Amar Ekushey tomorrow

The nation pays tribute to the language movement martyrs by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar from midnight today.
President Zillur Rahman will be the first to pay tribute at the venue just after zero hour. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia will also place wreaths there.
Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Safiur and other brave sons of the nation sacrificed their lives on this day in 1952 to ascertain that Bangla is established as the state language of the then Pakistan.
The day has since been observed as the Language Martyrs Day. Unesco later declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day.
Among others, the speaker and deputy speaker of the parliament, the mayor of Dhaka, Sector Commanders Forum and the vice-chancellor of Dhaka University will also pay their respects at the Shaheed Minar.
Different social, political, cultural, professional bodies will also pay their respects to the martyrs and hold different programmes to mark the occasion.
Strict security measures have meanwhile been taken at the Central Shaheed Minar and its adjoining areas by law enforcment agencies for peaceful observance of the day.
Around 7000 police, over 600 Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel will be deployed at the Shaheed Minar and Azimpur graveyard today to maintain law and order.
Bangladesh Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jatiya Party, Bagladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), National Awami Party (Nap) - Bhashani, Bangladesh National Awami Party-Bangladesh NAP, Shammilita Sangskritik Jote, Dhaka Reporters Unity, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, Bangladesh Sangskritik Kormi Shangha, Bangladesh Abritti Shamannay Parishad and Memorial Preservation of Language Movement Forum will hold different programes to mark the day tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over the Ekushey Padak-2009 to 13 eminent persons at Osmani Memorial Auditorium today, a day ahead of Amar Ekushey February, the International Mother Language Day.
The award, carries Tk 40,000 in cash, a gold medal weighing three tolas and a citation, will be given to the distinguished persons in recognition to their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.
Bangladesh Betar will broadcast the award giving ceremony live at 11:00am, said a press release yesterday.
The awardees are: Dr Borhan Uddin Khan Jahangir (education), Prof Dr Syed Anwar Hossain (research), Mahbub-Ul Alam Chowdhury (language movement-posthumous), Ashraf uz Zaman Khan (journalism-posthumous), Begum Bilkis Nasir Uddin (music), Manik Chandra Saha (journalism-posthumous), Humayun Kabir Balu (journalism-posthumous), Begum Selina Hossain (literature), Shamsuzzaman Khan (research), Dr Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad (poverty alleviation), Mohammad Rafi Khan (M R Khan) (social service), Mansur-Ul Karim (fine arts), and Ramendu Majumdar (theatre).