International Mother Language Day
21st February is a public holiday in Bangladesh where as its observed globally but its not a public holiday elsewhere.
The observance of this day is significant among the Bengali community all across the world especially in the Bengal region (Bangladesh and West Bengal). Cultural Programs, Book Fairs and various other events are organized on this day.
Rally demanding recognition of Pashto Language in Pakistan.
Ironically International Mother Language is also observed in present day Pakistan. The demands of the Punjabi, Balochi, Pashto and Sindhi people to declare Punjabi, Balochi, Pashto and Sindhi languages as the national Languages of Pakistan are totally unheard and they are deprived from their fundamental right to use their respective mother languages for official, educational and business purposes.
International Mother Language Day | Promote Bangla
Mother Language forges friendships, cultural...
Mother Language forges friendships, cultural ties, and economic relationships
By Abdul Hayee Aryan Besides in Pakistan, International Mother Language Day was commemorated all over the world today on February 21.
The day was observed with zeal and zest in the provincial capital and other parts of the province where Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party, other political parties, organizations and people from all walks of life staged rallies and made Marches in favorer of mother languages. A seminar was held by The Monthly Leekwaal magazine in Quetta Press Club. The participants demanded that Pashto, Punjabi, Balochi, Sindhi and Siraiki and other languages of the country should be made the medium of education, business and all the languages spoken by various nations in Pakistan should be given the status of national languages. But a question arises here why this day is celebrated? And what is the importance and scope of Mother Language.
So to me, first language or mother language is the one that a child learns at his home, environment in particular, from his parents. It is the language that a child learns at the lap of his mother and thus mother is becomes his first teacher and hence he loves his mother language. A language could be defined as the specific human system thru which he expresses his thoughts and feelings. Language is considered to be an exclusively human mode of communication. Language is obviously a vital tool not only it is a mean of communicating thoughts and ideas, but it forges friendships, cultural ties, and economic relationships. A nation could flourish his language in four ways of speaking, reading writing and listening. All over the history, many have reflected on the importance of mother language. For instance, the scholar Benjamin Whorf has noted that language shapes thoughts and emotions, determining one’s perception of reality. John Stuart Mill said that ´´Language is the light of the mind.´´ Edward Sapir says ´´language is not only a vehicle for the expression of thoughts, perceptions, sentiments, and values characteristic of a community; it also represents a fundamental expression of social identity´´.
In short, language retention helps maintain feelings of cultural kinship. International Mother Language Day originated as the international recognition of Language Movement Day, which has been commemorated in Bangladesh since 1952, when a number of Bangladeshi university students were killed. The International Mother Language Day is also called the Language Martyrs´ Day in Bangladesh. UNESCO´s supreme ruling body, the General Conference, recognized in 1999 the role of the mother tongue in the development of communication skills, concept formation and creativity, and the fact that mother tongues are the prime vehicles of cultural identity. Celebrating International Mother Language Day is meant to promote both personal development and cultural diversity of humanity. During the same session, the General Conference also passed a Resolution recommending measures to promote multilingualism.
2500 to 3000 of the world´s languages out of 6,000 to 7,000 languages facing the risk of dying out, UNESCO is preparing to observe, International Mother Language Day (February 21) as part of its drive to protect the intangible heritage of humanity and preserve cultural diversity. The world´s nearly 6,000 languages would have been celebrated on International Mother Language Day today, an event aimed at promoting linguistic diversity and multilingual education. Ensuring that these languages can continue in use alongside the major international languages of communication is a genuine challenge to countries worldwide. After great World War 1, the imperialist forces seized the lands and resources of oppressed and weak nations and that obviously stood one of the main causes of World War 2. So the thinkers, politicians and intellectuals came to conclusion that countries should be demarcated on the philosophy of nation-state to prevent World War 3. And we see every nation and its language, culture, economy and its other heritage have developed and flourished when they are patronized by the state. However, when we see none of national heroes of Pashtoon and Baloch nations are included in the text books of the country. Besides, promoting our own language literature, other nations especially the international literatures should also be translated in our mother language that would be an addition in the bouquet of our language. The nation that does not care for its language, culture and motherland, it could not survive and at last it no doubt would fade away from the map of the world. All languages in Pakistan should be given status of national languages: Rahim QUETTA: Senior Deputy Chairman Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party Senator Abdul Rahim Mandokhail has said that Language plays an imperative role in development of a nation and nation states and the government should patronize and allocate funds for the promotion of all the languages spoken by various nations in the country and all the local languages in Pakistan should be given the status of national languages. The participants of a seminar on ´International Mother Languages Day 2009´ held under a Pashto magazine ´Leekwall´ here at the Quetta Press Club. Deputy Chairman Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party Senator Abdul Rahim Mandokhail, as a Chief Guest, Acting President Balochistan National Party (Mengal) Dr. Jahanzeb Jamaldini, President Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) Abdul Khaliq Hazara, Provincial President Awami National Party (ANP) Commander Khudai Dad Khan, central leader National Party Dr. Yaseen Baloch and others were among the prominent figures who addressed the seminar. In his Presidential address Abdul Rahim Mandokhail said that Language played an important role in development of a nation and nation states. He added that the government should patronize local languages and allocate funds for their promotion. Mandokhail maintained that some elements have never let democratic institutions to flourish in the country as chronic martial laws and the hindrances deliberately plopped in the way of constitutional making process are the examples and the result is that the nations of the country could not develop their languages, cultures and other national heritages. Dr. Jahanzeb Jamaldini said that unless the local languages were made part of curriculum there was a permanent danger of their extinction. He asserted that love for ones own language should not mean hatred for others adding that it could play key role in consolidating relations among nations. Dr. Yaseen Baloch and Commander Khudi-Dad Khan demanded that the local languages be made means of instruction in educational institutions and the government should patronize literature in local languages. Earlier, renowned researchers Liaqat Taban, Yar Jan Baloch, Umar Gul Askar, Rauf Rafiqi presented their ´Mukalmay´ and shed light on the significance and history of mother languages in the development and flourishing of a nation and state.
- Abdul Hayee Aryan -
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