INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY: 21 FEBRUARY
“If you talk to a man in the language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” ~ Nelson Mandela
Language is a pure form of communication for human beings. According to internet data, there are approximately 6500 languages spoken and recognised all over the world. India contributes 121 of them, out of which 22 are officially recognised. Isn’t it amazing and mind-blowing that the probability of the mother language of the reader and the author being different is 99 percent. It is unique in the history that there was a struggle by a nation to keep the mother language alive.
The credit to celebrate International Mother Language Day can be given to Bangladesh. After the partition of India, there was a cultural and linguistic clash between East and West Pakistan. Urdu was declared as national language on 1948 which was not accepted by the Bengali speaking majority in East Pakistan. The East Pakistan had demanded that Bangla be one of the national language and it was raised first by Dhirendranath Datta from East Pakistan on 23 February 1948, in the constituent Assembly of Pakistan which was followed by series of protests in the coming years.
In February 1952 various protests were organised by University of Dhaka which included rallies and public meetings. The Government of Pakistan outlawed such activities to curb the situation. This movement came to be known as The Bengali Language Movement. On 21 February 1952, police opened fire on one of the rallies which resulted in deaths and injured hundreds of people The Bangladeshis observed this day as one of the tragic days and built Shaheed Minar in memory of the martyrs. International Mother Language Days is declared a national holiday in Bangladesh. On 17 December 1999, UNESCO resolved that 21 February be proclaimed International Mother Language day throughout the world. Rafiq Islam proposed the date as 21 February to commemorate the 1952 killings in Dhaka during the Language Movement.
The theme of the 2022 International Mother Language Day, “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”, will discuss the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.”
Language movements in India can also be observed since Mughal period. Although it has no significance with the celebration of Mother Language Day, the history of language movements can be seen in India also. One of the example is the Tamil movement when Hindi was declared as the official language of India. It can be well noted that the mother language do bring us closer to community and the place where it all began. This sense of belongingness gives us pride and unites us.
It is scientifically proven that an individual learns faster, retains and understands the concept when he/ she is taught in mother language. It is natural that the first word one speaks and learn is the mother tongue. It is important that as a young leader, one must understand the power of using mother language. The concept of using mother language to communicate should be exploited in a positive manner to make progress in our objective. We all must respect each and every language. It is difficult to understand and be proficient in multiple languages but it is also not an impossible task. There had been many a living example of individuals speaking multiple languages. This 21st February, let’s celebrate the International Mother Language Day and honor the sacrifices in the name of Mother Language and learn a new language.
– Maj Daniel Chabungbam
