Indomitable Ekushey

As we observe the 70th anniversary of the historic Ekushey February, which in 1952 saw the culmination of a bloody struggle for the state recognition of Bangla language, we humbly recall the sacrifices made by the martyrs and all those who were engaged in the fight to put Bangla in its rightful place, and establish our right to talk, write and conduct official work in our mother tongue. It is a tribute to the martyrs—and a matter of pride for us—that February 21 has been recognised as the International Mother Language Day by Unesco.

But along with the joy of recognition and all the festivities comes a troubling question: Have we done enough to fulfil the dreams of our language fighters and martyrs? We often forget that Ekushey February had laid the foundation of our nationhood based on mother language. But has Bangla been given its rightful place in the country? Have other mother languages that exist here? In fact, one would not be remiss in suggesting that Bangla, as the official language of Bangladesh, has suffered from neglect at all levels. One notices with regret the lack of use of Bangla in official communications and correspondences. While no one can take issue with acquiring proficiency in a second language—which, in our case, is English— the poor treatment that Bangla is routinely accorded is a far cry from the vision we so proudly embraced in 1952.

Although the High Court Division issued a rule on February 17, 2014 for use of Bangla at all levels, offices and forums in the country—and there happens to be a Bangla Language Implementation Act, 1987—Bangla still suffers from abject neglect. Admittedly, it is a matter that neither a judicial decree nor an act of parliament can help resolve. It has to be internalised by all of us, and ingrained in our collective psyche. Only then can Bangla be fully established as a national language.

We believe that learning Bangla should be made compulsory at all levels and facilities should be provided to pursue higher education in Bangla, which—given the current condition in which Bangla books of references are few and far between—is well-nigh impossible to do. We should also not lose sight of the fact that there are a number of ethnic groups who have their own languages. They have the equal right to use their mother languages. And there can be no better tribute to the martyrs than helping them nurture their native languages.