Celebrating 21 February "International Mother Language day"

Bangladeshi people celebrate 21 February as "International Mother Language Day", a day that commemorates the language movement and the sacrifice made by the Bengali-speaking students in 1952 to establish their linguistic rights in erstwhile East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh).

In 1947, when India was divided into two nations, India and Pakistan, East Bengal became a part of Pakistan, and the Pakistani government declared Urdu as the only state language. This decision angered the Bengali-speaking population of East Bengal who were in the majority and felt their language was being discriminated against.

In 1952, students at Dhaka University and other educational institutions in East Pakistan organised a protest against the decision of the Pakistani government. On 21 February, the police opened fire on the peaceful procession, killing several students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat, and Abdul Jabbar. Their sacrifice for the right to speak their mother tongue and preserve their cultural identity sparked a movement that ultimately led to the recognition of Bengali as an official language of Pakistan in 1956 and the eventual creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation in 1971.

The day is now celebrated in Bangladesh as a national holiday to pay homage to the brave souls who laid down their lives for the cause of the Bengali language. It is a day to promote linguistic diversity and cultural heritage, and to recognize the importance of preserving and promoting one's mother tongue.

As it is a special day, we celebrate it by giving flowers to “Shohid Minar” , which is a cemetery for the people who sacrifice their lives for our mother language. We woke up very early in the morning and got to go to “Shohid Minar”. We went there and we gave flowers. Even though it is a victory day we feel sad for the people who sacrificed their lives.

Flower in "Shahid Minar

After we finished giving flowers, we went to have some tea. I did not take many pictures for today, I was feeling awkward. So sorry for that. But I took another picture when we were having tea.

Lastly, I want to say, I think it is one of the greatest days for Bangladeshi people. Because of those certain people we are able to speak our own language. They will always be in our heart. And we always respect them.