Language Movement

North South University

HIS 103: Emergence of Bangladesh

Section: 09

Submitted by:

Md. Kamrujjaman Rafi 1620258030

Date of Submission: 23rd of March.

ABSTRACT
The main motive of this report is to draw the evolution of one of the major historical movement
of Bangladesh, language movement. It has a glorious part in our history of Bangladesh, colored
by the blood of our brothers. People to sacrifice their lives for mother language. Besides that,
there are many stages of language movement. Women had also important role in language
movement. Language movement was a cultural plus political movement of East Pakistan. The
majority people of Pakistan were Bengali speaking but Pakistani authority declared Urdu will be
the state language of Pakistan. First of all were neglected from socio, economic facilities at
British period and then history repeated with us again. West Pakistan couldn’t secure their
commitment during their period. People of east Bengal started movement through this language
movement against west Pakistan. This movement had a major impact on our liberation war. The
significance of the Movement lies in the way that it was this Language Movement which gave
socio-politico-psychological premise on which ensuing development for provincial self-
governance developed in the then East Pakistan driving at last to the rise of the different
sovereign nationhood of Bangladesh in 1971. (Rahman, 2020)

Introduction

Language movement was a political as well as a cultural movement of East Bengal to secure the
recognition of the Bengali language as one of the state languages of Pakistan. People of the East
Bengal wanted to use Bengali in government affairs, the constitution of its use as a medium of
education, its use in media, currency and stamps, and to maintain its writing in the Bengali script.
This movement was started just after the birth of Pakistan. A cultural organization named
Tamaddun Majlish mobilized the first movement on this issue. Out of the 6 crore 90 lakh
population of Pakistan, 4 crore 40 lakh were from East Pakistan with Bangla as their mother
tongue but Pakistani official wanted only Urdu as their state language. When the news of the
motion had been rejected arrived, the people of east Pakistan become frustrated. Newspapers
such as the Azad also criticized of the central leaders, including Liaquat Ali Khan Prime Minister
of Pakistan and khwaja Nazimuddin Chief Minister of east Pakistan. In any case, Muhammad Ali
Jinnah, the First Governor-General of Pakistan, in a gathering in Dhaka, on 21st March, 1948,
announced that Urdu and just Urdu will be the official State Language of Pakistan. Bengali
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individuals unequivocally opposed this statement. Students and intelligent people of East
Pakistan dissented and requested that not Urdu alone but rather Bangla additionally ought to be
one of the state languages. That is the means by which the Language Movement started in 1948
in the region known as East Pakistan.

Objective:
The main objective of language movement:

1. Stablish Bangla as one the of state language of Pakistan.

Methodology:
Majority of the research has been done based on secondary researches, where, the guidelines and
information from different websites and books has been extracted.

The phases of language movement:

First phase: After birth of Pakistan the first question was raised that is what would be the state
language of Pakistan. Pakistani central leaders declared that Urdu would be the state language of
Pakistan. East Pakistani students become frustrated and held a meeting on 6 December, 1974 at
Dhaka university campus. Their demand was to make Bangla as one of the state languages of
Pakistan. The movement was reached to cause death of protesters in 1952 and demand of the
state language was achieved in 1956.

Second phase: It was proposed by central leaders that members of assembly would have speak
either Urdu or English. Dhirendranath Dutta, an individual from the Pakistan Constituent
Assembly, first raised the interest for making Bengali an official language of Pakistan alongside
Urdu. It was as ahead of schedule as February 25, 1948, that Dutta had brought up the issue
during a meeting of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly drafting a constitution for recently made
Pakistan. 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. But the central leaders were opposed the
motion. It was criticized by the newspaper named Azad. To manage the situation, Khwaja
Nazimuddin made an agreement with student leaders. But he didn’t mention that Bangla would
be made a state language. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the First Governor-General of Pakistan, in a
gathering in Dhaka, on 21st March, 1948, pronounced that Urdu and just Urdu will be the

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official State Language of Pakistan. Bengali individuals unequivocally opposed this affirmation.
Understudies and learned people of East Pakistan dissented and requested that not Urdu alone
but rather Bangla additionally ought to be one of the state dialects. That is the means by which
the Language Movement started in 1948 in the area known as East Pakistan. (Rahman, 2020)

Third phase: The people of east Pakistan lost their faith on Muslim league. Muslim could not
secure their commitment. By this time, a new party, the Awami Muslim League- which would
later become the Awami League, formed by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani. The language
movement spread throughout East Pakistan. But the movement was continued under the
leadership of different organization. But the creation of Awami Muslim League in 1949 gave the
movement a more organized political form.

Fourth Phase: Both Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan died on 11 September 1948 and on 16 October
1951 respectively. After that Khwaja Nazimuddin had succeeded to become the Prime Minister
of Pakistan. The language movement took a serious turn by the beginning of 1952. 27 January,
1952, Khwaja Nazimuddin came to Dhaka from karachi to attend a meeting at Paltan Maidan, he
said the people of east Pakistan can choose their provincial language but Urdu would be only
state language. By this time, among the students responded with the slogan, ‘Rashtrabhasha
Bangla Chai’. Students and language action committee decided call hartal and organize
demonstrations and processions on February 21 throughout East Pakistan. Accordingly, students
of the Dhaka University and Dhaka Medical College played a hearty job in the reason for the
Language Movement and took a vital choice and resisted the desires of government officials to
damage Section 144 on 21st February, 1952. On their way at the site of the Medical College
understudies' lodging number 12, at 3-30 PM, the police started shooting at the serene parade of
understudies by a request for a Magistrate (a West Pakistani). A nine-year-old boy named
Ohiullah was also killed. This movement eventually finished in the appropriation of Bangla as
one of the state languages of Pakistan in 1956. Be that as it may, the development was not
detached to this as it planted the seeds for the freedom development of the Bangladesh which
brought about the freedom of Bangladesh as an autonomous state in 1971. The incomparable
Language Movement had been a memorable and critical occasion in our national history. This
development was planned for setting up the privileges of our native language just as securing
self-element and culture. Being a wellspring of incessant motivation, 21st February enlivened the

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individuals of Bangladesh, as it were, to accomplish the privilege to self-assurance and sovereign
state. In accordance with the soul of Language Movement, Bangladesh accomplished it’s since a
long time ago valued opportunity through a multi month since quite a while ago furnished battle
under the charming administration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman who announced the nation's autonomy on March 26, 1971. (Rahman, 2020)

Women in language movement: Bangabandhu had assessed the commitment of women in the
language development by his significant political intelligence. Without a doubt he had held high
regard for the job of ladies in its more noteworthy viewpoint and from the purpose of fairness of
people in making progress. In any case, till today, it's a reality that the commitment of ladies
doesn’t get due affirmation in our general public. A large portion of the occasions, the students
of history either by-pass the job of ladies or recognize it mostly overlooking their correct job and
significance. All things considered, ostensible notice of the realities leaves a mark on the world
seem, by all accounts, to be lineate from male centric perspective. The annals of the language
development of 1952 also didn't depict ladies with due respect. By the by, the job of ladies right
now stretched out up to the individual from the administrative get together from the places of
normal housewives. They had assumed dynamic job in every single move.

Conclusion

Language movement plays a significance role in history. It gives us the courage and motivation
to fight against Pakistani central leaders. It showed us the path of stablishing separate country.

Bibliography

1. Rahman, B. (2020). Language Movement: A History Written in Blood | daily sun. Retrieved 22
March 2020, from https://www.daily-sun.com/post/290282/Language-Movement:-A-History-
Written-in-Blood

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