Ekushey February

On this day in Dhaka, 71 years ago, a number of brave Bangladeshi youths were brutally killed by enforcers of the Pakistani state. Their crime? They were demanding their language rights. The Shaheed Minar in Dhaka is a stark reminder of an authoritarian oligarchy trying to use language to control the majority.

It all began in March 1948 when Mohammad Ali Jinnah declared in Dhaka that the people of East Pakistan would be allowed to decide what language they would use in their province, but the “state language of Pakistan … [would be] Urdu and no other language”. Earlier, a member of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly, Dhirenranath Datta, had demanded that Bengali be recognised as one of the national languages. This issue triggered the language movement which, along with other political and economic issues led to the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.

This declaration from the ruling quarters was a blatant denial of the right of the Bengalis who formed the majority of the population of Pakistan. But when the brave sons of this land most unselfishly embraced martyrdom to counter the designs of the Pakistani rulers representing the minority of the population, this step was written into history as the courageous action of a people who fought for upholding the dignity of their national pride.

But for the Bengalis, as the years passed by, the yearning for freeing themselves from the shackles of exploitation gained momentum spontaneously as the world witnessed the political movements of the 1960s ushering in the six-point charter of the Awami League, the 11-point demands of the students, the mass movement of 1969, and ultimately the Liberation War of 1971 that gave birth to Bangladesh.

This day of the highest and noblest sacrifice is now the eternal fountainhead of inspiration for the people of Bangladesh and the Shaheed Minar has become a very potent symbol of our nationhood and national unity. Herein lies the true meaning of the Immortal Ekushey.

It was several decades later in 1999 that UNESCO took a major decision in response to a communication from two Bangladeshi migrants in Canada. Feb 21 would be observed as Mother Language Day to save the world’s vulnerable languages from extinction. Thus the language martyrs of 1952 were vindicated. This serves to remind us that language is a sensitive issue and should be treated as such by those in office as well as all people interacting with others speaking another language. In contrast to the general belief, language does matter and there is a need to understand its importance not just in daily people-to-people communication but also in the working of the government, the media and in education.

With the announcement of the day as International Mother Language Day by the UN in 1999, the day has been given its due universal dimension and it has become a proud possession of our nation.

Language Day is a powerful tool in their quest to preserve their language and cultural heritage.

That’s what this special day is all about; protecting one’s culture and mother tongue and upholding it with pride. On this day, the whole world pays homage to the martyrs of 1952, by celebrating their mother tongues and dwelling on the importance of preserving them.