Historical Sculpture in Bangladesh
Part-1
Bangladesh has a lot of historical sculpture. Most of this is related to the Language movement 1952 and Liberation War 1971. Here are some historical sculpture details.
1. Central Shahid Minar
Central Shahid Minar, Dhaka
General Information:
Type: Monument
Architectural style: Modern
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Height: 14 m (46 ft)
Architect: Hamidur Rahman (artist)
History:
The Language Movement advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of the then Dominion of Pakistan
in order to allow its use in government affairs. The continuation of its use as a medium of education, its use in media, currency, and stamps, and to maintain its writing in the Bengali script.
When the Dominion of Pakistan was formed by the Partition of India in 1947, it was composed of various ethnic and linguistic groups,with the geographically non-contiguous East Bengal province having a mainly Bengali people.
In 1948, the Government of the Dominion of Pakistan ordained Urdu as the national language, sparking extensive protests among the Bengali-speaking majority of East Bengal. Facing rising sectarian tensions and mass discontent with the new law, the government outlawed public meetings and rallies.
The students of the University of Dhaka and other political activists defied the law and organized a protest on 21 February 1952. The movement reached its climax when police killed student demonstrators on that day. The deaths provoked widespread civil unrest.
After years of conflict, the central government relented and granted official status to the Bengali language in 1956.
In 1999, UNESCO declared 21 February as International Mother Language Day in tribute to the Language Movement and the ethnolinguistic rights of people around the world.
2. National Martyrs Memorial (Jatiya Smriti Soudha)
National Martyrs Memorial (Jatiya Smriti Saudha)
General Information
Type: Public monument
Location: Savar, Bangladesh
Construction started: 1978
Completed: 1982
Height: 150 feet (46 m)
Architect: Syed Mainul Hossain
History:
National Martyrs’ Memorial is the national monument of Bangladesh. It set up in the memory of the valor and the sacrifice of all of those who gave their lives in the Liberation War of 1971, which brought independence and separated Bangladesh from Pakistan.
The architecture is composed of seven pairs of triangular-shaped walls or prisms. The outermost pair being the shortest in height but widest in span, the inner pairs gradually change their aspect ratio and the innermost pair thus forms the peak point of the architecture.
Each of these seven pairs of walls represents a significant chapter in the history of Bangladesh, namely the Language Movement in 1952, the Election of United Front in 1954, the Constitution Movement in 1956, the Education Movement in 1962, 6-point Movement in 1966, the Mass Uprising in 1969, and finally the climactic event of Liberation War in 1971, through which Bangladesh was liberated.
See Malinichara Tea garden
Reference
