Today is Ekushe February. ‘Ekushe’ merely means ’21’ – the date. However this date is very important for Bangladeshis as it was on this day in 1952 that students were shot dead by the police in Dhaka protesting the right to have Bangla as the recognised state language instead of Urdu which had been imposed upon them. Bangladesh has never forgotten and, since 2000 has been observed as International Mother Language Day.
My daughter – Amory – wrote this story a few days ago and has just published it on her blog. I can’t think of a better way I can recognise this important day than share her story here. She says it much better than I could. 🙂
Related articles
- On Being Busy in Bangladesh (kenthinksaloud.wordpress.com)
- Happy International Language Day! (payza.com)
Her alta-dyed feet stepped softly through the cemetery, her white silk saree hem brushed the dew covered grass getting soaked and stained. But she didn’t mind. She knew her husband would be angry later on but for now her worries were lost to the wind. She held her ankle bracelet in her hand, clamping down on the bells to stop them from ringing and therefore keeping the peaceful silence that surrounded the eerie place. The only sound that could be heard was her soft breathing and the gentle breeze whispering through the trees, playing with her hair and caressing her skin.
She reached the place of her trials and knelt before it. Her fingers traced the words that had been etched into the cold hard stone. She dropped a shapla flower on the ground in front of the tombstone and placed her hands together, bowing her head to him. A…
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