[🇧🇩] 21st February---Our Language Movement Day

[Saif]

Date of Event: Feb 21, 2025

Source : https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/president-ca-pay-homage-language-heroes-3829691 Short Summary: Remembering our language movement.

President, CA pay homage to language heroes

Photo: PID

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus have paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement, marking the Amar Ekushey and the International Mother Language Day.

They separately paid homage by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital after 12:01am today, reports BSS.

The president and chief adviser stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the Language Heroes.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan welcomed them upon their arrival at the Central Shaheed Minar.

Advisers to the interim government, chief justice, chiefs of the three services, freedom fighters, diplomats and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.

Photo: Rashed Shumon/Star

Later, the Shaheed Minar was opened to the public when hundreds of people from all walks of life placed flowers to recall the supreme sacrifice of the language heroes on this day in 1952.

The day will also be observed around the world since UNESCO recognised the 21st February (Ekushey February) as the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999.

This year's UNESCO topic of the day is "Make Languages Count for Sustainable Development".

Earlier, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today issued a message paying rich tribute to people of all languages in the world, including Bangla, on the occasion of the great Martyrs' Day and the International Mother Language Day-2025.

In his message, he said the Bengali nation, which had endured centuries of enslavement and domination, achieved its first victory in its struggle for independence on February 21, 1952.

The language movement holds special significance in the history of the Bengali nation's liberation movement, he added.

Photo: Rashed Shumon/Star

The day's programmes include: paying respect to language martyrs by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar beside Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and other local Shaheed Minars across the country at one minute past zero hour, holding discussions highlighting the significance of February 21, wearing black badge, keeping national flag half mast, hoisting black flag atop the buildings, paying tributes to the martyr's graves in City's Azimpur and bringing out "Provat Feri".

The day is a public holiday.

In observance of the day, the Central Shaheed Minar premises was decorated with paintings, graffiti, buntings and selected verses in the mother language.

Tight security measures have been enforced around the Central Shaheed Minar, its adjoining areas and Azimpur graveyard of the language martyrs.

Different political, social, cultural, professional bodies have taken various programmes including cultural functions to observe the Amar Ekushey in a befitting manner.

The national flags will be kept half-mast at all the buildings of government, semi-government, autonomous and private organisations and educational institutions.

All educational institutions, local government bodies, district and upazila administrations, Bangladesh missions abroad will take proper measures to observe the day.

Fateha and Qurankhwani will be offered at Azimpur graveyard and special prayers will be arranged at mosques and all other places of prayers across the country seeking eternal peace of the souls of the language martyrs.

On the occasion, road islands and other important places in the capital will be decorated with festoons inscribed with letters of different languages including Bangla.

Public and private media will air special programme while newspapers will publish special supplements marking the day.

Bangladesh missions abroad will organise different programmes, including placing wreaths at Shaheed Minar, discussions on Bangabandhu and Language Movement, and book and photo exhibitions where diplomats of different countries and Bangladeshi expatriates will join.

Marking the day, Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Kabi Nazrul Institute, National Book Centre, Islamic Foundation, Bangladesh National Museum, Department of Archaeology, Department of Public Libraries, International Mother Language Institute, Department of Archives and Library, Bangladesh Folk Art and Crafts Foundation, Bangladesh Shishu Academy, Small Ethnic Groups Cultural Institute, three districts in hill tracts, Tribal Cultural Academy in Birishiri of Netrokona, Rajshahi Divisional Ethnic Minority Cultural Academy (RDEMCA), Manipuri Lalitkala Academy, Cox's Bazar Cultural Centre and other organisations and institutions will organise various events.

On February 21 in 1952, Salam, Rafique, Shafique, Jabbar and Barkat embraced martyrdom in police firing in front of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) as they took to the street to intensify the campaign to establish Bangla as the state language of the then Pakistan, sowing the seeds of subsequent movements for the country's independence.

They were killed as police opened fire on students demonstrating under the All-Party Students Action Committee against conspiracies of Pakistani rulers to declare "Urdu" as the only state language.

The movement for Bangla, however, did not stop and Pakistan government on February 29, 1956 was compelled to recognise Bangla as one of the state languages besides Urdu.

The decision, however, could not stop the movement against repression and misrule of Pakistani government that subsequently led the Bangalee to the War of Independence and the emergence of Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

Language movement awakens sense of nationalism, unity: Tarique

Tarique prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls of the 1952 language martyrs and extended his condolences to the members of their bereaved families

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Language movement awakens sense of nationalism, unity: Tarique

BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman has described February 21 as an unforgettable chapter of the nation's history and said the great language movement always awakens the sense of nationalism and unity.

"The language movement awakens our sense of nationalism and unity. The great language movement is the first step towards achieving the nation's freedom movement," he said in a Facebook post last afternoon marking the International Mother Language Day.

Tarique said, "On the blood-stained February 21, Dhaka University students shed their fresh blood to protect our mother tongue. Many including Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, and Jabbar sacrificed lives on that day."

He said February 21 is now observed as the International Mother Language Day around the globe.

Tarique added, "Language movement in 1952 intensified the path towards the country's all democratic and self-determination struggles, ultimately leading to our national independence through a bloody war. The people were freed from shackles and regained a sovereign land."

"Despite the country's independence, authoritarian forces continue to conspire to impose their dominance over our language and culture, with an aim to serve a particular group, so that we cannot stand tall in the global community," he said.

However, the people of this country have consistently resisted both the domestic and foreign conspiracies with unprecedented courage, he added.

"In order to prevent the nation from being suppressed, we must work together to strengthen and sustain justice, human equality, and true democracy," he said, adding, "The democratic forces, which believe in independence and sovereignty, must remain vigilant to ensure that none can ever imprison the democracy in harsh shackles."

"The undying spirit of February 21 will inspire us in this endeavour," he said.

Now, with the recognition of February 21 as International Mother Language Day, the movement has been established globally as symbol of preserving the dignity of the mother tongue, Tarique said, wishing success of various programmes being taken by different social, cultural, and political organisations marking the day.

Tarique prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls of the 1952 language martyrs and extended his condolences to the members of their bereaved families.​

 

[Saif]

A forgotten hero of the Language Movement

The nation will observe International Mother Language Day today, and pay tributes to the heroes of our Language Movement.

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A forgotten hero of the Language Movement

The nation will observe International Mother Language Day today, and pay tributes to the heroes of our Language Movement.

Yet, question remains, do we remember all our language heroes? Have they all been recognised by the state for their valour and contributions?

Like Saleha Begum, a hero of the Language Movement in Mymensingh, who passed away on August 19, 2004, without receiving any state recognition for her contributions.

Even, her expulsion from Mymensingh Muslim Girls High School for her leadership and involvement in the movement was not revoked.

The incident of Saleha's expulsion from the school for joining a procession and hoisting black flag on February 21, 1952, has been mentioned in page 124 of "Ekusher Smrity", a book published by Prothoma Prokashon.

Saleha's daughter Syeda Farida Akther, and son Syed Shakeel Ahad, spoke to this correspondent about the life and struggles of her mother.

Born in Pirojpur sub-division on September 24, 1935, to AM Ashraf Ali, the then sub-registrar of the sub-division, and Monirunnesa Khatun, Saleha was the third of five siblings.

She continued her studies in Mymensingh under patronage of her maternal uncle, CA Mannan, who was an officer of Forest Department in the district.

In 1952, during the Language Movement, the Rashtrabhasha Chhatra Sangram Parishad organised protests against the killings of students in Dhaka.

Saleha, a student of Mymensingh Muslim Girls High School, joined the procession in Mymensingh on February 21. In solidarity with the movement, she lowered the national flag at her school, cut her burqa to make a black flag, and hoisted it.

This act angered the school authorities, and, on the orders of the local magistrate DK Pawar, Saleha was expelled.

Four days later, on February 25, Saleha was forced to leave school, marking the end of her formal education.

Despite the setback, she moved to Moulvibazar's Kulaura and dedicated herself to teaching at Kulaura Girls High School, serving without pay for four years.

A passionate advocate for education, Saleha established "Boyshko Nari Shiksha Kendra" in Kishoreganj in 1976-1977, at her in-laws' home, to enhance literacy among elderly women in the region.

She passed away in 2004, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and dedication to the Language Movement and education.

"Our family continued efforts to have my mother's expulsion order rescinded, including recent petitions submitted to the Mymensingh divisional commissioner. The acknowledgment of her contribution to the Language Movement, even posthumously, remains a long-standing demand from our family," Ahad said.

"My mother's story is not just one of personal sacrifice but also of perseverance. Despite the obstacles she faced, including being denied further education and subjected to social and familial ostracism, she continued to serve her community through teaching. She later founded an educational institution to empower others, particularly girls, with education," said Farida.

Ahad said there have been efforts made by local authorities, including an order issued by the Mymensingh divisional commissioner's office in 2020, to revoke the expulsion order. However, the action has yet to be fully implemented, he added.

Bulbul Khan Mahbub, a language movement hero and freedom fighter from Tangail, said he came to know about the bravery of Saleha from his elder sister Sophiya Khan, who was the headteacher at Mymensingh Muslim Girls High School in 1952.

"As we continue to honour the memory of the Language Movement, it is essential to ensure that all those like Saleha Begum are given their rightful place in history," Mahbub added.​

 

[Saif]

Bangladeshi musicians reach Paris to commemorate Language Movement with UNESCO

Bangladeshi musicians are all set to perform at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris as part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations of International Mother Language Day. The prestigious two-day event, marking the silver jubilee of this significant recognition, will take place later today and tomorrow.

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Bangladeshi musicians reach Paris to commemorate Language Movement with UNESCO

Photo: Collected

Bangladeshi musicians are all set to perform at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris as part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations of International Mother Language Day. The prestigious two-day event, marking the silver jubilee of this significant recognition, will take place later today and tomorrow.

Cultural adviser and filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki shared a series of pictures on social media, capturing the enthusiasm of the performers. "The Bangladesh cultural team at the UNESCO headquarters today. I am sure they will get you enthralled tomorrow evening, Paris time: 6:15pm," he wrote, expressing confidence in the team's ability to showcase Bangladesh's rich cultural heritage on a global stage.

International Mother Language Day, officially recognised by UNESCO in 1999, has been observed across United Nations member states since February 21, 2000. This year's celebrations hold special significance as they commemorate 25 years of the recognition of Ekushey February, a day that honours the sacrifices made for the preservation of the Bengali language during the Language Movement of 1952.

The event will feature a series of cultural performances and discussions. Professor Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government, has been invited as the guest of honour and will deliver a virtual address. Additionally, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki will engage in a ministerial-level discussion alongside representatives from various member states.

A talented group of musicians, including Islam Uddin Palakar, "Kotha Ko" famed rapper Shezan, Shunno's Imrul Karim Emil, and the all-female ethnic community band F Minor, along with Parsha Mahjabeen, Tuntun Baul, Jalal, Mithun Chakra, and Jahid Nirob, are in Paris. Their performances will honour Bangladesh's linguistic and cultural legacy.

Islam Uddin Palakar will deliver a fusion performance featuring Shezan's song "Kotha Ko" alongside a tribute to the Language Movement of 1952. Parsha Mahjabeen and Tuntun Baul will present the Lalon Geeti classic "Jaat Gelo". Emil is scheduled to perform "Shono Mohajon," while F Minor's vocalists, Pinky Chiran and Parsha Mahjabeen, will sing "Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano" in Noagri, Garo, Chakma, and Bangla. Additionally, Islam Uddin Palakar will perform the renowned pala "Pashan Mon Re".

