Efforts to nurture language hailed

Abu Dhabi: The Bangladesh ambassador to the UAE hailed his compatriots for helping to preserve their mother tongue saying it was a cultural achievement on the occasion of National Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day.

Nazimullah Chowdhari, the ambassador spoke to Gulf News on the importance of the occasion on Thursday.

He called upon the Bangladesh expatriates to uphold that spirit to materialise the dream of the martyrs to protect their mother tongue. He pointed out the community inspires the younger generation to learn their mother tongue even though they are in a foreign land and under the compulsion of learning other international languages.

While addressing the community at a ceremony at the embassy in Abu Dhabi yesterday, he paid tribute to the martyrs who laid their lives to establish 'Bangla' as the state language on February 21, 1952 and recalled that it inspired all subsequent political movements including the war of liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. He pointed out that February 21 was declared as the International Mother Language Day by Unesco on November 17, 1999. Chowdhari added that respect for each other's language inspires international solidarity.

He highlighted the importance of the day in Bangladesh's history, culture and heritage.

He hoisted the Bangladesh flag at half mast to pay respect to the martyrs of the great language movement. A special prayer was also held for the departed souls of the martyrs.

At a discussion meeting held at the embassy, senior officials of the embassy read out messages from Prof Iajuddin Ahmad, President of Bangladesh and other senior officials of the caretaker government.

Bangladesh Islamia School in Abu Dhabi also conducted a separate function to commemorate the day.