How much do we preserve our language movement history?

The language movement is one of the most important events in Bangladesh's cultural history. This movement was the first of it’s kind towards the growth of Bangladeshi nationalism and for a unique and separate identity as a
Bangladeshi.

Several youths had sacrificed their lives in between 1948 and 21 February, 1952 for the demand of eatablishing Bangla, the mother tongue of the majority of the newly formed Pakistan, as the state language.

Seventy-two years back on the day February 21, the then junta government, heavily cracked down on the demonstrating youths, students and activists in East Pakistan, now independent Bangladesh, leaving several dead. The sacrifices didn’t go in vain as the authorities couldn’t declared Urdu as the state language of the newly formed nation.

But the question arose about preserving the history of the movement, its unimaginable dimensions and forgotten heroes and heroines.

Moreover, many afraid that Bangladesh is now in a position of risking to lose the actual history of the glorious movement as the country could very soon lose all of the veterans, participants and witnesses.

Ahmed Rafiq, Language Movement veteran and researcher, recalled the days and said very few researchers conducted research on the Language Movement. But it has to be one of the priority issues after the end of the movement. At least after the Liberation War, separate research should have been conducted for preserving the glorious history.

In the most trusted and reliable research on the Language Movement, Badruddin Umar said that the people of Bangladesh love to forget history and they, being a nation, are very ignorant about history. That resulted in the dire state of preserving history.

Veteran historian and researcher Muntassir Mamoon said: “Being a nation we may not be able to record and preserve our liberation history accurately. And the worst part is that the situation is worse in the case of the Language Movement."

"The result of Language Movement is the recognition of Bangla language and we observe the eventful day as Shaheed dibas (Martyrs Day). The day is now recognized as International Mother Language Day. It was the first incident that made the nation united and made them politically aware.

But the sad part in Bangladesh history research is that there are a very few researchers of the incident and however the research completed we cannot carry it to the next generation,” he added.

How lives were sacrificed?
Bangladesh is the first nation and only nation in the world that shed their blood to establish their mother tongue. So far, the country has recognized five martyrs from an eight martyrs list- Abul Barkat, Rafique Uddin and Abdul Jabbar, Abdus Salam and Shafiur Rahman.

But veteran journalist and writer MR Akhtar Mukul added three others in the list who were shot dead by the police at the time. They were Abdul Awal, 10-year-old Ohidullah and an unidentified teenager.

The Daily Azad newspaper reported nine deaths and the disappearance of many bodies, while the Sainik said it was seven. Kolkata's Anandabazar reported nine people were dead during the protests.

The US consulate in Dhaka reported 14 deaths, while Pakistani writer Lal Khan 26, and movement activist Kabir Uddin Ahmed eight.

Tajuddin Ahmad wrote in his diary about the reported deaths of four people on February 21 but added that it would be 10-11 as per unofficial sources. The following day, police and the military killed five people in areas around the High Court, judge's court and other parts of Old Dhaka, while the unofficial figure was 12.

Ahmed Rafiq, Language Movement veteran and researcher said he himself saw that the Pakistani military dragged a body from the place of incident and he could not be able to trace the person. Similar incident happened in another area, said Badruddin Omar.

Women's role remains unrecognized
With a literacy rate under 15%, the then East Pakistan could merely have undergraduate female students. According to several writers during Language Movement days there could be less than 100 female students at the university of Dhaka.

The students were first made aware of their own culture through in touch with Bengali culture through joining Tomuddin Mojlish organized by DU professor Abul Kashem. Dr Sufia Khatun was the pioneer of the female student participation in the movement. She was the general secretary of Chhatra Union of DU Female Hall in 1950-51 and became VP for 52 and 53.

Dhaka University Associate Professor Mohammad Humayun Kabir, in his writing titled “Bhasha Andolon o Nari (Language movement and women)” mentioned that female participation in the movement started in the year of 1948. Quoting the then top female Language Movement leader Begjadi Mahmuda Nasir, he mentioned that History Department final year student Abdur Rahman Chowdhury requested the female students to take to the streets. The male students were not being allowed on the streets by the then law enforcers and they were concerned that continuation of the situation could halt their movement. The female students consented and the continuation of movement keeps going.

Hamida Rahman of Jessore had written a letter titled, “State Language of East Pakistan” in a pro-communist party newspaper named Sadhinota, where she boldly stated: “Why should Bangla not be the state language of 45 million people?” Many female professors such as Shamsunnahar Mahmud, Lila Roy and Anawara Chowdhury signed a letter urging the then Pakistani government to make Bangla the state language.

Badruddin Umar, in his book titled “Language Movement of East Bangla and then politics” wrote that many female teachers and professors including Dr Halima Khatun and Dr Sufia Khatun organised girls from educational institutions of Old Dhaka to participate in the movement.

Quoting the first female national professor of Bangladesh, Sufia Ahmed. Associate Professor Mohmmad Humayun Kabir wrote: “When the male protesters were attacked by the law enforcers and were arrested, Sarbojonin Bhasa Andolon Parishad (Council for language movement) leaders decided to send out the female protesters to see what would be the reaction of the police, but the police did not spare them.” The female demonstrators were beaten by the police on the streets.

1952 language veteran Protiva Mutsuddi leads female students for language movement in Chattagram. She later joined the movement in Dhaka and was also sent to jail. She is now living in Tangail.

She told the reporter that although 70 years have passed after the historic event, hardly any records can be found of the valiant role of the women and so the female students are far away to get their due recognition.