The event performances have been directed by filmmaker Tanim Noor, with musical direction led by Jahid Nirob. A documentary featuring writer-researcher Badruddin Umar and language movement veteran Tahmina Saleh, directed by Tanim Noor, will also be screened.

This momentous celebration is supported by the Embassy of Bangladesh in Paris, France, and serves as a significant opportunity to showcase the nation's rich cultural traditions while reinforcing the importance of linguistic diversity and heritage on a global platform.​

 

[Saif]

Bangla still largely out of public sphere

The use of Bangla is still largely out of the public sphere despite legal mandates...

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Bangla still largely out of public sphere
M Moneruzzaman 21 February, 2025, 00:36

The use of Bangla is still largely out of the public sphere despite legal mandates.

English is still dominating court proceedings, signboards, and official documents.

Besides, distortion of Bangla is continuing as authorities fail to enforce laws designed to protect and promote its appropriate use.

Most of the verdicts and orders from the Appellate Division and the High Court continue to be issued in English, while lawyers continue to submit petitions in English despite amendments to Appellate Division rules and High Court Division rules and allowing petitions to be filed in Bangla.

Private entities and commercial establishments widely use English on nameplates and signage, while dramas, serials, and radio programs frequently distort Bangla language.

Jurist Shahdeen Malik told New Age that the lack of proper legal vocabulary prevents the full adoption of Bangla in courts.

‘That is why, despite our wishes, we cannot use Bangla as the court language,’ he said.

Shahdeen emphasised the need for Bangla Academy to systematically translate legal and academic texts from English into Bangla.

He, however, said that many existing translations failed to convey accurate meaning, further complicating the transition.

‘Bangla has been distorted in dramas and across social media because of a lack of quality content,’ he added.

Enforcing Bangla as the state language cannot happen overnight, Shahdeen said and added that English remained essential for legal and official purposes as it had become a universal language in the modern world.

Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain, a judge of the High Court Division, has been delivering verdicts and orders in Bangla since his elevation to the bench on April 18, 2010.

He told New Age that willingness alone was enough to implement Bangla in court decisions.

‘Writing verdicts in Bangla takes more time than in English, but it is not difficult,’ he said and added that bench officers lacked training to take dictation in Bangla.

Supreme Court lawyer Md Eunus Ali Akond noted that a 2014 High Court directive mandating the use of Bangla in hoardings, signboards, nameplates, and vehicle number plates had been widely ignored.

The order, pronounced in Bangla, was issued in response to his public interest writ petition but the government had not responded to the ruling, and subsequent High Court benches had shown little interest in enforcing it.

The court also sought an explanation for the government’s failure to implement the Bangla Language Introduction Act 1987. Despite this law, English continues to dominate Supreme Court proceedings, the Supreme Court Bar Association, and even nameplates and signboards within the judiciary.

In 1987, a legal challenge questioned the validity of plaints filed in English after the enactment of the Bangla Bhasha Prochalan Ain.

The defendants argued that Section 3(1) of the Act mandated that all petitions in subordinate civil courts should be written in Bangla, rendering those in English invalid. However, trial courts rejected their petitions, and a subsequent High Court Division ruling allowed the continued use of English alongside Bangla.

The High Court further ruled that under the Code of Civil Procedure, the language of subordinate courts would remain unchanged unless the government decided otherwise.

The government, however, has not formally declared Bangla as the language for subordinate courts though most verdicts and orders there are now written in Bangla.

Article 3 of the constitution states, ‘The state language of the Republic is Bangla.’

Article 23 mandates measures to conserve cultural traditions and national language.

Section 137 of the Code of Civil Procedure states that the language of subordinate courts shall remain unchanged unless directed otherwise by the government.

Section 138 allows the High Court to require evidence to be recorded in English in specific cases.

The Code of Criminal Procedure also permits charges to be written either in English or in Bangla.

In 2011, the Law Commission proposed the full implementation of the 1987 Act, but successive governments took little action.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer MK Rahman criticised the excessive use of English in all spheres of life and said that it reflected a lingering colonial mindset.

He urged the authorities to enforce the laws to ensure the use of Bangla in all sectors.

A Supreme Court official said that during the Awami League regime, the court, with assistance from the law ministry, introduced Amar Bangla—a software that translates English verdicts into Bangla. In contrast, India provides translations of English verdicts in nine regional languages.

The experts observed that the continued dominance of English in courts and public spaces highlights a persistent gap between legal mandates and enforcement, leaving the fate of Bangla as the country’s state language in limbo.​

 

[Saif]

MINORITY LANGUAGES: Hardly any progress in preservation, education

The International Mother Language Institute has made little progress in preserving 40 national minority languages in 14 years since its inception in 2010...

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MINORITY LANGUAGES: Hardly any progress in preservation, education
Kamrun Nahar Sumy 19 February, 2025, 23:23

New Age photo

The International Mother Language Institute has made little progress in preserving 40 national minority languages in 14 years since its inception in 2010.

The Multilingual Education Programme introduced in five languages for pre-primary to Class III in 2017 has, meanwhile, hardly benefited children studying in Chakma, Marma, Tripura (Kok Borok), Garo and Sadri.

‘Eighteen of the 40 ethnic languages have writing systems. But most of them are not in use. There are hardly any coordinated efforts to develop and preserve the languages,’ said Mathura Bikash Tripura, the executive director of Zabarang Kalyan Samity, which has been working on mother tongue-based education since 2006.

Experts emphasise that the shortage of teachers, lack of training and oversight and no specific time for multilingual education in school routines hinder the proper implementation of the programme.

The institute, mandated to preserve all languages, document and research endangered languages, develop writing systems for unwritten languages and compile dictionaries, could neither develop writing systems for languages in need nor conduct research and make documentation on or compile dictionaries for any languages that face extinction.

A linguistic survey that the institute began in 2013 and completed in 2018 has identified 41 languages, including Bangla, that are in use. Fourteen of them are classified as endangered.

Of the endangered languages, 10 are spoken by fewer than 1,000 people. The number of Rengmitca speakers declined from 40, when the survey began, to half a dozen in 2025. Kharia has only two speakers now.

Mathura, who received the institute’s International Mother Language Award in 2021, has said that the institute has plans to publish the survey details in 10 volumes. But it has failed to do the task, which could be a significant step towards preserving the languages.

The institute’s director Mohammad Ashaduzzaman has said, ‘The institute has plans to document four endangered languages — Rengmitca, Kondo, Patro and Kharia. But, information collection on Patro has so far been done.’

Ashaduzzaman has said that the institute needs to take up a project to publish the survey details, noting that developing writing systems is a critical task which needs a budget.

The first phase of the Multilingual Education Programme was launched keeping to the National Education Policy 2010, which aims to ensure children’s right to education in their first language. A textbook and an exercise book are now given to pre-primary students in their language.

Students of Class I and II are given the Amar Bangla Bai text and mathematics textbooks translated into their language. Class III students are given only the Amar Bangla Bai text translated into their language.

Jiban Lal Chakma, the headteacher of the Terachara Government Primary School in Khagrachari, has said that the school has Chakma and Tripura students, but there has been no teacher for the Tripura language since 2023. The teacher for Chakma has been on maternity leave since November 2024.

He has also said that the routines that the government approves do not have classes for multilingual teaching, making the classes irregular, which hampers learning.

Jayas Chakma, a Class IV student of the school, has said that he cannot read Chakma or write in the language.

Mathura, who wrote the Kok Borok textbooks, has said that there are some teachers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, but many try to avoid being posted to villages because of political unrest. There are few teachers for national minority children on the plain.

He has listed the absence of training, training materials and an evaluation process as well as an inadequate budget holding back the proper implementation of the programme.

Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman, the additional director general of the Directorate of Primary Education who is now the acting director general, could not be reached for comments.

The Population and Housing Census 2022 that the Bureau of Statistics conducted lists 16,50,478 people belonging to 50 ethnic groups living in Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

Ongoing struggle for Bangla language

IN THE digital world, we are constantly engaged in communications, with English being the dominant medium. It is the language of globalisation, power and the centre. We have never fully escaped its colonial influence. We exist simultaneously in local and global spheres, inhabiting both the real...

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Ongoing struggle for Bangla language
Akhtar Sobhan Masroor 21 February, 2025, 00:00

IN THE digital world, we are constantly engaged in communications, with English being the dominant medium. It is the language of globalisation, power and the centre. We have never fully escaped its colonial influence. We exist simultaneously in local and global spheres, inhabiting both the real and virtual worlds. The digital era presents both challenges and opportunities for the Bangla language. Our limited digital capabilities, however, still pose obstacles to its development. There is lack of software, applications and web sites in Bangla; and, digital global platforms provide inadequate interface support for the language. Bangla also lags far behind in artificial intelligence and language processing.

The dominance of English content in communications and online spaces may lead to a decline in the younger generation’s proficiency and interest in Bangla. Social media now sees an unprecedented volume of Bangla writing. However, much of the emotional expression on social media occurs in English or Arabic. Instead of using Bangla to express gratitude or congratulations, many prefer English or Arabic. This is contributes to the creation of a hybrid language, blending Bangla, English and Arabic which distorts and alters the essence of the Bangla language.

The recent rise in the use of regional dialects has disrupted the standard Bengali. The development of a standardised language is linked to the emergence of nation-states. In this process, many regional words and linguistic structures were discarded. In the digital age, a standardised language is essential for communications and technological discourse. While standardisation has ensured linguistic uniformity, it has also reduced language diversity. Some individuals are now attempting to challenge this standardisation by promoting a distorted and unconventional linguistic style.

A recent trend involves artificially injecting Arabic and Persian words into Bangla. Over the centuries, Bangla has naturally assimilated numerous Arabic, Persian, Portuguese and English words. Many Arabic words entered Bangla because of religious influences and Persian was the official language until 1835. Social media reveal an increasing tendency to express emotions in Arabic or English. But can we not articulate our feelings in Bangla? Would expressing them in Bangla diminish our dignity? Would refraining from using Arabic words make us less religious? Is there any religious directive prohibiting the expression of emotions in one’s mother tongue? One can maintain religious devotion without being hostile to the Bangla language.

In the early 19th century, the development of Bangla prose, centred around the College of Fort William, led to the Sanskritisation of the language. Sanskrit was established as the foundation of Bangla, resulting in an overload of Sanskrit-derived words while many Arabic-Persian, indigenous and, even, Bengali verb forms were discarded. Some perceive this as an anti-Muslim conspiracy. This linguistic divide later fuelled Hindu-Muslim linguistic communalism. Nathaniel Brassey Halhed was a pioneer in Sanskritising Bangla, believing that Arabic and Persian words would corrupt the purity of the language. His contemporaries, Henry Forster and William Carey, neither of whom were Hindus, also sought to eliminate Arabic and Persian words from Bangla. Halhed, influenced by the similarities between Sanskrit, Greek and Latin, advocated for a Sanskrit-based Bangla.

Today, some are once again trying to forcefully reintroduce Arabic and Persian words into Bangla. After the establishment of Pakistan, efforts were even made to write Bangla in the Arabic script. Conversely, in the 1960s, secular, language-based opposition to Pakistan gained traction. Over time, Bangla overcame the influence of Sanskrit and established its own foundation. However, it is undeniable that Bangla has borrowed extensively from Sanskrit’s vast vocabulary. As scholar Anisuzzaman noted, ‘A great wealth was undoubtedly accumulated in this process, but many long-standing linguistic treasures were also lost.’

