language movement 1952 essay

Language Movement

Language Movement began in 1948 and reached its climax in the killing of 21 February 1952, and ended in the adoption of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan. The question as to what would be the state language of Pakistan was raised immediately after its creation. The central leaders and the Urdu-speaking intellectuals of Pakistan declared that urdu would be the state language of Pakistan, just as Hindi was the state language of India. The students and intellectuals of East Pakistan, however, demanded that Bangla be made one of the state languages. After a lot of controversy over the language issue, the final demand from East Pakistan was that Bangla must be the official language and the medium of instruction in East Pakistan and for the central government it would be one of the state languages along with Urdu. The first movement on this issue was mobilised by Tamaddun Majlish headed by Professor Abul Kashem. Gradually many other non-communal and progressive organisations joined the movement, which finally turned into a mass movement.

Meanwhile, serious preparation was being taken in various forums of the central government of Pakistan under the initiative of Fazlur Rahman, the central education minister, to make Urdu the only state language of Pakistan. On receipt of this information, East Pakistani students became agitated and held a meeting on the Dhaka University campus on 6 December 1947, demanding that Bangla be made one of the state languages of Pakistan. The meeting was followed by student processions and more agitation. The first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad (Language Action Committee) was formed towards the end of December with Professor Nurul Huq Bhuiyan of Tamaddun Majlish as the convener.

The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was in session at Karachi-then the capital of Pakistan-from 23 February 1948. It was proposed that the members would have to speak either in Urdu or in English at the Assembly. dhirendranath datta , a member from the East Pakistan Congress Party, moved an amendment motion to include Bangla as one of the languages of the Constituent Assembly. He noted that out of the 6 crore 90 lakh population of Pakistan, 4 crore 40 lakh were from East Pakistan with Bangla as their mother tongue. The central leaders, including liaquat ali khan , prime minister of Pakistan, and khwaja nazimuddin , chief minister of East Bengal, opposed the motion. On receiving the news that the motion had been rejected, students, intellectuals and politicians of East Pakistan became agitated. Newspapers such as the Azad also criticised of the politicians who had rejected the motion.

A new committee to fight for Bangla as the state language was formed with Shamsul Huq as convener. On 11 March 1948 a general strike was observed in the towns of East Pakistan in protest against the omission of Bangla from the languages of the Constituent Assembly, the absence of Bangla letters in Pakistani coins and stamps, and the use of only Urdu in recruitment tests for the navy. The movement also reiterated the earlier demand that Bangla be declared one of the state languages of Pakistan and the official language of East Pakistan. Amidst processions, picketing and slogans, leaders such as Shawkat Ali, Kazi Golam Mahboob, Shamsul Huq, Oli Ahad, sheikh mujibur rahman , Abdul Wahed and others were arrested. Student leaders, including Abdul Matin and a bdul malek ukil , also took part in the procession and picketing.

A meeting was held on the Dhaka University premises. Mohammad Toaha was severely injured while trying to snatch away a rifle from a policeman and had to be admitted to hospital. Strikes were observed from 12 March to 15 March.

Under such circumstances the government had to give in. Khwaja Nazimuddin signed an agreement with the student leaders. However, although he agreed to a few terms and conditions, he did not comply with their demand that Bangla be made a state language. muhammed ali jinnah , the governor general of Pakistan, came to visit East Pakistan on 19 March. He addressed two meetings in Dhaka, in both of which he ignored the popular demand for Bangla. He reiterated that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan. This declaration was instantly protested with the Language Movement spreading throughout East Pakistan. The Dhaka University Language Action Committee was formed on 11 March 1950 with Abdul Matin as its convener.

By the beginning of 1952, the Language Movement took a serious turn. Both Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan were dead-Jinnah on 11 September 1948 and Liaquat Ali Khan on 16 October 1951. Khwaja Nazimuddin had succeeded Liaquat Ali Khan as prime minister of Pakistan. With the political crisis, the economic condition in East Pakistan also deteriorated. The people of East Pakistan started losing faith in the Muslim League. A new party, the Awami Muslim League-which would later become the awami league -was formed under the leadership of maulana abdul hamid khan bhasani in 1949. There was a growing sense of deprivation and exploitation in East Pakistan and a realisation that a new form of colonialism had replaced British imperialism. Under these circumstances, the Language Movement got a new momentum in 1952.

