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THE country will observe the 53th anniversary of the immortal Shaheed Day (Language Martyrs' Day) tomorrow (February 21). Every year, the nation remembers those martyrs who had laid down their lives for the cause of their mother tongue -- Bangla.
With their courageous struggle for Bangla as a state language, not only the language got back its due recognition, but also the seeds of liberation were sown with the people getting ready for a broader movement. That movement culminated into the birth a sovereign nation.
Added to this, the great cause for which the language heroes laid down their lives so some years ago has received international recognition.
Bangla (or Bengali) is the mother tongue of Bangladesh, as well as the language of West Bengal, and is spoken by roughly two hundred million people. Bangla is an Indo-Aryan language, and a descendant of the ancient Sanskrit of the Indus Valley civilisation.
The word Bangla finds its root in "bang" (pronounced bong) to refer to a people of Dravidian stock, who were probably pushed out of their original lands by invading Aryans. The Aryans, in turn, used "banga" to mean the territory inhabited by the Bang tribe. There is mention of the region Bengal in the epic poem Mahabharata, which dates from circa 1000 BC, although it is not until the 6th century AD that an early written form of Bangla appears in ancient documents. Later, "bang" with its original meaning intact, was given the suffix meaning country, to become Bangladesh.
In 1947, the impetus for independence that had been building for many years culminated in the end the British rule, ending over two centuries of European hegemony. In the process, the land was divided along religious lines, forming India, and Pakistan. Pakistan, in turn, had two territories: West Pakistan, and separated by a thousand miles of Indian territory-- East Pakistan.
The hub of Pakistan's administration was in West Pakistan, and it was this administration that ruled over the majority presiding in the East.
From the beginning, there were quite a number of problems. Although the vast majority of Pakistan's population lived in the eastern province, representation and funding was not appropriately rationed, and in general there seemed little interest on the part of the government to assess and meet the needs of that region. Culturally too, there were rifts. Apart from a common religion, Islam, those in the west and east had nothing in common.
Their languages and cultural heritage were distinct - the majority in East Pakistan spoke Bangla (embraced by roughly 55 per cent of Pakistanis at the time), and had strong cultural ties with the West Bengalis of India. West Pakistanis, on the other hand, spoke a number of regional dialects; the official language Urdu, a relatively new dialect formed from a fusion of Hindi and Parsi, was native to only six per cent of Pakistanis. West Pakistanis identified closely with the Arab cultures of the Middle East.
In 1948, after the government of the new Pakistan was formed under Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Urdu was made the soul state language. Efforts were made to have it universally spoken, an order that was insensitive to the East Pakistanis who had tenaciously maintained their right to speak and write in Bangla in spite of hundreds of years of foreign invasion. The students of Dhaka University spontaneously opposed, and the Language Movement was born.
Students, politicians and the intelligentsia banded together in a move to implement Bangla as a second official language, alongside Urdu, and the state language of East Pakistan. Jinnah, and his successor Nazimuddin were vehemently opposed to allowing this. As a result, the movement continued to gain momentum, until its climax in 1952.
Early in February 1952, student leaders decided that February 21st would be celebrated as State Language Day. Peaceful strikes and processions were scheduled across the state. Upon hearing of the plans, the government cited Section 144 prohibiting large public gatherings. The students violated the code, and a peaceful procession was launched on the morning of the 21st. As soon as the procession left the premises of the Dhaka University campus and spilled into main streets, the police opened fire, and consequently, a number of unarmed students died and many were injured.
The already-disenchanted Bengalis were alarmed and continued to show their anger and agitation. Seeing this, the government made the gesture of declaring Bangla as the state language of East Pakistan and a second state language with Urdu, in April of that year. The gesture came far too late, for the agitation for recognition was sweeping the vast state. It culminated into a movement for independence that was to carry the state through nineteen years of strife and civil war, before Bangladesh was born in 1971.
In the world's history, no other nation has had to struggle so much, shed so much blood, to be able to hang onto their right to speak their mother tongue.
The United Nations Education and Scientific Cooperation Organisation (UNESCO) declared 21st February as The International Mother Language Day to be observed globally in recognition of the sacrifices of the Bangla language martyrs who laid their lives for establishing the rightful place of Bangla.
The proclamation came in the form of a resolution unanimously adopted at the plenary of the UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris in November 1999. In its resolution the UNESCO said : 21st February be proclaimed International Mother Language Day throughout the world to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on this very day in 1952.
It is a great tribute and glowing homage paid by the international community to the language martyrs of Bangladesh. The genesis of the historic Language Movement which ensued since September 1947 with the students in the vanguard backed by intellectuals, cultural activists and patriotic elements was the first spurt of Bangalee nationalistic upsurge culminating in the sanguinary events of February 21, 1952 and finally leading to the war of Liberation in 1971.
The UNESCO in its resolution said the recognition was given bearing in mind that all moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness about linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.
Henceforth, United Nations member countries around the world observe 21st February as the International Mother Language Day. The historic 21st February (Ekushey February) has, thus, assumed new dimension. The sacrifices of Rafiq, Salam, Jabbar, Barkat and other martyrs as well as of those tortured and repressed by the then authoritarian government of Pakistan for championing the cause of their mother tongue have received now a new recognition by the November 1999 resolution of the UNESCO.
What is needed at this stage that Bangla language and literature should be enriched through basic research and writings. Bangla Academy has done a commendable job by publishing some research works. Yet the country's researchers, litterateurs, writers and poets should contribute to the enrichment of the mother tongue through their writings.
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