'We want the state language to be Bangla'- was the slogan that stirred the historical language movement more than seven decades ago in this land. The movement started in 1948, almost immediately after British India's partition, and peaked on February 21, 1952. The people of East Bengal, renamed East Pakistan in 1955 to be independent Bangladesh in 1971, launched the language movement in favour of making Bangla a state language of Pakistan besides Urdu. The then rulers of Pakistan, primarily based in West Pakistan, took a hostile attitude toward Bangla and the people who spoke it. Instead of trying to understand the pulse and beats of the people and their rational expectations, the rulers tried to impose Urdu on them at any cost.
The obvious outcome of the oppressive move was persistent protests that finally led to the killing of at least seven people in Dhaka on February 21 and the following day in 1952 by police firing. Subsequently, the day comes to be known as Amor Ekushey (Immortal Twenty-First). The ultimate result of the movement was the recognition of Bangla as a state language of Pakistan in 1956 by the Pakistan Constituent Assembly along with Urdu.
More than seven decades later, it is, however, pathetic to note that the status, position and state of Bangla in the country are far from cherishing. Though there is no shortage of emotions and events to observe Amor Ekushey every year, Bangla has slowly been marginalised in the country and the spirit of the language movement is diminishing. From education to official work, the very language is neither adequate nor efficient.
To ensure the use of Bangla at all levels, the Bangla Bhasha Procholon Ain (Bangla Language Introduction Act) was enacted in 1987 in line with the constitution as article 3 of the constitution asserts: 'The state language of the Republic is Bangla.' The law stipulates the mandatory use of Bangla in all domestic affairs except in cases of foreign relations. So far, no government has taken necessary steps to fully implement the law. The result is a hotchpotch of the country's language policy. English is pre-dominant in office works. Though the lower court mostly uses Bangla, making the lives of justice seekers easy, its use is quite limited in the higher court. It is crucially important to ensure the usage of Bangla in the judiciary.
How sad it is to see that poor skills in Bangla are prevalent even after 12 years of learning the language as a compulsory subject in primary, secondary and higher-secondary levels of education. Again, in a bid to attain a good command of English, many are sacrificing Bangla and a growing number of children in the country can't read and write in their mother tongue. Many of them also struggle to communicate in Bangla as they are little equipped to speak and listen to the language. Bangla also has no place in higher studies in the country's universities.
Developing strong skills in Bangla does not discourage one from learning English or any other language. Instead, it is necessary to learn a third language besides Bangla and English; some children are doing so. But it is not acceptable to neglect the mother tongue, which bears the unique identity of the people of Bangladesh.
Ahmad Rafique, one of the core activists of the language movement, in an interview with this newspaper two years back, expressed deep frustration over the poor condition of Bangla language in the country. He said that we have failed to make Bangla the language of our lives and livelihoods, which goes against the spirit of the language movement. That's why the observance of February 21 becomes a mere formality only. There is no way to differ with the language hero, and it is a shame that the commemoration of the day has already turned into a ritual.
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