International Mother Language
International
Mother Language Day is an
observance held annually on 21 February worldwide to promote awareness of
linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. It was first announced by UNESCO on
17 November 1999. Its observance was also formally recognized by the United Nations
General Assembly in
its resolution establishing 2008 as the International Year
of Languages. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of Languages,
pursuant to a resolution of UNESCO .The resolution also reaffirmed
the need to achieve full parity among the six official languages on United
Nations websites. International Mother Language Day originated as the
international recognition of Language Movement Day, which has been commemorated in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) since 1952, when a number of Dhaka University students were
killed by the Pakistani police and army in Dhaka during Bengali Language Movement protest. TheLanguage
Movement was a political effort
in Bangladesh (then
known as East Pakistan), advocating the
recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of Pakistan.
When the state of Pakistan was formed in
1947, its two regions, East Pakistan (also called East Bengal) and West Pakistan, were split along
cultural, geographical, and linguistic lines. In 1948, the Government of Pakistan ordained Urdu as the sole national language, sparking
extensive protests among the Bengali-speaking majority of East Pakistan. Facing
rising sectarian tensions and mass discontent with the new law, the government
outlawed public meetings and rallies. The students of the University of Dhaka and other political
activists defied the law and organised a protest on 21 February 1952. The
movement reached its climax when police killed student demonstrators on that
day. The deaths provoked widespread civil unrest led by the Awami Muslim League. After years of
conflict, the central government relented and granted official status to the
Bengali language in 1956. In 2000, UNESCO declared 21 February International
Mother Language Day for the whole world to celebrate, in
tribute to the Language Movement and the ethno-linguistic rights of people
around the world. The Language Movement catalysed the assertion of Bengali
national identity in Pakistan, and became a forerunner to Bengali nationalist
movements, including the 6-point movement and subsequently the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. In Bangladesh, 21
February is observed as Language Movement Day, a
national holiday. The Shaheed Minar monument was constructed near Dhaka
Medical College in memory of the movement and its victims.
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