By Asif Iqbal
February 21st is celebrated globally as Mother Language Day. Various events are organized on this day, where linguists, writers, poets, and language experts deliver elaborate speeches. The importance and benefits of mother languages are highlighted.
In reality, a mother language is a nation’s lifeline, and our bond with it is eternal. Our mother language is associated with numerous creative, psychological, linguistic, mental, emotional, and instinctual aspects.
On February 21st, awareness about linguistic and cultural diversity is promoted globally through grand events. Mother Language Day has a bloody history: on February 21, 1952, students from Dhaka University, Jagannath University, and Dhaka Medical College protested for Bengali to be recognized as a national language alongside Urdu in Pakistan. Police fired at the protesters, who sacrificed their lives for the survival and development of their language. Consequently, Bengali was recognized as a national language in Pakistan.
Since then, February 21st is celebrated globally as Mother Language Day. UNESCO decided on November 17, 1999, that February 21st would be celebrated as Mother Language Day. After 2000, February 21st has been celebrated globally as International Mother Language Day, and the UN General Assembly declared 2008 as the International Year of Languages.
Currently, around 6,000 languages are spoken worldwide, and the future of half of these languages is uncertain. Research shows that education based on mother languages empowers learners to participate freely in society. According to a study, 40% of people worldwide do not receive education in their mother languages.
Renowned linguist Sanjha Chana writes, “The rise and fall of nations are linked to their languages. A language reflects a nation’s geography, culture, politics, society, economy, and history. Language is a part of a nation’s culture and civilization. Language is a social process that originated through social production. Language connects human actions consciously. Language is a means of expression and a source of information. Human thought is directly expressed through language.”
The president of the Literary Center Kamraz states that language is a nation’s identity and recognition. However, technology and materialism are driving people away from their languages. Nevertheless, conscious individuals do not forget their past; instead, they progress rapidly like a shady tree, without severing their connection with their land.
Kashmiri language has its glorious history, and we were born from this language. It is our identity. The sweetness and charm of Kashmiri language are unmatched, and the sweet and loving words in our mother language are rarely found in other languages. Unfortunately, we have not given Kashmiri language the importance it deserves.
From homes to markets, offices to sports fields, everyone prefers Urdu and English over Kashmiri. Our younger generation is kept away from learning their mother language from childhood. We need to think about preserving our mother language and encouraging our younger generation to learn Kashmiri.
In Kashmir, two or three newspapers are published in Kashmiri, but there are hardly any readers, which indicates our love for the Kashmiri language. Literary associations, linguists, and writers can play a crucial role in preserving the Kashmiri language. They can start a campaign to raise awareness among people so that our younger generation does not become alienated from their mother language.
Celebrating Mother Language Day with one-day poetry symposia, elaborate speeches, and formal expressions of love is not enough to preserve the Kashmiri language. Instead, everyone needs to play their role, from individual to collective levels. If teachers start teaching in mother languages in schools, following the new education policy, it would be a good beginning.
We need to eliminate the feeling of inferiority and make children understand that their mother language is their identity and a source of pride. However, when our younger generation speaks Urdu and English, we rejoice, which ultimately leads to our downfall.
