International Mother Language Day 2024

On February 21, 2024, the Library Society commemorated Bhasha Dibosh and International Mother Language Day through a cultural programme. A musical was organised that explored various facets of the day and its significance. The musical began with a segment depicting the events of February 21, 1952. This was followed by a dialogue which highlighted the UNESCO declaration of February 21 as International Mother Language Day. A special tribute was offered to the legendary poet and playwright of Bengal, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, to observe the bicentennial birth year of the poet. The musical concluded with a display of an interview video of a leading expert in the field of language studies – Professor Sukanta Chaudhuri (FBA), Professor Emeritus at the Department of English, Jadavpur University, where he shared his perspectives on the role of youth in promoting Bengali and other regional languages. This was followed by a translation workshop, which was co-ordinated by the Literary Society.

The programme was a resounding success as the students were touched by the pathos of the martyrs’ sacrifice and could relate to the dilemma of impact of globalisation on the endangerment of indigenous languages. It managed to achieve its intended goals of raising awareness and promoting language appreciation.