Context 

• International Mother Language Day is observed every year on February 21.

Why is it being celebrated?

• To honour those in Bangladesh who sacrificed their lives to protect their mother tongue, Bangla, against the then rulers of West Pakistan and
• To honour the ethno-linguistic rights of individuals across the world.

This year’s celebration 

• International Mother Language Day 2022 was celebrated across the world with the theme, ‘Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities’. 
• It highlighted the role of technology in developing multilingual education and in supporting the development of quality teaching and learning for all. 
• For instance,
  • Tech giants like Amazon and Facebook showcase their products in a few local languages. 
  • Google Translate has brought numerous regional cultures closer together. 

Language movement

• The transition from East Pakistan to Bangladesh has been the first time in world history, where a mother tongue became the focal point for an independence movement. 
• In March 1948, just months after the birth of Pakistan, Pakistani leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah declared that the state language of Pakistan would be Urdu. 
• All official communication from then was to be in Urdu and the language was made compulsory in schools. 
• Meanwhile, Bangla, which is a completely different language, was removed as a subject in schools and from stamps and currency.
• Students of Dhaka University began their protest on February 21, 1952 against the ‘Urdu only’ policy. 
• The police began indiscriminate firing on the students, killing many of them. 
• Since then, February 21 is observed as ‘Shaheed Dibosh (Martyrs’ Day)’ in Bangladesh to pay tribute to Shaheed Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Abdul Jabbar, Shafiur Rahman, and many more. 
• Their passion for their mother tongue and devotion towards their motherland forced the Pakistani leadership to make Bangla one of the official languages of Pakistan in 1954.

Significance of the the movement 

• The language movement not only gave rise to the Bengali national identity in then Pakistan, but also became the stepping stone for the Bengali nationalist movement, the six-point movement, the student movement in 1962, the uprising in 1969 and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. 
• This is the only movement in history that started with protecting linguistic and cultural rights and ultimately led to the birth of an independent nation, Bangladesh.

Importance of language

• Language is one of the most important characteristics of the foundation of a culture. 
• Language is the most powerful tool that forges social, economic, and cultural ties. 

Why should our mother tongue be protected?

• Increasing localisation of indigenous languages due to globalisation 
• Disappearance of mother tongues in a quest to learn foreign languages to receive better job opportunities.
• Increasingly threatened Linguistic diversity 
  • According to the United Nations, at least 43% of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. 
  • The UN proclaimed the period between 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, “to draw global attention to the critical status of many indigenous languages around the world and to mobilize stakeholders and resources for their preservation, revitalization, and promotion.”

Conclusion

• Linguistic diversity defines our socio-cultural identity, connects us with our heritage, and is the foundational pillar of civilizations. 
• By drawing inspiration from Bangladesh it is our responsibility to protect our mother tongue.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-lesson-from-bangladesh-is-that-we-need-to-protect-our-mother-tongues/article65071266.ece