Language Versus Liberty

Language Versus Liberty

There is no denying the fact that our beloved motherland, Bangladesh, has emerged through boundless struggles before and after 21st February against the misruling system of the erstwhile Pakistani rulers and painstaking insurrection against all sorts of aggression predominant after 14^th August 1947. But it is a significant fact that we are solely indebted to 21st February 1952 to fast-track the movement of freedom, and consequent upon such life-threatening composure, the 26th March has emerged as a foundation stone of a nation’s birth. In the next phase, when men and women were furthering the resistance against all sorts of evil doings of the Pakistani hoarders like mistreatment, venality and discrimination, the movement of 21st February was a milestone to aggrandisement, the way how our freedom and redemption from unrestrained restlessness would be evacuated from the socioeconomic life of the people. We think that we could not have achieved our freedom if 21st February had not emerged in 1952. Due to the movement of this day, we have shown our agitation against the rulers of the then-Pakistan. Suffice it to say, the 21st February, as a symbol of blazing illumination and uprightness for which our survival as a Bengali nation has been reflected all through the world.

To show rectitude in respect of our language and freedom of the country irrespective of all castes and creeds, our country has bequeathed to create resistance against the conspiracy of our survival like the people of a free state. They have strengthened the movement by degrees, and being polemical, the then rulers have persecuted them, and eventually they have shot them dead. This is such a movement where our heroes have laid down their lives for the cause of elevated depiction of our mother Language. In the whole world, such an unprecedented movement has never taken place. With the advantage of our mother Language, we need to be particular in carrying out responsibilities from our different situations and the state of being passionate for fruitful labour for the nation. But as ill luck would have it, some of our young university and college-going students are shirking from their education and as a result, they are not able to be patriotic for the country. They are busy with an unpredictable and unacceptable log of the people. We cannot anticipate such fruitage from them because their sentinels are painstakingly spending dosh for them. But they are making quintessential crimes and stigmatising them to a great extent. After the emergence of our country as a free state, we have been passing through the great hardship of ideal personnel to build an effective workforce in our country. If we would like to serve our country, we need to pay homage to our national heroes who have been dedicated to the cause of national prominence towards our mother language.

Like the bounded responsibilities, this year has carried out the day of language and freedom with due sombre mood and prominence. We celebrate both days with honour according to the heritage of the country. As the day of our mother language is mixed with our Independence Day, it has been mixed with our blood and bones. In the different climatic atmosphere of our country, new dimensions of beautified nature are reflected, which is treated as the symbol of progress and prosperity in question. In every stage of development, the mainstream of realism of our mother language is transparent and inadvertent to the realm of our belief and religion. It is a significant fact that we have accepted such a trend of life, which is uniquely coherent and not related to the lively beings of Western culture. These are ultimately the vital points to save us from being stigmatised by others. Ours is a developing country, and we are passing through a great perturbation against terrorism, bribery, perniciousness and captive life and the cause of policies of misleading the people. We want to end all such mischievous activity in social life. We should memorise the great sacrifice of the martyrs who had saved our mother Language by dedicating their lives. Consequent upon this, we achieved the 21st February as an ‘International Mother Language Day’ in 1999. This is a great realisation in the world to show our best regards to the Bengali Language. It is a rare example in the history of mankind, as there are no other records in the history of the world of scarifying such souls of our heroes for the cause of the mother tongue.

In fine, if we would like to preserve the prestige of the Bengali nation, we need to pay great eulogy praise to the martyrs for the cause of our mother language and freedom. To speak the truth, some dedicated young men have come forward to protest against the decision and aggression of the then Pakistani rulers. In the face of strong opposition, the Pakistani soldiers had killed countless people for their self-serving gluttony and power to suppress this nation. The two incidents are rare in the history of mankind. If we discern the history of the world, we will perceive that no nation has sacrificed its blood for the cause of the language movement. They had laid down their lives for the restoration of democracy and economic freedom. Their activities are undoubtedly termed as heroic deeds. If we dedicate ourselves to the cause of equality and liberty in our country, their departed souls would be self-satisfied and effulgent. Every year, we rejoice this day by showing our homage to them and shower flowers on the ‘memoirs of the martyrs’ to sanctify their great achievements that contributed to the dignity of our mother Language. In this respect, a few lines of the poem composed by Robert Frost are worth mentioning:

“The wood is lovely, dark and deep,

I have promises to keep

And I have miles to go before I sleep

And I have miles to go before I sleep’’