Linguistic communalists seek to divide the Bangla language into Hindu and Muslim variants. Rabindranath Tagore, who liberated Bangla from Sanskrit influence and popularised the conversational form, is now being vilified as part of this division. In the 1960s, figures such as Maulana Akram Khan, Fazlur Rahman, Abul Mansur Ahmed, Syed Ali Ahsan, Golam Mustafa and the newspaper Azad advocated for an ‘Islamic Bangla.’ At a 1954 literary conference, Muhammad Shahidullah remarked: ‘The obsession with writing Bengali in the Arabic script, introducing unfamiliar Arabic-Persian words, labelling standard Bengali as the language of the Ganges and proposing the replacement of it with the language of the Padma — these are all absurdities that have gripped a section of our literary community.’

The Bangla language has always faced attacks from its adversaries. Persian, English and Urdu have repeatedly attempted to suppress it. Not only foreign conquerors but also the local ruling elite has waged a war against Bangla —something that continues to this day. Bangla has been the language of the rural poor, never receiving recognition from the ashraf or bhadralok class that considered it inferior. In the 19th century, affluent urban Muslims in Bengal primarily spoke Urdu. Nawab Abdul Latif dismissed Bangla as the language of the Hindus and rural lower people. Historian Dr Enamul Haque observed: ‘Soon, they formed associations, held meetings, and delivered speeches in Bengali, attempting to convince the common Bengali Muslims that their language was not Bengali, not even a mixed form of Bengali, but purely Urdu.’

The ruling class in Bangladesh has never allowed Bangla to become a language of profession, administration or academia. It remains marginalised in the education system while English-medium instruction has oddly been introduced at the primary level. Universities fail to cultivate scholarly discourse in Bangla. The exploitative capitalist class continues to suppress the Bangla language. Today, Bangla is threatened by English, Arabic and Hindi as well as by internal betrayals. Learning English is essential and Arabic is necessary for religious purposes, but not at the cost of abandoning our mother tongue.

Despite immense challenges, Bangla has survived because of the rural masses who have preserved it for generations. The same resilience will ensure its survival today. However, we must also be wary of linguistic fascism — using the dominant Bangla language to suppress the languages of indigenous and minority groups in Bangladesh. Embracing linguistic diversity and plurality will enhance our democratic spirit. Let us ensure that February, the month commemorating our language movement, does not become a season of superficial linguistic sentimentality.

Dr Akhtar Sobhan Masroor is a writer and key student leader of the 1990 mass uprising in Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

LANGUAGE MOVEMENT: More than language

THE history of Bangladesh’s independence is deeply rooted in the Language Movement of 1952, a struggle that set the stage for an eventual liberation from the oppressive regime of West Pakistan. This movement was not merely a fight for linguistic recognition; it was the first organised resistance...

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LANGUAGE MOVEMENT: More than language
Mohammad Jashim Uddin 20 February, 2025, 22:27

Student meeting at Amtala in Dhaka University (1952). | Banglapedia

THE history of Bangladesh’s independence is deeply rooted in the Language Movement of 1952, a struggle that set the stage for an eventual liberation from the oppressive regime of West Pakistan. This movement was not merely a fight for linguistic recognition; it was the first organised resistance against the systematic political, cultural, and economic subjugation imposed on the people of East Pakistan. From the moment Pakistan was created in 1947, linguistic and cultural discrimination against Bengalis became evident. The attempt to impose Urdu as the sole state language of Pakistan sparked widespread resistance, culminating in the martyrdom of students on February 21, 1952. This tragic yet significant event was not just a moment in history but a turning point that gradually led to the formation of an independent Bangladesh in 1971. Understanding the phases of this struggle is crucial to comprehending its historical significance in the country’s journey to self-determination.

When the British left the Indian subcontinent in 1947, the partition created Pakistan as a separate state for Muslims, comprising two geographically and culturally distinct regions: West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Despite East Pakistan having a larger population, political power remained concentrated in West Pakistan. This imbalance became evident in 1948 when the government declared that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan, ignoring the fact that the majority of the population spoke Bengali. This announcement triggered protests, as Bengalis felt their language, culture, and identity were under threat. Politicians, intellectuals, and students mobilised to demand the recognition of Bengali as one of the state languages. On March 11, 1948, a massive protest was organised, leading to violent clashes with the police. When Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, visited Dhaka later that year, he iterated that Urdu alone would be the state language, dismissing the demands of the Bengali-speaking majority. This assertion further intensified the resistance movement.

The struggle for linguistic rights continued to gain momentum over the next few years. The ruling authorities in West Pakistan attempted to suppress dissent, but their efforts only strengthened the determination of the people of East Pakistan. In 1951, the formation of the All-Party State Language Action Committee signalled a more organised movement. This committee, composed of students, political leaders and activists, planned a series of demonstrations to challenge the government’s stance. On February 21, 1952, when the government imposed Section 144 to ban public gatherings, students from the University of Dhaka and other institutions defied the order and organised a protest march. Police opened fire on the demonstrators, killing Salam, Rafiq, Barkat, Jabbar, and many others. These martyrs became symbols of resistance, and their sacrifice ignited a nationwide movement demanding linguistic and cultural rights.

The significance of the Language Movement extended beyond linguistic recognition. It exposed the structural inequalities between East and West Pakistan, highlighting the political and economic disparities that fuelled discontent among Bengalis. The success of the movement led to Bengali being recognised as one of the state languages of Pakistan in 1956. However, the deeper issues of political domination and economic exploitation remained unresolved. Over the next decade, dissatisfaction grew as the central government continued to marginalise East Pakistan in governance, economic policies, and military appointments. The political awakening initiated by the Language Movement encouraged further demands for autonomy, particularly under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The six-point movement of 1966, which called for greater autonomy for East Pakistan, was a direct outcome of the consciousness developed during the movement.

The events of 1952 laid the ideological foundation for the nationalist struggle that culminated in the Liberation War of 1971. The general elections of 1970 saw the Awami League securing a landslide victory, yet the West Pakistani regime refused to transfer power. This refusal triggered mass protests and eventually led to the military crackdown on March 25, 1971. The systematic oppression and genocide carried out by the Pakistani army in ‘Operation Searchlight’ fuelled the determination of Bengalis to achieve complete independence. The war that followed was not just a political conflict but a fight for the survival of a distinct linguistic and cultural identity, a struggle that had begun with the Language Movement of 1952.

The historical importance of the movement in Bangladesh’s path to independence cannot be overstated. It was the first organised assertion of Bengali nationalism, proving that political and cultural identity could not be suppressed by force. The martyrs of 1952 inspired generations, fostering a sense of unity and resistance against oppression. February 21 is now observed as International Mother Language Day, recognised by UNESCO, symbolising the universal struggle for linguistic and cultural rights. The movement’s legacy is enshrined in the constitution of Bangladesh, reflecting the principles of self-determination, cultural sovereignty, and democracy that led to the birth of the nation in 1971.

Thus, the movement of 1952 was not just about the right to speak in one’s mother tongue; it was about dignity, identity, and the fundamental right to self-rule. It was the first step towards breaking free from the shackles of an unjust political system, ultimately paving the way for the independence of Bangladesh. The sacrifices made during this movement remain a guiding force for the nation, reminding future generations of the power of unity, resilience, and the unwavering pursuit of justice.

Mohammad Jashim Uddin is an associate professor of English at the Northern University Bangladesh.​

 

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Govt should protect, promote minority languages

LITTLE progress in the preservation of 40 national minority languages, which the International Mother Language Institute is mandated to do, and the advancement in multilingual education for national minority children, which the Directorate of Primary Education supervises, largely brings up a...

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Govt should protect, promote minority languages
20 February, 2025, 22:19

LITTLE progress in the preservation of 40 national minority languages, which the International Mother Language Institute is mandated to do, and the advancement in multilingual education for national minority children, which the Directorate of Primary Education supervises, largely brings up a glaring government failure. The International Mother Language Institute, established in 2010 with an aim to preserve languages, document and carry out research on endangered languages, develop writing systems for the languages in need and compile dictionaries of the languages, has hardly been able to make its mark. The institute has carried out a linguistic survey, beginning in 2013 and ending in 2018, identifying 41 languages in use in Bangladesh. And, 14 of them are endangered. The institute has yet to publish the survey details. And, what is shocking is that the Rengmitca, a critically endangered Kuki-Chin language, had 40 speakers when the institute survey began, but the number of speakers has now come down to six. The Kharia language has only two speakers now.

Eighteen of the languages have writing systems, mostly not in use though, but the institute has failed to develop any writing system for the remaining languages, which is considered a condition to their preservation. On the other front, the government in 2017 introduced textbooks in the first language of national minority children for pre-primary and Class I to III. The initiative, introduced in keeping with the National Education Policy 2010, offered early primary education in five languages. But whilst the government has failed to expand multilingual education for upper primary classes, it has also failed to offer primary education in the remaining languages. Although the production of textbooks depends on the writing systems, which the International Mother Language Institute has failed to ensure, the government has not been able to offer education beyond the five languages seven years since. Whilst there is dearth of teachers to conduct classroom teaching in national minority languages, more so on the plain, the school routines that the government approves hardly have dedicated time for education in the national minority languages on offer. There are some teachers in the hill districts for classroom teaching in the minority languages, but such teachers avoid being posted to villages because of the political situation, which warrants that the government should also ensure political stability in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Education is a way to protect and promote national minority languages and the International Mother Language Institute and the Directorate of Primary Education, or the government for that matter, should put in special efforts in this direction. The task is more pressing with the endangered languages as their death would take away linguistic, intellectual and cultural diversity. In the milieu, the government should also work on introducing Bangla, the state language, in all spheres of national life.​

 

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‘Ekush teaches us not to bow down’

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday said the Language Movement was pivotal in the nation’s liberation struggle, as it laid the foundation for a non-communal, democratic, and language-based state system.

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‘Ekush teaches us not to bow down’
Says Yunus at event on Int’l Mother Language Day

Chief Adviser Professor Yunus inaugurates a four-day programme today marking the Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day 2025 at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka. Photo: PID

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday said the Language Movement was pivotal in the nation's liberation struggle, as it laid the foundation for a non-communal, democratic, and language-based state system.

"Although the 'Rashtrabhasha Bangla' movement was initiated to protect the dignity of the mother tongue of Bangalees, its main spirit was independence. It was a movement for the political, economic and cultural liberation of Bengal. So for Bangalees, Ekush means a firm determination to not bow down," he said.

He made the remarks while inaugurating a four-day programme marking Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day 2025 at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka.

Serajul Islam Choudhury, professor emeritus at Dhaka University, presided over the event.

Yunus said the day -- February 21, 1952 -- is an inspiration and a mantra to stand against all kinds of injustice and conspiracies.

"We had to sacrifice a lot to recognise Bangla as the state language. It's unprecedented in world history for people to sacrifice their lives for their mother tongue," he said.

"The foundation stone of the International Mother Language Institute was laid in Dhaka on March 15, 2001, to protect the spirit and dignity of the mother tongues of all ethnic groups, regardless of race and religion," he said.

Yunus also discussed the impact of technology on language dominance.

"With the technological advancement of a country, comes the dominance of its language. When Russia launched Sputnik, the world rushed to learn Russian. Similarly, as China advanced, the world started learning Chinese. The leading country's language will naturally gain global influence."

"The world will not be interested in the language of a country that has nothing to offer," he added.

"If a nation can lead in any aspect, people's interest in that country's language will increase -- no matter how complex that language is," said the chief adviser, adding that a nation's advancement in literature, technology, and science are key to attracting interest in its language.

Yunus also emphasised the importance of preserving all mother languages.

"On Mother Language Day, we have pledged to preserve all mother languages. There are emotional reasons, but there are also reasons of great interest. Now, we do not know which unknown, nameless mother language will completely change the world. If we ignore any possibility, we will make a big mistake," he said.

