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A day of mourning, reflection and action
FEBRUARY 21 is a day of national mourning, reflection and action. It is the Language Martyrs' Day. It was fifty-six years ago that, among others, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur and Salam sacrificed their lives for the honour and preservation of our mother language, Bangla.
In 1954, the United Front government of Abu Hussain Sarker declared this day as a public holiday.
February 21 is not only the Bangla Language Martyrs' Day in Bangladesh, but is also observed as International Mother Language Day. In November 27, 1999, Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) adopted February 21 as International Mother Language Day at the initiative of the Bangladesh government.
For the first time, at the call of Unesco, February 21, 2000, was observed as the International Mother Language Day.
Originally, the idea of an International Mother Language Day is believed to have been mooted by a few Canadian-Bangladeshis, and then the government of Bangladesh moved the proposal forward to Unesco. Bangladesh can rightly take credit for taking the initiative for the declaration of Unesco.
Therefore, it is a day of pride for all people of Bangladesh that the supreme sacrifice made on this day in 1952 has eventually led to the recognition of preservation of mother languages worldwide.
This Day has become a milestone in recognition of the right to speak, promote and preserve all mother languages across the world.
What did actually occur on February 21?
The Pakistani rulers wanted to impose Urdu on the Bengalee people, although Bangla speaking people constituted 56% percent of the people of united Pakistan. People of former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, strongly objected to it in 1948 when Mr. Jinnah, then the Governor General of Pakistan, announced it in Curzon Hall to Dhaka university students. There was an automatic "no" in response from students. Mr. Dhirendranath Dutta, a member of the Constituent Assembly, argued in the Assembly that Bangla language ought to be one of the state languages of Pakistan. But all these demands fell on deaf ears of Pakistani leaders. The starting point of the tragedy of February 21 was on January 27, 1952, when the then prime minister of Pakistan Khwaja Nazimuddin announced at a public meeting that Urdu alone should be the state language of Pakistan. The students were infuriated at the announcement. On February 21, 1952, agitated unarmed students, both male and female, of Dhaka University decided to violate Section 144 (prohibiting an assembly of more than five persons) in order to proceed to the elected members of the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly (near SM Hall) to present their demand. On their way, near the Medical College students' hostel number 12, at 3:30 PM, the police opened fire on the peaceful procession of students on the order of a magistrate (a West Pakistani). Jabbar and Rafiq died on the spot, while three others died later in hospital (a makeshift monument had been set up by Medical College Students on the site of the current Shaheed Minar). It is believed that many more were killed, including a ten year old boy, but their bodies were taken away by the police and were secretly buried. The rest is history. Importance of mother languages
Mother language is what a child communicates in for the first time with his mother and father. It is a language a person never forgets, wherever that person lives. The mother language is a prism that determines first notions of the world to a child. The umbilical cord between mother tongue and thought is inseparable. It is the mother tongue that represents the thought, culture and heritage of an individual. Scottish historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) called language "the body of thought." This implies that if a mother tongue is crushed, thoughts and ideas will inevitably die. About 6,800 mother languages are thought to exist today. But social, demographic and political factors are all contributing to their rapid disappearance. Language experts say that half of them are likely to disappear as smaller ethnic societies are gradually being assimilated into mainstream national and global cultures. For example, Middle Chulym is a language, now spoken by a handful of Siberian townsfolk (45 in number), has been integrated into the Russian language, and once the last fluent speaker dies, the language will be extinct. What is lost when a language is lost is another world, according to many language experts. Valuable ethnographic and cultural information disappears when a language dies, leaving a gap in understanding of the variable cognitive structures of which the human brain is capable. Studies of different languages have revealed vastly different ways of representing and interpreting the world. For instance, some native American and Australian aboriginal languages reveal a completely different understanding of the relationship between nature and human beings, and how it affects their lives. Language experts believe that as mother languages disappear, a few dominant languages will exist, such as English, French, Spanish and Chinese for commerce, education, science and culture in the world. The disappearance of mother languages will be a severe blow to linguistic diversity, cognitive science and cultural studies. Bangladesh is a multi-lingual country, although Bangla is overwhelmingly spoken in the country. The majority should ensure that indigenous languages of the tribal and adhivashi people in Bangladesh do not disappear. They must be promoted. Lingual variety will enrich our nation. Importance of Bangla
Language is an issue about which people of Bangladesh feel deeply, and rightly so. It represents the thought, culture and heritage of Bangladesh. Anyone who wishes to gain an insight into the conditions of life in Bangladesh, and to peer into social structures, cannot do better than to study Bangla language and literature. Of all the languages in South Asia, Bangla was the first to develop a literature of a very high order and still holds the model for other languages. Bangla is unique in the sense that it has many varieties of ways to describe an object. For example, in English, "eye" can be described in only one way, but in Bengali "eye" can be described in more than one way (akhi, nayan, chok, padmalochon etc). Bengali writers in the past and present have enriched the language by transfusing Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and English languages in it. Bangla was raised to its highest point by Rabindranath Thakur (Tagore) when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Have the ideals of the Martyrs' Day been fulfilled?