On 27 January 1952, Khwaja Nazimuddin came to Dhaka from Karachi. Addressing a meeting at Paltan Maidan, he said that the people of the province could decide what would be the provincial language, but only Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan. There was an instantaneous, negative reaction to this speech among the students who responded with the slogan, 'Rashtrabhasha Bangla Chai' (We want Bangla as the state language).

A strike was observed at Dhaka University on 30 January. The representatives of various political and cultural organisations held a meeting on 31 January chaired by Moulana Bhasani. An All-Party Central Language Action Committee was formed with Kazi Golam Mahboob as its convener. At this time the government also proposed that Bangla be written in Arabic script. This proposal was also vehemently opposed. The Language Action Committee decided to call a hartal and organise demonstrations and processions on February 21 throughout East Pakistan.

As preparations for demonstrations were underway, the government imposed Section 144 in the city of Dhaka, banning all assemblies and demonstrations. A meeting of the Central Language Action Committee was held on 20 February under the chairmanship of abul hashim . Opinion was divided as to whether or not to violate Section 144.

The students were determined to violate Section144 and held a student meeting at 11.00 am on 21 February on the Dhaka University campus, then located close to the Medical College Hospital. When the meeting started, the Vice-Chancellor, along with a few university teachers, came to the spot and requested the students not to violate the ban on assembly. However, the students, under their leaders - Abdul Matin and gaziul haque - were adamant. Thousands of students from different schools and colleges of Dhaka assembled on the university campus while armed police waited outside the gate. When the students emerged in groups, shouting slogans, the police resorted to baton charge; even the female students were not spared.

The students then started throwing brickbats at the police, who retaliated with tear gas. Unable to control the agitated students, the police fired upon the crowd of students, who were proceeding towards the Assembly Hall (at present, part of Jagannath Hall, University of Dhaka). Three young men, rafiq uddin ahmed , abdul jabbar and abul barkat (an MA student of Political Science) were fatally wounded. Many injured persons were admitted to the hospital. Among them abdus salam , a peon at the Secretariat, subsequently succumbed to his wounds. A nine-year-old boy named Ohiullah was also killed.

At the Legislative Assembly building, the session was about to begin. Hearing the news of the shooting, some members of the Assembly, including maulana abdur rashid tarkabagish and some opposition members, went out and joined the students. In the Assembly, nurul amin , chief minister of East Pakistan, continued to oppose the demand for Bangla.

The next day, 22 February, was also a day of public demonstrations and police reprisals. The public performed a janaza (prayer service for the dead) and brought out a mourning procession, which was attacked by the police and the army resulting in several deaths, including that of a young man named Shafiur Rahman. Many were injured and arrested. On 23 February, at the spot where students had been killed, a memorial was erected. In 1963, the temporary structure was replaced by a concrete memorial, the shaheed minar (martyrs' memorial).

The East Bengal Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution recommending the recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan. The language movement continued until 1956. The movement achieved its goal by forcing the Pakistan Constituent Assembly in adopting both Bangla and Urdu as the state languages of Pakistan. While the Assembly was debating on the language issue, Member Adel Uddin Ahmed (1913-1981; Faridpur) made an important amendment proposal, which was adopted unanimously by the Assembly (16 February 1956). Both Bangla and Urdu were thus enacted to be the state languages of Pakistan.

Since 1952, 21 February has been observed every year to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement. With UNESCO adopting a resolution on 17 November 1999 proclaiming 21 February as international mother language day . It is an honour bestowed by the international community on the Language Movement of Bangladesh. [Bashir Al Helal]

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Bengali Identity, Secularism and the Language Movement

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• Tazeen M. Murshid 4  

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Bengali identity is both secular and deeply influenced by religion. The various markers of Bengali identity, like language, culture, ethnicity and religion, sit easily together unless manipulated by political elites to create majorities in support of their specific views. Conflict arises when opposing markers are emphasised by elites in competition. Nationalists thus formulate and reformulate concepts of state, nation and identity to gain political power, legitimacy and economic advantage. This chapter explores the articulation of Bengali identity in East Bengal in the 1940s and 1950s, particularly after the emergence of Pakistan.