He wished the International Mother Language Institute all the success. He also congratulated the recipients of the medals and awardees in the Olympiad held to mark the occasion.​

 

[Saif]

Honouring the martyrs of 1952

Bare-footed and holding flowers, they wore black and white to honour the supreme sacrifice

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Honouring the martyrs of 1952

Photo: Anisur Rahman/Star

"Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushey February Ami Ki Bhulitey Pari..."

The song that epitomises Amar Ekushey not only has a special place in the hearts of Bangalees, it also lifts their spirits.

Humming the tune, thousands of people from all walks of life thronged the capital's Central Shaheed Minar and elsewhere to pay homage to the Language Movement heroes today.

Photo: Anisur Rahman/Star

Bare-footed and holding flowers, they wore black and white to honour the supreme sacrifice.

The Shaheed Minar premises, adorned in different colours, wore a festive look with street paintings and graffiti in Bangla alphabets and selected verses about the mother language on the walls.

Photo: Anisur Rahman/Star

Programmes including discussions and cultural sessions nationwide and in Bangladesh missions abroad reminisced the sacrifice made by Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafique and others, according to messages received yesterday.

The day is being observed worldwide as the Unesco in 1999, declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day.

On February 21, 1952, students and people from all walks of life took to the streets in Dhaka to protest the then Pakistan government's refusal to recognise Bangla as one of the state languages and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.

Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiur, Jabbar and a few others were killed when police opened fire on their procession.

In Dhaka, people gathered at the Shaheed Minar since the early hours to pay homage to the language heroes.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the Language Movement, marking the day. One-minute past midnight, the president laid a wreath. Prof Yunus paid his tributes around 12:10am after the president left the Shaheed Minar premises.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan received them upon arrival.

Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed with other judges paid their tributes and then the advisers to the interim government, foreign diplomats, invited guests and high-ranking military and civil officials, Dhaka University teachers paid their tributes at the alter.

Various parties including BNP, JCD, Workers Party, Jasod, CPB, Gono Forum, Chhatra Union, Chhatra Front, and Chhatra Federation also paid their tributes. Later, the Shaheed Minar was opened to public.​

 

[Saif]

Legacy of Ekushey February: My mother’s story of 1952

Syeda Jahan Ara Karim, an educator, spoke on Bangalee rights in NYC.

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Legacy of Ekushey February: My mother’s story of 1952

Principal Jahan Ara Karim in the 1960s at Intermediate Girls College, Bakshi Bazaar. Photo: Courtesy

I remember my mother, Syeda Jahan Ara Karim, as a woman of remarkable fortitude, mild in manner yet formidable in resolve.

As an educator, she broke barriers, serving as the first principal of the Intermediate Girls' College in Bakshi Bazar before transitioning to the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) as an assistant director in 1972. Throughout her life, she frequently spoke of the systemic discrimination against Bangalees in West Pakistan and the conspicuous absence of Bangalee representation in government administrative services. This narrative, drawn from my memory, recounts her experience speaking at a public forum in New York City about the Language Movement of 1952.

Born in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, my mother spent her formative years in Darjeeling before her father's work took the family to various regions of Bengal. We often engaged in discussions about history, politics, and her experiences as an educated Bangalee Muslim woman. She spoke vividly of the grandeur of Mount Kanchenjunga, the splendour of Victoria Memorial, the bustling streets of Esplanade, and the unique taste of "chaap" at Nizam's from her childhood memories. Yet, her reminiscences were also marked by painful recollections of the harrowing Calcutta riots, of being trapped in a women's dormitory while violent mobs roamed outside, demands that "any Muslim woman be given up." Eventually, in 1948, her family relocated to Dhaka in the then East Pakistan.

A distinguished scholar, my mother earned her master's degree in economics from Calcutta University in 1948, followed by another MA in Economics from Columbia University in the US in 1952, before embarking on her teaching career at Eden Girls' College in Dhaka the following year. In 1950, she married my father, another academic. Both were awarded prestigious scholarships for higher studies at Columbia University. Notably, my mother ranked first in the All-Pakistan Scholarship Board, a distinction open to both men and women from both wings of Pakistan.

For my mother, this transcontinental move was transformative. Boarding an aeroplane for the first time, she transitioned from a society where Bangla was the dominant language to one where it was English. She had to navigate an entirely new cultural landscape, adjusting to new customs, behaviours, climates, diets, and the pace of New York City.

Despite these changes, she remained deeply proud of her Bangalee heritage—language, customs, literature, and music. She never abandoned her cultural identity, always wearing sarees, the Bangalee woman's attire. Once, while studying at the Low Memorial Library, an older American gentleman approached her and inquired about her origins. When she responded that she was from East Pakistan, he asked why she did not adopt the Western attire. Without hesitation, she replied, "I come from a civilisation much older than yours, and I have no need to adopt your ways."

The events of February 21, 1952 had left an indelible mark on her. That day, in Dhaka, police opened fire on protesting students who were demanding the recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan. The tragic loss of life and the brutal suppression of linguistic rights made my parents very concerned. News of the killings reached the international press, raising many questions about the status of Bangalees in the newly independent Pakistan.

In response, the Pakistan Embassy in New York organised a teach-in, inviting foreign journalists and the few Pakistani students studying in the city. During the event, the then Pakistani consul general to New York dismissed the reports as "propaganda" and "mischief-making by political troublemakers." He categorically denied any state-led violence, asserting that no "atrocities" had been committed. None of the students in attendance dared to challenge him, except my mother. She stood up and said, "I would like to say a few things."

With unwavering clarity, she dismantled the consul general's claims, presenting a structured argument that validated the students' demands for the recognition of Bangla. She noted that the demonstrators had acted within their legitimate rights, emphasising that Bangla was fundamentally distinct from Urdu—not only linguistically, but in script, phonetics, and cultural heritage. "We write in a different script, our language has Prakrit roots, while Urdu follows the Perso-Arabic script. We are ethnically and historically distinct," she said in the room full of people. Her words left an impression with the reporters who came over to talk to her. As my parents were leaving the auditorium, the consul general ran after them to ask where they were studying. My mother said that event became a scar against her in the Pakistani administration. As a government official, she needed permission to attend conferences overseas, which used to never be granted to her following the incident.

Her courage that day was symbolic of a broader struggle—to prevent the erasure of our linguistic and cultural identity. The Language Movement of 1952 was not merely about the right to speech; it was an assertion of our existence. On that day, my mother, like countless other Bangalees, refused to be silenced. Today, as we commemorate the sacrifices made during the movement, I honour my mother's voice. It was the collective voice of Bangalees advocating the rightful recognition of our native language and land.

Dr Lamia Karim is professor of anthropology at the University of Oregon, Eugene in the US.​

 

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Technology can play a crucial role in language preservation

Bangladesh marks 25 years of promoting linguistic diversity and multilingualism.

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Technology can play a crucial role in language preservation

File photo: Anisur Rahman

After championing International Mother Language Day to become recognised by the United Nations 25 years ago, Bangladesh became known globally as a land of many languages. The foundation of this movement was the demand for official recognition of mother tongues, including Bangla. This 25th jubilee year reaffirms the importance of linguistic diversity and multilingualism in fostering dignity, peace, and understanding.

Currently, Bangladesh officially recognises 50 Indigenous communities, each with its own linguistic heritage, collectively speaking approximately 41 native languages. These languages belong to four distinct language families. According to the International Mother Language Institute (IMLI), a Category II institute of UNESCO, around 15 languages in Bangladesh face the threat of extinction. Among them, Rengmitcha language is notable—only seven people currently speak this language. International Mother Language Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on and propose actions to address situations such as this.

Evidence suggests that mother tongue education supports cognitive development, improves communication skills, and improves educational performance. According to Chakma Jati (Jatiya Chitra O Itibritta) by Satish Chandra Gosh, education in the Chakma and Marma languages was introduced in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in 1862, but was later discontinued. Despite several attempts over the years to revive language education programmes, they have all been short-lived.

The 1997 CHT Peace Accord reaffirmed the right of Indigenous children to receive education in their mother tongue. In 2012, the government took steps to introduce Indigenous language education under the National Education Policy. Since 2017, learning materials in Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Garo, and Sadri languages have been introduced at the primary level. However, the initiative has faced serious roadblocks due to lack of trained teachers, inadequate evaluation of teaching materials, budget constraints, a shortage of language-based teachers, and the inactivity of committees formed to implement education in Indigenous communities. As a result, the programme has not progressed as expected.

It is crucial to take effective measures for the revival, development, and preservation of Indigenous languages. This includes effective implementation of primary education programmes in Indigenous languages, formulation of a national language policy, introduction of departments or institutes on Indigenous language and culture in universities, promotion of mother tongue practice among the youth, initiatives for language development through information technology, and establishment of Indigenous language cells in government institutions such as Bangla Academy, IMLI, and the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).

The use of technology is one way that we can work to support these efforts. This year's theme for International Mother Language Day makes it an important time to consider how to tackle the issues above using technology. A cheaper and more accessible way to provide language instruction could be using internet-based language modules. These are already in widespread use on commercial platforms.

Artificial intelligence is at the forefront of many current discussions on education, and is a tool that could be utilised to address barriers such as teacher shortage. More sophisticated tech solutions, including development of content in Indigenous languages, have also been proposed. But as we lack content in these languages, these are not quite within our grasp.

Technology also offers many opportunities for documentation and preservation. As several of Bangladesh's Indigenous languages are critically endangered, ensuring that we act now is important. Collecting recordings and partnering with tech companies that can provide tools to develop orthographies and transcribe these into written content could help preserve these languages.

No language should be allowed to become extinct. Language is central to our identity and part of our culture, and therefore central to social and emotional well-being. To preserve endangered languages, long-term planning and collective efforts are essential. When a language dies, we lose invaluable treasures of its environment, culture, and history.

Mathura Bikash Tripura is executive director at Zabarang Kalyan Samity and national awardee of the International Mother Language Award 2021.

Dr Susan Vize is head of office and UNESCO representative to Bangladesh.​

 

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BHADRALOK TO SUSHEEL: Language, identity and hegemony in post-colonial Bangladesh

IN MY small town, Bheramara, Ekushey February was a ritual. Barefoot we roamed, demanding the same of every passerby — a shedding of shoes, a mark of respect. Bangla, bhasha shaheed — these weren’t just words, they were close to the heart, a pulse. And how could they not be? Bangladesh, a nation...

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BHADRALOK TO SUSHEEL: Language, identity and hegemony in post-colonial Bangladesh
Abdul Monaiem Kudrot Ullah 21 February, 2025, 00:00

IN MY small town, Bheramara, Ekushey February was a ritual. Barefoot we roamed, demanding the same of every passerby — a shedding of shoes, a mark of respect. Bangla, bhasha shaheed — these weren’t just words, they were close to the heart, a pulse. And how could they not be? Bangladesh, a nation birthed from language, its very being woven into the struggle for self-determination. The Language Movement of 1952, a defiant cry, the bedrock of a future. Yet, this sacred connection to language, this fierce embrace of identity, has twisted, contorted, into something else. Linguistic fundamentalism. A rigidity, an exclusion, a weapon. How did we arrive here? To understand this linguistic puritanism, this policing of tongues, we must excavate the layers of history, the sediment of Orientalism, the lingering poison of colonial legacy, the subtle, insidious grip of elite linguistic hegemony. These forces, these whispers from the past, have not just shaped policies, they have sculpted the very way we perceive language, the way it is politicised, the way it is used, even against ourselves, in this postcolonial landscape of South Asia.

Orientalism and the colonial construction of language

THE very term ‘Orientalism’ carries within it the unmistakable stench of empire. It is not merely a descriptor but an instrument — a linguistic scalpel wielded by colonial hands to carve the world into binaries: the west and the rest, the civilised and the exotic, the rational and the irrational. The ‘Orient’ was not discovered; it was manufactured, a convenient fiction — seductive yet subordinate, fascinating yet fundamentally flawed.

