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.
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."
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.
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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.
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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.