Summary
Summary:
A. Discussion Questions:
- The International Mother Language Day celebration began on 21 February.
- UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
- 21 February is also known as Shaheed Dibosh.
B. International Mother Language Day Overview:
21 February is commemorated as Shaheed Dibosh in memory of the martyrs of the 1952 language movement. The day starts with mourning songs, and people wear black badges while participating in barefoot processions to the Shaheed Minar, where they lay wreaths and pray at the graves of martyrs. UNESCO declared 21 February as International Mother Language Day on 17 November 1999 to honor the sacrifices made for the recognition of Bangla. The initiative was taken by two Bangladeshi expatriates and supported by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, aiming to promote linguistic and cultural diversity worldwide.
C. Matching Words/Phrases with Meanings:
- wreath - an arrangement of flowers in the shape of a circle
- in remembrance of - in memory of
- proclaim - declare
- encourage - promote
- diversity - variety
- multilingualism - practice of using several languages
- in recognition of - in appreciation of
D. Questions from the Text:
- 21 February is called Shaheed Dibosh to honor the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the language.
- People go to the Shaheed Minar to pay tribute, participating in barefoot processions.
- 21 February is observed worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity.
E. Passage Completion:
On 21 February 1952, blood was shed at a place between Dhaka Medical College and Dhaka University to establish Bangla as a state language of Pakistan. All subsequent movements and struggles for independence had their origin in the historic language movement. Shaheed Minar is the symbol of the supreme sacrifice for the mother tongue.
F. Personal Observation:
N/A
A. Discuss these questions.
1. When did the International Mother Language Day celebration begin?
2. What does the abbreviation UNESCO stand for?
3. What is the other name of 21 February?
B. Read more about International Mother Language Day.
21 February is observed as Shaheed Dibosh every year throughout the country in remembrance of the martyrs of language movement of 1952. The comme- moration begins at the early hours of the day with mourning songs that recall the supreme sacrifices of our language martyrs. People wear black badges and go to the Shaheed Minar in barefoot processions, singing mourning songs. They place wreaths at the Minar. Many of them visit the graves of the martyrs at Azimpur graveyard and pray for them. They also attend various programmes organised in remembrance of the language martyrs.
The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) on 17 November in 1999 proclaimed February 21 as the International Mother Language Day in recognition of the sacrifices of the martyrs for the rightful place of Bangla. Two Bangladeshi expatriates living in Vancouver in Canada, Rafiqul Islam and Abdus Salam, sent a proposal to Kofi Anan, the then secretary General of United Nations. They requested him to declare 21st February as the International Mother Language Day. They added that the decision will honour and save all extinct languages of the world. As per their logical expectations Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina then took prompt initiative by sending formal proposal to UNESCO. Finally, on 17 November 1999, UNESCO declared 21st February as the International Mother Language Day. The day is now annually observed worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
C. Match the words/phrases in the table with their meanings.
| Words/phrases | Meanings |
| wreath | encourage |
| in remembrance of | in appreciation of |
| proclaim | practice of using several languages |
| an arrangement of flowers in the shape of a circle | promote |
| diversity | declare |
| multilingualism | in memory of |
| in recognition of | variety |
Ꭰ. Read the text in B again and answer these questions.
1. Why is 21 February called Shaheed Dibosh?
2. Why do people go to the Shaheed Minar? How do they go there?
3. Why is 21 February now observed throughout the world every year?
E. Complete the passage with suitable words.
On 21 February 1952............. was shed at a place between Dhaka Medical College and Dhaka University................... to establish Bangla as a state........................ of Pakistan.
All subsequent movements..................... struggles for independence had their origin in the historic language.............................. Shaheed Minar is the............................of the supreme sacrifice............................ the mother tongue.
F. Write briefly how you observed this year's 21 February at your school
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