Today is the historic March 7.

On this day in 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his fiery speech called on the freedom-loving Bangalis to wage a decisive struggle against the Pakistani rulers.

“Ebarer sangram amader muktir sangram, ebarer sangram swadhinatar sangram [The struggle this time is a struggle for emancipation, the struggle this time is a struggle for independence]”, Bangabandhu declared in a thunderous voice at a mammoth rally at the Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) that day.

“Turn every house into a fortress, resist the enemy with everything you have ... Having mastered the lesson of sacrifice, we shall give more blood. God willing [Inshallah], we shall free the people of this land,” Bangabandhu also said in his speech.

The watershed speech touched every Bangali heart across the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and mobilised the whole nation, excepting a few pro-Pakistani elements, to prepare for the ultimate sacrifice they made in the Liberation War.

The speech had set the tone for the Liberation War that would officially begin on March 26.

On the night of March 25, just 18 days after the 7th March speech, the Pakistani military launched genocide on innocent unarmed Bangalis, the most gruesome and shameful act the human history has ever seen.

Shortly before his arrest on the black night, Bangabandhu proclaimed the independence.

To mark the day, different political parties and socio-cultural organisations have chalked out various programmes, including laying wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu and holding discussions and rallies.

The ruling Awami League will hoist national and party flags atop the Bangabandhu Bhaban and party offices, and place wreaths at Sheikh Mujib's portrait on Bangabandhu Bhaban premises in the capital's Dhanmondi in the morning.

The party will hold a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan at 3:00pm. Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the rally.

President Abdul Hamid and PM Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages marking the day.

The president said the historic March 7 address of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would remain a perennial source of inspiration for the nation, reports BSS.

He recalled Bangabandhu with profound respect, and said the Bangalis have got an independent and sovereign state in 1971 because of the extraordinary leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

His March 7 speech was the charter of freedom for the Bangali nation, the president observed.

Bangabandhu's declaration of “the struggle this time is a struggle for independence” was in fact a call for independence of the country, Abdul Hamid said, adding that as a sequel to this, the Father of the Nation proclaimed the independence on March 26, 1971.

In her message, Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu's March 7 historic speech had inspired the Bangali nation to get prepared for the freedom struggle with arms, reports BSS.

To face the enemies, Bangabandhu directed the countrymen to be ready with whatever they had for the freedom struggle, she said.

The PM said the day is a memorable one in the thousand-year history of the Bangali nation as Bangabandhu on this day in 1971 made a clarion call to the people to fight for liberation.

Hasina noted that the political analysts across the world rated the March 7 speech as one of the most excellent speeches so far delivered by world leaders.

She said the necessity and aspiration for the emergence of a state were reflected in every fold of the speech.

“The directives given by Bangabandhu in this speech were the basic elements of the national unity at that time,” she said, adding that this historic speech was the source of enormous strength for the nation during the Liberation War.