In honour of the Bengali Language Movement in Dhaka in 1952, UNESCO named February 21 as International Mother Language Day.
Urdu was made the official language of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on February 21, 1952. This caused protests among students in Dhaka, which was part of East Pakistan at the time. Their desire was for Bengali to be made an official language.
The police shot at the protesters, and several students were killed. Their death became a strong symbol for the rights to language and ethnic identity.
Bangladesh’s Request to UNESCO: Bangladesh officially asked UNESCO to observe the day at its General Conference in Paris in 1999. The plan made a direct link between February 21 and the deaths of the language activists.
The day was made public by UNESCO on November 17, 1999. The first celebration around the world took place on February 21, 2000.
Later, in 2002, the UN General Assembly approved the day through Resolution 56/262, which made it known around the world.
What Today’s Day Means: International Mother Language Day stands for:
- Protecting the variety of languages
- Saving languages that are in danger of dying out
- Multiple language learning
- Heritage and identity in culture
The day serves as a reminder that language is more than just a way to talk to each other. It has a lot to do with history, society, and human rights.
People in Bangladesh honour the language victims at the Shaheed Minar, which is a national monument.
Meaning on a Global Scale
Today, people all over the world celebrate, not just in Bangladesh. Countries all over the world put together educational programs, cultural events, and efforts to protect languages.
Thousands of languages are in danger of dying out, so February 21 is a good time to remember to keep linguistic variety alive for future generations.
FAQs
1. What’s the big deal in Bangladesh on February 21?
During a protest in 1952, students were killed while calling for Bengali to be made a state language.
2. What year did UNESCO name May 2 International Mother Language Day?
The day was made official by UNESCO on November 17, 1999, and has been celebrated around the world since February 21, 2000.
3. What does International Mother Language Day mean?
The day supports language diversity, teaching in more than one language, and keeping threatened languages alive around the world.
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