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Bengali language movement

January 08, 2023

This article is about the movement in Bangladesh. For the movement in India, see Bengali language movement in India.

The Bengali language movement (Bengali: ভাষা আন্দোলন, romanized: Bhasha Andolôn) was a political movement in former East Bengal (renamed East Pakistan in 1952) advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of the then-Dominion of Pakistan in order to allow its use in government affairs, the continuation of its use as a medium of education, its use in media, currency and stamps, and to maintain its writing in the Bengali script.

When the Dominion of Pakistan was formed after the separation of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 when the British left, it was composed of various ethnic and linguistic groups, with the geographically non-contiguous East Bengal province having a mainly Bengali population. In 1948, the Government of the Dominion of Pakistan ordained as part of Islamization and Arabization of East Pakistan or East Bengal that Urdu will be the sole national language, alternately Bengali writing in Arabic script[1][2][3] or Roman script (Romanisation of Bengali)[3] or Arabic as the state language of the whole of Pakistan was also proposed,[4][5][6][7][3] sparking extensive protests among the Bengali-speaking majority of East Bengal. Facing rising sectarian tensions and mass discontent with the new law, the government outlawed public meetings and rallies. The students of the University of Dhaka and other political activists defied the law and organised a protest on 21 February 1952. The movement reached its climax when police killed student demonstrators on that day. The deaths provoked widespread civil unrest. After years of conflict, the central government relented and granted official status to the Bengali language in 1956.

The Language Movement catalysed the assertion of Bengali national identity in East Bengal and later East Pakistan, and became a forerunner to Bengali nationalist movements, including the 6-Point Movement and subsequently the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987. In Bangladesh, 21 February (Ekushey February) is observed as Language Movement Day, a national holiday. The Shaheed Minar monument was constructed near Dhaka Medical College in memory of the movement and its victims. In 1999, UNESCO declared 21 February as International Mother Language Day,[8] in tribute to the Language Movement and the ethno-linguistic rights of people around the world.

Background

The present day nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of an undivided India during the British colonial rule. From the mid-19th century, the Urdu language had been promoted as the lingua franca of Indian Muslims by political and religious leaders, such as Sir Khwaja Salimullah, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Nawab Viqar-ul-Mulk and Maulvi Abdul Haq.[9][10] Urdu is a Central Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-Iranian branch, closely related to Hindi and belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. It developed under Persian, Arabic and Turkic influence on apabhramshas (last linguistic stage of the medieval Indian Aryan language Pali–Prakrit)[11] in South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire.[12] With its Perso-Arabic script, the language was considered a vital element of the Islamic culture for Indian Muslims; Hindi and the Devanagari script were seen as fundamentals of Hindu culture.[9]

While the use of Urdu grew common with Muslims in northern India, the Muslims of Bengal (a province in the eastern part of British Indian sub-continent) primarily used the Bengali language. Bengali is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language that arose from the eastern Middle Indic languages around 1000 CE[13] and developed considerably with a rich literature, history and cultural identity. Unlike many other Indic Languages, Bengali got patronage from the States and Empires in the Middle Ages. During the Bengal Renaissance, the modern Bengali literature developed it's stronghold. Bengalis irrespective of religious identity used Bengali language. Supporters of Bengali opposed Urdu even before the partition of India, when delegates from Bengal rejected the idea of making Urdu the lingua franca of Muslim India in the 1937 Lucknow session of the Muslim League. The Muslim League was a British Indian political party that became the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state separate from British India.[14]

Early stages of the movement

 
Britain's holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948, becoming four new independent states: the Dominion of India, the Union of Burma (now Myanmar), Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and the Dominion of Pakistan (including East Bengal, from 1956 East Pakistan, 1971-today Bangladesh).

After the partition of India in 1947, Bengali-speaking people in East Bengal, the non-contiguous eastern part of the Dominion of Pakistan, made up 44 million of the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan's 69 million people.[15] The Dominion of Pakistan's government, civil services, and military, however, were dominated by personnel from the western wing of the Dominion of Pakistan.[16] In November 1947, a key resolution at a national education summit in Karachi advocated Urdu and English as the sole state languages.[17] Opposition and protests arose immediately. Students from Dhaka rallied under the leadership of Abul Kashem, the secretary of Tamaddun Majlish, a Bengali Islamic cultural organisation. The meeting stipulated Bengali as an official language of the Dominion of Pakistan and as a medium of education in East Bengal.[18] However, the Pakistan Public Service Commission removed Bengali from the list of approved subjects, as well as from currency notes and stamps. The central education minister Fazlur Rahman made extensive preparations to make Urdu the only state language of the Dominion of Pakistan.[19] Public outrage spread, and many Bengali students met on the University of Dhaka campus on 8 December 1947 to formally demand that Bengali be made an official language. To promote their cause, Bengali students organised processions and rallies in Dhaka.[15]

Leading Bengali scholars argued why Urdu should not be the only state language. The writer Abul Mansur Ahmed said if Urdu became the state language, the educated society of East Bengal would become 'illiterate' and 'ineligible' for government positions.[20] The first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad (National Language Action Committee), an organisation in favour of Bengali as a state language was formed towards the end of December 1947. Professor Nurul Huq Bhuiyan of the Tamaddun Majlish convened the committee.[15][21] Later, Parliament member Shamsul Huq convened a new committee to push for Bengali as a state language.

Dhirendranath Datta's proposal

 
Dhirendranath was the key figure to raise the demand for Bangali with it's traditional script as a state language in Pakistan assembly.

Assembly member Dhirendranath Datta proposed legislation in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan to allow members to speak in Bengali and authorise its use for official purposes.[15] Datta's proposal was supported by legislators Prem Hari Burman, Bhupendra Kumar Datta and Sris Chandra Chattaopadhyaya of East Bengal, as well as the people from the region.[15] Prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan and the Muslim League denounced the proposal as an attempt to divide the Pakistani people, thus the legislation was defeated.[15][22]

Fazlur Rahman's proposal

Since the partition of the country in 1947, the Union Minister representing East Pakistan Fazlur Rahman campaigned for the implementation of Bengali language written in Arabic script (Bengali language with the "Hurful Qur'an"). At the Nikhil Pakistan Teachers' Conference held in Karachi on 29 December 1948, Fazlur Rahman proposed to write Bengali in Arabic script for the sake of Islamization of the language. East Bengal Provincial Education Department Secretary Fazle Ahmad Karim Fazli was one of the main initiators of the effort to introduce the Arabic alphabet in Bengal. Both Karim Fazli and Fazlur Rahman established a society called 'Hurful Qur'an Samity' with a Maulana named Zulfikar Ali of Chittagong and tried to form a movement to introduce Arabic letters in Bengal through him. Abdul Hakim, the former director of the East-Bengal Education Department said; "Some funny legends are heard in Dhaka about a Bengali Wazir Sahib's own knowledge of Urdu. He wanted to fulfill his ardent desire to beautify the in order to be admired by the all-powerful Urdu Mahal of the Centre. For this purpose, a sum of Rs. 35,000 per annum for the publication of books was arranged to hand over the central sanction to the aforesaid Provincial Education Secretary.”[23] In response, Muhammad Shahidullah opposed the proposal, fearing further complications, and advocated making Bengali unchanged as the state language of East Bengal and one of the state languages ​​of Pakistan.[24]

Proposal for Romanisation of Bengali

 
Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda proposed the romanisation of Bengali in the early stage of language movement.

During that time, romanization of Bengali was also proposed along with other proposals regarding the determination of the state language of Pakistan.[3][25] After 1947, many other East Pakistani academics, including Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda and Nazirul Islam Mohammad Sufian, supported the idea of writing Bengali in Roman script.[25] In 1948, Mohammad Ferdous Khan opposed it in his pamphlet "The language problem of today".[25]

Abul Fazl Muhammad Akhtar-ud-Din supported the Roman alphabet in his article entitled "Bangla Bornomalar Poribortton" (বাংলা বর্ণমালার পরিবর্ত্তন, Changes in the Bengali Alphabet) published in Daily Azad on 18 April 1949.[25]

The romanisation proposal continued on even after 1952. In 1957, the East Pakistan Education Commission recommended the use of the revised Roman script in adult education.[25]

Around 1957–1958, there was a significant demand for the use of Roman letters again. At that time Muhammad Abdul Hai and Muhammad Enamul Haque opposed it.[25]

Agitations of 1948

Students of the University of Dhaka and other colleges of the city organised a general strike on 11 March 1948 to protest the omission of Bengali language from official use, including coins, stamps and recruitment tests for the navy. The movement restated the demand that Bengali be declared an official language of the Dominion of Pakistan. Political leaders such as Shamsul Huq, Shawkat Ali, M Sirajul Islam, Kazi Golam Mahboob, Oli Ahad, Abdul Wahed and others were arrested during the rallies. Rally leader Mohammad Toaha was hospitalised after attempting to snatch a rifle from a police officer. Student leaders, including Abdul Matin and Abdul Malek Ukil took part in the procession.[15]

Agreement with Khwaja Nazimuddin

In the afternoon of 11 March, a meeting was held to protest police brutality and arrests. A group of students marching towards the chief minister Khawaja Nazimuddin's house was stopped in front of the Dhaka High Court. The rally changed its direction and moved in the direction of the Secretariat building. Police attacked the procession injuring several students and leaders, including A. K. Fazlul Huq.[26] Continuing strikes were observed the following four days. Under such circumstances, the chief minister Nazimuddin signed an accord with the student leaders agreeing to some terms and conditions, without complying to the demand that Bengali be made a state language.[15]

Liaquat Ali Khan's visit to Dhaka

On November 18, 1948, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan visited East Pakistan. On November 27, he addressed a student meeting at the playground of Dhaka University. In that meeting, the demand for Bengali language in the certificate issued by the Dhaka University Central Student Union was again raised, but he refrained from making any comments. In a meeting of the National Language Working Council held under the chairmanship of Ataur Rahman Khan on November 17, Aziz Ahmad, Abul Kashem, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Kamruddin Ahmed, Abdul Mannan, Tajuddin Ahmed and others drafted a memorandum and sent it to Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. The Prime Minister did not respond to this either.[27][28]

Ali Jinnah's visit to Dhaka

 
Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 21 March 1948 told at a public meeting that State language of Pakistan is going to be Urdu and no other language.[29]