And like all imperial constructs, this was not confined to mere rhetoric; it was embedded into the very foundations of colonial rule. Consider language, the primary conduit of culture and identity. The British did not simply govern; they imposed. Their language — English — was enthroned as the language of power, the medium of governance, administration and prestige. The dialects and tongues of the subcontinent, the linguistic arteries of its civilisations, were systematically demoted. They were not just marginalised but ideologically vilified, their vibrancy dismissed as provincial, their speakers relegated to the periphery of power.

The intent was clear: this was not about efficiency; it was about hegemony. Language became a tool of hierarchy, a marker of worth, a means of stratification. To be fluent in English was not merely to acquire a skill but to ascend in the colonial pecking order. It was to be deemed cultured, refined, and, by extension, superior. This was not just the mechanics of empire; it was its very ethos — a deliberate, methodical assertion of western dominance, carefully disguised as enlightenment.

The making of the bhadralok: a tale of assimilation and abandonment

IN THEIR eagerness to secure a place in the colonial order, the Bengali elite absorbed the ethos of empire with an unsettling zeal. English became their scripture, western manners their creed. In the process, they crafted a new identity — bhadralok — the self-proclaimed torchbearers of sophistication. This reinvention, however, came at a cost: a calculated estrangement from their own people, those dismissed as pa-fata-Chasha, the unpolished, the unworthy.

Authentic local traditions — attire, cuisine, even the intimate comforts of home — were recast as relics of backwardness. To be ‘modern’ meant to erase oneself, to become a mirror reflecting the coloniser’s gaze. The British, ever shrewd, encouraged this transformation, entrenching a hierarchy that kept power firmly within a compliant, anglicised minority.

Calcutta: the imperial workshop of cultural division

THIS so-called Bengali Renaissance, so carefully cultivated under British patronage, bloomed in Calcutta, producing an intermediary class — overwhelmingly upper-caste Hindus — who became the loyal functionaries of the Raj. Their western education secured them access to privilege, but it also widened the gulf between them and the rest of Bengal.

Colonial policy, calculated and deliberate, positioned these elites as cultural and administrative gatekeepers, reinforcing a linguistic and social elitism that left East Bengal in the shadows. Folk traditions, rural dialects, indigenous wisdom — all were pushed to the margins, deemed too crude for the empire’s grand narrative. English was the passport to power, but only a select few were granted passage.

The internalisation of a hierarchy

OVER time, this hierarchy ceased to be simply imposed — it was embraced. Calcutta’s elite, eager to maintain their proximity to power, distanced themselves from the rural poor, dismissing indigenous customs as impediments to progress. Clothing, cuisine and daily rituals — once markers of identity — became symbols of provinciality, to be discarded in favour of European refinement.

The Bengali Renaissance of the 19th and early 20th centuries, though celebrated for its intellectual achievements, further solidified this divide. Its leaders, shaped by western education, championed a sanitised, ‘susheel’ culture that alienated the vernacular-speaking majority. British policies, carefully orchestrated, ensured that this elite class remained dependent on colonial structures while leaving the masses locked out of opportunity.

The consequence was a fractured society, where linguistic and cultural barriers, first drawn by colonial hands, were later reinforced from within. East Bengal — destined to become Bangladesh — remained on the periphery, denied the same access to English education and the advantages it conferred. What began as a colonial strategy of control became a self-sustaining system of exclusion, a legacy that lingers long after the empire’s flags were lowered.

Linguistic evolution and divergence after 1947

THE writers, the poets, they began to mimic the English. A shadow of their literature fell across the page, a borrowed cadence. In Calcutta, amongst the elite, there was this surrender, a quiet acceptance of British cultural dominance. They shaped their own literature, their own culture, into a pale reflection of what the colonisers had created. Even later, after the 1930s, when the characters became a little more local, a little more familiar, it was still through a British lens, a British gaze. And then, partition. The line drawn, a new nation born — East Bengal. And with it, a language beginning to breathe differently. Like American English, finding its own rhythm, Bangladeshi Bangla started to move away from the Sanskritised, almost brittle, dialect of Calcutta. It wasn’t just a change in words, but something deeper — a nation, finally, trying to find its own voice, its own story and a language trying to open itself, to include more, to reflect the lives of ordinary people. But there was resistance, of course. Those who believed in some pure, unchanging form of the language, who clung to the idea that Calcutta held the only true way. So, this new Bangla, this Bangladeshi Bangla, became more than just a language. It became a symbol of identity, of self-assertion. It became a quiet rebellion against the old hierarchies, the linguistic elitism that had been left behind by the British. It became a way, perhaps, to finally step out of the long shadow of the Raj.

Language, power and the politics of identity in postcolonial East Bengal

THE partition of British India in 1947 placed East Bengal within the newly created state of Pakistan, a nation ostensibly founded on the principles of Muslim nationalism. For Bengali Muslims, this was expected to mark a fresh beginning, with Dhaka University emerging as the intellectual and cultural nucleus of a new elite — one that sought recognition within the broader framework of Pakistan. Yet, the linguistic and cultural asymmetries between East and West Pakistan quickly surfaced as a fault line in the nascent state’s political landscape.

The imposition of Urdu as the sole national language by the ruling elite in Pakistan was viewed in East Bengal as an unmistakable act of cultural domination. Far from being a unifying force, the language policy reinforced existing regional grievances, transforming Bengali into both a symbol of resistance and a crucial marker of political identity. The Language Movement of 1952 became a defining moment, challenging the state’s attempt to enforce homogeneity and laying the groundwork for the assertion of Bengali nationalism that would later culminate in the struggle for independence.

However, post-independence Bangladesh did not entirely break free from the colonial legacy of linguistic hierarchy. The very forces that had mobilised around the demand for linguistic rights became entrenched in a linguistic majoritarianism that mirrored earlier exclusions. In its efforts to consolidate a unified national identity, the Bangladeshi state elevated Bengali at the expense of other languages spoken within its borders — Chakma, Santali and Urdu among them. This linguistic fundamentalism, while born from the experience of marginalisation, has often led to the marginalisation of others, reinforcing the same structures of exclusion that had once been imposed upon Bengalis.

A particularly paradoxical outcome has been the growing ambivalence towards foreign languages, including English. While English remains a global lingua franca and an essential tool for economic and intellectual engagement, it is often perceived with suspicion — a residual effect of the colonial experience. The enduring legacy of Orientalist knowledge production, which framed language as both an instrument of domination and a marker of civilisation, continues to shape Bangladesh’s contested relationship with linguistic diversity and global integration.

Linguistic hegemony and politics of exclusion in Bangladesh

A CRITICAL aspect of Bangladesh’s linguistic landscape is the political rhetoric that has shaped attitudes towards English in official and academic spheres. The post-independence elite — the newly emerged susheel class — embedded itself within the Awami League’s construction of Bengali nationalism, drawing its intellectual and cultural moorings from Calcutta and Shantiniketan. While cultural movements played a significant role in galvanising support for the Liberation War, those who championed this vision often remained insulated from the direct experiences of conflict and suffering. Yet, they assumed the authority to dictate the contours of Bangladesh’s cultural and intellectual discourse, narrowing it to a singular, homogenised Bengali identity — rooted in Promito Bangla as spoken in Calcutta.

This essentialised notion of Bengali culture actively marginalised regional linguistic variations and local heritage, rejecting diverse narratives that could have contributed to a richer and more inclusive national identity. A rigid binary was established, wherein conformity to this elite-determined cultural framework was equated with being ‘cultured,’ while deviations — particularly those incorporating religious traditions or local dialects — were dismissed as regressive or politically suspect. With media and academic institutions soon falling under this cultural monopoly, the susheel class became the self-appointed arbiters of cultural legitimacy. The result was a profound schism: Islamic rituals and Bengali culture were framed as irreconcilable, leading to a protracted ideological contestation that continues to shape national discourse.

While the Language Movement of 1952 justifiably resisted the imposition of Urdu, the subsequent rejection of English as a primary medium of higher education and governance has had long-term consequences. The rhetoric of ‘Sarbostore Bangla’ (Bengali at all levels), while rooted in nationalist sentiment, inadvertently disadvantaged those outside elite circles. This became evident in institutional settings where English proficiency was a prerequisite for advancement. For instance, when I joined the Bangladesh Navy as a cadet, the first directive was clear: ‘No vernacular.’ Those from urban backgrounds or English-medium institutions navigated this transition with ease, while those from rural backgrounds — previously assured that Bengali alone would suffice — found themselves at a disadvantage. The promise of linguistic egalitarianism had, in reality, reinforced structural inequalities.

This ideological rigidity was further reinforced by elite institutions that, while publicly endorsing Bengali exclusivity, ensured their own children accessed alternate, English-oriented education systems — both at home and abroad. In contrast to other postcolonial nations that have adopted bilingualism as a pragmatic tool for global engagement, Bangladesh’s resistance to English integration has stifled its competitiveness in international markets. The aversion to English, often framed as an anti-colonial stance, disregards its necessity in global trade, diplomacy, and scientific research. The educational divide has widened, with access to English proficiency — and the economic mobility it enables — remaining confined to the privileged few.

Yet, these entrenched hierarchies did not go unchallenged. The July Uprising directly confronted the dominance of elite cultural narratives, rejecting both the Calcutta-centric intellectual framework and the authority of the shusheel class in determining national identity. In doing so, they disrupted the monopoly over cultural legitimacy, forcing a reckoning with the plurality that had long been sidelined.

Breaking the sound barrier

SO THE Monsoon Uprising roars, tearing through the tired script of linguistic fundamentalism — this brittle, suffocating obsession with one language, one people, one history. A nation that chants in a single voice, marching in step, its feet shackled to the weight of a colonial hangover. Good luck with that. Because before Bangladesh can walk forward, it has to look over its shoulder. Confront the ghosts — the Orientalists who romanticised and ridiculed in the same breath., the colonial gatekeepers who decided which tongues were polished and which were provincial and the post-independence elite who inherited that power, who wrapped their own people in the same silk noose. Language was never just language. It was always power.

And it’s not just about Bengali. It’s about the silencing of voices. It’s about the fear of difference, the terror of plurality. We are told, again and again, that language is sacred, untouchable. That it must remain pure, preserved in a museum of nostalgia, polished and frozen like an artefact behind glass. But that’s a lie. Language moves. It leaks. It mutates. It doesn’t care for borders or politics or carefully curated purity. If we want to compete, if we want to be more than an island of self-congratulation, we need to step out into the world of languages — not just English, but Arabic, Japanese, Chinese — the tongues of trade, technology, revolution.

We need a new language politics — not the politics of exclusion, but of expansion, pluralism and inclusion. The quiet understanding that Bangladesh is not one voice, but many — not a monolith, but a symphony. Supporting minority languages isn’t just some sentimental act of redress — it’s a radical act of enrichment. It is an act of defiance against the idea that identity must be a singular thing, stitched in rigid lines.

And so, the real battle begins — not just against the old colonialists, but against their heirs, the ones who still police language, who still decide who is ‘cultured’ and who is not, the ones who mistake uniformity for strength and who hold onto linguistic hegemony like a relic from an empire that no longer exists.

But language is not a monument. It is a river. It carries things. It erodes old walls. It refuses to stay in place. And maybe, just maybe, that is where true unity lies — not in the silencing of voices, but in the listening.

