Plurality Of Languages Needs Celebration In India Today: West Bengal CM On International Mother Language Day 2022

The culture ministry will organise a two-day event on the occasion of International Mother Language Day as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

The UN poster on International Mother Language Day 2022 and (right) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee | Photos: UNESCO/ANI

New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee greeted everyone on the occasion of International Mother Language Day 2022. The chief minister tweeted, “Salute to all martyrs who valiantly fought for the cause of mother language." 

Mamata Banerjee also mentioned plurality of languages needs celebration in India today. 

Greetings on International Mother Language Day! Salute to all martyrs who valiantly fought for the cause of mother language. Plurality of languages needs celebration in India today. We love all languages, we love our mother language.
ভাষা-মোদের ভালবাসা
সবাইকে নিয়ে বাঁচার আশা

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 21, 2022

Quoting Nelson Mandela in a tweet Vice President Venkaiah Naidu also greeted the nation on International Mother Language Day 2022. In a series of tweets in Hindi, the Vice President also said: "Adopt your mother tongue in everyday life. For proper academic development of children, teach them in mother tongue only. Our mother tongues shape our thoughts which connect us with our cultural and social heritage."  

यदि आप किसी से ऐसी भाषा में बात करें जो वह समझ सकता है तो वह उसके मस्तिष्क में जाती है लेकिन यदि आप उसकी अपनी भाषा में बात करते हैं तो वह सीधे हृदय को छूती है।
-नेल्सन मंडेला#अंतरराष्ट्रीय_मातृभाषा_दिवस के अवसर पर आग्रह करता हूं कि हमारी मातृभाषाओं का सम्मान व संरक्षण करें। pic.twitter.com/lN4gaZfFdM

— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) February 21, 2022

India is observing the International Mother Language Day on Monday to mark the importance of linguistic diversity. Globally, the day is observed to mark the “importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies”, as described by UNESCO. 

Starting on the initiative of Bangladesh, the day is observed every year since 2000, a year after the 1999 UNESCO General Conference approved the initiative proposed by Bangladesh.

On this day, Bangladesh remembers its martyrs who sacrificed their lives to save their mother tongue Bangla when the country of East Pakistan was created after Partition.

The culture ministry will organise a two-day event on the occasion of International Mother Language Day as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The event will start on Monday at Indira Gandhi National Center of Arts in the national capital.

During the event, the keynote address will be delivered by the culture secretary, director of the UNESCO cluster office, and renowned lyricist and poet Prasoon Joshi. The two-day function will also witness poetry recitation, group song, and dance. A webinar on Using Technology for Multilingual Learning-Challenges and Opportunities will also be organised.

READ | International Mother Language Day 2022 Theme Is 'Technology For Multilingual Learning'. All About It

A book written by Dean of IGNCA Professor Ramesh Gaur named Tribal and Indigenous Languages of India will be launched at the event.

Minister of state for culture and external affairs Meenakshi Lekhi will be present at the event Ekam Bharatam to formally release the Vande Bharatam soundtrack. The song, which was a part of the dance presentations by the culture ministry on Republic Day event this year, has been co-created by Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej along with tabla maestro Bikram Ghosh.

It will witness interactive sessions among the group of writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians, journalists, and experts. Every year a unique theme is chosen by UNESCO to celebrate this special day.

The theme of 2022 is using technology for multilingual learning challenges and opportunities. It focuses on the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.