In the height of civic unrest, Governor-General of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah arrived in Dhaka on 19 March 1948. On 21 March, at a civic reception at Racecourse Ground, he claimed that the language issue was designed by a "fifth column" to divide Pakistani Muslims.[30][31] Jinnah further declared that "Urdu, and only Urdu" embodied the spirit of Muslim nations and would remain as the state language,[15][32][33][34] labelling those who disagreed with his views as "Enemies of Pakistan". Jinnah delivered a similar speech at Curzon Hall of the University of Dhaka on 24 March.[16] At both meetings, Jinnah was interrupted by large segments of the audience. He later called a meeting of a state language committee of action, and overruled the contract that was signed by Khawaja Nazimuddin with the student leaders.[26] Before Jinnah left Dhaka on 28 March, he delivered a speech on radio reasserting his "Urdu-only" policy.[35]

Proposal for Arabic language

 
Muhammad Shahidullah was a central figure in the proposal to make Arabic the state language

Muhammad Shahidullah believed that Bengalis could learn Urdu at the same time as learning English, he also believed that: "When Arabic becomes the state language of Pakistan, the creation of the state of Pakistan will be justified."[36] Therefore, in December 1949, he assumed the presidency of the East Pakistan Arabic Language Association, approved a draft memorandum to be submitted to the Assembly, where it was requested to government for Arabic to be made the state language of Pakistan and for the provision of 'Darse Koran' or Quran teaching in various centers and mosques of the city.[37] On January 18, 1950, some students of Rajshahi College called a meeting to demand that Arabic be made the state language.[37] 3 State Bank Governor Zahid Hussain proposed to make Arabic the state language and this proposal was then supported by Syed Akbar Shah, member of Sindh Legislative Council and Vice-Chancellor of Sindh Arabic University.[37] On 1 February 1951 at the session of the World Muslim Conference in Karachi, the leader of the Ismaili community Aga Khan said, if Arabic is made the state language of Pakistan, common communication will be established between the Muslims of the Arab world, North Africa and Indonesia.[37] On February 10, 1951, the Secretary of the Pakistan Buddhist League, Rabindranath Burmi, issued a statement opposing these proposals in favor of Urdu instead of Arabic as state language.[37] These proposals to make Arabic the state language did not gain much support in any part of Pakistan.[37] However, according to Badruddin Umar, as this demand was related to the question of development of Islamic culture, it indirectly supported the demand of the introduction of Arabic script in Bengali language to some extent in some groups.[37]

Proposal by Language Committee

 
East Bengal Language Committee headed by Muhammad Akram Khan recommended writing Bengali through Arabic characters.

Shortly thereafter, the East Bengal Language Committee, presided by Maulana Akram Khan, was formed by the East Bengal government to prepare a report on the language problem.[38]

At 1949, Language Committee of the East-Bengal Government conducted a survey among teachers, intellectuals, high civil servants, members of the Legislative Council, according to which, out of 301 respondents, 96 favored the introduction of the Arabic script, 18 the Roman script and 187 gave opinion in favor of the retention of the Bengali script. Besides, many people did not give any answer.[25]

The committee produced it's report by 6 December 1950; but it was not published before 1958. Here an effective measure was proposed by the government to solve the language problem, where they recommended writing Bengali through Arabic characters.[39]

Events of 1952

 
Procession march held on 4 February 1952 at Nawabpur Road, Dhaka.
 
Procession march held on 21 February 1952 in Dhaka

The Urdu-Bengali controversy was reignited when Jinnah's successor, governor-general Khawaja Nazimuddin, staunchly defended the "Urdu-only" policy in a speech on 27 January 1952.[26] On 31 January, the Shorbodolio Kendrio Rashtrobhasha Kormi Porishod (All-Party Central Language Action Committee) was formed in a meeting at the Bar Library Hall of the University of Dhaka, chaired by Maulana Bhashani.[15][40] The central government's proposal of writing the Bengali language in Arabic script by East Pakistan's education secretary Fazlur Rahman was vehemently opposed at the meeting. The action committee called for an all out protest on 21 February, including strikes and rallies.[26] In an attempt to prevent the demonstration, the government imposed Section 144 in Dhaka, thereby banning any gathering.[15]

According to the earlier decision, students of Dhaka University and other educational institutions gathered at Dhaka University premises on February 4. The rally protested the proposal to write Bengali in Arabic script and demanded Bengali as the state language. The students took out a huge demonstration after their assembly.[41]

On February 11, 1952, a long circular (No. 10) titled 'Rashtra Bhashar Andolan' was promoted to the Secretariat of the Bengali Provincial Organizing Committee before the Communist Party of Pakistan'. In this circular, the Communist Party's statement, line, and organizational duties regarding the language movement are clearly indicated.[42]

In accordance with the principles and lines of the State Language Movement laid down in Party Circular No. 10 of the East Bengal Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of Pakistan dated February 11, they circulated a cyclostyled manifesto on February 20, which read, "Respond to the call of the All-Union State Language Working Committee. Do strike, hartal, meeting and march across the province on 21st February to demand Bengali as one of the national languages with equal status for all languages.” This brief manifesto calls for, “English shall no longer be the official language; Want equality of all languages ​​of Pakistan; Bengalis, Punjabis, Pathans, Sindhis, Balochs, Urdu speakers etc. have to be given the right to get education in their own mother tongue and conduct government affairs; We want to make Bengali language one of the national languages. Instead of English, Urdu, Bengali - the movement to give equal status to all languages ​​in the state. English made English as the state language in order to continue the imperialist and feudal system of exploitation while keeping the various linguistic communities of Pak-India backward. The League government also adopted English as the state language for the same purpose; has kept and wants to make the only child the state language. Making one language the state language will leave the various linguistic communities of Pakistan backward and will hinder the overall development of Pakistan. Therefore, all the Bengali, Punjabi, Pathan, Siddhi, Belche, Urdu speaking nations of Pakistan should come together in the movement to give equal status to the different languages ​​of Pakistan and make them the state language."[43]

21 February

At nine o'clock in the morning, students began gathering on the University of Dhaka premises in defiance of Section 144. The university vice-chancellor and other officials were present as armed police surrounded the campus. By a quarter past eleven, students gathered at the university gate and attempted to break the police line. Police fired tear gas shells towards the gate to warn the students.[15] A section of students ran into the Dhaka Medical College while others rallied towards the university premises cordoned by the police. The vice-chancellor asked police to stop firing and ordered the students to leave the area. However, the police arrested several students for violating section 144 as they attempted to leave. Enraged by the arrests, the students met around the East Bengal Legislative Assembly and blocked the legislators' way, asking them to present their insistence at the assembly. When a group of students sought to storm into the building, police opened fire and killed a number of students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Sofiur Rahman, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar.[15][44] The Government reported that 29 people died in that day.[45] As the news of the killings spread, disorder erupted across the city. Shops, offices and public transport were shut down and a general strike began.[33] At the assembly, six legislators including Manoranjan Dhar, Boshontokumar Das, Shamsuddin Ahmed and Dhirendranath Datta requested that chief minister Nurul Amin visit wounded students in hospital and that the assembly be adjourned as a sign of mourning.[46] This motion was supported by some treasury bench members including Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish, Shorfuddin Ahmed, Shamsuddin Ahmed Khondokar and Mosihuddin Ahmed.[46] However, Nurul Amin refused the requests.[15][46]

On the same day, the East Bengal Organizing Committee of the East Pakistan Communist Party circulated a cyclostyled manifesto entitled "To build a united East Bengal Tumdal United Movement against the barbaric killings of the tyrant Nurul Amin Sarkar", calling on all institutions and the multi-lingual public of Pakistan, regardless of party affiliation. Support is invited for the following demands:

  • Leaving chair by Nazim Nurul Amin Sarkar
  • Want to make Bengali one of the national languages ​​immediately
  • We want the punishment of the killer, we want a private commission of inquiry, we want full compensation for the dead and injured.
  • Seek immediate release of all political prisoners,
  • Demand withdrawal of Security Act, Section 144 and all repressive laws.[47]

22 February

Disorder spread across the province as large processions ignored section 144 and condemned the actions of the police.[26] More than 30,000 people congregated at Curzon Hall in Dhaka. During the continued protests, police actions led to the death of four more people. This prompted officers and clerks from different organisations, including colleges, banks and the radio station, to boycott offices and join the procession.[33] Protesters burned the offices of two leading pro-government news agencies, the Jubilee Press and the Morning News.[48] Police fired on a major janaza, or mourning rally, as it was passing through Nawabpur Road. The shooting killed several people including activist Sofiur Rahman and a nine-year-old boy named Ohiullah.[15][49]

Continued unrest

 
22 February rally after janaja at Dhaka Medical College on the University Dhaka road, Dhaka.

Through the night of 23 February, students of Dhaka Medical College worked on the construction of a Shaheed Smritistombho, or Monument of Martyrs. Completed at dawn on 24 February, the monument had a handwritten note attached to it with the words "Shaheed Smritistombho".[50] Inaugurated by the father of the slain activist Sofiur Rahman, the monument was destroyed on 26 February by police.[51] On 25 February, industrial workers in the town of Narayanganj observed a general strike.[52] A protest followed on 29 February whose participants faced severe police beating.[53]

The government censored news reports and withheld exact casualty figures during the protests. Most pro-government media held Hindus and communists responsible for encouraging the disorder and student unrest.[54] The families of Abul Barkat and Rafiq Uddin Ahmed tried to charge the police with murder, but the charges were dismissed by the police. On 8 April government report on the incidents failed to show any particular justification for police firings on the students.[55]

Reaction in West Pakistan

Although the Language Movement is considered to have laid the foundations for ethnic nationalism in many of the Bengalis of East Bengal and later East Pakistan, it also heightened the cultural animosity between the authorities of the two wings of Pakistan.[10][56][57] In the western wing of the Dominion of Pakistan, the movement was seen as a sectional uprising against Pakistani national interests.[58] The rejection of the "Urdu-only" policy was seen as a contravention of the Perso-Arabic culture of Muslims and the founding ideology of Pakistan, the two-nation theory.[10] Some of the most powerful politicians from the western wing of Pakistan considered Urdu a product of Indian Islamic culture, but saw Bengali as a part of "Hinduized" Bengali culture.[16] Most stood by the "Urdu only" policy because they believed that only a single language, one that was not indigenous to Pakistan, should serve as the national language. This kind of thinking also provoked considerable opposition in the western wing, wherein there existed several linguistic groups.[16] As late as in 1967, military dictator Ayub Khan said, "East Bengal is ... still under considerable Hindu culture and influence."[16]

Aftermath

 
Foundation of the Shaheed Minar laid down in Dhaka by Abul Barkat's family members.

