Ekusher Gaan

Bengali patriotic song

Ekusher GanEnglish: "Song of the Twentyfirst"

একুশের গান

Shaheed Minar of Dhaka

Lyrics| Abdul Gaffar Choudhury, 1952
Music| Altaf Mahmud, 1969

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"Ekusher Gan" (Bengali: একুশের গান [ˈekuʃeɾ gan]; "Song of the Twentyfirst"), more popularly known by its incipit as "Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano" (Bengali: আমার ভাইয়ের রক্তে রাঙানো [ˈamaɾ ˈbʱai̯jeɾ ˈrɔkte ˈraŋano]; "My Brothers' Blood Spattered"), is a Bengali protest song written by Abdul Gaffar Choudhury to mark the Bengali Language Movement in 1952 East Bengal.[1] It was first published anonymously in the last page of a newspaper with the headline Ekusher Gaan, but was later published in Ekushey's February edition.

The song was initially written as a poem in 1952 at the bedside of an injured language movement activist who was shot by the Pakistani military police.[2] The cultural secretary of the Jubo League gave the poem to Abdul Latif to put to a tune, which Latif Atikul Islam first sang. The students of Dhaka College also sung the song when they attempted to build a Shaheed Minar on their college premises, getting them expelled from the college. Altaf Mahmud, a renowned composer and a martyr of the Bangladesh Liberation War, recomposed the song in 1969 using Abdul Latif's version, which is now a quasi-official tune.

The song is often recognized as the most influential song of the language movement, reminding numerous Bangladeshis about the conflicts of 1952. Every 21 February sees people from all parts of the Bangladesh heading to the Shaheed Minar in the probhat feri, a barefoot march to the monument, paying homage to those killed in the language movement demonstrations by singing this song. It is regarded by the listeners of BBC Bengali Service as the third best song in Bengali.[citation needed]

## Lyrics

[edit]

Bengali original  | Romanisation of Bengali | English translation by Kabir Chowdhury[3][4]

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আমার ভাইয়ের রক্তে রাঙানো একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি
আমি কি ভুলিতে পারি
ছেলেহারা শত মায়ের অশ্রু গড়ায়ে ফেব্রুয়ারি
আমি কি ভুলিতে পারি
আমার সোনার দেশের রক্তে রাঙানো ফেব্রুয়ারি
আমি কি ভুলিতে পারি।।

জাগো নাগিনীরা জাগো নাগিনীরা জাগো কালবোশেখীরা
শিশু হত্যার বিক্ষোভে আজ কাঁপুক বসুন্ধরা,
দেশের সোনার ছেলে খুন করে রোখে মানুষের দাবী
দিন বদলের ক্রান্তিলগ্নে তবু তোরা পার পাবি?
না, না, না, না খুন রাঙা ইতিহাসে শেষ রায় দেওয়া তারই
একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি।

সেদিনও এমনি নীল গগনের বসনে শীতের শেষে
রাত জাগা চাঁদ চুমো খেয়েছিল হেসে;
পথে পথে ফোটে রজনীগন্ধা অলকনন্দা যেন,
এমন সময় ঝড় এলো এক খ্যাপা বুনো।।

সেই আঁধারের পশুদের মুখ চেনা,
তাহাদের তরে মায়ের, বোনের, ভায়ের চরম ঘৃণা
ওরা গুলি ছোঁড়ে এদেশের প্রাণে দেশের দাবীকে রোখে
ওদের ঘৃণ্য পদাঘাত এই সারা বাংলার বুকে
ওরা এদেশের নয়,
দেশের ভাগ্য ওরা করে বিক্রয়
ওরা মানুষের অন্ন, বস্ত্র, শান্তি নিয়েছে কাড়ি
একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি।।

তুমি আজ জাগো তুমি আজ জাগো একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি
আজো জালিমের কারাগারে মরে বীর ছেলে বীর নারী
আমার শহীদ ভায়ের আত্মা ডাকে
জাগো মানুষের সুপ্ত শক্তি হাটে মাঠে ঘাটে বাটে
দারুণ ক্রোধের আগুনে আবার জ্বালবো ফেব্রুয়ারি
একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি।।

Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano ekushe Februari
Ami ki bhulite pari
Chelehara shat mayer oshru goraye Februari
Ami ki bhulite pari
Amar shonar desher rokte rangano Februari
Ami ki bhulite pari

Jago naginira jago naginira jago kalboshekhira
Shishu hottar bikkhobhe aj kãpuk boshundhora,
Desher shonar chele khun kore rokhe manusher dabi
Din bodoler krantilogne tobu tora par pabi?
Na, na, na, na khun ranga itihashe shesh ray dewa taroi
Ekushe Februari, ekushe Februari.

