Medya News
Daily Review
Breaking News
Subscribe
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

Ekushey: The Bengali origins of International Mother Language Day

Bengali was accepted as an official language in Pakistan four years after the demonstrations that started on 21 February 1952 and left 19 students dead; a date that was later to be observed as the 'International Mother Language Day' all over the world.

9:53 am 21/02/2022
A A
Ekushey: The Bengali origins of International Mother Language Day
Share post

Sarah Glynn

Near the university in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, there is a striking concrete sculpture – the Shaheed Minar, or Martyr’s Monument. It was erected to remember those who lost their lives in the fight to get Bengali accepted as a state language of Pakistan, alongside Urdu. The fateful events marked by this monument took place on 21 and 22 February 1952, and, wherever there are Bengali communities, this day is commemorated as Ekushey – Twentyfirst.

In 1999, in honour of the Bengali struggle, UNESCO declared 21 February as International Mother Language Day.

When the British left India in August 1947, they divided this part of their former empire along religious lines into predominantly Hindu India and predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Pakistan was made up of two parts: West Pakistan, home to the new Pakistani government and its bureaucracy, and, far away on the other side of India, the Bengali speaking lands of East Pakistan.

The new state of Pakistan was troubled from the start, and it was not long before the people of the East began to feel that they had exchanged British colonialism for a new colonialism by West Pakistani elites. Like the Kurds in Turkey, they saw themselves as under an internal colonialism, and important in this was the colonialism of language.

The issue in Pakistan was the central government’s insistence that only Urdu would be recognised as a state language, effectively ensuring the continued dominance of the central areas of West Pakistan. Unlike in the Kurdish case, Bengali speakers were actually in the majority, as the population of East Pakistan was both more numerous and less ethnically diverse than that of the West, but it was the Urdu speakers who had the positions of power.

Before the end of 1947, students in East Pakistan were protesting plans to make Urdu the sole state language. In February 1948, an amendment that would have allowed the use of Bengali in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly was voted down. Growing protests culminated in a general strike on 11 March. Despite appearing to make concessions to the protesting students, the government soon made it clear that they had no intention of meeting the students’ central demand. Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself emphasised, on a visit to Dhaka, that “Urdu and Urdu alone shall be the state language of Pakistan”.

The language movement only grew, along with understanding of the new colonial relationship with West Pakistan. In 1952, after the Pakistani Prime Minister reiterated, in Dhaka, the government’s refusal to accept Bengali as a state language, there were strikes at Dhaka University, and a call was made for demonstrations across East Pakistan to be organised for 21 February. The government responded by banning all assemblies and demonstrations, but the students decided to defy the ban and go ahead with their plans.

On the 21st, thousands of students from different institutions gathered at Dhaka University. When they emerged from the campus, they were met with police batten charges; and when the students resisted, the police responded with live fire. Three students were fatally wounded, and a peon and a nine-year old boy also lost their lives to police fire.

This state violence was compounded the next day when the mourning procession was attacked by both the police and the army. At the end of these two days, nineteen students were dead. It was a terrible toll, but these events proved a key moment in a campaign that, four years later, culminated in the acceptance of Bengali as an official state language.

This wasn’t the end of course. Fifteen years later, in 1971, East Pakistan won independence, as Bangladesh, after a brutal liberation war. Freedom from the latest Bengali-speaking elites is still only a distant dream.


Share post
Tags: Trending

Related Posts

Syrian Democratic Forces capture thousands of ISIS members in ongoing operations

Syrian Democratic Forces capture thousands of ISIS members in ongoing operations

March 28, 2023
Visually impaired Kurdish man faces charges for reading ‘terrorist books’

Visually impaired Kurdish man faces charges for reading ‘terrorist books’

March 28, 2023
New testimonies confirm Kurdish civilians thrown from military helicopter in 2020

New testimonies confirm Kurdish civilians thrown from military helicopter in 2020

March 28, 2023
$20m cocaine shipment bound for Turkey seized at Peruvian port

$20m cocaine shipment bound for Turkey seized at Peruvian port

March 28, 2023
Medya News Daily Review: 28 March 2023

Medya News Daily Review: 28 March 2023

March 28, 2023
Amnesty International report on Turkey finds torture, further restrictions on rights, freedoms

Amnesty International report on Turkey finds torture, further restrictions on rights, freedoms

March 28, 2023

Videos

Medya News Daily Review: 28 March 2023
Daily Review

Medya News Daily Review: 28 March 2023

March 28, 2023

All News

Syrian Democratic Forces capture thousands of ISIS members in ongoing operations

Visually impaired Kurdish man faces charges for reading ‘terrorist books’

New testimonies confirm Kurdish civilians thrown from military helicopter in 2020

$20m cocaine shipment bound for Turkey seized at Peruvian port

Medya News Daily Review: 28 March 2023

Amnesty International report on Turkey finds torture, further restrictions on rights, freedoms

Medya News

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Subscribe
Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • World
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily Review
  • Breaking News
  • Newsletter
  • Authors
  • Podcast

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

Loading
Contact