Heritage Institute of Technology on Wednesday observed International Mother Language Day at the Heritage campus. 21st February was declared to be International Mother Language Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1999. It has been observed throughout the world since February 21st, 2000. The declaration came up in tribute to the language movement that happened in Bangladesh.
To raise awareness among the students about the importance of this day, the Institute organized an exhibition and a cultural program to depict the language movement that started in Bangladesh on February 21, 1952, where four students were killed while campaigning for the use of Bengali as their official mother tongue in Bangladesh.
Prof. Basab Chaudhuri, Principal, Heritage Institute of Technology, spoke about the essence of this day for every Bengalis and how Bangla as the mother language was accepted in Bangladesh after a rigorous struggle and sacrifice. “Today we should keep silent for two minutes as a tribute to those students who sacrificed their lives to make Bengali the mother tongue of Bangladesh, “said Prof. Chaudhuri.
The Pravasana Club of the Heritage Institute of Technology was actively involved in this program, supported by the Language and News clubs of the Institute.
“The Language Movement was an example to the entire world of what Bengalis can do to save their motherland,” said Prof. Subhasis Majumder, Dean UG, Programme, and Head of the Department, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata.
