INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

An Introduction

Presented By Bangladeshi Student Association at the University of Connecticut To mark The 34 Independence Day of Bangladesh 26th March 2004
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International Mother Language Day

21 February, 2004 Bangladeshi Student Association-UConn
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Bangla Language Movement to remember those who sacrificed their lives in the name of protecting and preserving it from extinction in 1952. 21st February represents not only a movement to protect a nations right to speak its mother language but also its right to self-determination and independence. But the history of IMLD begins much earlier, in 1947. In 1947, British India was divided, giving birth to two independent nations India and Pakistan. The division was along religious lines with Pakistan being for Muslims. Pakistan had two provinces, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan), separated by a thousand miles of Indian Territory. Since its inception, there were significant problems in governance of the two provinces of Pakistan. Although the majority of Pakistans inhabitants lived in the Eastern province (70 million versus 40 million in West Pakistan), representation and resources were not fairly distributed. Apart from religion, there was little in common between these two Muslim provinces. The majority of East Pakistanis (known as Bangalis) spoke Bangla, while the West Pakistanis, on the other hand, spoke mainly Urdu and a number of other regional dialects.

(The symbol above reads as Ekushey in Bangla and is synonymous with International Mother Language Day).

The Story of International Mother Language Day

In recognition of the importance of linguistic diversity, UNESCO declared 21st February as International Mother Language Day (IMLD) in its 30th session of General Conference in 1999. The declaration was motivated by the current threat to linguistic diversity posed by globalization and as well as the tendency to use a single language in communication, at the risk of marginalizing the other languages. According to a UN report, there exist about 6000 languages used by people of the world today. Of these 6000 about 3000 are considered under threat of extinction mainly in the Americas, Australia and Pacific regions. The History Behind IMLD The history behind IMLD is intimately linked to the cultural history of a nation called Bangladesh, where on the 21st of February, 1952, tragic events took place that eventually shaped the history of this country located in South-East Asia. The sole purpose of this exhibition is to highlight the facts and introduce the Bangladeshi Student Association of UConn (BSA-UConn) to the University community. In early 1999, two Bangladeshi members of an organization called Mother Language Lovers of the World in Canada proposed the UNESCO to declare 21st February as an International Mother Language Day. In reply, the UNESCO informed that the proposal could only be entertained if it had officially been proposed by a member state. After a flurry of activities, the honble Prime Minister of Bangladesh authorized the Education Minister to send the proposal for IMLD to UNESCO. This enabled UNESCO to adopt the historic resolution in the long run. But why is 21st February as IMLD? Connection to Bangladesh 21st February, or Ekushey as known in Bangla (the mother language of Bangladeshis), is the day Bangladesh observes its

(Map of East and West Pakistan in 1947)

In 1948, the Founding President of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in a state address in East Pakistan announced that Urdu and only Urdu will be the only state language of Pakistan. This statement followed incessant efforts to impose Urdu as the state language of Pakistan with total disregard to the language spoken by the majority of Pakistanis Bangla. East Pakistanis had tenaciously maintained their right to speak and write Bangla despite the hundreds of years of colonialism. Soon a spontaneous mass uprising erupted with students from Dhaka University (Easts Pakistans breeding ground for political activism) leading the way to confront the administrations decision to suppress Bengali and coerce the non-Urdu speaking majority to speak a foreign language. This uprising is now commonly referred to as the Language Movement in Bangladesh. In course of time, students, politicians and intelligentsia of the East Pakistan banded together to implement Bangla as another official language enjoying the same status as Urdu in state governance. The language movement reached its climax in 1952 when student leaders decided to observe 21st February, as part of the movement, as Language Day. Peaceful strikes and processions were planned across the entire Eastern Province. However, as soon as the procession spilled into the main streets of Dhaka (the capital), police opened fire. A number of unarmed students died while many were injured on the spot.

estimated than more than a million lives were lost during that war. 26th March marks the Independence Day of Bangladesh.

(International Mother Language Day Celebration by UNESCO)

What does IMLD on 21st February represent today?

(Mass uprising in Bangladesh to protect the mother tongue)

The already disenchanted Bangalis were alarmed and infuriated by this action. Contrary to what the West Pakistani ruling Government had expected, the heavy-handed action galvanized the whole country into demanding Bangla as the state language alongside Urdu. Seeing this mass-agitation the Pakistani Government was forced to rescind its order of Urdu being the sole state language and included Bangla alongside. The seeds that were sown in this Language Movement eventually morphed into a nation-wide desire for selfgovernance for the East Pakistani Bengali people. After nineteen years of strife, tension and continual social injustice and economic exploitation inflicted by the pro-West Pakistani Government, a movement for independence struggle began in 1971.

In modern history, no other nation has perhaps had to struggle so much, shed so much blood, and yet be victorious to be able to hang on to their right to speak their mother tongue as Bangladesh. Because of this struggle, Bangla today occupies 7th position among the worlds 6000 languages in terms of the total number of speakers. UNESCO estimates that about 2 languages become extinct every month, most of them in Africa and the Americas. UNESCO chose 21st February as the most appropriate day to celebrate IMLD to highlight the history behind Language Movement of Bangladesh to the world. Today IMLD is celebrated worldwide in almost all member UN states. IMLD signifies the constant struggle that is needed for nations to protect their linguistic diversity.

(Police action on February 21, 1952, Bangladesh)

The movement was triggered by the massacre of innocent East Pakistani civilians by the well-armed Pakistani Army. The massacre of March 25, 1971, which started at mid-night, was a deplorable act of savagery that took the life of the poor sleeping under the open sky at night, the students and Faculty of Dhaka University and so many others. The civil war that was forced upon the East Pakistanis concluded in December 16, 1971 with the surrender of 93 thousand Pakistani soldiers giving birth to an independent nation called Bangladesh. It is

The Monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh to mark the sacrifices of those who died to protect Bangla (1952).

IMLD and 21st February today stand out as a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration for many nations and tribes in Africa, America, the Pacific and other parts of the world that are currently threatened with extinction of their mother

language. IMLD also represents the symbol of rapprochement and renewal of friendship between two provinces (West and East Pakistan) that separated violently as bitter enemies. Todays Pakistan (the Western Province), by virtue of being one the signatories to the IMLD and a member nation that seconded the IMLD proposal with 28 other countries, set a noble example of reconciliation between two diverse cultures and peoples.

(A Bangladeshi child reading a book in Bangla)

Acknowledgments: The Bangladeshi Student Association University of Connecticut (BSA-UConn) gratefully acknowledges the support received from the following people and organizations: 1) Undergraduate Student Council (USG) UConn. 2) UNESCO. 3) Prime Ministers Office, Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. 4) Professor Noam Chomsky, MIT. BSA-UConn takes sole responsibility for the views expressed in this document.

Web Links for further references: http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~ubsa (BSA-UConn Website) http://www.unesco.org http://www.february21.org http://www.Ekushey.org http://www.terralingua.org