The author is a professor of South Asian History and Politics, and has held positions at Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, University of North London, BRAC University, and East West University, Dhaka. She has been a fellow of the Centre for Advanced Study, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and at Homerton College, Cambridge, and a Visiting Fellow at Columbia University, New York as well as Directeur des Études at EHESS, Paris.

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For a discussion of the theme of primordial and instrumentalist identity, see Clifford Geertz, Old Societies and New States: The Quest for Modernity in Asia and Africa , New York: Free Press, 1963, pp. 105–157; Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism , London: Verso, 1991, pp. 5–7; Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger eds. The Invention of Tradition , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983; Terence Ranger, ‘The Invention of Tradition Revisited: the Case of Colonial Africa’, in Terence Ranger and Olufemi Vaughan, eds, Legitimacy and the State in Twentieth Century Africa , Houndsville: MacMillan, 1993, pp. 62–111; Paul R. Brass, Ethnicity and Nationalism: Theory and Comparison (New Delhi: Sage, 1991), p. 15.

Abul Mansur Ahmad, ‘Cultural Identity of East Pakistan’, Concept of Pakistan , vol. IV, August 1967, p. 11. Abul Mansur Ahmad believed that the cultural expressions of East Bengal were distinct from those of West Bengal. East Bengal had a rich heritage of punthi literature and music. Among the musicians were Nazrul Islam, Alauddin, Abbasuddin and Khusro. Its folk heritage included bhatiali and murshidi songs. The musical heritage of Pak-Bharat is an integral aspect of Muslim civilisation and the heritage of Arab-Persian and Turkish traditions. East Bengal shares this heritage. Abul Mansur Ahmad did not see Tagore as a representative of this tradition. See Abul Mansur Ahmad, Bangladeser kalchar (Culture of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 3rd edition, 1985), pp. 37–48.

Jyoti Sen Gupta gives detailed accounts of reprisals in areas of peasant disturbances where Hindus were particularly singled out for punishment, History of Freedom Movement in Bangladesh, 1943–1973 — Some Involvement (Calcutta, 1974), pp. 26–36; for a discussion of the role of communists, see Talukder Maniruzzaman, Radical Politics and the Emergence of Bangladesh (Dhaka, reprint 1975), p. 6; on Hindu grievances, see Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, Debates (hereafter, CAP Debates) 6 March, 1949; 26 March, 1952.

Speech of Suhrawardy at the Constituent Assembly, CAP Debates, 6 March 1948.

The Report of the East Bengal Language Committee, 1949–50 (Government of East Pakistan, Dhaka, 1958), pp. 6–11, 15, 22, 26; speech of Muhammad Habibullah Bahar at the Constituent Assembly, CAP Debates , 27 March 1951, pp. 471–472; Constitution of Pakistan—Basic Principles as adopted in the Grand National Convention, Dhaka, 21 January, 1953, Umar Dalil , p. 139.

Pakistan Student Rally—Aims, Objects and Programme: Draft Constitution, Umar Dalil , p. 66; S. Murshid, ‘Editorial’, New Values , vol. 1 no. 1, September 1949; ‘Letter to the Editor’, The Pakistan Observer (hereafter Pak. Obs. ), 1 March, 1951. A. G. Stock records the literary and intellectual stirrings in East Pakistan which found focus in New Values ; see her Memoirs of Dacca University , p. 52.

S. Murshid, ‘Editorial’, New Values , vol. 2, no. 1, 1950, p. 50

Humayun Kabir, ‘Islam and Science’, New Values , vol. I, no. 1 (September 1949), p. 19.

For the views of Syed Ahmed Khan, see A. H. Albiruni, Makers of Pakistan and Modern Muslim India (Lahore, 1950), pp. 36–60; A Aziz, Muslim Self-Statement in India and Pakistan , p. 4.

