Ekushey February

Happy International Mother Language Day!

Today marks the 62^nd anniversary of a pivotal moment in Bangladesh’s freedom movement. On February 21^st, 1952, students demonstrated for the right to make Bangla, their mother tongue, an official national language. They represented the majority Bangla-speaking population of what was then East Pakistan, and resented the Pakistani government’s imposition of Urdu as the only official language of government. At a demonstration near Dhaka University that morning, police opened fire on a group of students, killing several and sparking riots across the city. Students of Dhaka Medical College constructed a monument overnight to the martyrs of February 21^st, but police destroyed it several days later. Still, Bangladeshis commemorated each anniversary of Martyr’s Day despite official restrictions, and several years later Bangla was granted official status. But the language movement marked a greater division between East and West Pakistan, and was merely the beginning of a long fight for freedom.

 Aaron in front of the Shaheed Minar

A clip from today's paper - people gather to lay wreaths of flowers at the monument

Today’s Shaheed Minar, or Monument of Martyrs, was constructed in the 1960s, destroyed during the Liberation War, and rebuilt in 1973. 21^st February, or Ekushey February, is a national holiday commemorating those who gave their lives for the right to use their mother tongue. In 1999 UNESCO declared February 21^st International Mother Language Day. 

A mural opposite the Shaheed Minar

The Bangla language is a fundamental part of Bangladeshi cultural identity. This sign reads:

“I am Bengali

Bangla is my country

Bangla is my language”

A trip to the coast

My project recently had an all-staff meeting way in the south of Bangladesh in the town of Kuakata. I had never been to this part of Bangladesh before and it was my first time seeing the Bay of Bengal. We flew by seaplane down to the nearby town of Hazipur and from there had a short drive and ferry crossing to Kuakata. I love flying by seaplane - it's such a unique experience and there are always a bunch of excited kids waiting to greet the plane and its passengers when we land.

Being the coast, fishing is one of the main industries and there were so many beautiful boats around. All were made of wood and are the traditional types they use along the coast.

It wouldn't be a real project meeting if there weren't at least a few pictures of the team. Here is a group of a few of us after a game of cricket (I enjoyed just watching) on the beach:

And this is a picture of the full team after the end of our conference:

 To get from Barisal City to Kuakata, you have to take four ferries. The whole journey is only a little over a 100 kilometers, but due to the ferry crossings and poor road conditions in many places, it takes 4-5 hours. The government is currently constructing a number of bridges and they believe the journey will be cut down to 2 hours once complete. Here is one of the ferries we took:

It was a really nice trip and it was the perfect time of year (I'm told) to visit this part of the country - it's not hot and the weather is dry. Overall the meeting was definitely a success and I think the trip helped me score a few extra points with my colleagues as well; they seemed quite pleased at our choice of venue! :-)