The Shorbodolio Kendrio Rashtrobhasha Kormi Porishod, with support from the Awami Muslim League, decided to commemorate 21 February as Shohid Dibosh . On the first anniversary of the protests, people across East Bengal wore black badges in solidarity with the victims. Most offices, banks and educational institutions were closed to observe the occasion. Student groups made agreements with college and police officials to preserve law and order. More than 100,000 people assembled at a public meeting held in Dhaka, where community leaders called for the immediate release of Maulana Bhashani and other political prisoners.[15] However, Pakistani politicians such as Fazlur Rahman aggravated sectional tensions by declaring that anyone who wanted Bengali to become an official language would be considered an "enemy of the state". Bengali students and civilians disobeyed the restrictions to celebrate the anniversary of the protests. Demonstrations broke out on the night of 21 February 1954 with various halls of the University of Dhaka raising black flags in mourning.[59]

United Front in 1954

Political tensions came to a held as elections to the provincial assembly of East Bengal were held in 1954. The ruling Muslim League denounced the opposition United Front coalition, which—led by A. K. Fazlul Huq and the Awami League—wanted greater provincial autonomy. Several United Front leaders and activists were arrested.[60] A meeting of parliament's Muslim League members, chaired by prime minister Muhammad Ali Bogra, resolved to give official recognition to Bengali. This decision was followed by a major wave of unrest as other ethnic groups sought recognition of other regional languages. Proponents of Urdu such as Maulvi Abdul Haq condemned any proposal to grant official status to Bengali. He led a rally of 100,000 people to protest against the Muslim League's decision.[61] Consequently, the implementation failed and the United Front won a vast majority of seats in the legislative assembly, while the representation of the Muslim League was reduced to a historic low.[33][61]

The United Front ministry ordered the creation of the Bangla Academy to promote, develop, and preserve Bengali language, literature, and heritage.[62] However, the United Front rule was temporary, as Governor General Ghulam Muhammad cancelled the government and started Governor's rule on 30 May 1954.[60] The United Front again formed the ministry on 6 June 1955 after the governor's regime ended. The Awami League did not participate in this ministry though.[63]

Following the return of the United Front to power, the anniversary on 21 February 1956 was observed for the first time in a peaceful atmosphere. The Government supported a major project to construct a new Shaheed Minar. The session of the constituent assembly was stopped for five minutes to express condolence for the students slain in the police shootings. Major rallies were organised by Bengali leaders and all public offices and businesses remained closed.[63][64]

Constitutional status as a state language

With the defeat of the Muslim League in the East Bengal assembly elections, the central government became flexible in recognizing Bengali as the state language of Pakistan along with Urdu. At least a few thousand people protested in the National Assembly on April 22 against the decision.[65]

On 7 May 1954, the constituent assembly resolved, with the Muslim League's support, to grant official status to Bengali.[61] Bengali was adopted as an official language of Pakistan along with Urdu in the article 214(1) when the first constitution of Pakistan was enacted on 29 February 1956.[63] Mohammad Ali Bogra raised the language related clauses of the constitution in Parliament. According to the clauses, Bengali language was given equal recognition as state language like Urdu. In Parliament and the Legislative Assembly, besides Urdu and English, there was an opportunity to speak in Bengali. The constitution also provided opportunities for higher education in Bengali.[66]

However, the military government formed by Ayub Khan made attempts to re-establish Urdu as the sole national language. On 6 January 1959, the military regime issued an official statement and reinstated the official stance of supporting the 1956 constitution's policy of two state languages.[67]

Standard Bengali Movement

The Bengali language movement and the banning of Rabindranath Tagore's works by the central government of Pakistan led to a movement by the intellectuals of Dhaka that led to an increase in the use of Central Standard Bengali in the city in the 1950s and 1960s.[68]

Independence of Bangladesh

Main article: Bangladesh Liberation War
 
The second Shaheed Minar (martyrs' monument) completed in 1963

Although the question of official languages was settled by 1956, the military regime of Ayub Khan promoted the interests of West Pakistan at the expense of East Pakistan. Despite forming the majority of the national population, the East Pakistani population continued to be under-represented in the civil and military services, and received a minority of state funding and other government help. Due to regional economic, social, and political imbalances, sectional divisions grew,[69] and the Bengali ethnic nationalist Awami League invoked the 6-point movement for greater provincial autonomy. One demand was that East Pakistan be called Bangladesh (Land/Country of Bengal), which subsequently led to the Bangladesh Liberation War.[10][16]

Cultural impact and celebration

Bangladesh

 
Shaheed Minar, or the Martyr's monument, located near Dhaka Medical College commemorates those who died during the protests on 21 February 1952

The Language Movement had a major cultural impact on Bengali society. It has inspired the development and celebration of the Bengali language, literature and culture. 21 February, celebrated as Language Movement Day or Shohid Dibosh (Martyrs' Day), is a major national holiday in Bangladesh. A month-long event called the Ekushey Book Fair is held every year to commemorate the movement. Ekushey Padak, one of the highest civilian awards in Bangladesh, is awarded annually in memory of the sacrifices of the movement.[70] Songs such as Abdul Gaffar Choudhury's Ekusher Gaan, set to music by Shaheed Altaf Mahmud, as well as plays, works of art and poetry played a considerable role in rousing the people's emotions during the movement.[71] Since the events of February 1952, poems, songs, novels, plays, films, cartoons and paintings were created to capture the movement from varied point of views. Notable artistic depictions include the poems Bornomala, Amar Dukhini Bornomala and February 1969 by Shamsur Rahman, the film Jibon Theke Neya by Zahir Raihan, the stage play Kobor by Munier Chowdhury and the novels Ekushey February by Raihan and Artonaad by Shawkat Osman.[72]

Two years after the first monument was destroyed by the police, a new Shaheed Minar (Monument of Martyrs) was constructed in 1954 to commemorate the protesters who died. Work on a larger monument designed by the architect Hamidur Rahman began in 1957 with the support of the United Front ministry, and approved by a planning committee chaired by University of Dhaka Vice-Chancellor Mahmud Husain and College of Fine Arts principal Zainul Abedin.[73] Hamidur Rahman's model consisted of a large complex in the yard of the Dhaka Medical College Hostel. The design included a half-circular column symbolizing a mother with her martyred sons standing at the dais in the centre of the monument. Although the imposition of martial law in 1958 interrupted the work, the monument was completed and inaugurated on 21 February 1963 by Abul Barkat's mother, Hasina Begum. Pakistani forces demolished the monument during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, but the Bangladeshi government reconstructed it in 1973.[74] Ekushey Television, one of the oldest privately owned television channels in Bangladesh, was named after the date of the event.[75]

India

The states of West Bengal and Tripura in India celebrate 21 February as Language Movement Day.[76][77]

Worldwide: International Mother Language Day

Bangladesh officially sent a proposal to UNESCO to declare 21 February as International Mother Language Day. The proposal was supported unanimously at the 30th General Conference of UNESCO held on 17 November 1999.[78]

Criticism

Bangladeshi writer Ghulam Murshid claimed that, the deaths of the most of the activists of this movement was not happenned by their own will, rather than accidentally, as most them were not not actual activist because they actually did not join the movement, according to Murshid's speech. He also opines that, thus, entitling them as martyr (Shahid in Bengali) is irrational. According to his quotation,

However, this term (Shahid, martyr) gained special popularity in East Bengal after the language movement of 1952 and in the 1960s (by the Leftists in West Bengal). Those who were shot dead by the police (mostly against their own will) in 21st and 22nd February during the language movement, are all called martyrs. Not any single one gave them this epithet - gradually they became martyrs on everyone's lips. Those who wrote poems or songs about this incident like Mahbub Alam or Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury at the very beginning, did not use this word immediately. But later its use increased greatly. In fact, in view of the intense emotions that the language movement generated, writers, journalists, politicians and cultural activists of the time termed the these deads as “Shahid (martyrs)” — although most of these victims did not join the movement, let alone give up their lives voluntarily. I think there was some hesitation at first about the use of the word Shahid (martyr). This dilemma came from Bengal's conflict with Arabic-Persian. That's why (We) can see that the early slogans did not say "Zindabad", it was said "Omor Houk" (Let them to be immortal). It is not impossible that there was some doubt as to whether those who were killed because of the Bengali language would be called martyrs in Arabic. But since there was no similar word in Bengali for this self-sacrifice, it gained popularity in a short time."[79]

Although the Bengali language movement is considered to have laid the foundations for ethno-nationalism for many Bengalis in East Bengal and later East Pakistan but also increased cultural hostility between the two wings of Pakistan authorities.[80] In the western wing of Pakistan, they considered the linguistic movement to be nothing but an uprising for some segments of society.[81] To the West Pakistan, objection to the Urdu policy against the national interests of Pakistan seemed to be only tantamount objecting to the Persian Arabic culture of the Muslims as well as the establishment of ideology and a new thought in Pakistan as two states. Also, some political influences in the western wing saw Urdu language as a product of Islamic Hindi culture, while Bengali language as a part of Hinduism, and most of them took side of the western part and they believe that Urdu is the only indigenous language of the country, and this belief had raised a great deal of controversy in the western part of Pakistan where there were other language groups. At the end of 1967 dictator Ayub Khan stated that East Bengal was still under Hindu influence and culture. After the Bengali language movement, the Muslim Awami League party was transformed into the Bengali National Awami League, and the word Muslim was deleted.[82] Also, the language movement of the Pakistani people expressed their disapproval and protest against the wrongdoing of the Western Front of Pakistan. The political turmoil in Eastern Pakistan and the competition between the central government and the United Front led by the provincial government was one of the main factors that led to the 1958 revolution on the policy of Ayub Khan.[83]

In popular culture

Main article: Artistic depictions of the Language Movement

Many songs, poems, novels and plays, and films and memoirs have featured the language movement, and its associated memory. For example:

Songs
Poems
Novels
Films

Bengali Language movement in India

Main article: Bengali language movement in India

Assam

 
Language Martyr's Memorial, Silchar railway station
Main article: Bengali Language Movement (Barak Valley)

Outside East Bengal, movement for equal status of Bengali also took place in the Indian state of Assam. On 19 May 1961, 11 Bengalis were killed in police firing in Silchar Railway Station, Assam, while demanding state recognition of Bengali language. Subsequently, Bengali was given co-official status in the three Bengali-majority districts of Assam.[84]

The Silchar railway station has a memorial for the 11 student language activists who were killed by the police in 1961.[85]

Gallery

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bengali Language Movement.

