It gives me immense pleasure to put pen to paper something about our mother tongue as it is acknowledged as International Mother language Day on 21st February in every year through out the whole world and it is sanctified by titivating flowers and holding in the highest regard the memories of those language martyrs who had laid down their lives for the cause of establishing the dignity of our fortitude as a nation by raising our heads like other nations virtually. The 21st February is a red-letter day in the history of our mother tongue. It is a very significant day in view of good judgment that we have been able to establish our mother tongue as our state language. It is our glory and inspiration that we have achieved freedom from the movement of this day. We think that we could not achieve our freedom if 21st February was not emergent in 1952. Due to the movement of this day, we have shown our agitation against the rulers of the then Pakistan and even the people irrespective of castes and creed took part in the movement having been influenced by the gallant touchwood of Bengali nationalism. The word ‘nationalism’ comes down from the heritage, culture and tradition of a particular country which indicates uniformity in respect of one faith that is the language conventionally uttered from a child which is his actual identity. Nationalism is such which vividly gives an acquaintance in the sense in what language he expresses his mode of his explicit desire as to what he wants or what he would like to do. So our heritage is expressed as a token of ideal acquaintance as Bengali Language with which we survive on full faith of livelihood and as such every elegiac influence is concerned in achieving the recognition of this day in the world. We can think our own belief that we are created equally in respect of expressing our own tradition, culture and religion which is bedded on our soil, grass, plants, creeper and our dwelling place. We cannot think even for a moment that a boy is treated more or less as a terrorist or miscreant or he is excommunicated at an immature stage. If we lose our faith in our own nationalism, we need to be responsible to build him or her who can give his identity as a Bengali nation. To speak the truth, the 21st February, as a symbol of blaze illumination is our rectitude for which our survival as Bengali nation has been reflected through out the whole world.
In this day some young persons of our country have bequeathed to create resistance against the conspiracy of our mother tongue. They have intensified the movement by degrees and being polemical, the then rulers have invaded them and ultimately they had shot them dead. This is such a movement where our heroes have laid down their lives for the cause of elevated deportment of our mother tongue. In the whole world, such unprecedented movement has never been taken place. Like each year, this year has carried out this day with due somber mood and prominence. We celebrate this day with honour according to the heritage of the country. This day is mixed with our Independence Day as if it is mixed with our blood. The heroes who have laid down their lives for the cause of our equality, liberty and national prestige of our country shall remain ever memorable to us.
Ours is a least developed country and we are passing through a great perturbation against terrorism, bribing, and dishonesty and embracing a cause of policies of misleading the people. We want all the ends of such mischievous activity from the social life. We should memorize the great sacrifice of the martyrs who had saved our mother tongue by dedicating their lives. Consequent upon this, we achieved the 21st February as an ‘International Mother Tongue Day’ in 1999. This is a great achievement in the world to show our best regards to our Bengali Language. It is a rare example in the history of mankind. Furthermore, the dignity of our mother tongue is worthy of achieving the highest honour as the poet in this language has been awarded ‘Nobel Prize’ and even in many European and American countries such language is taught and a certain part of the people in the world this language of their own accord. Many great men have been born in this beautiful land which is the best contribution of the world. There is a great history in the background of our mother language and this is highlighted through struggle in the history and for this reason our mother tongue has been mixed as if in our sensitivity and essence through thick and thin.
In fine, if we would like to preserve the prestige of Bengali nation, we need to pay great eulogy praise to the martyrs. They had laid down their lives for the restoration of democracy and freedom of economics. Their activities are undoubtedly of heroic deeds. If we dedicate ourselves for the cause of equality and liberty of our country, their departed souls will be peaceful and effulgence. In every year, we celebrate this day by showing homage to them and shower the flowers to the ‘Shaheed Minar’ in order to solemnize their memory and achievements contributed to the dignity of our mother tongue. If we look around the world, we will find that our language has occupied a specific position with its own widespread vision and cosmopolitan outlook. A large number of foreign books are being translated in this language and our education and culture are being enriched every time. We should bear in mind that from the language movement of 21st February, our movement of independence has been accelerated and in 1969, the verdict of the peoples right have been established that the people of this country understand the meaning of real patriotism for which due to unprecedented agitation against the erstwhile Pakistani rulers, they took part in freedom fight and won victoriously and in this way by 9th months active struggle, our country came into being as Bangladesh in the map of the world. The nationalism which the people have understood was hidden in the mainstream of language movement of 21st February which was our only a magnificent crowd-puller for which a history has been created having encountered with the birth of our country as a free nation virtually.
In view of the above, it is obvious that the birth of our nation has been reflected through the movement of 21st February which was a long way great effort bedded on active protest against the tyrants. Such movements need to be learnt by rote and we should vigorously feed the kitty, in the edifice of our own distinctiveness as a brave nation in the world where there will be no corruption, terrorism, breech of trust and anarchism. Otherwise, our hopes and aspiration will be nipped in the bud and such ill ethnicity of polluted environment will be continued from era to era and century to century for which a healthy conscience like an ogle of the dazzling sun cannot forgive us.