The month of Language Movement begins today. On February 21, 1952 the Bengali nation achieved the dignity of their mother tongue through the supreme sacrifices made by Salam, Shafiq, Barkat, Rafique and others during a massive movement. We pay rich tributes to the valiant sons of the soil who were killed during
the language movement in the month of February in 1952.
The Language Movement had paved the ways of the country’s independence. Hence, this month is very important for the nation. On March 24 in 1948, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the governor general of Pakistan at a special convocation at Dhaka University, had announced that “Urdu and only Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan”. And his (Jinnah) such announcement infuriated the students of Dhaka University, other educational institutions and the people, irrespective of religion, caste and creed of the then East Pakistan.
There is no country in the world but Bangladesh (the then East Pakistan) whose sons’ shed blood for their mother language on February 21 in 1952. And the language movement was also the turning point of the country’s history as it influenced the Bengali people to prepare for the supreme sacrifices and achieve victory.
The Language Movement had
paved the ways of the country’s
independence
And after 19 years of the Language Movement, the country achieved its cherished independence on December 16, 1971 in exchange of the lives of three million martyrs and the honour of two lakh women. Therefore, the historic Amar Ekushey
still works as a source of inspiration to the
countrymen.
When the month of language movement knocks on the door each year, the country’s people, especially the young generation, observe the day with a fresh vow to work unitedly in order to make the Bengali language worthy and the country’s hard-earned independence more meaningful.
Commemorating the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives on 21 February 1952 for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue, Amar Ekushey Book Fair is arranged every year in February. But this year, amid the spike in Covid-19 cases in the country, Amar Ekushey Book Fair -2022, which was scheduled to begin today, has been postponed by two weeks.
Therefore, we the Bangali people imbued with spirit of Liberation War believe Language Movement specially the “Ekushey February still inspires us, teaches us the language of protest, supplies strength of struggle for realising any lawful demand and shows us the road to victory.