See also

References

  • Al Helal, B (2003). Bhasha Andoloner Itihas (History of the Language Movement) (in Bengali). Agamee Prakashani, Dhaka. ISBN 984-401-523-5.
  • Umar, Badruddin (1979). Purbo-Banglar Bhasha Andolon O Totkalin Rajniti পূর্ব বাংলার ভাষা আন্দোলন ও তৎকালীন রজনীতি (in Bengali). Dhaka: Agamee Prakashani.
  • Umar, Badruddin (2004). The Emergence of Bangladesh: Class Struggles in East Pakistan (1947–1958). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-579571-7.
  • Uddin, Sufia M. (2006). Constructing Bangladesh: Religion, Ethnicity, and Language in an Islamic Nation. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-3021-6.

Citations

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Further reading

  • Anwar S. Dil (2000). Bengali language movement to Bangladesh. Ferozsons. ISBN 978-969-0-01577-8.
  • Robert S. Stern (2000). Democracy and Dictatorship in South Asia: Dominant Classes and Political Outcomes in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0-275-97041-3.
  • Syed Manzoorul Islam (1994). Essays on Ekushey: The Language Movement 1952. Bangla Academy. ISBN 984-07-2968-3.

External links

  • The Makers of History: International Mother Language Day

January 08, 2023
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This article is about the movement in Bangladesh For the movement in India see Bengali language movement in India The Bengali language movement Bengali ভ ষ আন দ লন romanized Bhasha Andolon was a political movement in former East Bengal renamed East Pakistan in 1952 advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of the then Dominion of Pakistan in order to allow its use in government affairs the continuation of its use as a medium of education its use in media currency and stamps and to maintain its writing in the Bengali script When the Dominion of Pakistan was formed after the separation of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 when the British left it was composed of various ethnic and linguistic groups with the geographically non contiguous East Bengal province having a mainly Bengali population In 1948 the Government of the Dominion of Pakistan ordained as part of Islamization and Arabization of East Pakistan or East Bengal that Urdu will be the sole national language alternately Bengali writing in Arabic script 1 2 3 or Roman script Romanisation of Bengali 3 or Arabic as the state language of the whole of Pakistan was also proposed 4 5 6 7 3 sparking extensive protests among the Bengali speaking majority of East Bengal Facing rising sectarian tensions and mass discontent with the new law the government outlawed public meetings and rallies The students of the University of Dhaka and other political activists defied the law and organised a protest on 21 February 1952 The movement reached its climax when police killed student demonstrators on that day The deaths provoked widespread civil unrest After years of conflict the central government relented and granted official status to the Bengali language in 1956 The Language Movement catalysed the assertion of Bengali national identity in East Bengal and later East Pakistan and became a forerunner to Bengali nationalist movements including the 6 Point Movement and subsequently the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Bengali Language Implementation Act 1987 In Bangladesh 21 February Ekushey February is observed as Language Movement Day a national holiday The Shaheed Minar monument was constructed near Dhaka Medical College in memory of the movement and its victims In 1999 UNESCO declared 21 February as International Mother Language Day 8 in tribute to the Language Movement and the ethno linguistic rights of people around the world Contents 1 Background 2 Early stages of the movement 2 1 Dhirendranath Datta s proposal 2 2 Fazlur Rahman s proposal 2 3 Proposal for Romanisation of Bengali 2 4 Agitations of 1948 2 5 Agreement with Khwaja Nazimuddin 2 6 Liaquat Ali Khan s visit to Dhaka 2 7 Ali Jinnah s visit to Dhaka 2 8 Proposal for Arabic language 2 9 Proposal by Language Committee 3 Events of 1952 3 1 21 February 3 2 22 February 3 3 Continued unrest 3 4 Reaction in West Pakistan 4 Aftermath 4 1 United Front in 1954 4 2 Constitutional status as a state language 4 3 Standard Bengali Movement 4 4 Independence of Bangladesh 5 Cultural impact and celebration 5 1 Bangladesh 5 2 India 5 3 Worldwide International Mother Language Day 6 Criticism 7 In popular culture 8 Bengali Language movement in India 8 1 Assam 9 Gallery 10 See also 11 References 12 Citations 13 Further reading 14 External linksBackground EditThe present day nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of an undivided India during the British colonial rule From the mid 19th century the Urdu language had been promoted as the lingua franca of Indian Muslims by political and religious leaders such as Sir Khwaja Salimullah Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Nawab Viqar ul Mulk and Maulvi Abdul Haq 9 10 Urdu is a Central Indo Aryan language of the Indo Iranian branch closely related to Hindi and belonging to the Indo European family of languages It developed under Persian Arabic and Turkic influence on apabhramshas last linguistic stage of the medieval Indian Aryan language Pali Prakrit 11 in South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire 12 With its Perso Arabic script the language was considered a vital element of the Islamic culture for Indian Muslims Hindi and the Devanagari script were seen as fundamentals of Hindu culture 9 While the use of Urdu grew common with Muslims in northern India the Muslims of Bengal a province in the eastern part of British Indian sub continent primarily used the Bengali language Bengali is an Eastern Indo Aryan language that arose from the eastern Middle Indic languages around 1000 CE 13 and developed considerably with a rich literature history and cultural identity Unlike many other Indic Languages Bengali got patronage from the States and Empires in the Middle Ages During the Bengal Renaissance the modern Bengali literature developed it s stronghold Bengalis irrespective of religious identity used Bengali language Supporters of Bengali opposed Urdu even before the partition of India when delegates from Bengal rejected the idea of making Urdu the lingua franca of Muslim India in the 1937 Lucknow session of the Muslim League The Muslim League was a British Indian political party that became the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state separate from British India 14 Early stages of the movement Edit Britain s holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948 becoming four new independent states the Dominion of India the Union of Burma now Myanmar Dominion of Ceylon now Sri Lanka and the Dominion of Pakistan including East Bengal from 1956 East Pakistan 1971 today Bangladesh After the partition of India in 1947 Bengali speaking people in East Bengal the non contiguous eastern part of the Dominion of Pakistan made up 44 million of the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan s 69 million people 15 The Dominion of Pakistan s government civil services and military however were dominated by personnel from the western wing of the Dominion of Pakistan 16 In November 1947 a key resolution at a national education summit in Karachi advocated Urdu and English as the sole state languages 17 Opposition and protests arose immediately Students from Dhaka rallied under the leadership of Abul Kashem the secretary of Tamaddun Majlish a Bengali Islamic cultural organisation The meeting stipulated Bengali as an official language of the Dominion of Pakistan and as a medium of education in East Bengal 18 However the Pakistan Public Service Commission removed Bengali from the list of approved subjects as well as from currency notes and stamps The central education minister Fazlur Rahman made extensive preparations to make Urdu the only state language of the Dominion of Pakistan 19 Public outrage spread and many Bengali students met on the University of Dhaka campus on 8 December 1947 to formally demand that Bengali be made an official language To promote their cause Bengali students organised processions and rallies in Dhaka 15 Leading Bengali scholars argued why Urdu should not be the only state language The writer Abul Mansur Ahmed said if Urdu became the state language the educated society of East Bengal would become illiterate and ineligible for government positions 20 The first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad National Language Action Committee an organisation in favour of Bengali as a state language was formed towards the end of December 1947 Professor Nurul Huq Bhuiyan of the Tamaddun Majlish convened the committee 15 21 Later Parliament member Shamsul Huq convened a new committee to push for Bengali as a state language Dhirendranath Datta s proposal Edit Dhirendranath was the key figure to raise the demand for Bangali with it s traditional script as a state language in Pakistan assembly Assembly member Dhirendranath Datta proposed legislation in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan to allow members to speak in Bengali and authorise its use for official purposes 15 Datta s proposal was supported by legislators Prem Hari Burman Bhupendra Kumar Datta and Sris Chandra Chattaopadhyaya of East Bengal as well as the people from the region 15 Prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan and the Muslim League denounced the proposal as an attempt to divide the Pakistani people thus the legislation was defeated 15 22 Fazlur Rahman s proposal Edit Since the partition of the country in 1947 the Union Minister representing East Pakistan Fazlur Rahman campaigned for the implementation of Bengali language written in Arabic script Bengali language with the Hurful Qur an At the Nikhil Pakistan Teachers Conference held in Karachi on 29 December 1948 Fazlur Rahman proposed to write Bengali in Arabic script for the sake of Islamization of the language East Bengal Provincial Education Department Secretary Fazle Ahmad Karim Fazli was one of the main initiators of the effort to introduce the Arabic alphabet in Bengal Both Karim Fazli and Fazlur Rahman established a society called Hurful Qur an Samity with a Maulana named Zulfikar Ali of Chittagong and tried to form a movement to introduce Arabic letters in Bengal through him Abdul Hakim the former director of the East Bengal Education Department said Some funny legends are heard in Dhaka about a Bengali Wazir Sahib s own knowledge of Urdu He wanted to fulfill his ardent desire to beautify the in order to be admired by the all powerful Urdu Mahal of the Centre For this purpose a sum of Rs 35 000 per annum for the publication of books was arranged to hand over the central sanction to the aforesaid Provincial Education Secretary 23 In response Muhammad Shahidullah opposed the proposal fearing further complications and advocated making Bengali unchanged as the state language of East Bengal and one of the state languages of Pakistan 24 Proposal for Romanisation of Bengali Edit Muhammad Qudrat i Khuda proposed the romanisation of Bengali in the early stage of language movement During that time