During almost 37 years of independence, the question for everyone is whether the authorities and civil society have achieved the real significance of the Day. The test lies in whether all people, irrespective of age and gender, can read and write. Free adult education is necessary for mature people, free education together with free learning equipment and school dress for poor children are imperative. In recent years, drop-out of poor students from schools (almost 50%) has become a big problem. Book fair
Since 1979, the Ekushey February Book Fair at the Bangladesh Academy premises has been held to honour the occasion. The fair will achieve its purpose if visitors to the bookstalls are able to buy good quality books. It is reported that during the first two-week period, only 69 serious books, but 259 novels and 141 storybooks came to the fair. Does it serve the purpose of the book fair? It has been argued by many that some publishers are out to make a quick profit by urging noted writers to write novels and love stories for the fair. Since the Bangla Academy has nothing to say on the quality of published books at the fair, it has arguably become a purely commercial venture, exploiting young minds and sentiments. Some argue that the very purpose of month-long Ekushey book fair is defeated by the cheap quality of many books, as they do not disseminate knowledge. Another difficulty is that all books are not available from one stall because each publisher has its own stall (300-400 stalls in the fair) and a buyer has to move around all the stalls to buy books of his/her choice. The need for cooperation or coordination among publishers has to be addressed for the benefit of book lovers. Another matter to be considered by the Academy is whether the book fair can be held in various parts of Dhaka metropolitan city for access to all, especially for the elderly who cannot stand for long in the queue to enter into the fair. Every Bangladeshi has a right to read books in Bangla. But Bangla books have become very expensive because the paper and other materials for publishing books are costly. The government may consider exempting tax and custom duties on printing paper and other materials so as to make books easily available to readers at an affordable price. Knowledge does not grow automatically. It needs to be carefully developed and nurtured. February 21 is more than a language movement for the people of Bangladesh. Many historians think that February 21 laid the seed of a separate state of Bangladesh on the basis of Bengali nationalism, that was aptly summed up by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib when he said: "I am Bengali, my nationalism is Bengali."
The Pakistani rulers wanted to impose Urdu on the Bengalee people, although Bangla speaking people constituted 56% percent of the people of united Pakistan. People of former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, strongly objected to it in 1948 when Mr. Jinnah, then the Governor General of Pakistan, announced it in Curzon Hall to Dhaka university students. There was an automatic "no" in response from students. Mr. Dhirendranath Dutta, a member of the Constituent Assembly, argued in the Assembly that Bangla language ought to be one of the state languages of Pakistan. But all these demands fell on deaf ears of Pakistani leaders. The starting point of the tragedy of February 21 was on January 27, 1952, when the then prime minister of Pakistan Khwaja Nazimuddin announced at a public meeting that Urdu alone should be the state language of Pakistan. The students were infuriated at the announcement. On February 21, 1952, agitated unarmed students, both male and female, of Dhaka University decided to violate Section 144 (prohibiting an assembly of more than five persons) in order to proceed to the elected members of the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly (near SM Hall) to present their demand. On their way, near the Medical College students' hostel number 12, at 3:30 PM, the police opened fire on the peaceful procession of students on the order of a magistrate (a West Pakistani). Jabbar and Rafiq died on the spot, while three others died later in hospital (a makeshift monument had been set up by Medical College Students on the site of the current Shaheed Minar). It is believed that many more were killed, including a ten year old boy, but their bodies were taken away by the police and were secretly buried. The rest is history. Importance of mother languages
Mother language is what a child communicates in for the first time with his mother and father. It is a language a person never forgets, wherever that person lives. The mother language is a prism that determines first notions of the world to a child. The umbilical cord between mother tongue and thought is inseparable. It is the mother tongue that represents the thought, culture and heritage of an individual. Scottish historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) called language "the body of thought." This implies that if a mother tongue is crushed, thoughts and ideas will inevitably die. About 6,800 mother languages are thought to exist today. But social, demographic and political factors are all contributing to their rapid disappearance. Language experts say that half of them are likely to disappear as smaller