Every year International Mother Language Day is celebrated on February 21 since the year 2000. It was first recognized in November 1999, when the UNESCO brought the subject in the UN General Conference. Later, the resolution was welcomed by the UN General Assembly in 2002.
A language movement was held by the people of Bangladesh (the then Pakistan) in 1952 in Dhaka. After independence, Pakistan government declared Urdu as its national language. But the idea was not approved by the people living in East Pakistan as their mother language was Bangla. They wanted Bangla to get an acceptance as one of the official languages to be spoken and used in their country.
On February 21, 1952, students from the University of Dhaka held a massive protest against the decision. In 1956, the government agreed to grant official status to Bangla. Although Bangladesh became independent in 1971, it still celebrates the International Mother Language Day on February 21, observing a national holiday.
This year, the United Nations is celebrating the International Mother Language Day by asking for a proverb from people across the globe on the following topics:
- Peace
- Harmony
- Conflict resolution/competence to deal with conflict
- Mindfulness
- Resilience
- Well-being