romanization of Bengali was also proposed along with other proposals regarding the determination of the state language of Pakistan 3 25 After 1947 many other East Pakistani academics including Muhammad Qudrat i Khuda and Nazirul Islam Mohammad Sufian supported the idea of writing Bengali in Roman script 25 In 1948 Mohammad Ferdous Khan opposed it in his pamphlet The language problem of today 25 Abul Fazl Muhammad Akhtar ud Din supported the Roman alphabet in his article entitled Bangla Bornomalar Poribortton ব ল বর ণম ল র পর বর ত তন Changes in the Bengali Alphabet published in Daily Azad on 18 April 1949 25 The romanisation proposal continued on even after 1952 In 1957 the East Pakistan Education Commission recommended the use of the revised Roman script in adult education 25 Around 1957 1958 there was a significant demand for the use of Roman letters again At that time Muhammad Abdul Hai and Muhammad Enamul Haque opposed it 25 Agitations of 1948 Edit Students of the University of Dhaka and other colleges of the city organised a general strike on 11 March 1948 to protest the omission of Bengali language from official use including coins stamps and recruitment tests for the navy The movement restated the demand that Bengali be declared an official language of the Dominion of Pakistan Political leaders such as Shamsul Huq Shawkat Ali M Sirajul Islam Kazi Golam Mahboob Oli Ahad Abdul Wahed and others were arrested during the rallies Rally leader Mohammad Toaha was hospitalised after attempting to snatch a rifle from a police officer Student leaders including Abdul Matin and Abdul Malek Ukil took part in the procession 15 Agreement with Khwaja Nazimuddin Edit In the afternoon of 11 March a meeting was held to protest police brutality and arrests A group of students marching towards the chief minister Khawaja Nazimuddin s house was stopped in front of the Dhaka High Court The rally changed its direction and moved in the direction of the Secretariat building Police attacked the procession injuring several students and leaders including A K Fazlul Huq 26 Continuing strikes were observed the following four days Under such circumstances the chief minister Nazimuddin signed an accord with the student leaders agreeing to some terms and conditions without complying to the demand that Bengali be made a state language 15 Liaquat Ali Khan s visit to Dhaka Edit On November 18 1948 the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan visited East Pakistan On November 27 he addressed a student meeting at the playground of Dhaka University In that meeting the demand for Bengali language in the certificate issued by the Dhaka University Central Student Union was again raised but he refrained from making any comments In a meeting of the National Language Working Council held under the chairmanship of Ataur Rahman Khan on November 17 Aziz Ahmad Abul Kashem Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Kamruddin Ahmed Abdul Mannan Tajuddin Ahmed and others drafted a memorandum and sent it to Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan The Prime Minister did not respond to this either 27 28 Ali Jinnah s visit to Dhaka Edit Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 21 March 1948 told at a public meeting that State language of Pakistan is going to be Urdu and no other language 29 In the height of civic unrest Governor General of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah arrived in Dhaka on 19 March 1948 On 21 March at a civic reception at Racecourse Ground he claimed that the language issue was designed by a fifth column to divide Pakistani Muslims 30 31 Jinnah further declared that Urdu and only Urdu embodied the spirit of Muslim nations and would remain as the state language 15 32 33 34 labelling those who disagreed with his views as Enemies of Pakistan Jinnah delivered a similar speech at Curzon Hall of the University of Dhaka on 24 March 16 At both meetings Jinnah was interrupted by large segments of the audience He later called a meeting of a state language committee of action and overruled the contract that was signed by Khawaja Nazimuddin with the student leaders 26 Before Jinnah left Dhaka on 28 March he delivered a speech on radio reasserting his Urdu only policy 35 Proposal for Arabic language Edit Muhammad Shahidullah was a central figure in the proposal to make Arabic the state language Muhammad Shahidullah believed that Bengalis could learn Urdu at the same time as learning English he also believed that When Arabic becomes the state language of Pakistan the creation of the state of Pakistan will be justified 36 Therefore in December 1949 he assumed the presidency of the East Pakistan Arabic Language Association approved a draft memorandum to be submitted to the Assembly where it was requested to government for Arabic to be made the state language of Pakistan and for the provision of Darse Koran or Quran teaching in various centers and mosques of the city 37 On January 18 1950 some students of Rajshahi College called a meeting to demand that Arabic be made the state language 37 3 State Bank Governor Zahid Hussain proposed to make Arabic the state language and this proposal was then supported by Syed Akbar Shah member of Sindh Legislative Council and Vice Chancellor of Sindh Arabic University 37 On 1 February 1951 at the session of the World Muslim Conference in Karachi the leader of the Ismaili community Aga Khan said if Arabic is made the state language of Pakistan common communication will be established between the Muslims of the Arab world North Africa and Indonesia 37 On February 10 1951 the Secretary of the Pakistan Buddhist League Rabindranath Burmi issued a statement opposing these proposals in favor of Urdu instead of Arabic as state language 37 These proposals to make Arabic the state language did not gain much support in any part of Pakistan 37 However according to Badruddin Umar as this demand was related to the question of development of Islamic culture it indirectly supported the demand of the introduction of Arabic script in Bengali language to some extent in some groups 37 Proposal by Language Committee Edit East Bengal Language Committee headed by Muhammad Akram Khan recommended writing Bengali through Arabic characters Shortly thereafter the East Bengal Language Committee presided by Maulana Akram Khan was formed by the East Bengal government to prepare a report on the language problem 38 At 1949 Language Committee of the East Bengal Government conducted a survey among teachers intellectuals high civil servants members of the Legislative Council according to which out of 301 respondents 96 favored the introduction of the Arabic script 18 the Roman script and 187 gave opinion in favor of the retention of the Bengali script Besides many people did not give any answer 25 The committee produced it s report by 6 December 1950 but it was not published before 1958 Here an effective measure was proposed by the government to solve the language problem where they recommended writing Bengali through Arabic characters 39 Events of 1952 Edit Procession march held on 4 February 1952 at Nawabpur Road Dhaka Procession march held on 21 February 1952 in Dhaka The Urdu Bengali controversy was reignited when Jinnah s successor governor general Khawaja Nazimuddin staunchly defended the Urdu only policy in a speech on 27 January 1952 26 On 31 January the Shorbodolio Kendrio Rashtrobhasha Kormi Porishod All Party Central Language Action Committee was formed in a meeting at the Bar Library Hall of the University of Dhaka chaired by Maulana Bhashani 15 40 The central government s proposal of writing the Bengali language in Arabic script by East Pakistan s education secretary Fazlur Rahman was vehemently opposed at the meeting The action committee called for an all out protest on 21 February including strikes and rallies 26 In an attempt to prevent the demonstration the government imposed Section 144 in Dhaka thereby banning any gathering 15 According to the earlier decision students of Dhaka University and other educational institutions gathered at Dhaka University premises on February 4 The rally protested the proposal to write Bengali in Arabic script and demanded Bengali as the state language The students took out a huge demonstration after their assembly 41 On February 11 1952 a long circular No 10 titled Rashtra Bhashar Andolan was promoted to the Secretariat of the Bengali Provincial Organizing Committee before the Communist Party of Pakistan In this circular the Communist Party s statement line and organizational duties regarding the language movement are clearly indicated 42 In accordance with the principles and lines of the State Language Movement laid down in Party Circular No 10 of the East Bengal Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of Pakistan dated February 11 they circulated a cyclostyled manifesto on February 20 which read Respond to the call of the All Union State Language Working Committee Do strike hartal meeting and march across the province on 21st February to demand Bengali as one of the national languages with equal status for all languages This brief manifesto calls for English shall no longer be the official language Want equality of all languages of Pakistan Bengalis Punjabis Pathans Sindhis Balochs Urdu speakers etc have to be given the right to get education in their own mother tongue and conduct government affairs We want to make Bengali language one of the national languages Instead of English Urdu Bengali the movement to give equal status to all languages in the state English made English as the state language in order to continue the imperialist and feudal system of exploitation while keeping the various linguistic communities of Pak India backward The League government also adopted English as the state language for the same purpose has kept and wants to make the only child the state language Making one language the state language will leave the various linguistic communities of Pakistan backward and will hinder the overall development of Pakistan Therefore all the Bengali Punjabi Pathan Siddhi Belche Urdu speaking nations of Pakistan should come together in the movement to give equal status to the different languages of Pakistan and make them the state language 43 21 February Edit At nine o clock in the morning students began gathering on the University of Dhaka premises in defiance of Section 144 The university vice chancellor and other officials were present as armed police surrounded the campus By a quarter past eleven students gathered at the university gate and attempted to break the police line Police fired tear gas shells towards the gate to warn the students 15 A section of students ran into the Dhaka Medical College while others rallied towards the university premises cordoned by the police The vice chancellor asked police to stop firing and ordered the students to leave the area However the police arrested several students for violating section 144 as they attempted to leave Enraged by the arrests the students met around the East Bengal Legislative Assembly and blocked the legislators way asking them to present their insistence at the assembly When a group of students sought to storm into the