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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the West Bengal government’s ‘Amar Ekushe' (immortal 21st) cultural programme at Deshapriya Park in Kolkata during the day and paid tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Bengali language. 'Ekushe February' (21 February) is observed as the International Mother Language Day to honour the sacrifices of Bangladeshi students, who were killed on the same day in 1952 by the police of then East Pakistan government for protesting the imposition of Urdu and demanding that Bengali be declared as a one of the national languages.
Due to its linguistic and cultural ties with Bangladesh, West Bengal also observes the day with great significance. Various cultural programmes are organised across the state in remembrance of the martyrs, to celebrate linguistic diversity and promote multilingualism.
Highlighting the significance of mother tongue, CM Banerjee spoke about her government’s official recognition of multiple languages that are spoken in West Bengal, including north Bengal’s Kurukh, Sadri, Kamtapuri and Rajbanshi languages, and Santali Ol Chiki script, among others.
The chief minister was also seen speaking about the Union Government’s decision to confer the status of Classical Language to Bengali in October last year.
“The importance of the Bengali language has always been there and will remain. Though delayed, we have received recognition as a classical language,” she said, “With stacks of documents, Bratya [education minister Bratyabrata Basu Roy Chowdhury] has proven that Bengali is a thousand-year-old language," she said.
The 'Amar Ekushey' event saw the presence of renowned figures, including poet Joy Goswami, artist Shubhaprasanna Bhattacharjee, director Goutam Ghose, and singer Iman Chakraborty. Several political leaders, such as Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and West Bengal Power Minister Aroop Biswas, were also in attendance.
The event also honoured the memory of Pratul Mukhopadhyay, the legendary Bengali singer-songwriter who passed away on February 15 this year. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other dignitaries on stage offered floral tributes in his remembrance.
During the event, the Chief Minister sat beside Mukhopadhyay’s wife, embracing her in a gesture of comfort and support. As a tribute to the late artist, his iconic song "Banglay Gaan Gai" was also performed.
Earlier in the day, the Kolkata Mayor had visited the Ekushe Udyan Park to pay tribute to the memorial statues of the language martyrs.
