Raise your hands if you already knew about the day and came here to collect some additional information. Oh, I can see a handful of you raising your hands. Well, this isn't your fault. As a matter of fact, we often fail to observe a lot of significant days with an invaluable message for society, let alone International Mother Language Day! In this article, we will go in-depth to understand the day well. We will open the history books to understand its origin and come all the way to 2023. It will be a long journey, so fasten up your seatbelts! International Mother Language Day
Origin of the International Mother Language Day:To understand the present, you need to know the past. So let me give you a gist of the event that led to the celebration of the day. The time runs back to 1947 when India and Pakistan were divided into two separate nations. Pakistan was further bifurcated into West (present-day Pakistan) and East (present-day Bangladesh) Pakistan, respectively. The government of Pakistan, led by Liaquat Ali Khan, proposed Urdu to be the official language for both parts of the country. The decision, however, didn't go well with the Bangla-speaking majority in the Eastern province. The people in the east started protesting and demanded the Bangla language be instilled as an official language, along with Urdu. The issue was raised by a Bangla lawyer and activist, Dhirendranath Datta. The demands were disregarded by the government of Pakistan, and the protests were crushed. The visit of Jinnah and other leaders couldn't silence the people from raising their concerns about their language. The fight to preserve their mother tongue led to a movement that would turn the course of history forever.On 21 February 1952, numerous students started gathering at the gates of the University of Dhaka in an attempt to defy Section 144 imposed in the area. The temperature escalated, and the police used tear gas as a warning before opening fire at the students. About 29 people died on the day, many of whom were students. It was one of the limited events in history where people gave up their life for linguistic reasons. Since 1955, people in east Pakistan started observing 21 February as the Language Movement Day or the "Bhasha Andolon Dibos" as a tribute to the movement and the martyrs. In 1999, UNESCO officially accepted the day as International Mother Language Day.Significance of the day:Our language is one of our core identities. It connects us to our culture, our people, and our history. The event of 1952 was unfortunate, but it left us with an important message: To safeguard our identity, we must safeguard our language! It is essential to promote and maintain the cultural and linguistic differences within a society for the overall development of a nation. The aim of celebrating the day is simple; to embrace the differences among us, to preserve and promote linguistic diversity, and to make quality education accessible to children in their mother tongue. The theme of International Mother Language Day 2023:The theme of International Mother Language Day for this year is “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education.” The focus is on enhancing multilingual education for children from early childhood. In the ever-changing world, it has become more important than ever for people to connect to their roots through language and education. Various languages are slowly disappearing from the world, and to avoid complete exile, UNESCO has kept the theme for 2023 to maneuver education as a means for the survival of different languages. International Mother Language Day
What's next for us?As concerned citizens of the country and responsible souls for tomorrow, it is our duty to uphold our language with pride and learn it with passion. We should take enough gratification in using our mother tongue in our day-to-day life. With globalization, a lot of indigenous languages and cultures are passing into oblivion, which is unfortunate for everyone. We have seen the consequences of repressing one's mother tongue, so on this International Mother Language Day, let us all vow to learn our languages and use them as and when required to avoid another martyrdom of 1952.For more updates keep visiting our website www.topstoriesworld.com where we provide unbiased, true, and top stories of the world.
International Mother Language Day
Origin of the International Mother Language Day:
To understand the present, you need to know the past. So let me give you a gist of the event that led to the celebration of the day.
The time runs back to 1947 when India and Pakistan were divided into two separate nations. Pakistan was further bifurcated into West (present-day Pakistan) and East (present-day Bangladesh) Pakistan, respectively. The government of Pakistan, led by Liaquat Ali Khan, proposed Urdu to be the official language for both parts of the country. The decision, however, didn't go well with the Bangla-speaking majority in the Eastern province. The people in the east started protesting and demanded the Bangla language be instilled as an official language, along with Urdu. The issue was raised by a Bangla lawyer and activist, Dhirendranath Datta.
The demands were disregarded by the government of Pakistan, and the protests were crushed. The visit of Jinnah and other leaders couldn't silence the people from raising their concerns about their language. The fight to preserve their mother tongue led to a movement that would turn the course of history forever.
On 21 February 1952, numerous students started gathering at the gates of the University of Dhaka in an attempt to defy Section 144 imposed in the area. The temperature escalated, and the police used tear gas as a warning before opening fire at the students. About 29 people died on the day, many of whom were students. It was one of the limited events in history where people gave up their life for linguistic reasons.
Since 1955, people in east Pakistan started observing 21 February as the Language Movement Day or the "Bhasha Andolon Dibos" as a tribute to the movement and the martyrs. In 1999, UNESCO officially accepted the day as International Mother Language Day.
Significance of the day:
Our language is one of our core identities. It connects us to our culture, our people, and our history. The event of 1952 was unfortunate, but it left us with an important message: To safeguard our identity, we must safeguard our language!
It is essential to promote and maintain the cultural and linguistic differences within a society for the overall development of a nation. The aim of celebrating the day is simple; to embrace the differences among us, to preserve and promote linguistic diversity, and to make quality education accessible to children in their mother tongue.
The theme of International Mother Language Day 2023:
The theme of International Mother Language Day for this year is “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education.” The focus is on enhancing multilingual education for children from early childhood. In the ever-changing world, it has become more important than ever for people to connect to their roots through language and education. Various languages are slowly disappearing from the world, and to avoid complete exile, UNESCO has kept the theme for 2023 to maneuver education as a means for the survival of different languages.
International Mother Language Day
What's next for us?
As concerned citizens of the country and responsible souls for tomorrow, it is our duty to uphold our language with pride and learn it with passion. We should take enough gratification in using our mother tongue in our day-to-day life. With globalization, a lot of indigenous languages and cultures are passing into oblivion, which is unfortunate for everyone. We have seen the consequences of repressing one's mother tongue, so on this International Mother Language Day, let us all vow to learn our languages and use them as and when required to avoid another martyrdom of 1952.
For more updates keep visiting our website www.topstoriesworld.com where we provide unbiased, true, and top stories of the world.
