The sound of identity: Recognising International Mother Language Day
On February 21st, the Department of English and Humanities (ENH) of Brac University commemorated International Mother Language Day virtually on Google Meet. This event was graced by Firdous Azim (Chairperson, ENH) alongside students, professors, and lecturers.
Hosted by Joutha Monisha (Lecturer, ENH), the event began with speeches from honourable figures, including Arifujjaman Babu (Lecturer, ENH), who opened the event by shedding light on the history of 21st February, the bloodshed, and its eventual recognition by UNESCO. Following that, Dr Urmee Chakma (Lecturer, La Trobe University) brought up the importance of the mother tongues of minority communities in Bangladesh in light of Mother Language Day. She emphasised that it is the duty of the majority to make the minority feel included and praised Brac University’s active efforts in doing the same. Representing another minority community in Bangladesh, Urdu writer Mohammad Hasan spoke on behalf of those whose mother tongue is Urdu. The speeches ended with Md Shaiful Islam (Assistant Professor, Independent University, Bangladesh) emphasising the importance of respecting all mother languages of our country.
Transitioning to the cultural celebrations, participants performed an enriched variety of Bangla classical songs and poem recitations, including আমায় গেঁথে দাওনা মাগো, কাঁদতে আসিনি ফাঁসির দাবি নিয়ে এসেছি, রাখাল ছেলে, উলঙ্গ রাজা ,বাংলা ভাষা and also a song in the Chakma language. These performances reflected the light of sacrifice and immense patriotism that the honourable martyrs showed during the Language Movement, one that every Bangladeshi must remember. Sabiha Huq (Professor, ENH) shared a heartfelt performance of আমি বাংলায় গান গাই, thanking and praising the talented participants, marking the conclusion of a culturally and historically enriching event.
