February, the month of language movement begins today (Wednesday). On this august month, we are paying tributes to the valiant sons of the soil who were killed during the language movement in 1952. The Bengali nation achieved the dignity of their mother tongue on 21 February, 1952 through the supreme sacrifices made by Salam, Shafiq, Barkat, Rafique and others during a massive movement. It is a matter of dignity for the nation as only the Bengali people have sacrificed lives for establishing Bangla as a state language.
21st February is also recognized as the International Mother Language Day. The language movement had paved the ways of the country’s independence to all achievements.
On March 24 in 1948, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the governor general of Pakistan at a special convocation at Dhaka University, had announced that “Urdu and only Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan”. Such announcement infuriated the students of University of Dhaka, other educational institutions and the people, irrespective of religion, caste and creed of the then East Pakistan. Since then, the struggle for establishment of mother tongue spread among the Bangali people.
The language movement
had paved the ways of the
country’s independence
After 19 years of the Language Movement, the country achieved its cherished independence on December 16, 1971 in exchange of the lives of three million martyrs and the honour of two lakh women. Therefore, the historic Amar Ekushey still works as a source of inspiration to the countrymen.
Commemorating the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives on 21 February 1952 for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue, Amar Ekushey Book Fair is arranged every year in February. But, in 2020, the traditional book fair began on February 2 due to elections to the two Dhaka city corporations while the fair was differed till March 18 in 2021 and February 15 in 2022 due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
However, this year after a three-year interval, the traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2023 begins on its Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises according to the traditional date of the first day of February. And Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2023 today. So, showing utmost respect to the language martyrs, the government, should implement the introduction of Bangla at all levels