony takes place at Altab Ali Park every year on 20th February at midnight, known as "Ekushey February" in Bengali translating to the 21st February.

The Shaheed Minar is of great importance to the British Bengali community as it recognises and celebrates their cultural roots and linguistic heritage. It upholds the image of the Bengali language in the UK.

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Sources and Attribution

Tower Hamlets London Borough Council.

Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, TH/9360/L/THL/G/2; P/MIS/361: Historic England, GLHER MLO3933: Kenneth Leech, Brick Lane 1978: the events and their significance, 1980: Ansar Ahmed Ullah and John Eversley, Bengalis in London’s East End, 2010, pp.53–4, 90–1

Licensing

CC Attribution 4.0 International

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