Conclusion

‘AMAR Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushe February.’ The songs, the poetry, they tug at the heartstrings. Ekushey February, a date etched in blood, some martyrs, their sacrifice, ‘Shoto Shaheeder Rokte Gora’ — built on the blood of hundreds of martyrs. The emotion, raw and real, but so easily manipulated. The susheels, the self-proclaimed guardians of Bengali identity, the Awami League, riding the wave of sentiment, clinging to power. Millions mimed, thousands killed. A terrible price paid for this carefully crafted narrative. We were fooled, yes. But the young ones, Generation Z, they see through the charade. They’ve called time on this game. Or so they think.

The old elite, the susheels, the media, the bureaucratic leftovers, they’re still there, lurking in the shadows. And they’re not about to give up their grip on power. The game plan is changing, not ending. A new strategy, a new way to impose their cultural hegemony. Linguistic fundamentalism, this rigid, exclusionary approach to language, it’s not some spontaneous phenomenon. It’s a product of history, of colonialism, of Orientalism. The old hierarchies, the essentialist view of language, the elitism of the Bengali Renaissance — they all play their part. And the rhetoric around English, the global language, it’s just another tool, used to create divisions, to justify stagnation, to keep Bangladesh from finding its place in the world.

To break free from this, Bangladesh has to confront its past, the ugly truths, and the uncomfortable realities. It has to embrace a different vision, one that’s pluralistic, inclusive, that understands that language and identity are not monolithic. Only then can it move beyond the divisions, the hatreds, the lies. Only then can it build a future that celebrates its diversity, its complexity, and its many voices — a future where language is not a weapon, but a bridge. The time for rethinking, for acting, is not just perfect. It’s long overdue.

Abdul Monaiem Kudrot Ullah is a retired captain of Bangladesh Navy and a cross-disciplinary researcher.​

 

[Saif]

Ongoing struggle for Bangla language

IN THE digital world, we are constantly engaged in communications, with English being the dominant medium. It is the language of globalisation, power and the centre. We have never fully escaped its colonial influence. We exist simultaneously in local and global spheres, inhabiting both the real...

www.newagebd.net

Ongoing struggle for Bangla language
Akhtar Sobhan Masroor 21 February, 2025, 00:00

Screengrab off YouTube

IN THE digital world, we are constantly engaged in communications, with English being the dominant medium. It is the language of globalisation, power and the centre. We have never fully escaped its colonial influence. We exist simultaneously in local and global spheres, inhabiting both the real and virtual worlds. The digital era presents both challenges and opportunities for the Bangla language. Our limited digital capabilities, however, still pose obstacles to its development. There is lack of software, applications and web sites in Bangla; and, digital global platforms provide inadequate interface support for the language. Bangla also lags far behind in artificial intelligence and language processing.

The dominance of English content in communications and online spaces may lead to a decline in the younger generation’s proficiency and interest in Bangla. Social media now sees an unprecedented volume of Bangla writing. However, much of the emotional expression on social media occurs in English or Arabic. Instead of using Bangla to express gratitude or congratulations, many prefer English or Arabic. This is contributes to the creation of a hybrid language, blending Bangla, English and Arabic which distorts and alters the essence of the Bangla language.

The recent rise in the use of regional dialects has disrupted the standard Bengali. The development of a standardised language is linked to the emergence of nation-states. In this process, many regional words and linguistic structures were discarded. In the digital age, a standardised language is essential for communications and technological discourse. While standardisation has ensured linguistic uniformity, it has also reduced language diversity. Some individuals are now attempting to challenge this standardisation by promoting a distorted and unconventional linguistic style.

A recent trend involves artificially injecting Arabic and Persian words into Bangla. Over the centuries, Bangla has naturally assimilated numerous Arabic, Persian, Portuguese and English words. Many Arabic words entered Bangla because of religious influences and Persian was the official language until 1835. Social media reveal an increasing tendency to express emotions in Arabic or English. But can we not articulate our feelings in Bangla? Would expressing them in Bangla diminish our dignity? Would refraining from using Arabic words make us less religious? Is there any religious directive prohibiting the expression of emotions in one’s mother tongue? One can maintain religious devotion without being hostile to the Bangla language.

In the early 19th century, the development of Bangla prose, centred around the College of Fort William, led to the Sanskritisation of the language. Sanskrit was established as the foundation of Bangla, resulting in an overload of Sanskrit-derived words while many Arabic-Persian, indigenous and, even, Bengali verb forms were discarded. Some perceive this as an anti-Muslim conspiracy. This linguistic divide later fuelled Hindu-Muslim linguistic communalism. Nathaniel Brassey Halhed was a pioneer in Sanskritising Bangla, believing that Arabic and Persian words would corrupt the purity of the language. His contemporaries, Henry Forster and William Carey, neither of whom were Hindus, also sought to eliminate Arabic and Persian words from Bangla. Halhed, influenced by the similarities between Sanskrit, Greek and Latin, advocated for a Sanskrit-based Bangla.

Today, some are once again trying to forcefully reintroduce Arabic and Persian words into Bangla. After the establishment of Pakistan, efforts were even made to write Bangla in the Arabic script. Conversely, in the 1960s, secular, language-based opposition to Pakistan gained traction. Over time, Bangla overcame the influence of Sanskrit and established its own foundation. However, it is undeniable that Bangla has borrowed extensively from Sanskrit’s vast vocabulary. As scholar Anisuzzaman noted, ‘A great wealth was undoubtedly accumulated in this process, but many long-standing linguistic treasures were also lost.’

Linguistic communalists seek to divide the Bangla language into Hindu and Muslim variants. Rabindranath Tagore, who liberated Bangla from Sanskrit influence and popularised the conversational form, is now being vilified as part of this division. In the 1960s, figures such as Maulana Akram Khan, Fazlur Rahman, Abul Mansur Ahmed, Syed Ali Ahsan, Golam Mustafa and the newspaper Azad advocated for an ‘Islamic Bangla.’ At a 1954 literary conference, Muhammad Shahidullah remarked: ‘The obsession with writing Bengali in the Arabic script, introducing unfamiliar Arabic-Persian words, labelling standard Bengali as the language of the Ganges and proposing the replacement of it with the language of the Padma — these are all absurdities that have gripped a section of our literary community.’

The Bangla language has always faced attacks from its adversaries. Persian, English and Urdu have repeatedly attempted to suppress it. Not only foreign conquerors but also the local ruling elite has waged a war against Bangla —something that continues to this day. Bangla has been the language of the rural poor, never receiving recognition from the ashraf or bhadralok class that considered it inferior. In the 19th century, affluent urban Muslims in Bengal primarily spoke Urdu. Nawab Abdul Latif dismissed Bangla as the language of the Hindus and rural lower people. Historian Dr Enamul Haque observed: ‘Soon, they formed associations, held meetings, and delivered speeches in Bengali, attempting to convince the common Bengali Muslims that their language was not Bengali, not even a mixed form of Bengali, but purely Urdu.’

The ruling class in Bangladesh has never allowed Bangla to become a language of profession, administration or academia. It remains marginalised in the education system while English-medium instruction has oddly been introduced at the primary level. Universities fail to cultivate scholarly discourse in Bangla. The exploitative capitalist class continues to suppress the Bangla language. Today, Bangla is threatened by English, Arabic and Hindi as well as by internal betrayals. Learning English is essential and Arabic is necessary for religious purposes, but not at the cost of abandoning our mother tongue.

Despite immense challenges, Bangla has survived because of the rural masses who have preserved it for generations. The same resilience will ensure its survival today. However, we must also be wary of linguistic fascism — using the dominant Bangla language to suppress the languages of indigenous and minority groups in Bangladesh. Embracing linguistic diversity and plurality will enhance our democratic spirit. Let us ensure that February, the month commemorating our language movement, does not become a season of superficial linguistic sentimentality.

Dr Akhtar Sobhan Masroor is a writer and key student leader of the 1990 mass uprising in Bangladesh.​

 

[Saif]

Three individuals, institution receive International Mother Language Award

The International Mother Language Award has been presented to three recipients this year, including two individuals and one institution. Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus handed over the awards at the International Mother Language Institute on Friday afternoon, in celebration of the Martyrs’ Day

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Three individuals, institution receive International Mother Language Award
bdnews24.com
Published :
Feb 21, 2025 21:40
Updated :
Feb 21, 2025 21:40

The International Mother Language Award has been presented to three recipients this year, including two individuals and one institution.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus handed over the awards at the International Mother Language Institute on Friday afternoon, in celebration of the Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day.

Linguist and language researcher Abul Mansur Muhammad Abu Musa was recognised for his contributions to the preservation, revival, and advancement of mother language.

British poet Joe Winter was honoured for his translations of Rabindranath Tagore and Jibanananda Das and his efforts in promoting and globalising the Bengali language.

The Bangladesh mission in Paris was awarded the International Mother Language Award for its leading role in securing the recognition of Feb 21 as the International Mother Language Day, based on the history of the Bengali language movement.

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin accepted the award on behalf of the embassy.

Each recipient was presented with an 18-carat gold medal weighing 35g, a certificate of honour, and Tk 400,000 or its equivalent in dollars.

In addition, winners of the Linguistic Olympiad were awarded certificates during the ceremony.

In recognition of the Bengali people’s struggle for the official status of the Bengali language in 1952, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, or UNESCO, declared Feb 21 as the International Mother Language Day on Nov 17, 1999.

The International Mother Language National Award and the International Mother Language International Award are presented by the International Mother Language Institute under the Ministry of Education.

These awards recognise individuals, institutions and organisations for their contributions to the practice, preservation, development and research of the mother language.​

 

[Saif]

Is Bangla prepared for the future?

We fail to realise that while there is emotional value in constructing a platform of the past, there is hardly any room for sentiment and emotion in the daily struggles of the real world. A language must be prepared to face the future, must compete with other languages, must struggle against...

en.prothomalo.com

Is Bangla prepared for the future?
The question is, how prepared for the future is the Bangla language? What is the condition of our institutional initiatives to learn and teach Bangla? How far have the government's efforts proceeded to creating a nexus between the Bangla language and technology? Is Bangladesh about to face any new threat ahead?

Sumon Sajjad
Updated: 21 Feb 2025, 18: 01

Central Shaheed Minar File photo

There is a sense of nationalistic emotion and pride attached to the history of the Bangla language. But this retrospective tendency has held us back from comprehending issues pertaining to the advance of the language. We fail to realise that while there is emotional value in constructing a platform of the past, there is hardly any room for sentiment and emotion in the daily struggles of the real world.

A language must be prepared to face the future, must compete with other languages, must struggle against the cultural and socioeconomic challenges. Back in the day Bangladesh was relinquished from the dominance of English. Then there was the struggle against Urdu. Then, when needed, compromise had to be made with Arabic, Farsi, English, Urdu and Hindi. Or else, the very structure of Bangladesh would not have been created.

The question is, how prepared for the future is the Bangla language? What is the condition of our institutional initiatives to learn and teach Bangla? How far have the government's efforts proceeded to creating a nexus between the Bangla language and technology? Is Bangladesh about to face any new threat ahead?

We see a threat ahead in the form of the neo-domination of the English language. English has an extremely strong impact on Bangladesh. English has become the major language of globalisation and new technologies. New media and English are inextricably linked. As consumers of cultural components and content, the Bangla language populace is obliged to enter this language sphere. Most of the massive content churned out continuously on Facebook and YouTube is English-dependent. So naturally this leaves a mark on the audience.

Such content and translation basically are artificially generated. The words are Bangla, but the sentence composition is in English style. Sometimes the syntax is fine, but the application of words is inappropriate. There are spelling errors galore
As a result, English continues to dominate over Bangla. A propensity has developed to unnecessarily use English words in place of Bangla. This is increasing both in writing and speaking. English words and phrases are working their way into Bangla syntax. The fallout is that it is normalising the use of English and the mindset to choose alternative English expressions. It is not as if Bangla is inadequate to express one's thoughts. On the contrary, the failure to use Bangla is harming the natural application of the language.

