Paying homage to language martyrs

EKUSHEY has and will always be a day of grateful remembrance for us. Not merely is it a day when we pay homage to the sons of the soil who laid down their lives in defence of their mother tongue, but also an occasion on which we reflect on the ways forward.
February 21, 1952 is ingrained in our national psyche because it united us to defend all our core values that made the Bengalees a nation. The sacrifice of Salam, Barkat, Jabbar and many others was testament to our resolve as a people not to bow down to the imposition of a foreign language that was part of a bigger aggression against our culture as a whole.
To truly observe the essence of what 'Ekushey' stands for, we must strive to instil the spirit of our martyrs in the task of upholding and living up to the cultural ethos and democratic values that they had championed so uniquely.
Sixty-two years after 'Amor Ekushey' and forty two years after independence, Bangladesh is still grappling with the onerous task of maturing on a democratic path. The real prosperity and dynamism of a living language is embodied in its literature. Regular exchange with friendly nations on showcasing our language and culture through participation in literary festivals and benefiting from literary works of other countries are steps in the right direction. Expanding our literary works through translating in other world languages and vice versa would only enhance our position in global knowledge based society.