Bangladeshi community pays homage to language heroes

The Bangladeshi community in Abu Dhabi paid homage to their heroes who laid down their lives for their mother tongue.
In observance of Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day, a memorial ceremony was held at the embassy on Thursday morning.
The ambassador, community members and students placed wreaths in front of a replica of the Shaheed Minar, a national memorial in Dhaka built in commemoration of the students who were killed in 1952 on the same day.
They were protesting the then Pakistan's decision to impose Urdu as the official language of Pakistan and refusing to give Bangla the same status when they were shot dead.
Mohammad Imran, Bangladeshi Ambassador to the UAE, hoisted the national flag at half-mast and a minute's silence was observed, as the community joined their countrymen in remembering their language heroes.
Messages from Bangladesh's Prime Minister and President were also read out to the community.
"The day is important for every Bangladeshi. It reminds us of the great sacrifices of our heroes, who fought and died to protect our right to keep our language alive," Imran told Khaleej Times. "When Pakistan refused to accept Bangla as one of the official languages, that was the end of East Pakistan and beginning of the birth of Bangladesh."
The Language Movement of Bangladesh is historically significant as it is considered to have given birth to the independence movement in the country, which was then called the East Pakistan.
On March 25,1971, Bangladesh broke free from Pakistan and declared itself a free country after a long war that killed thousands and forced millions to flee and take refuge in India.
On November 17, 1999, the Unesco declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day. Now, the day is observed worldwide to promote and preserve linguistic diversity and multiculturalism.
In the US, the House of Representatives has introduced a resolution recognising International Mother Language Day on February 21. The resolution noted that more than 200 languages have become extinct in the last three generations, with an additional 2,279 classified as endangered, as per media reports.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi