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Background of Ekushey Feb.
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UNESCO Proclamation
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Ekushey Padak 2004 |
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Bangla the International Mother Language Day |
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Ekushey February Ekushey February has come back like in every year to take us back in the memory lane to the remembrance of the events in that spring in 1952, when the language martyrs gave their lives to defend the honour of their mother tongue or the Bengali language. On this day in 1952, Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiq and Jabbar laid down their lives on the streets of Dhaka for the cause of mother tongue Bangla. Their sacrifices paved the way for snatching liberty from erstwhile Pakistan in 1971. Amar Ekushey February attained greater glory being recognised as International Mother Language Day with the UNESCO declaration on November 17, 1999. People across the globe also commemorated the day as Ekushey became a byword for universal struggle for right to language and cultural heritage of all nationalities in the world. Over 250 million people of the world speak in Bengali and some 188 countries around the world observed 21st February as the International Mother Language Day. On this day in 1952 the simple sons of the soil but heroic and majestic in their spirit raised their voice to resist a malintention that sought to degrade our language and culture through imposition of the alien language replacing our own language and culture. They reacted spontaneously to the awful insult and came out in protest in the roads of Dhaka city and embraced martyrdom as bullets were fired on them by the police at the instruction of the then rulers. But the sacrifices of the slain were not for nothing. They became the beloved language martyrs and underlined with their blood the indispensability of preserving our national identity, our language, our culture and hence the supreme necessity to achieve our total freedom and sovereignty over our own affairs. Thus, Ekushey February became the fountain-head of our inspiration to struggle onwards towards complete independence and nationhood. The language martyrs were among the finest sons of this country as they were pulsated by the highest and noblest feelings of patriotism and high idealism. They were the true sons of the soil and nothing but love for the land of their birth and up bring, its way of life and living inspired their utterly selfless actions. |
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