Kazi Abdul Wadud, ‘The Foundations of State in Islam’, New Values , vol. I, no. 1 (September 1949), pp. 1–6.

See ‘Editorial: Bangla Academy’, Pakistan Observer , 5 December, 1955. For a history of the Sahitya Patrika , see Muhammad Muniruzzaman, ‘Sahitya patrika panchis bachhar’, Sahitya Patrika. Panchis bachhar purti samkhya , 25th yr., no. 2, Barsha 1389 B.S (1982), pp. 173–208.

The group included Kamal Hossain (barrister), Rehman Sobhan (economist), Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury (political scientist) and Anisur Rahman (economist), among others, all teachers at the University of Dhaka, and closely associated with Bangabandhu.

The more militant section was a faction of the Student League led by Abdur Rab, who burnt the Pakistani flag and provocatively hoisted that of independent Bangladesh even before the military operation at midnight on 25 March 1971: see Hasanuzzaman, Antarjatakik prekshapate bangladesher chhatra andolan (Dhaka, 1984), p. 26.

In the 1950s, women members of the All-Pakistan Women’s Association pressured the government to improve women’s rights. The Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961, was thus passed. In the 1980s, Bichitra and the programme called ‘Ain o adalaut’, on Bangladesh Television, discussed the social oppression of women. Similarly, the journal Ekal , later known as Edesh ekal , has explored the condition of women; see issues from 1986 to 1991.

Zia’s speech of 1978 is cited by Abul Fazl Huq, ‘The Problem of National Identity in Bangladesh’, The Journal of Social Studies, no. 24, April 1984, p. 58. Also see G. Hossain, General ZiaurRahman and the BNP: Political Transformation of a Military Regime (Dhaka: UPL, 1988, p. 119.

‘Memoir of Abul Kasem’, Ekuser sankalan, 1980: Smriticharan (A collection of memoirs) (Dhaka, 1980), p. 2 (hereafter Smriticharan).

The book was written by Quazi Mutahar Hussain and Abul Mansur Ahmad. See ‘Memoirs of Gaziul Huq’, Smriticharan , p. 99; ‘Memoirs of A. Kasem’, Smriticharan, pp. 1–2.

Pakistan Observer , 6 April 1951.

‘Memoirs of Hasan Hafizur Rahman’, Smriticharan , p.48.

‘Memoirs of Gaziul Huq’, Smriticharan , pp. 98–100.

Letter to the editor, Pakistan Observer , 1 March 1951.

Pakistan Observer , October–November 1950.

Government of East Pakistan, One Year of Popular Government in East Pakistan (Dhaka, 6 September 1957), p. 15.

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Murshid, T.M. (2022). Bengali Identity, Secularism and the Language Movement. In: Khondker, H., Muurlink, O., Bin Ali, A. (eds) The Emergence of Bangladesh. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5521-0_6

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Paragraph on Language Movement in Bangladesh

This is a short paragraph about the language movement of Bangladesh. On 21st February, some Advertisement Paragraph on Language Movement Pakistan became independent on 14 August in 1947. Then Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan…

This is a short paragraph about the language movement of Bangladesh. On 21st February, some

Paragraph on Language Movement

Pakistan became independent on 14 August in 1947. Then Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan and Pakistan was West Pakistan. West Pakistan Government wanted to make Urdu the only state language. In March 1948. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the then Governor-General of Pakistan, declared in the convocation of Dhaka University that only Urdu shall be the State Language of Pakistan. The patriotic people of Bangladesh took it as a great blow to their culture. Actually, this declaration sowed the seed of the Language Movement.

Mainly the students and politically conscious people made a strong protest against this. On February 21, 1952, the Language Movement committee decided to go to the East Pakistan Assembly House from Dhaka University. The East Pakistan Govt. promulgated section. 144 in the University and Assembly area. The Bangladesh students violated it. The police opened fire and the streets of Dhaka University was stained with the blood of Barkat , Rafiq , Salam , Jabbar, and others.

The following day strike paralyzed the whole of East Pakistan. At last the Pakistani rulers were compelled to accept Bangla as one of the State Languages of Pakistan. This Language movement created a new national awareness which culminated in the creation of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh observes 21 February as Martyr Day. The U.N.O. declared this day as the International Mother Language Day .

