martyred sons standing at the dais in the centre of the monument. Although the imposition of martial law in 1958 interrupted the work, the monument was completed and inaugurated on 21 February 1963 by Abul Barkat's mother, Hasina Begum. Pakistani forces demolished the monument during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, but the Bangladeshi government reconstructed it in 1973. Ekushey Television, one of the oldest privately owned television channels in Bangladesh, was named after the date of the event. India The states of West Bengal and Tripura in India celebrate 21 February as Language Movement Day. Worldwide: International Mother Language Day Bangladesh officially sent a proposal to UNESCO to declare 21 February as International Mother Language Day. The proposal was supported unanimously at the 30th General Conference of UNESCO held on 17 November 1999. See also Bengali language activists Bengali Language Movement (Barak Valley) Bengali Language Movement (Manbhum) References Citations Further reading External links Notable Contributors to the Language Movement The Makers of History: International Mother Language Day Language movement at Banglapedia Linguistic history of Bangladesh History of Pakistan Bangladesh Awami League Linguistic rights Causes and prelude of the Bangladesh Liberation War Arabization Islamization Romanization of Brahmic Language conflict in Pakistan Student protests in Bangladesh Student protests in Pakistan 1952 protests Political movements in Bangladesh Political movements in Pakistan Secularism in Bangladesh Secularism in Pakistan Islamism in Bangladesh Islamism in Pakistan