Language Movement Of Bangladesh
The literal meaning of Bangladesh is ‘Country of Bangla’. For over 2000 years, the people of what is now Bangladesh have been speaking Bangla. In 1948, West Pakistan eradicated Bangla and made Urdu the sole national language. The originally Bengali speakers were outraged and extensive protests began. As a result, the government outlawed public meetings and rallies.
On 21st February 1952, thousands of students defied the law and gathered on the campus of The University of Dhaka to begin a rally. This ended in bloodshed as the army fired on the students and activists, killing dozens of them. This led to even more unrest and finally, in 1956, Bangla was given official status.
In 2001, UNESCO declared 21st February as International Mother Language Day. Bangla is currently one of the top ten languages spoken around the world.
To commemorate those who were martyred during the Language Movement, the Shaheed Minar was built at the site of the killings on the campus of the University of Dhaka. It stands today as a proud symbol of our nation's fight for independence.