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1952 language movement: A quest for cultural and linguistic identity

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History of Language Movement 1947-1952

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Remembering the Bangla language movement through literature

Seventy-one years have passed since our forefathers paid a high price to preserve the integrity of our mother tongue. 1953, which marked the first anniversary of the language movement, was a pivotal year in our history. The inauguration was marked by a significant amount of cultural expression, challenging the then-authorities of Bangladesh. The literary urge to convey the significance of the moment was mirrored in essays, poems, song compositions, and so on. These works of literature instilled the seed of Bangladeshi nationalism in people, which in turn helped free this nation.

Growing up in a household where literary analysis was fostered in understanding historical and cultural movements, my ode to the martyrs includes literature as a crucial component. Much of my February 21 was spent listening to my father recite such poetry or waking up to music inspired by the language movement that my mother was listening to on the television.

For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.

All of this is to emphasise that the language movement is much more than the flower wreaths and walking to the Shahid Minar barefoot. It had the capability to transcend political boundaries and was defined more in literary and cultural terms than in political ones.

The first ever anthology to be written on the events of the language movement was by Hasan Hafizur Rahman. Titled Ekushey February , the book is a compilation of 21 literary pieces. Published in 1953, the anthology created huge turmoil among people as the message of the publication spread far and wide even though it faced police persecution. The police confiscated the book and the printing press was raided. The book included an incisive introduction by Ali Ashraf titled, "Equal recognition for all languages", reminding readers that the language movement was just not for Bangla language but for every other language which deserves equal recognition and respect.

Another literary and cultural input to this list was made by Munier Chowdhury through his play Kobor (1966). Centred on the martyrs of the language movement, the play was written and produced inside Dhaka Central Jail with other political prisoners as cast members. The protagonist Murda Fakir has started talking with the dead ever since his family died in the 1943 famine. The buried corpses of the martyrs are still alive in Murda Fakir's mind, representing how they will never be forgotten and will always be a bright chapter in the pages of history. The language martyrs knew and undertook the risk of sacrificing their lives for the mother language. In the eyes of Murda Fakir, this means they were never afraid to perish and they have won against death.

Renowned filmmaker, Zahir Raihan, who was a young participant in the language movement, wrote a novel called  Arek Falgun (1969), which describes the commemoration of February 21 in 1955. Bangla has not yet been instilled as the state language of East Pakistan. Concerning this, the main character Munim and his friends are printing leaflets, advertising posters, distributing black badges, making slogans and engaging in other organisational works amidst the fear of the repetition of what happened three years ago. The way Arek Falgun depicts the students as exhilarated and brave to be working against an authoritative government has inspired generations. This novel has also encouraged the parallelism of Spring with the theme of defiance and hope.

Revisiting Zahir Raihan’s ‘Arek Falgun’ this spring, and every spring

Among all the literary works, the poems inspired by the language movement have generally had a greater impact. Most notable of all the poems is titled "Kono Ek Ma Ke" by Abu Zafar Obaidullah. The poem is written in a third-person perspective where the poet is witnessing a mother reading a blood-soaked letter from her martyred son. In the letter, the son writes how the then-Pakistani government wants to steal our mother tongue and for that, he will not come back until they are afraid to do so. Knowing that he might never come back, the son asks his mother to wait a little longer for him to come home. Abu Zafar Obaidullah portrays not only the sacrifice made by the protesters but also by their families in the most human interaction.

Reading these literary works inspired by the language movement gives us a better appreciation of what transpired during that time. The dynamics of the people during those events serve as a guide to fully acknowledging the martyrs' sacrifice. The emotional turmoil of the families, the rebellious spirit of the young, spring being the symbol of the resistance, and the aftermath of such a powerful revolution can be comprehended by this literature.

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Every time the question of language surfaces it means that a series of other problems are coming to the fore. — Antonio Gramsci To speak...

THE LANGUAGE MOVEMENT OF 1952 : Some questions and conceptual concerns || Azfar Hussain

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