building police opened fire and killed a number of students including Abdus Salam Rafiq Uddin Ahmed Sofiur Rahman Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar 15 44 The Government reported that 29 people died in that day 45 As the news of the killings spread disorder erupted across the city Shops offices and public transport were shut down and a general strike began 33 At the assembly six legislators including Manoranjan Dhar Boshontokumar Das Shamsuddin Ahmed and Dhirendranath Datta requested that chief minister Nurul Amin visit wounded students in hospital and that the assembly be adjourned as a sign of mourning 46 This motion was supported by some treasury bench members including Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish Shorfuddin Ahmed Shamsuddin Ahmed Khondokar and Mosihuddin Ahmed 46 However Nurul Amin refused the requests 15 46 On the same day the East Bengal Organizing Committee of the East Pakistan Communist Party circulated a cyclostyled manifesto entitled To build a united East Bengal Tumdal United Movement against the barbaric killings of the tyrant Nurul Amin Sarkar calling on all institutions and the multi lingual public of Pakistan regardless of party affiliation Support is invited for the following demands Leaving chair by Nazim Nurul Amin Sarkar Want to make Bengali one of the national languages immediately We want the punishment of the killer we want a private commission of inquiry we want full compensation for the dead and injured Seek immediate release of all political prisoners Demand withdrawal of Security Act Section 144 and all repressive laws 47 22 February Edit Disorder spread across the province as large processions ignored section 144 and condemned the actions of the police 26 More than 30 000 people congregated at Curzon Hall in Dhaka During the continued protests police actions led to the death of four more people This prompted officers and clerks from different organisations including colleges banks and the radio station to boycott offices and join the procession 33 Protesters burned the offices of two leading pro government news agencies the Jubilee Press and the Morning News 48 Police fired on a major janaza or mourning rally as it was passing through Nawabpur Road The shooting killed several people including activist Sofiur Rahman and a nine year old boy named Ohiullah 15 49 Continued unrest Edit 22 February rally after janaja at Dhaka Medical College on the University Dhaka road Dhaka Through the night of 23 February students of Dhaka Medical College worked on the construction of a Shaheed Smritistombho or Monument of Martyrs Completed at dawn on 24 February the monument had a handwritten note attached to it with the words Shaheed Smritistombho 50 Inaugurated by the father of the slain activist Sofiur Rahman the monument was destroyed on 26 February by police 51 On 25 February industrial workers in the town of Narayanganj observed a general strike 52 A protest followed on 29 February whose participants faced severe police beating 53 The government censored news reports and withheld exact casualty figures during the protests Most pro government media held Hindus and communists responsible for encouraging the disorder and student unrest 54 The families of Abul Barkat and Rafiq Uddin Ahmed tried to charge the police with murder but the charges were dismissed by the police On 8 April government report on the incidents failed to show any particular justification for police firings on the students 55 Reaction in West Pakistan Edit Although the Language Movement is considered to have laid the foundations for ethnic nationalism in many of the Bengalis of East Bengal and later East Pakistan it also heightened the cultural animosity between the authorities of the two wings of Pakistan 10 56 57 In the western wing of the Dominion of Pakistan the movement was seen as a sectional uprising against Pakistani national interests 58 The rejection of the Urdu only policy was seen as a contravention of the Perso Arabic culture of Muslims and the founding ideology of Pakistan the two nation theory 10 Some of the most powerful politicians from the western wing of Pakistan considered Urdu a product of Indian Islamic culture but saw Bengali as a part of Hinduized Bengali culture 16 Most stood by the Urdu only policy because they believed that only a single language one that was not indigenous to Pakistan should serve as the national language This kind of thinking also provoked considerable opposition in the western wing wherein there existed several linguistic groups 16 As late as in 1967 military dictator Ayub Khan said East Bengal is still under considerable Hindu culture and influence 16 Aftermath Edit Foundation of the Shaheed Minar laid down in Dhaka by Abul Barkat s family members The Shorbodolio Kendrio Rashtrobhasha Kormi Porishod with support from the Awami Muslim League decided to commemorate 21 February as Shohid Dibosh On the first anniversary of the protests people across East Bengal wore black badges in solidarity with the victims Most offices banks and educational institutions were closed to observe the occasion Student groups made agreements with college and police officials to preserve law and order More than 100 000 people assembled at a public meeting held in Dhaka where community leaders called for the immediate release of Maulana Bhashani and other political prisoners 15 However Pakistani politicians such as Fazlur Rahman aggravated sectional tensions by declaring that anyone who wanted Bengali to become an official language would be considered an enemy of the state Bengali students and civilians disobeyed the restrictions to celebrate the anniversary of the protests Demonstrations broke out on the night of 21 February 1954 with various halls of the University of Dhaka raising black flags in mourning 59 United Front in 1954 Edit Political tensions came to a held as elections to the provincial assembly of East Bengal were held in 1954 The ruling Muslim League denounced the opposition United Front coalition which led by A K Fazlul Huq and the Awami League wanted greater provincial autonomy Several United Front leaders and activists were arrested 60 A meeting of parliament s Muslim League members chaired by prime minister Muhammad Ali Bogra resolved to give official recognition to Bengali This decision was followed by a major wave of unrest as other ethnic groups sought recognition of other regional languages Proponents of Urdu such as Maulvi Abdul Haq condemned any proposal to grant official status to Bengali He led a rally of 100 000 people to protest against the Muslim League s decision 61 Consequently the implementation failed and the United Front won a vast majority of seats in the legislative assembly while the representation of the Muslim League was reduced to a historic low 33 61 The United Front ministry ordered the creation of the Bangla Academy to promote develop and preserve Bengali language literature and heritage 62 However the United Front rule was temporary as Governor General Ghulam Muhammad cancelled the government and started Governor s rule on 30 May 1954 60 The United Front again formed the ministry on 6 June 1955 after the governor s regime ended The Awami League did not participate in this ministry though 63 Following the return of the United Front to power the anniversary on 21 February 1956 was observed for the first time in a peaceful atmosphere The Government supported a major project to construct a new Shaheed Minar The session of the constituent assembly was stopped for five minutes to express condolence for the students slain in the police shootings Major rallies were organised by Bengali leaders and all public offices and businesses remained closed 63 64 Constitutional status as a state language Edit With the defeat of the Muslim League in the East Bengal assembly elections the central government became flexible in recognizing Bengali as the state language of Pakistan along with Urdu At least a few thousand people protested in the National Assembly on April 22 against the decision 65 On 7 May 1954 the constituent assembly resolved with the Muslim League s support to grant official status to Bengali 61 Bengali was adopted as an official language of Pakistan along with Urdu in the article 214 1 when the first constitution of Pakistan was enacted on 29 February 1956 63 Mohammad Ali Bogra raised the language related clauses of the constitution in Parliament According to the clauses Bengali language was given equal recognition as state language like Urdu In Parliament and the Legislative Assembly besides Urdu and English there was an opportunity to speak in Bengali The constitution also provided opportunities for higher education in Bengali 66 However the military government formed by Ayub Khan made attempts to re establish Urdu as the sole national language On 6 January 1959 the military regime issued an official statement and reinstated the official stance of supporting the 1956 constitution s policy of two state languages 67 Standard Bengali Movement Edit The Bengali language movement and the banning of Rabindranath Tagore s works by the central government of Pakistan led to a movement by the intellectuals of Dhaka that led to an increase in the use of Central Standard Bengali in the city in the 1950s and 1960s 68 Independence of Bangladesh Edit Main article Bangladesh Liberation War The second Shaheed Minar martyrs monument completed in 1963 Although the question of official languages was settled by 1956 the military regime of Ayub Khan promoted the interests of West Pakistan at the expense of East Pakistan Despite forming the majority of the national population the East Pakistani population continued to be under represented in the civil and military services and received a minority of state funding and other government help Due to regional economic social and political imbalances sectional divisions grew 69 and the Bengali ethnic nationalist Awami League invoked the 6 point movement for greater provincial autonomy One demand was that East Pakistan be called Bangladesh Land Country of Bengal which subsequently led to the Bangladesh Liberation War 10 16 Cultural impact and celebration EditBangladesh Edit Shaheed Minar or the Martyr s monument located near Dhaka Medical College commemorates those who died during the protests on 21 February 1952 The Language Movement had a major cultural impact on Bengali society It has inspired the development and celebration of the Bengali language literature and culture 21 February celebrated as Language Movement Day or Shohid Dibosh Martyrs Day is a major national holiday in Bangladesh A month long event called the Ekushey Book Fair is held every year to commemorate the movement Ekushey Padak one of the highest civilian awards in Bangladesh is awarded annually in memory of the sacrifices of the movement 70 Songs such as Abdul Gaffar Choudhury s Ekusher Gaan set to music by Shaheed Altaf Mahmud as well as plays works of art and poetry played a considerable role in rousing the people s emotions during the movement 71 Since the events of February 1952 poems songs novels plays films cartoons and paintings were created to capture the movement from varied