President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Saturday paid glowing tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, marking the late leader's 104th birth anniversary and the National Children's Day to be observed on Sunday. 

"On the occasion of the 104th Birth Anniversary of the Father of the Nation, I pay my deep homage to this great leader," the head of the state said in a message on the eve of the day.

"March 17 is a memorable day in the history of the Bangalee nation. On this day in 1920, the greatest Bangalee of all time, the architect of sovereign and independent Bangladesh and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born in Tungipara, a secluded village in Gopalganj. As Bangabandhu came to us, we dreamt of and achieved independence. That is why we are citizens of a free nation," he added.

He said Bangabandhu spent his childhood in a free environment with muddy paths and open fields of his village. 

From his boyhood, he was very kind and generous to humanity but uncompromising in attaining the rights, the president said, adding that he always used to engage himself with philanthropic works as well as with the alleviation of the sufferings of others. 

Every moment of his life, wherever he found injustice, exploitation and torture, he went into action for protest, he said.
 
"He took part in anti-British rallies at the age of 14. He ran the Muslim Seba Samity to meet the educational expenses of poor students. In the early forties of the last century, after coming into contact with Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Haque and Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Bangabandhu, as a young student leader, got involved in active politics," he said. 
    
Shortly after the partition of 1947, the young leader Sheikh Mujib realized that despite being liberated from British rule, the Bangalees were again being exploited by that of the West Pakistan, he said.
 
"The then rulers first attacked on Bangla, the mother tongue of Bangalees. Bangabandhu was arrested from the Secretariat Gate on 11 March 1948 while observing strike demanding Bangla as state language. Thus he moved forward on the path of realizing the rights of Bangalees, through movement, struggle and imprisonment," he added.
 
He led the nation in every democratic and freedom movement including All-party State Language Action Committee formed in 1948, the Language Movement in 1952, Jukta-Front Election in 1954, movement against Martial Law in 1958, Six-Point Movement in 1966, Mass Upsurge in 1969 and the General Elections in 1970 for attaining the freedom and rights of the country's people, he said. 
"He was sent to jail several times and had to bear inhuman sufferings for his active participation in those movements. But he never compromised with the Pakistani rulers on the question of establishing the rights of Bangalees," the president said. 
    
On 7th March in 1971 at the Race Course Maidan, keeping with the emotions and aspirations of the Bangalees, Bangabandhu uttered in his thunderous voice, 'The struggle this time is the struggle for emancipation, the struggle this time is the struggle for independence', said Shahabuddin quoting Bangabandhu's speech. 

"This historic address was, in fact, a clarion call of our Independence. How an address can wake up the whole nation, inspire them to leap into the War of Liberation for Independence, the historic 7th March Speech by Bangabandhu is its unique example. In this speech, Bangabandhu not only called for independence but also outlined the War of Liberation and gave directions on the future course of action," he said.
 
On the night of March 25, when Pakistani invaders attacked the unarmed Bangalees in a blaze, the Father of the Nation declared the long-cherished Independence on 26th March in 1971, he added.

"We achieved ultimate victory through a nine-month long armed struggle under the leadership of Bangabandhu. During our War of Liberation, Bangabandhu was confined in Pakistan jail and the then Pakistani ruler farcically awarded him death sentence. But Bangabandhu said, 'When I go to the gallows, I will say I am a Bangalee, Bangla is my country, Bangla is my language'," said the president quoting father of the nation. 
 
For his extraordinary contributions to the country and people, Bangla, Bangladesh and Bangabandhu have emerged as a single and identical entity to the people of Bangladesh, he added. 

"Just after the Independence, Bangabandhu returned home on 10th January in 1972 being freed from Pakistan Jail. He put all-out efforts to rebuild the war-torn economy. He took all preparations to build the country as 'Sonar Bangla.' But the anti-liberation forces did not let Bangabandhu materialize that dream as the murderer group assassinated him and almost all of his family members on 15th August in 1975," he continued. 
    
Bangabandhu wanted to make a strong position of Bangladesh in all the way including water, land and air, he said, adding that Bangabandhu taught the people how to reach the goal overcoming various obstacles. 

"In the historic speech of March 7, he said, 'You can't keep seven crores of people in bondage.' Bangladesh, which became independent under the leadership of Bangabandhu, is now a developing country after going through many ups and downs," he said.
 
"Today, his worthy successor, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, continues to realize the unfulfilled dreams of the Father of the Nation by proving all fears and negative predictions wrong," he said.

"Today, under her strong and visionary leadership, we are moving fast towards building a developed and 'Smart Bangladesh'," he said.
 
Bangabandhu is the source of eternal inspiration to the Bangalee nation, he said, adding that Bangabandhu appeared as a symbol of principle and ideals in politics. 

"If you want to know Bangladesh, you have to know about the struggle for freedom and the Liberation War of Bangalees, you have to know Bangabandhu. Let the nation move forward on the path of building a prosperous Bangladesh free from hunger and poverty by embracing the spirit of the Liberation War and the ideology of the Father of the Nation, let it anchor in Bangabandhu's 'Sonar Bangla'," the president said.