Bangla is facing yet another danger and that is the use of AI to write and translate in Bangla. In recent times many students have been resorting to ChatGPT to write in Bangla, producing their written material in no time at all. Some are using Google translator to translate from English to Bangla. Even school children are resorting to the same.

Such content and translation basically are artificially generated. The words are Bangla, but the sentence composition is in English style. Sometimes the syntax is fine, but the application of words is inappropriate. There are spelling errors galore. Back in the 19th century, the English scholars of Fort William College or the Srirampur Mission would write such Bangla. We don't want to see a repetition of such weak Bangla written by those whose language is Bangla. We don't want to see the future generation being trapped in such a cage of Bangla either. If we don't want that, then we must prepare accordingly.

We need a language commission. The task of the commission, comprising language experts, linguists, researchers, academics, language technologists and government representatives, will be to take the prevailing state of the language into cognizance and come up with a language policy.

Recently I was aghast when I opened a translated book on folklore. Due to weak mechanical translation into Bangla, the entire content had a stamp of English. I was equally shocked to read a feature in a Bangla daily where the writer had resorted to artificial translation support.

AI influence is impacting the thoughts and writing processes of students and writers. Technology-dependency is ruining creative Bangla writing that springs from the imagination. Without using our primary faculties, we simply embark on the use of ChatGPT, and so relevant and essential words are not being stored in our memory banks, we are not building up our vocabulary. The concept of copyright and author's exclusive rights are diminishing.

Does that mean we can overlook technological realities? Possibly not. We must accept new technology and deal with the emerging problems. We have to take Bangla to technology, have to make Bangla dictionaries, spelling rules and grammar easily accessible. More effective than pdf versions of Bangla dictionaries would be a website where you can select your word, check synonyms, look into the roots of the word, its applications, both old and contemporary.

Technology should be used to prepare the scope of teaching and learning Bangla. The steady development of technology makes it easy to understand that the languages of the world will draw close to each other. The language which can use technology to strengthen itself will be able to boost its competence more. According to Duolingo, the institution of language-learning technology, in the Covid situation, Spanish became the second-most language for study. Technology had a positive role to play in this regard.

We can think of games and apps dedicated to Bangla learning. We can think of online editions of Bangla grammar which local and non-local people can consult as needed and to clear up confusions in one's own writing. But the question is, who will do this? Do we have any language planning? The answers are in the negative.

The national education policy does have certain sections and sub-sections on language. In 2024 a policy was formulated for AI. It speaks of clearing language hindrances by means of AI. But Bangladesh has no language policy. But a language cannot growth without a policy and planning. It will not be possible to prevent intellectual thought being taken over by artificial intelligence. Over all, Bangla is not prepared for the future.

We need a language commission. The task of the commission, comprising language experts, linguists, researchers, academics, language technologists and government representatives, will be to take the prevailing state of the language into cognisance and come up with a language policy. This policy will deal with the present use and scope of the language. And priority will be given to Bangla appropriate for the future.

• Sumon Sajjad is a professor of the Bangla department at Jahangirnagar University.
• This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir

 

[Saif]

We need literature for all people, in all languages

In Bangladesh, visually challenged people have little access to the rich world of literature, an exclusion that limits their ability to experience the joy of storytelling.

www.thedailystar.net

We need literature for all people, in all languages

If each publisher in Bangladesh publishes at least one book in Braille every year, visually challenged readers will be able to enjoy more literature. FILE PHOTO: PRABIR DAS

In Bangladesh, visually challenged people have little access to the rich world of literature, an exclusion that limits their ability to experience the joy of storytelling. To counter this, Sparsha Braille Foundation has taken an admirable step: they are publishing books in Braille to break this barrier. This initiative, which has seen the publication of around 150 Braille books already, is indeed commendable. But the question remains: why are more publishers not stepping up like this? Why should the visually challenged readers—termed "sight winners" by Sparsha—be deprived of the magical world of literature? How long will it take for us to understand that they should be able to read books beyond textbooks?

Nazia Jabeen, Sparsha's chief entrepreneur, has been championing the cause for 16 years. "Every book should be published in print, Braille, and audio," she insists. Yet, despite this plea, the country's publishing industry has so far been largely non-responsive. Publishers must recognise their responsibility to reach all readers. Thousands of books are published every year. If each publisher publishes at least one book in Braille, then visually challenged people will be able to enjoy more literature.

Exclusion of people with disabilities from literature, entertainment, and sports is still concerning in Bangladesh, reflecting that we are still not thoughtful enough about enhancing the quality of life of the disadvantaged. This realisation struck me powerfully when I visited the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in Australia and encountered a garden named "Through the Keyhole." This garden, designed by James Dawson, was created for the visually impaired, the shortsighted, and the sighted alike. Every detail encouraged engagement through all senses—fragrant herbs for smell, fountains for sound, fruit and vegetable gardens for taste, and textured structures for touch. So, it was possible for a person with limited vision to celebrate the beauty of the garden to the fullest, as they could experience it through smell, sound, taste, and touch. It was a testament to the fact that if we design society with inclusiveness in mind, remarkable things are possible.

This need for inclusivity extends beyond disability. It also encompasses linguistic diversity. Literature is a vessel for culture, identity, and heritage. Yet in Bangladesh, the literary landscape still remains overwhelmingly dominated by Bangla. According to the book Bangladesher Nanan Bhasha (Different Languages of Bangladesh), by Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, at least 37 languages are spoken across the country. He presented the alphabets of various languages, including Kokborok, Khasi, Garo, Chak, Chakma, Tanchangya, Bom, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Marma, Mro, Rakhine, and Santal. There are also poems written in those languages and their Bangla translations. The languages are arranged in alphabetical order in the index, showing the equal importance of all languages. According to the author, "February 21 speaks of all languages—that belief is the motivation and inspiration of this book."

Languages of Indigenous groups carry centuries of stories, songs, and traditions. How often do we see their literature in print? How many of these works are translated into Bangla, allowing a wider audience to appreciate them? The answer is dishearteningly few.

Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary at the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, reminds us of the gravity of this crisis, "Language survives in literature. When a language loses its literary presence, it is at the risk of disappearing altogether. Already, 14 languages in Bangladesh are on the brink of extinction."

Recently, I came across a book featuring Mro fairy tales with Bangla translations. The experience was eye-opening. The simplicity of the storytelling, layered with profound meaning, was a stark reminder of what we stand to lose without efforts to preserve and promote Indigenous literature—we are depriving ourselves of a richer, more diverse literary tradition.

This exclusion is not just a matter of ignorance, but also of systemic neglect. Misconceptions—often unintentional—about Indigenous languages and cultures lead to marginalisation. Literature can serve as a bridge, fostering understanding, empathy, and a shared sense of humanity.

We eagerly consume foreign literature in English or their Bangla translations, yet we show little curiosity about the literature written in our country's Indigenous languages. Should we not be equally invested in exploring our own linguistic heritage? The role of institutions is crucial here. The cultural affairs ministry, for instance, should push for a greater representation of Indigenous literature. Bangla Academy and the International Mother Language Institute should take the lead in publishing works in Indigenous languages and translating them into Bangla.

Readers can also play a role by demanding and supporting such publications. Universities can play their part as well. While many public universities offer foreign language courses, none of them has dedicated departments for Indigenous languages. This must change if we are to preserve our linguistic heritage.

According to UNESCO, 3,000 languages worldwide are at risk of disappearing by the end of this century. In response, the United Nations declared 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, aiming to preserve endangered languages and ensure linguistic rights through global cooperation. If we do not act now, we risk losing parts of our cultural identity forever.

Sparsha's slogan resonates deeply, "Humans are not blind due to lack of vision; humans are blind because of lack of wisdom." Will we remain blind to the need for inclusiveness in literature? If we truly believe in a just and equitable society, we must ensure that literature belongs to everyone, regardless of disability or language.

Laila Khondkar is an international development worker.​

 

[Saif]

Bangla or Bengali: which should be used?

Why not use the word Bangla globally, instead of “Bengali?”

www.thedailystar.net

Bangla or Bengali: which should be used?

Visual: STAR

Bangla is what we native Bangalees call the language. And so that is what it should be known as. Just like Hindi, Urdu, or Tamil. So why not use the word Bangla globally, instead of "Bengali?" After all it's a proper noun that can't really be translated. Besides this is not just any language. Bangla has a glorious past. In fact, to show respect to our Language Movement of 1952, the International Mother Language Day is observed on February 21 or as we call it Ekushey February. Bangla enjoys the rare distinction of being a language that gave rise to a movement that ultimately paved the way towards a liberation war. Proponents will also point out that Bengali is derived from Bengal, which itself is rooted in the British colonial era anglicisation. Surely, a language so steeped with the legacy of freedom should by all means seek to shed this burden and be known by its native name.

That should be the end of the debate really. But not quite.

Languages have their own conventions and customs. Each language has its unique way of referring to countries as well as their languages depending on how the words evolved. For instance, Türkiye (pronounced tur-key-eh, or Turkey in English) is called Turoshko in Bangla. England is Bilaat, and London we call Bilet! The language is Ingreji. We have adopted names of most other countries from the vocabulary of our colonial masters. It is always Ireland, Sweden, or Spain, never Éire, Sverige, or España. We never say Deutsch or Français, but German and, perhaps, Forashi, if not French. And yes, those wiggly things do make a huge difference in pronunciation.

But does this Banglicisation (or, if we insist on "Bangla," should it be Bangalification?—this brings up another point that we will get to shortly) of Français make any difference to the spirit of the French Revolution? Not adopting Ruuski and sticking to the Bangla Ruush, hardly erodes the magic of Pushkin's poetry. Or does it mean we are being insensitive? Should the Swedes or the French take offence?

On the other hand, however, if the French were to insist we retain their native name, it would be a nightmare for most to pronounce and we have not even broached the native languages of Africa full of clicks. But if others were to tell us how we should write the names of their languages and countries in Bangla, it would certainly rub us the wrong way.

And more importantly, communication would become difficult. We would not be able to convey which language or country we mean, without explanations and annotations, if one were to suddenly start referring to them by the native names deserting the customary ones.

Another problem that arises from foisting a word upon another language is that it will entail invention of a whole new range of vocabulary. For instance, if it is Bangla, how do I express my Bengaliness? Or would it be Bangaliness or Bangaliana? Banglicisation or Bengalification? Do we then start saying, "O my golden Bangla" abandoning the age-old translation "O my golden Bengal?" Do the Sundarban tigers then become Royal Bangla Tigers? And what of the East Bengal Regiments or, for that matter, the Bengal Lancers from the colonial era? And let's not forget the "Bay of Bangla." But these are examples from the fringe. We really don't need to overthink it. So long as they call the language Bangla, we are happy, one might say.

But who are they? Perhaps, in our strong desire to shed the colonial anglicisation, we are rather fixated with the English terms. We are hardly bothered with what they call us in Mandarin, Kiswahili, or Russian. So long as we can set the English speakers straight and get them to say Bangla instead of Bengali, it would be considered a job well done.

Use of "Bangla" is indeed gaining more currency, especially in Bangladesh, although not as much on the other side of the border—India's West Bengal, where people speak the same language but still stick to the traditional English name—Bengali.

The purpose of language is to communicate efficiently and towards that end, languages have a life of their own. They tend to adopt the most effective lingo as they gain currency or abandon words as they go out of fashion. So long as people speak them, languages keep evolving. There are always different forces at play. The traditional pull factors and the youthful push factors together shape the course of languages. Which is probably why, a Big Mac and a weekend are just "le Big Mac" and "le weekend" in France.