point of views Notable artistic depictions include the poems Bornomala Amar Dukhini Bornomala and February 1969 by Shamsur Rahman the film Jibon Theke Neya by Zahir Raihan the stage play Kobor by Munier Chowdhury and the novels Ekushey February by Raihan and Artonaad by Shawkat Osman 72 Two years after the first monument was destroyed by the police a new Shaheed Minar Monument of Martyrs was constructed in 1954 to commemorate the protesters who died Work on a larger monument designed by the architect Hamidur Rahman began in 1957 with the support of the United Front ministry and approved by a planning committee chaired by University of Dhaka Vice Chancellor Mahmud Husain and College of Fine Arts principal Zainul Abedin 73 Hamidur Rahman s model consisted of a large complex in the yard of the Dhaka Medical College Hostel The design included a half circular column symbolizing a mother with her martyred sons standing at the dais in the centre of the monument Although the imposition of martial law in 1958 interrupted the work the monument was completed and inaugurated on 21 February 1963 by Abul Barkat s mother Hasina Begum Pakistani forces demolished the monument during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 but the Bangladeshi government reconstructed it in 1973 74 Ekushey Television one of the oldest privately owned television channels in Bangladesh was named after the date of the event 75 India Edit The states of West Bengal and Tripura in India celebrate 21 February as Language Movement Day 76 77 Worldwide International Mother Language Day Edit Bangladesh officially sent a proposal to UNESCO to declare 21 February as International Mother Language Day The proposal was supported unanimously at the 30th General Conference of UNESCO held on 17 November 1999 78 Criticism EditBangladeshi writer Ghulam Murshid claimed that the deaths of the most of the activists of this movement was not happenned by their own will rather than accidentally as most them were not not actual activist because they actually did not join the movement according to Murshid s speech He also opines that thus entitling them as martyr Shahid in Bengali is irrational According to his quotation However this term Shahid martyr gained special popularity in East Bengal after the language movement of 1952 and in the 1960s by the Leftists in West Bengal Those who were shot dead by the police mostly against their own will in 21st and 22nd February during the language movement are all called martyrs Not any single one gave them this epithet gradually they became martyrs on everyone s lips Those who wrote poems or songs about this incident like Mahbub Alam or Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury at the very beginning did not use this word immediately But later its use increased greatly In fact in view of the intense emotions that the language movement generated writers journalists politicians and cultural activists of the time termed the these deads as Shahid martyrs although most of these victims did not join the movement let alone give up their lives voluntarily I think there was some hesitation at first about the use of the word Shahid martyr This dilemma came from Bengal s conflict with Arabic Persian That s why We can see that the early slogans did not say Zindabad it was said Omor Houk Let them to be immortal It is not impossible that there was some doubt as to whether those who were killed because of the Bengali language would be called martyrs in Arabic But since there was no similar word in Bengali for this self sacrifice it gained popularity in a short time 79 Although the Bengali language movement is considered to have laid the foundations for ethno nationalism for many Bengalis in East Bengal and later East Pakistan but also increased cultural hostility between the two wings of Pakistan authorities 80 In the western wing of Pakistan they considered the linguistic movement to be nothing but an uprising for some segments of society 81 To the West Pakistan objection to the Urdu policy against the national interests of Pakistan seemed to be only tantamount objecting to the Persian Arabic culture of the Muslims as well as the establishment of ideology and a new thought in Pakistan as two states Also some political influences in the western wing saw Urdu language as a product of Islamic Hindi culture while Bengali language as a part of Hinduism and most of them took side of the western part and they believe that Urdu is the only indigenous language of the country and this belief had raised a great deal of controversy in the western part of Pakistan where there were other language groups At the end of 1967 dictator Ayub Khan stated that East Bengal was still under Hindu influence and culture After the Bengali language movement the Muslim Awami League party was transformed into the Bengali National Awami League and the word Muslim was deleted 82 Also the language movement of the Pakistani people expressed their disapproval and protest against the wrongdoing of the Western Front of Pakistan The political turmoil in Eastern Pakistan and the competition between the central government and the United Front led by the provincial government was one of the main factors that led to the 1958 revolution on the policy of Ayub Khan 83 In popular culture EditMain article Artistic depictions of the Language Movement Many songs poems novels and plays and films and memoirs have featured the language movement and its associated memory For example SongsEkusher Gaan The Song of Twentyfirst by Abdul Gaffar Choudhury Ora Amar Mukher Kotha They are my Words by Abdul Latif Ekushey February 21 February by Kabir SumanPoemsKadte Ashini Fashir Dabi Niye Ashechi I have not come to mourn but to appeal for hanging by Mahbub Ul Alam Choudhury Bornomala Amar Dukhini Bornomala by Shamsur Rahman February 1969 by Shamsur Rahman Amake ki malyo debe dao by Nirmalendu Goon Chithi by Abu Zafar Obaidullah Shobhyotar Monibondhe by Syed Shamsul Haque Smritistomvo monument Alauddin Al AzadNovelsEkushey February by Zahir Raihan Artonaad by Shawkat Osman Nirontor Ghontadhoni by Selina Hossain Japito Jibon by Selina Hossain Arek Falgun by Zahir Raihan FilmsJibon Theke Neya Taken from Life directed by Zahir Raihan Bangla directed by Shahidul Islam Khokon Fagun Haway In Spring breeze directed by Tauquir AhmedBengali Language movement in India EditMain article Bengali language movement in India Assam Edit Language Martyr s Memorial Silchar railway station Main article Bengali Language Movement Barak Valley Outside East Bengal movement for equal status of Bengali also took place in the Indian state of Assam On 19 May 1961 11 Bengalis were killed in police firing in Silchar Railway Station Assam while demanding state recognition of Bengali language Subsequently Bengali was given co official status in the three Bengali majority districts of Assam 84 The Silchar railway station has a memorial for the 11 student language activists who were killed by the police in 1961 85 Gallery Edit Moder Gorob a commemorative sculpture at Bangla Academy Dhaka International Mother Language Day Monument in Ashfield Park Sydney Bhasha Smritistambha in Kolkata Mother Language Day Monument in Kolkata The Shaheed Minar replica in Altab Ali Park London Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bengali Language Movement See also EditList of non fiction books on the history of the Bengali language movement in Bengali Bengali language activists Bengali Language Movement Barak Valley Bengali Language Movement Manbhum Role of political parties during Bengali Language Movement Dobhashi Bengali writing in Arabic script in Bengali Proposal to make Arabic the state language of Pakistan in Bengali Romanisation of Bengali Islamization in Pakistan Arabic language in Islam in Bengali Bengali nationalism Martyr Shahid Bengal famine of 1943 Direct Action Day 1946 Bihar riots Noakhali riots History of East Pakistan History of Pakistan 1947 present History of India 1947 present 2018 Bangladesh quota reform protests 2018 Bangladesh road safety protests 2015 Bangladesh student protestsReferences EditAl Helal B 2003 Bhasha Andoloner Itihas History of the Language Movement in Bengali Agamee Prakashani Dhaka ISBN 984 401 523 5 Umar Badruddin 1979 Purbo Banglar Bhasha Andolon O Totkalin Rajniti প র ব ব ল র ভ ষ আন দ লন ও তৎক ল ন রজন ত in Bengali Dhaka Agamee Prakashani Umar Badruddin 2004 The Emergence of Bangladesh Class Struggles in East Pakistan 1947 1958 Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 579571 7 Uddin Sufia M 2006 Constructing Bangladesh Religion Ethnicity and Language in an Islamic Nation Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina Press ISBN 0 8078 3021 6 Citations Edit Nag Sajal Nation and Its Modes of Oppressions in South Asia Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 000 81044 8 Retrieved 27 November 2022 Maloney Clarence 1978 Language and Civilization Change in South Asia Brill Archive pp 145 146 ISBN 978 90 04 05741 8 Retrieved 27 November 2022 a b c d হ স ন স ল ন ব শ ব স স ক ম র চ ধ র শফ ক র রহম ন eds 21 February 1986 1513 এক শ র স ম রকগ রন থ ৮৬ সম প দন য in Bengali Bangladesh Bangla Academy pp 52 73 Retrieved 27 November 2022 প র নস এরশ দ ল আলম 20 February 2022 ব ল হরফ র ওপর শয ত ন আছর banglanews24 com in Bengali Retrieved 3 January 2017 Brown Michael Edward Ganguly Sumit 2003 Fighting Words Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia MIT Press p 77 ISBN 978 0 262 52333 2 Retrieved 27 November 2022 Zein Subhan Coady Maria R 22 September 2021 Early Language Learning Policy in the 21st Century An International Perspective Springer Nature p 136 ISBN 978 3 030 76251 3 Retrieved 27 November 2022 Chaube Shibani Kinkar 26 October 2016 The Idea of Nation and Its Future in India Taylor amp Francis p 122 ISBN 978 1 315 41432 4 Retrieved 27 November 2022 Glassie Henry and Mahmud Feroz 2008 Living Traditions Cultural Survey of Bangladesh Series II Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka International Mother Language Day a b Upadhyay R 1 May 2003 Urdu Controversy is dividing the nation further Papers South Asia Analysis Group Archived from the original on 25 December 2018 Retrieved 20 February 2008 a b c d Rahman Tariq 1997 The Medium of Instruction Controversy in Pakistan Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 18 2 145 154 doi 10 1080 01434639708666310 ISSN 0143 4632 Halder Shashwati 2012 Apabhrangsha In Islam Sirajul Jamal Ahmed A eds Banglapedia National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Second ed Asiatic Society of Bangladesh A Historical Perspective of Urdu National Council for Promotion of Urdu language Archived from the original on 11 June 2007 Retrieved 15 June 2007 Bhattacharya T 2001 Bangla In Garry J Rubino C eds Encyclopedia of World s Languages Past and Present Facts About the World s Languages New York HW Wilson ISBN 0 8242 0970 2 Rahman Tariq February 1997 The Urdu English Controversy in Pakistan Modern Asian Studies Cambridge University Press 31 1 177 207 doi 10 1017 S0026749X00016978 ISSN 1469 8099 JSTOR 312861 S2CID 144261554 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Al Helal Bashir 2012 Language Movement In Islam Sirajul Jamal Ahmed A eds