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Serajul Islam Choudhury

  • Emeritus Professor

Emeritus Professor, University of Dhaka

Why should we regret on the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement?
Why should we regret on the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement?
State and Politics

Why should we regret on the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement?

As we celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the Language Movement, it is essential to express regret over the fact that the Bengali language has not received the respect it deserved as the state language of an independent country. Despite the expectation that Bengali should have attained its rightful place, it has not. The reasons for this are numerous, including the coexistence of three different education systems in the country, the lack of Bengali language use in the higher judiciary, and the absence of effective measures for the widespread use of Bengali at all levels of society. However, to find the root cause, we must look deeper.

When the state is the offspring and sustainer of inequality
When the state is the offspring and sustainer of inequality
Politics and Bureaucracy

When the state is the offspring and sustainer of inequality

You, Rabindranath, did not believe in the state; you believed in society. In India, society was paramount, and the state was a particular nuisance — this was part of your philosophy. The state was external, while society was ours. You had faith that we would shape this society according to our own will.

Bangalees united by linguistic identity, not communal affiliation
Bangalees united by linguistic identity, not communal affiliation
State and Politics

Bangalees united by linguistic identity, not communal affiliation

Nationalism is inherently political; it raises questions about the formation and dissolution of states. Language, however, transcends the state and holds possibilities that are not only vast and profound but also both democratic and socialist in nature. This is because linguistic identity has the power to surpass class divisions. Our language movement was democratic in multiple ways. Firstly, it aimed to establish the rights of the Bengali-speaking majority within the Pakistani state structure. Secondly, it sought to unite Bengalis not on the basis of class or communal identity but through linguistic identity, which carried an inherent socialist aspiration.

1971 Dhaka University in my eyes
1971 Dhaka University in my eyes
Interview

1971 Dhaka University in my eyes

Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury is an eminent educationist, well-known fiction writer, essayist and columnist. In 1971, as a teacher of Dhaka University, he witnessed the Bengali non-cooperation movement, the horrific genocide on the night of March 25, and various events. Apart from this, he observed the events of Dhaka University as a timeless witness. He spoke about the memory of 1971, left-wing politics and various issues in an interview with Rahat Minhaz, Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism of Jagannath University.