ethnic societies are gradually being assimilated into mainstream national and global cultures. For example, Middle Chulym is a language, now spoken by a handful of Siberian townsfolk (45 in number), has been integrated into the Russian language, and once the last fluent speaker dies, the language will be extinct. What is lost when a language is lost is another world, according to many language experts. Valuable ethnographic and cultural information disappears when a language dies, leaving a gap in understanding of the variable cognitive structures of which the human brain is capable. Studies of different languages have revealed vastly different ways of representing and interpreting the world. For instance, some native American and Australian aboriginal languages reveal a completely different understanding of the relationship between nature and human beings, and how it affects their lives. Language experts believe that as mother languages disappear, a few dominant languages will exist, such as English, French, Spanish and Chinese for commerce, education, science and culture in the world. The disappearance of mother languages will be a severe blow to linguistic diversity, cognitive science and cultural studies. Bangladesh is a multi-lingual country, although Bangla is overwhelmingly spoken in the country. The majority should ensure that indigenous languages of the tribal and adhivashi people in Bangladesh do not disappear. They must be promoted. Lingual variety will enrich our nation. Importance of Bangla
Language is an issue about which people of Bangladesh feel deeply, and rightly so. It represents the thought, culture and heritage of Bangladesh. Anyone who wishes to gain an insight into the conditions of life in Bangladesh, and to peer into social structures, cannot do better than to study Bangla language and literature. Of all the languages in South Asia, Bangla was the first to develop a literature of a very high order and still holds the model for other languages. Bangla is unique in the sense that it has many varieties of ways to describe an object. For example, in English, "eye" can be described in only one way, but in Bengali "eye" can be described in more than one way (akhi, nayan, chok, padmalochon etc). Bengali writers in the past and present have enriched the language by transfusing Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and English languages in it. Bangla was raised to its highest point by Rabindranath Thakur (Tagore) when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Have the ideals of the Martyrs' Day been fulfilled?
During almost 37 years of independence, the question for everyone is whether the authorities and civil society have achieved the real significance of the Day. The test lies in whether all people, irrespective of age and gender, can read and write. Free adult education is necessary for mature people, free education together with free learning equipment and school dress for poor children are imperative. In recent years, drop-out of poor students from schools (almost 50%) has become a big problem. Book fair
Since 1979, the Ekushey February Book Fair at the Bangladesh Academy premises has been held to honour the occasion. The fair will achieve its purpose if visitors to the bookstalls are able to buy good quality books. It is reported that during the first two-week period, only 69 serious books, but 259 novels and 141 storybooks came to the fair. Does it serve the purpose of the book fair? It has been argued by many that some publishers are out to make a quick profit by urging noted writers to write novels and love stories for the fair. Since the Bangla Academy has nothing to say on the quality of published books at the fair, it has arguably become a purely commercial venture, exploiting young minds and sentiments. Some argue that the very purpose of month-long Ekushey book fair is defeated by the cheap quality of many books, as they do not disseminate knowledge. Another difficulty is that all books are not available from one stall because each publisher has its own stall (300-400 stalls in the fair) and a buyer has to move around all the stalls to buy books of his/her choice. The need for cooperation or coordination among publishers has to be addressed for the benefit of book lovers. Another matter to be considered by the Academy is whether the book fair can be held in various parts of Dhaka metropolitan city for access to all, especially for the elderly who cannot stand for long in the queue to enter into the fair. Every Bangladeshi has a right to read books in Bangla. But Bangla books have become very expensive because the paper and other materials for publishing books are costly. The government may consider exempting tax and custom duties on printing paper and other materials so as to make books easily available to readers at an affordable price. Knowledge does not grow automatically. It needs to be carefully developed and nurtured. February 21 is more than a language movement for the people of Bangladesh. Many historians think that February 21 laid the seed of a separate state of Bangladesh on the basis of Bengali nationalism, that was aptly summed up by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib when he said: "I am Bengali, my nationalism is Bengali."
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