Written by prominent columnist, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, the popular ‘Ekushey Song’ (Song of February 2t) was dedicated to his friends, who raised their voices against the oppression and laid down their lives to save our mother tongue – Bangla. Those who speak Bangla can never forget the day of February 21. Before making it through the International Mother Language Day, the Bengali language had to go through a bloody chapter in history, 70 years ago in 1952.
Rezaul Karim Reza explains.
Khawaja Nazimuddin in 1948.
“My Brothers’ Blood Spattered 21st February
Can I forget the Twenty – First February?”
The Language Movement
Just after the fall of the British Empire in the Indian Subcontinent, two new countries emerged on the world map: India and Pakistan. Pakistan had two wings – West Pakistan and East Pakistan (Bangladesh today). There were no land borders between the two wings of Pakistan, and there were huge linguistic and cultural differences among the people of the United Pakistan.
To eliminate the differences, especially the language, on March 21, 1948 in Dhaka, the founding father and then the Governor General of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared “Urdu and only Urdu” will be the state language of Pakistan. The declaration sparked protest among the predominantly Bengali speaking people, especially in East Pakistan where more than 90% of people used Bangla as their first language; whereas only 7% used Urdu as the first language.
But the Pakistani government did not move an inch from their decision on making Urdu the state language. On January 27, 1952 in Dhaka, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Nazimuddin, repeated Ali’s Urdu only policy and warned that there will be no compromise with it.
This time, people from all walks of life burst into anger. They demanded Bangla as the state language of East Pakistan. The angry protestors chanted ‘We Want Mother Tongue Bangla,’ bringing festoons and placards and marching through the roads. The students of Dhaka University called a General Strike on February 21, 1952.
When they brought out the procession on that day as planned, police reacted with massive crackdowns, including mass arrests and firing. Police killed several protestors and arrested many of their leaders.
As the news of the police brutality spread across the country, many more people gathered in the city of Dhaka and staged another protest rally. Again, police fired on and killed the protestors. Among the killings, Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Jabber, and Shafiur had been identified as the young students.
The Achievement
The significance of ‘Vasha Andolon’ or the language movement in 1952 left many a lasting legacy. In fact, the spirit of the movement embedded Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.
Today, the five students killed on that fateful day are recognized as ‘Language Martyr.’ In recognition of the sacrifice of the protestors for the language, a Martyr Monument has been erected on the spot of Dhaka University where they were shot dead. In addition, one of Asia’s largest book fairs known as ‘Ekushey Boy Mela’ or 21st February Book Fair is observed to commemorate the sacrifice of the protestors every year on February 21st in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
To remember the day, the most prestigious Bengali award, Ekusey Padak or 21st February Prize is given to many distinguished candidates for their contribution to certain fields, especially in linguistic and cultural diversity in the country every year.
Once a dying language, Bangla is now the world’s 7th most spoken language. The language movement motivated the people of East Pakistan to fight for their identity and a country of their own – Bangladesh. And it happened in 1971 – Bangladesh was born after a nine month bloody struggle.
The legacy of the language movement did not always stay within the country; after the independence of Bangladesh, the recognition of the language movement went beyond the border.
In 1999, the UNESCO announced that there should be an International Mother Language Day in reconnection of the struggle of the Bengali speaking people and their language – Bangla. The day has been observed to promote awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity around the world since its first observance in 2000.
As I read somewhere, learning a language is like discovering a new country, killing it could be losing a culture, a tradition, an identity, and a whole nation. But, Bangladesh survived both. Today, I take great pride in speaking Bangla as my mother tongue and living in an independent country – Bangladesh.
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