International mother Language Day observed on February 21, is a day dedicated to celebrating, preserving and protecting the ‘mother tongue’ of all people. With an emphasis placed on ‘Indigenous people’s education and languages’ the global community decided that “Multi-lingual education – a necessity to transform education” as theme of the 2023 International Mother Language Day.
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999. It has been observed throughout the world since February 21, 2000, it was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly with the adoption of UN resolution 56/262 in 2002.The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, also recognize in particular article 27 concerning the rights of persons belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities. United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 47/135 of December 18, 1992 adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities to promote use of own language.
In addition to inspiring solidarity based on reciprocal engagement, tolerance, understanding, coherence, and respect within contemporary multicultural aspects, International Mother Language Day serves to raise awareness of and interest in linguistic and cultural heritage. The commitment of the Bangladeshis to preserve their mother tongue is the background of this acknowledgment.
The term “mother tongue” is used quite widely and carries a range of meaning. There are few other terms with similar meaning as ‘first language’, ‘heart (core) language’ and ‘native language’. To upheld the language of the heart, Bangladeshis’ demand to make it as the official language instead of Urdu, which is a foreign language they consider. The history of today’s international mother language day penetrated therefore.
After colonial India was declared Independence from the British in 1947, the region divided into two sections, based on ‘Two Nation theory’. Despite it had two geographically separate sections and very different from each other in the sense of culture and language.
Pakistan became a state of Islamic majority with east Pakistan (the present Bangladesh) and West Pakistan. In 1948, the Government of Pakistan declared Urdu to be the sole national language of Pakistan, even though Bengali or Bangla was spoken by the majority of people combining East and West Pakistan. Since the majority of the population’s mother tongue was Bangla, East Pakistan (Bangladesh) people revolted. In addition to Urdu, they urged that Bangla be at least one of the national languages, allowing for its continual use in official proceedings, as a medium of instruction, in the media, on currency notes and stamps, and for its writing to remain in the Bengali script. They demanded in addition to Urdu, Bangla to be at least one of the national languages and to allow its use in government affairs, the continuation of its use as a medium of education, its use in media, currency and stamps, and to maintain its writing in the Bengali script.
The demand was raised first by Dhirendranath Datta, an Assembly member, from East Pakistan on February 23, 1948, purposes a legislation in the constituent Assembly of Pakistan to allow members to speak in Bengali and authorize its use for official. However, the Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan and the Muslim League denounced the proposal as an attempt to divide the Pakistani populace, and thus the legislation was defeated. Thereafter the Governor General of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah, declared that “Urdu only and only Urdu” could be the common state language for both East and West Pakistan.
To demolish the agitation by people, the government of Pakistan outlawed public meetings and rallies. The students of the University of Dhaka, with the support of the general public, arranged massive rallies and meetings. On February 21, 1952, police opened fire on rallies. In this rare incident in history, Abdus Salam, Abul Barkat, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar and Shafiur Rahman lost their lives, with hundreds of others injured, The deaths provoked widespread civil unrest. The bloodshed over mother tongue immortalized Salaam, Barkat, Rafique and Jabbar, in whose memory Bangladesh observes Bhasha Shaheed Dibash every year on ‘Ekushe February’.
“Amaar bhayer rokte rangano Ekushe February/Aami ki bhulte pari… (My brothers gave their blood for February 21/How can I forget…).” The unforgotten battle for language cannot be forgotten in any language, while Bangla has deep root and blood sacrifices. To commemorate the dead, a national monument “The Martyr Tower (Shaheed Minar) has been built in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this monument was designed and built by Bangladeshi sculptors Hamidur Rahman in collaboration with Novera Ahmed. After years of conflict, the central government relented and granted official status to the Bengali language in 1956. There aren’t many examples of people giving up their lives to save their language, but this happened for Bangla. To remember the sacrifice made to salvage the language, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh proposed a day of observance be held worldwide in commemoration of the victims shot to death by police firing during peaceful demonstrations for the recognition of Bangla (Bengali) as the official language of Bangladesh.
The love and respect showed by the Bangla people inspired world community to speak and educate in their own language which the heart loved. However, Education in mother language does not mean creating communities that cannot communicate with each other and eroding national cohesion, as is often the concern of anti-multiculturalists. Moreover, it means the building linguistically mobile, bilingual, contemporary citizens in touch with their heritage and their citizenship in equal measure.
Although, still 40% of the population does not have access to education in a language they speak, understand and familiar with. But progress is being made in multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life. States are promoting to conserve ethnic language. Here, the International Mother Language Day impacts and inspires in the recognition of mother language that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion.
UNESCO encourages and promotes multilingual education based on mother tongue or first language. While learning in a student’s mother tongue, learning is quick and other languages could subsequently be introduced progressively. With this strategy, students whose mother tongue differs from the language of instruction can more easily make the transition from home to school, get a better understanding of the educational setting, and learn more effectively.
Mafruza Sultana
(Mafruza Sultana, PhD Candidate in International Law at South Asian (SAARC) University, New Delhi, India and Advocate Supreme Court of Bangladesh. She holds an LLM degree in International Law from the same institution. She has completed her graduation from Northern University of Bangladesh. She also holds PGD Course on Intellectual Property Rights and ‘International Law and Diplomacy’. Her (co-authored) last contribution of Maritime Terrorism has been published by brill (Baltic Yearbook of International Law, Vol.19). She also holds publication in Asian Journal of International Law (Vol. 10.2 & Vol.12). She also worked as Research Fellow, Centre for Genocide Studies, Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh, Project Supervisor of Latvian Maritime Academy, Latvia on “International Maritime Terrorism” & “Maritime Security of Small States: From the perspective of Coast Guard Development. )
