This is why we celebrate ‘International Mother Language Day’

International Mother Language Day is celebrated on February 21 each year. It is a celebration of diversity and linguistic awareness around the world. India is a shell of thousands of languages and dialects, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world. Language is a means of communication and connections, but it also represents culture and intellectual heritage.

On February 21, 1952, four Bangladeshi students were killed as they campaigned to make Bengali language as the official language of the state. In 1999, General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) announced the day as ‘International Mother Language Day,’ which was later welcomed by the General Assembly of the UN.

The theme for this year is ‘Multilingual education is a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning.’ UNESCO wrote on its website, ‘Today, 250 million children and young people still do not attend school and 763 million adults do not master basic literacy skills. Mother tongue education supports learning, literacy and the acquisition of additional languages.’