Dwell: International Mother Language Day

The image shows letters in my beloved language Bangla. The photo may seem festive but my country's populace had to shed blood for it to be recognized and I only feel proud and honor while speaking, writing, and reading in Bangla/Bengali. It is a day of mourning and remembering those martyrs. The entire nation of Bangladesh adorns in black and white and pay respect at the martyr's monument to mark this day. 

Today the 21st of February is International Mother Language Day celebrated worldwide but it's birth was in Bangladesh - a country born out of bloodshed for the love of it's land and language. This day represents the same day in 1952 when student groups came out on the streets of Dhaka - the country's capital - in a peace walk to have Bangla the language recognized, only to be shot and killed by the police. This movement also triggered the inevitable birth of Bangladesh from Pakistan. More information can be found here and here.