Father of the Nation
honorific title / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Father of the Nation is an honorific title given to a person considered the driving force behind the establishment of his country, state, or nation. Pater Patriae (plural Patres Patriae), also seen as Parens Patriae, was a Roman honorific meaning the "Father of the Fatherland". It was given by the Senate to heroes, and later on emperors. In monarchies, the monarch was often considered the "father/mother of the nation" or as a patriarch to guide his family. This concept is callef the Divine Right in some monarchies. In others it is part of constitutional law. In Spain the monarch is considered the personification and embodiment, the symbol of the unity and permanence of the nation. The title "Father of the Nation" may be politically contested, e.g. in 1972 the Constitution of Bangladesh declared Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to be "father of the nation". The BNP government removed this in 2004, to the protests of the opposition Awami League, led by Rahman's daughter Sheikh Hasina.[1]