Rights, Identity & Bengali Language

Sandip Banerjee

Come February 21 and we are all stirred by the consciousness about our mother tongue. Seminars are held, cultural programmes are organised, debates and discussion fill the air. There is absolutely nothing wrong about it. However, reality seems to be different at times. The schools that follow Bengali as medium of instruction are gradually losing their students, particularly in the city and the city suburbs. In our daily vocabulary, we witness a huge penetration of English and other non-Bengali expressions. Again there is nothing wrong about it either. But we must remember that our language which is seventh in terms of the most spoken languages in the world needs to be taken care with legacy hunting. It is very unfortunate that parents are so keen and at times so proud to see their children emphasing on English alone. What they fail to realise is that if their children are encouraged to ignore their own mother tongue then one fine day they would start ignoring their parents, finding them not capable in English conversation.

To a sociologist, there are several features and determinants of individual identity. Again in an era of glocalisation, the word ‘identity’ has assumed a different perspective. Even then with all the changing times, one quality remains universal to define identity of an individual and that is language. In the words of Mary Pipher, “Language imparts identity, meaning, and perspective to our human conditions’’. Language is intrinsic to the expression of culture. As a means of communicating values, beliefs, and customs, it has an important social function and fosters feelings of group identity and solidarity. It is the means by which culture and its traditions and shared values may be conveyed and preserved. Many historians argue that language is the bedrock of nationalism for they believe and perhaps with some propriety that language generates a common bonding to nationalist feeling. Hence it is no wonder that language has had influence over human emotions to the extent of inspiring people to act of revolt in situations where the right to language is tried to be taken away, unjustifiably. History has been witness to such facts. There has been linguistic nationalism in England, in East Europe, and in the Indian Subcontinent. But perhaps no language movement can match the intensity of the struggle that occurred in East Pakistan. Not only this episode of struggle is laden with bloodshed, but it also ushered in a spirit of struggle for independence amongst the natives of the then East Pakistan. The culmination of this struggle led to the formation of Bangladesh as a separate nation-state in 1971. The Bengali-speaking community of East Pakistan rose against the imposition of Urdu as the state language. They were emotionally stirred, as per them their language was their identity.

The relation between language and cultural recognition is nothing strange. Millions of people have fought to preserve their language. When it comes to fighting for the Bengali language, the fight in East Pakistan is not the first of its kind. It happened before Indian Independence in the province of Bihar when residents of erstwhile Manbhoom area declared protest as they believed that the Hindi language was forced upon them. The problem continued even after Indian Independence and could be partially resolved with the inclusion of a part of that   area into West Bengal in the form of Purulia district. On May 19, 1961 eleven ethnic Bengalis were killed by the Assam Police at Silchar Station, following protests against the imposition of Assamese language as the only official language in Assam. This mounted a Bengali Language Movement in the Barak Valley region of Assam as more than three-fourth of the population in that area was Bengali. The language movement in East Pakistan took on a different dimension. It led to a nationwide participation. It all started on a massive scale when on March 21, 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared Urdu as the state language of Pakistan. This opened the Pandora’s Box. It was beyond the imagination of Jinnah or any leadership that the announcement would unleash something like the Bangladesh Liberation Movement. Individuals like Shamsul Haq, Shawkat Ali, Md. Sirajul Islam, Dhirendranth Datta led the protest .The government retaliated strongly. The 44 million Bengali speaking community of East Pakistan could not accept that their language would not attain official status. Even before Jinnah’s announcement, the first “Rashtrabhasa Sangram Parishad” was formed in 1947. Parliament member like Shamsul Haq convened a committee to push for Bengali as a state language.

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 purpose. When Pakistan Public Service Commission removed Bengali from list of approved subjects and also from currency and notes, public discontent was widely expressed. Students gathered in University of Dhaka on December 8, 1947 stating their demand for making Bengali the official language.

The language movement in East Pakistan was unique in the sense that both the Hindu and the Muslim community joined hands. To them, language was the common bonding. When Jinnah overruled the contract between Khawaja Nazimuddin and the students, further outrage followed. The intellect of East Pakistan like writer Abul Mansur Ahmed argued that if Urdu be made the official language then the Bengali-speaking community of East Pakistan would eventually be illiterate and consequently ineligible for government positions. It was a ploy, as many believed in East Pakistan, to ensure that the people of West Pakistan dominate the administrative system.

The Bengali-Urdu controversy was rekindled by the speech of Governor-General, Khawaja Nazimuddin, delivered on January 27, 1952. An action committee was formed protesting vehemently against the Government’s proposal of writing Bengali in Arabic script. On February 21, 1952 students started gathering in the campus of Dhaka University, defying section 144. Tension mounted and as a result of police open firing, a number of students like Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat, and Abdul Jabbar were killed. These people became martyrs for the cause of linguistic freedom. This was no mean an incident for it gave birth to a cry for freedom. The bloodshed of the martyrs did not go in vain. After four years of conflict, the Pakistan Government granted second official language status to the Bengali language in 1956.  A prolonged and grueling effort that cost human lives and resources saw the emergence of a free nation Bangladesh under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibar Rehman, with Bengali as their language. In 1999, UNESCO declared February 21 as ‘International Mother Language Day’. It has been a fitting tribute to the sacrifice of those who laid down their lives to secure the dignity of their language.

Today when we carry forward the legacy of the sacrifice made on February 21, 1952, we find it global. Bengali-speaking people all over the world, united by their mother tongue, celebrate the day with cultural programs, discussions, and reminiscences. More than seventy years have passed and yet the blood of those martyrs still appears red. We emotively remember them who uncompromisingly strengthened the pride of the Bengali language- “Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushe February / Ami Bhulite Pari?’’ The day also reminds us that language is not just communication alone; it is also a powerful tool to preserve culture and heritage of a race.

The impact of “Bhasa Andolan’’, as it is popularly known has taken a multi-faceted manifestation. The date February 21 is a testimonial to freedom of language for millions under the sun. It is not just about four deaths; it is about the resurrection of hope and inspiration. Many have created literature of different genres demonstrating the innate right of an individual to express his mind in his mother tongue. Worldwide study endorses the significance of primary education in the mother tongue only. The commemoration of “International Mother Language Day’’ is also a promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism around the world. It is essential to understand the role of indigenous languages in development and reconciliation. A recent survey shows that nearly 30 percent of the global population cannot have access to education in their mother tongue. This is serious because if students do not learn in their native language, the next generation can ignore the language of their predecessor. Language is life and life needs to be preserved at any cost or else we bequeathing an emblem of lost identity to our next generation.