Shedino emoni nil gogoner boshone shiter sheshe
Rat jaga cãd cumo kheyechil heshe;
Pothe pothe phote Rajanigandha oloknonda jen,
Emon shomoy jhoṛ elo ek khaepa buno.

Sei ãdharer poshuder mukh cena,
Tahader tore mayer, boner, bhayer corom ghrina
Ora gulo chõre edesher prane desher dabike rokhe
Oder ghrinno podaghat ei shara Banglar buke
Ora edesher noy,
Desher bhaggo ora kore bikroy
Ora manusher onno, bostro, shanti niyeche kari
Ekushe Februari, ekushe Februari.

Tumi aj jago tumi aj jago ekushe Februari
Ajo jalimer karagare more bir chele, bir nari
Amar shohid bhayer atta dake
Jago manusher supto shokti haṭe maṭhe ghaṭe baṭe
Darun krodher agune abar jalbo Februari
Ekushe Februari, ekushe Februari.

My brothers' blood spattered on the twentyfirst of February
Can I forget the twentyfirst of February
incarnadined by the love of my brother?
The twentyfirst of February, built by the tears
of a hundred mothers robbed of their sons,
Can I ever forget it?

Wake up all serpents, all summer thunderstorms,
Let the whole world rise up in anger and protest against the massacre of innocent children.
They tried to crush the demand of the people by murdering the golden sons of the land.
Can they get away with it at this hour when the times are poised for a radical change?
No, no, no, no, in the history reddened by blood
The final verdict has been given already by the twentyfirst of February.

It was a smooth and pleasant night with the winter nearly gone,
and the moon smiling in the blue sky,
and lovely fragrant flowers blossoming on the roadside,
and all of a sudden rose a storm.

Fierce like a wild horde of savage beasts, even in the darkness we know who those beasts were.
On them we shower the bitterest hatred of all mothers, brothers and sisters.
They fired at the soul of this land,
They tried to silence the demand of the people,
They kicked at the bosom of Bengal, they did not belong to this country.
They wanted to sell away her good fortune.
They robbed the people of food, clothing and peace.
On them we shower our bitterest hatred.

Awaken today, the twentyfirst of February.
Our heroic boys and girls still languish in the prisons of the tyrant.
The souls of my martyred brothers still cry.
But today everywhere the somnolent strength of the people have begun to stir,
And we shall set February ablaze by the flame of our fierce anger.
How can I ever forget the twentyfirst of February?

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Harun ur Rashid (12 November 2004). "Ekush". Star Weekend Magazine. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
2. ^ (Al Helal 2003, pp. 586–89)
3. ^ Glassie, Henry and Mahmud, Feroz. 2008. Living Traditions. Cultural Survey of Bangladesh Series-II. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Dhaka. pp. 578–579
4. ^ "Ekusher Gaan". The Daily Star. 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2018-01-29.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Al Helal, B (2003), Bhasha Andoloner Itihas (History of the Language Movement), Agamee Prakashani, Dhaka, ISBN 984-401-523-5

* v
* t
* e

Bengali language movement

History and events|

* Tamaddun Majlish
* Shorbodolio Kendrio Rashtrobhasha Kormi Porishod
* Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad
* Role of political parties during Bengali Language Movement
* The Azad
* Urdu movement
* Arabic in Islam
* Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu?
* Romanisation of Bengali

People|

* Abul Barkat
* Abdul Jabbar
* Shafiur Rahman
* Abdus Salam
* Rafiq Uddin Ahmed
* Dhirendranath Datta
* Khawaja Nazimuddin
* Muhammad Ali Jinnah
* Hamidur Rahman
* Abul Kashem
* Shamsul Huq
* Nurul Huq Bhuiyan
* Shahed Ali
* Liaquat Ali Khan
* Mohammad Toaha
* Abdul Matin
* Abdul Malek Ukil
* A. K. Fazlul Huq
* Maulana Bhashani
* Oli Ahad
* Abul Hashim
* Shawkat Ali
* Abul Kalam Shamsuddin
* Kazi Golam Mahbub
* Gaziul Haque
* Muhammad Habibur Rahman
* Mahbub Ul Alam Choudhury
* Mohammad Akram Khan
* Zahir Raihan
* Mohammad Sultan
* Abdul Latif
* Abdul Gafur
* Altaf Mahmud
* Muhammad Shahidullah
* Nurul Amin
* Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish
* Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
* Munier Choudhury

Commemoration|

* Ekushey Book Fair
* Shaheed Minar
* Ekushey Padak
* Language Movement Day
* International Mother Language Day
* Moder Gorob
* Artistic depictions of the Bengali Language Movement
* Ekusher Gaan

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