But that is not a reason to let up and relent. Let "Bangla" be our little project. We will keep pushing for it till we get everyone to say it right.

Tanim Ahmed is digital editor at The Daily Star.​

 

[Saif]

Evolution of the Dhakaiya Bangla

Tracing the roots of Old Dhaka's unique dialect

www.thedailystar.net

Evolution of the Dhakaiya Bangla

Photo: Star

The evolution of language is a continuous progression, flowing with civilisation through the ages. Languages develop and change as big cosmopolitans and metropolitan cities become melting pots of ethnicity, culture, and diversity. This mix of people gives their own accent and dialect to the native language of the city they all migrate to, seeking a living.

Now, this was quite a big thought for me to contemplate. I sat down with scholar and researcher Hashem Sufi, who, among other things, is a life member of Bangla Academy, Asiatic Society, founder trustee of Dhaka Nagar Jadughar, and CEO of Dhaka History Research Centre, to talk about "Dhakaiya Bangla". I wanted to know how this popular accent and dialect came about.

"To know how Bangla evolved in Dhaka, the dateline of its history is very important," he says.

Dhaka is more than 2,000 years old, and was always a hub of trade that attracted many kings and their armies to come and rule. 750AD to 1160AD Dhaka was a Buddhist Janapad or habitation. Then, from 1160AD to 1229 AD, it was under the Sen dynasty.

The Sultanate dynasty, spanning from 1229AD to 1608AD came from Central Asia such as Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Afghanistan and Pakhtoonkhoa. Persian was their Lingua Franca (common or spoken language) besides their own individual Mother Languages and Arabic was their religious language.

Followed by the Mughal dynasty from 1608AD to 1757AD, however, 1757 to 1857 was a dual period of Mughal rule and the East India Company. So, historians refer to that time frame as company rule. 1857 to 1947 was solely British rule and then, up until 1971, it was under Pakistani rule.

So many conquests and such diversification of religion, linguistics, and background took the Bangla lingua through a checkered trajectory, as is the nature of any multi-ethnic, multi-cultural urbanisation.

"The Mughals and British royals sponsored Urdu as their spoken and written language, while general people spoke in Bangla and established 'Hindustani' as the Lingua Franca, which was neither Urdu nor Arabic or Persian. Hindustani was colloquial and informal, without any grammar, and it was adopted between speakers whose native languages were different. The East India Company mostly used Hindustani as their trade and travel language.

"Thus, Mughals introduced Hindi and Urdu languages as Lingua Franca of India. British introduced Hindustani as new Lingua Franca. Dhakaiya Hindustani and not Urdu and Dhakaiya Bangla were the colloquial and dialects of Dhakaiyas, the original inhabitants of Dhaka," Hashem Sufi explains.

Ancholik Dhakaiya Bangla is an impromptu linguistic mix of many languages and sub-languages.

Examples of Dhakaiya accent include; "koi gechili?" (where did you go?), "baith gechilam" (I went home), baith, meaning house, is a pure Arabic word, "ami bi or bhi" (me too) is from Hindustan, "mogor" (but) is "magar" from Persian, and so on. Around 75 percent of people in Dhaka today are outsiders, people from other districts or pocket zones, bringing in their regional language, and adding their accent and pronunciation to the dialect.

The Bangla language was developed during the Sultanate dynasty. Allauddin Hossain Shah sponsored Bangla, though the state language then was Persian.

Now, a clarification is needed regarding the misinformation and wrongly put general perception circling around Dhakaiya Kutti and Dhakaiya Bangla.

Dhakaiya Kutti, as defined generally in texts, was said to be the house help of the Nawabs or brick layers, but from a research aspect, these versions are not true. Kuttis were a group of separate professionals.

"In 1770, during the famine caused by the political and administrative failure of East India Company, millions couldn't eat and migrated to Dhaka. However, they could not join the mainstream workforce, which was dominated by local Muslims and Hindus then, who did not want to share or teach their professional expertise or secrecy with these new migrants. Since these people were farmers, the merchants who exported the rice employed them to clean the husk from the grains by using dhekis or rice pounders, and this process is called kuta in Bangla. And so, the term Kutti," Sufi explained.

"While going through East India Company records in the British Library during 1986, I stumbled upon many facts that were known, but distorted or not even known," Sufi added.

And so, one of my most memorable evenings ended with cups of milk tea, crumb chops, and a visit to old publishing houses in Bangla Bazar, dotted with Hashem Sufi's brand of witty sarcasm.​

 

[Saif]

Dying mother tongues, cultures

The 1952's language movement was a political struggle to establish Bangla's status as a state language. In consequence, it also gave rise to the linguistic nationalism, a variety of identity politics. So, language movement was not one of preserving Bangla as an endangered language since it is spoke

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Dying mother tongues, cultures
SYED FATTAHUL ALIM
Published :
Feb 24, 2025 23:52
Updated :
Feb 24, 2025 23:52

The 1952's language movement was a political struggle to establish Bangla's status as a state language. In consequence, it also gave rise to the linguistic nationalism, a variety of identity politics. So, language movement was not one of preserving Bangla as an endangered language since it is spoken by more than 260 million people in Bangladesh and the State of West Bengal in India. Unlike Bangla and other major languages of the world, there are scores of languages that are spoken by fewer people. According to the Foundation for Endangered Languages, a British non-profit, out of some 6,000 languages spoken around the world, between 500 and 1000 are endangered as a handful of humans speak them. And every year about 50 of these languages go extinct. These are indigenous languages. But the way humans have preserved the relics of the past civilisations and empires, they have not done so for the languages that are going extinct.

Languages go extinct when its last speaker dies. Consider the case of Rangmitca, an indigenous language of the southern district of Bandarban, which is critically endangered. A recent report says, among the majority Mro speaking people of Krangsipara village under Sadar Union of Alikadam upazila in Bandarban, four people speak Rangmitca. But according to experts, this language is not a dialect of Mro. Reports further say, there are only three other speakers of this language who live in three different villages in the Sadar upazila and neighbouring Naikhongchhari upazila. Even other family members of those seven people, who are aged between 58 and 79, cannot speak Rangmitca. During the Ethno-Linguistic Survey' conducted between 2013 and 2018, there were 40 speakers of this indigenous tongue. That means, within a decade, 80 per cent of the people speaking the language has died. Clearly, the fate of Rangmitca is doomed and the organisation responsible for protecting and preserving endangered languages, the International Mother Language Institute (IMLI), should act fast to record and document the spoken version of the language from its speakers still alive. According to another report, only two people have been found who still (2025) speak a near-extinct indigenous language, Khariya.

The IMLI, it is believed, will also not allow Khariya to die with the death of its last speakers. The said linguistic survey identified 14 such indigenous languages in Bangladesh that are endangered. These include Munari, Matto, Kheying, Khumi, Kol, Chak, Pangkhwa, Pattra or Laleng, Lusai, the earlier mentioned Khariya, Shoura, Koda, Kando and the first mentioned tongue, Rangmitca. But little has been done so far to preserve these languages. Of the 40 ethnic languages existing in Bangladesh, 18 have written form. Even so, they may one day die out because if there is no adequate arrangements to educate the children of the indigenous communities speaking those languages, then they would in course of time forget their mother tongue and adopt the dominant speech of the broader society, Bangla. The government needs to extend necessary support to protect and preserve those languages. Now, one might question the necessity of preserving a minor language. British writer and broadcaster, Kenan Malik, for instance, thinks it is an 'irrational' exercise to preserve all the world's languages. The last speaker of the Bo, an 85-year-old member of the Bo tribe in the Andaman Islands owned by India, died in 2010. With him the Bo went extinct. Though sad, to Mr Malik, it was natural because that is how cultural forms are getting extinct all the time.

However, with the death of a language, thoughts, culture and more importantly, the history of a people is lost forever. But the pressure of globalisation and cultural homogeneity is causing many languages of the world to die depriving the planet of their rich linguistic diversity. However, protecting an indigenous language or culture does not mean that the people who speak it should not join the march of progress. They must. But their traditions and histories deserve to be preserved.​

 

[Saif]

Exploring the richness of Dhakaiya Subbasi dialect

Subbasi is a Bengali-influenced dialect that is now spoken by original residents of Dhakaiya community

www.thedailystar.net

Exploring the richness of Dhakaiya Subbasi dialect

I thought that Urdu and Hindi were analogous to some extent -- a totally misread perspective, which changed when I did a bit of research on Dhakaiya people's vernacular or street dialect.

"We Dhakaiyas have two styles of speech that we converse in, one is ancholik Dhakaiya Bangla and the other is Dhakai Sukhbas, Subbasi or Khoshbas," says Akter Jahan, a writer who composes stories in her original Dhakai Sukhbas dialect.

The real meaning of Sukhbas, an Urdu word, is well-off or happily settled, and relates to the language spoken between the then locals and the overseas merchants, whose native languages were different. "Thus, Sukhbas or Subbasi is a Bengali-influenced dialect known as Dhakaiya Urdu and Hindi, and is now spoken by the original residents of Dhakaiya community, and it is often mistaken for Urdu," Jahan clarifies.

The dynasty rule of invaders in Bengal led to the amalgamation of their original speaking tongue of Urdu, Sanskrit, a base of Hindi, Persian, Arabic, and Turkic loanwords to the dialect of Bengali. This made Hindustani an Indo-Aryan language, as a lingua franca or communication mode in the streets of old Dhaka.

The 65-year-old energetic, nature-loving matriarch was born and brought up and even married in Amligola Mahalla, near the Kella area. Prior to her retirement, she ran the family business of plastic industry with her husband. However, the retired couple now lives a tranquil life in Kathaltoli Pukur paar in Keraniganj. Surrounded by greenery, and in sync with nature, Akhtar Jahan is honing her writing skills.

Her mother was educated in Urdu and Persian, as was the medium in those years, but she was the first generation Dhakaiya who were schooled in Bangla.

"My buri ma or grandmother always sat us kids down in her courtyard for 'kejcha kahani ashor' or storytelling sessions. Her vivid description in our Dhakaiya Subbasi language, with the precise tonal emphasis, gave our imagination wings. Our Dhakaiya culture is colourful and rich, we have geets in our dialect for every celebration, be it wedding or bathtime," quips Akter's daughter Ishrat Jahan, adding that the stories of her great grandmother were not found in any fairytale books she read.

"I am trying to document our old stories in Subbasi language, or as we say Dhakai jobane boyan. Our kids are teased in school for the way they speak, and as a result, they shy away from the original dialect. I want the golod or mistake that our noya postan or new generations are making to be corrected. They should know their roots and social landscapes. If this lingua franca is not documented, then it will be lost to time," Jahan shared..

Peheli or dha dha, which are riddles, kohut or proverbs, rhymes, and songs in Dhakaiya Subbasi tongue; were common practice in cultural gatherings at old Dhaka. Now, this sort of ashor or cultural session are lost.

Akhtar Jahan's short stories like "Din Badler Sedma", "Zendegir Bioscope", "Mohabbater Qissa", and "Fakarer Bolli" were published in reputed dailies and literary magazines.

"Akhtar Jahan's writing in this Dhaka regional language is not only a new addition to Bengali literature, but in her stories, we find a realistic picture of Dhaka society and culture in the post-independence period since the partition of the country," Ishrat adds.

"We as kids sang songs for the rain to stop and the sun to shine. We went around houses knocking on doors singing aloud and our neighbours gave us grains as favours, and we cooked community meals. Everything we did had a fun factor in it. Dhakaiya people are financially well off and love showdowns and celebrations. We took aristocracy from the Mughals and trading as our career choice from the merchants. Being a Dhakaiya is something you cannot copy from TV serials or Bollywood movies. It is in our DNA," Akhtar Jahan says boldly.​