Banglapedia National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Second ed Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Archived from the original on 7 March 2016 a b c d e f Oldenburg Philip August 1985 A Place Insufficiently Imagined Language Belief and the Pakistan Crisis of 1971 The Journal of Asian Studies Association for Asian Studies 44 4 711 733 doi 10 2307 2056443 ISSN 0021 9118 JSTOR 2056443 S2CID 145152852 Jabeen Mussarat Chandio Amir Ali Qasim Zarina 2010 Language Controversy Impacts on National Politics and Secession of East Pakistan South Asian Studies A Research Journal of South Asian Studies 25 1 99 124 Umar 1979 p 35 Al Helal 2003 pp 227 28 Umar 1979 pp 30 32 Ekusher Shongkolon 80 in Bengali Dhaka Bangla Academy 1980 pp 102 103 Rahman Hasan Hafizur 1982 Bangladesher Swadhinota juddher Dolilpotro Ministry of Information People s Republic of Bangladesh OCLC 416657937 আরব অক ষর ব ল শ ক ষ দ ন র ষড যন ত র স ব ধ নত আন দ লন র গ ড পত তন Shongramer Notebook 21 July 2019 Retrieved 7 December 2022 Umar Badruddin 1970 প র ব ব ল র ভ ষ আন দ লন ও তৎক ল ন র জন ত East Bengal s language movement and contemporary politics in Bengali Anandhara Prakashan pp 185 187 Retrieved 5 May 2022 a b c d e f g Bashir Al Helal History of the Language Movement forthcoming publication February 1995 pp 685 692 a b c d e Al Helal 2003 pp 263 265 Malek Abdul 2000 Hossain Abu Muhammad Delwar ed ভ ষ আন দ লন র আঞ চল ক ইত হ স Bhasha Andolaner Ancholik Itihash Regional history of language movement Dhaka Selina Hossain Director Research Compendium Department of Folklore Bangla Academy pp 5 27 ISBN 984 07 4045 8 Islam Rafiqul 2000 Amar Ekushey O Shohid Minar আম র এক শ ও শহ দ ম ন র My Ekhushey 21st and Martyr s Monument in Bengali Dhaka Poroma pp 62 85 ISBN 984 8245 39 1 NATIONAL CONSOLIDATION Archived from the original on 21 May 2014 Retrieved 21 May 2014 Umar 2004 p 34 R Upadhyay 7 April 2007 De Pakistanisation of Bangladesh Bangladesh Monitor South Asia Analysis Group Archived from the original on 11 June 2007 Retrieved 16 June 2007 Uddin 2006 pp 2 4 a b c d James Heitzman Robert Worden eds 1989 Pakistan Period 1947 71 Bangladesh A Country Study Government Printing Office Country Studies US ISBN 0 16 017720 0 Retrieved 16 June 2007 Sayeed Khalid Bin September 1954 Federalism and Pakistan Far Eastern Survey Institute of Pacific Relations 23 9 139 143 doi 10 2307 3023818 ISSN 0362 8949 JSTOR 3023818 Umar 2004 p 35 Hashmi Taj Fifty Years of Bangladesh 1971 2021 Crises of Culture Development Governance and Identity Springer Nature pp 61 75 ISBN 978 3 030 97158 8 While Fazlur Rahman 1905 1966 a Central Minister from East Bengal proposed that Bengali be written in Arabic script for the sake of Islamization of the language Dr Muhammad Shahidullah 1884 1969 renowned Bengali scholar and a linguist believed that Bengalis could learn Urdu as they learned English but he also believed that The day Arabic becomes the state language of Pakistan the creation of the state of Pakistan becomes justified 84 Badruddin Umar Purbo Banglar Bhasha Andolon o Tatkalin Rajniti Language Movement amp Contemporary Politics in East Bengal Vol 1 Maula Brothers Dhaka 1970 pp 180 256 9 272 a b c d e f g Umar Badaruddin 1970 Purbo Banglar Bhasha Andolan O Totkalin Rajneeti East Bengal s Language Movement and Contemporary Politics in Bengali Ananddhara Prakashan pp 3 5 282 284 Retrieved 8 December 2022 Mandal Ranita 24 June 2002 Chapter 4 Other Activities Muhammad Shahidullah amp His Contribution To Bengali Linguistics Central Institute of Indian Languages Mysore India Retrieved 23 June 2007 Daily Azad 24 May 1950 Umar 2004 pp 192 193 Daily Azad February 5 1952 প র ব ব ল র ভ ষ আন দ লন ও তৎক ল ন র জন ত East Bengal language movement and contemporary politics Volume III Badruddin Umar 1972 page 243 প র ব ব ল র ভ ষ আন দ লন ও তৎক ল ন র জন ত East Bengal language movement and contemporary politics Volume III Badruddin Umar 1972 page 251 252 Dhaka Medical College Hostel Prangone Chatro Shomabesher Upor Policer Guliborshon Bishwabidyalayer Tinjon Chatroshoho Char Bekti Nihoto O Shotero Bekti Ahoto The Azad in Bengali 22 February 1952 James Michael 11 March 1952 RED DANGER SEEN IN EAST PAKISTAN Bengal Premier Foresees New Trouble Though Recent Outbreaks Were Curbed New York Times ProQuest 112392067 a b c Al Helal 2003 pp 377 393 প র ব ব ল র ভ ষ আন দ লন ও তৎক ল ন র জন ত East Bengal language movement and contemporary politics Volume III Badruddin Umar 1972 page 316 317 Banglake Pakistaner Onnotomo Rashtrabhasa Korar Jonno Purbobongo Babostha Porishoder Shoparesh Shukrobar Shohorer Obosthar Aaro Obonoti Shorkar Kortrik Shamorik Bahini Tolob Police O Shenader Gulite Charjon Nihoto O Shotadhik Ahoto Shatghontar Jonno Curfew Jari Shohidder Smritir Proti Sroddha Gyaponarthay Shotosfurto Hartal Palan The Azad in Bengali 23 February 1952 Al Helal 2003 p 483 It s True The Daily Star 21 February 2015 Retrieved 29 January 2018 Rafique Ahmed Shaheed Minar Banglapedia Retrieved 29 January 2018 Umar 2004 p 218 Umar 1979 pp 417 418 Al Helal 2003 pp 515 523 Al Helal 2003 pp 546 552 Uddin 2006 pp 120 121 History of Bangladesh Discovery Bangladesh Archived from the original on 9 June 2007 Retrieved 21 June 2007 Rahman Tariq September 1997 Language and Ethnicity in Pakistan Asian Survey University of California Press 37 9 833 839 doi 10 2307 2645700 ISSN 0004 4687 JSTOR 2645700 Al Helal 2003 pp 594 609 a b Al Helal 2003 pp 600 603 a b c UF elections victory Chronicles of Pakistan Archived from the original on 18 January 2012 Retrieved 11 December 2011 Al Helal Bashir 2012 Bangla Academy In Islam Sirajul Jamal Ahmed A eds Banglapedia National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Second ed Asiatic Society of Bangladesh a b c Al Helal 2003 pp 608 613 Gambhirjopurno Poribeshay Shaheed Dibosh Utjapon Weekly Notun Khobor in Bengali 26 February 1956 PAKISTANIS IN RIOT ON LANGUAGE ISSUE New York Times 23 April 1954 ProQuest 113105078 Callahan John 8 May 1954 PAKISTANIS MAKE BENGALI OFFICIAL East Zone Tongue Is Raised to Status Equal to Urdu the Western Language New York Times ProQuest 112939727 Lambert Richard D April 1959 Factors in Bengali Regionalism in Pakistan Far Eastern Survey Institute of Pacific Relations 28 4 49 58 doi 10 2307 3024111 ISSN 0362 8949 JSTOR 3024111 Rubel Abul Hasan 15 November 2017 ঢ ক র ভ ষ ঢ ক ইয ভ ষ ন ক অন য ভ ষ The language of Dhaka the language of Dhaka or another language Kaler Kantho in Bengali Retrieved 28 September 2022 Uddin 2006 pp 120 126 Khan Sanjida 2012 National Awards In Islam Sirajul Jamal Ahmed A eds Banglapedia National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Second ed Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Aminzade Ronald Douglas McAdam Charles Tilly 17 September 2001 Emotions and Contentious Politics Silence and Voice in the Study of Contentious Politics Cambridge Cambridge University Press p 42 ISBN 0 521 00155 2 Retrieved 24 June 2007 Islam Rafiqul 2000 Amar Ekushey O Shaheed Minar in Bengali Dhaka Poroma pp 62 85 ISBN 984 8245 39 1 Hussain Syed Sajjad 1996 The Wastes of Time Institute of Islamic Culture OCLC 41452432 Imam Jahanara 1986 Ekattorer Dingulee in Bengali Dhaka Shondhani Prokashani p 44 ISBN 984 480 000 5 Chowdhury Afsan 1999 Move over BTV Himal Magazine Retrieved 25 September 2022 Tripura Bangladesh celebrate international mother language day The Times of India 21 February 2012 Retrieved 19 November 2022 This day that year When they gave away their lives for mother tongue The Indian Express 21 February 2015 Retrieved 19 November 2022 International Mother Language Day Background and Adoption of the Resolution Government of Bangladesh Archived from the original on 20 May 2007 Retrieved 21 June 2007 Ghulam Murshid 2007 ১১ শহ দ র অপম ত য 11 The unnatural death of the martyr ন র ধর ম ইত য দ Women religion etc in Bengali Daily Jugantor 2006 and Anyaprakash 2007 pp 99 100 তব এ শব দট প র ব ব ল য ব শ ষ জনপ র য ত অর জন কর ১৯৫২ স ল র ভ ষ আন দ লন র পর আর পশ চ মবঙ গ ষ ট র দশক ব মপন থ দ র কল য ণ ভ ষ আন দ লন র সময এক শ এব ব ইশ ফ ব র য র য র প ল শ র গ ল ত ন হত হয ছ ল ন ব শ র ভ গই ন জ দ র অন চ ছ য ত দ র সব ইক শহ দ আখ য য ত কর হয ছ ল ক ন একজন ত দ র এই ব শ ষণ দ নন সব র ম খ ম খ ই ধ র ধ র ত র শহ দ পর ণত হন এই ঘটন ন য এক ব র প রথম দ ক ম হব ব আলম অথব আবদ ল গফফ র চ ধ র র মত য র কব ত অথব গ ন ল খ ছ ল ন ত র এ শব দট তখনই ব যবহ র কর নন ক ন ত পর এর ব যবহ র ব য পকভ ব ব দ ধ প য আসল ভ ষ আন দ লন য ত ব র ভ ব ব গ র জন ম দ য ছ ল স ই ভ ব ব গ র পর প র ক ষ ত ই তখনক র ল খক স ব দ ক র জন ত ক এব স স ক ত স ব র ন হতদ র শহ দ শব দ দ য সর ব চ চ আত মত য গ বল আখ য য ত কর ছ ল ন যদ ও এই ন হত ব যক ত র ব শ র ভ গই আন দ লন য গ দ নন স ব চ ছ য প র ণ ব সর জন ত দ র র কথ আম র ধ রণ শহ দ শব দ র ব যবহ র ন য প রথম দ ক খ ন কট দ ব ধ ছ ল এই দ ব ধ ট এস ছ ল আরব ফ রস র সঙ গ ব ল র ব ব দ থ ক স জন য ই দ খত প ই প রথম দ ক র স ল গ ন জ ন দ ব দ ন বল বল হত অমর হ ক অসম ভব নয য ব ল ভ ষ র ক রণ য র ন হত হয ছ ন ত দ র আরব ভ ষ য শহ দ বল হব ক ন ত ন য খ ন কট স শয দ খ গ য ছ ল ক ন ত য হ ত এই আত মত য গ ব ঝ ন র জন য ব ল য ক ন জৎসই শব দ ছ ল ন স জন য অল পক ল র মধ য ই এট জনপ র য ত অর জন কর Bangladesh History Discovery Bangladesh Retrieved 2007 06 21 Rahman Tariq September 1997 Language and Ethnicity in Pakistan Asian Survey 37 9 833 839 doi 10 1525 as 1997 37 9 01p02786 ISSN 0004 4687 JSTOR 2645700 Lintner Bertil January 2004 Chapter 17 Religious Extremism and Nationalism in Bangladesh In eds Satu Limaye Robert Wirsing Mohan Malik PDF Religious Radicalism and Security in South Asia Honolulu Hawaii Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies p 413 ISBN 0 9719416 6 1 Retrieved 2007 06 28 edit a b c d e James Heitzman and Robert Worden eds ed 1989 Pakistan Period 1947 71 Bangladesh A Country Study Government Printing Office Country Studies US ISBN 0 16 017720 0 Retrieved 2007 06 16 Sarkar Gautam 20 May 2008 Court route for language status The Telegraph Calcutta Centre nod to renaming Silchar station after language martyrs The Times of India 9 December 2016 Retrieved 19 November 2022 This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Bangla December 2022 Click show for important translation instructions View a machine translated version of the Bangla article Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Bangla Wikipedia article at bn ব ল ভ ষ আন দ লন see its history for attribution You should also add the template Translated bn ব ল ভ ষ আন দ লন to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation Further reading EditAnwar S Dil 2000 Bengali language movement to Bangladesh Ferozsons ISBN 978 969 0 01577 8 Robert S Stern 2000 Democracy and Dictatorship in South Asia Dominant Classes and Political Outcomes in India Pakistan and Bangladesh Praeger Publishers ISBN 978 0 275 97041 3 Syed Manzoorul Islam 1994 Essays on Ekushey The Language Movement 1952 Bangla Academy ISBN 984 07 2968 3 External links EditLanguage movement at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Resources from Wikiversity Notable Contributors to the Language Movement The Makers of History International Mother Language Day Language movement at Banglapedia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bengali language movement amp oldid 1131952462, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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