Ameer Hamza :
The movement for decorating Bengali with the status of an official language of Bengal began long before the creation of Pakistan. An English writer N.B. Holhed in the year 1778 published a book named’ A Grammar of the Bengali Language’ (otherwise known as Holhed Grammar) in which he strongly advocated for Bengali instead of Persian as the official language of Indian State of Bengal.
He argued that it would help the British East India Company to run the government efficiently and understand what the people wanted (Rashtrabhasha Andoloner Etihash by M.A.Barnik at page no.23).
Clearly this was the first say for Bengali, which reached its peak in 1952 and the government of the newly born Pakistan had to accept it as one of the state languages of the country in the Constitution adopted in 1956. Nawab Ali Chowdhury, an eminent educationist, was the first Indian to have raised the issue of making Bengali the official language of Bengal. In the year 1911, he said at a ‘Provincial Education Conference’ held in Rangpur that Bengali is the mother language of the Muslims. “This is our language,” he claimed.
None showed so much courage as did Nawab Ali Chowdhury of Tangail, writes Dr. Ali Newaj in 1987 in his book titled ‘Nawab Ali Chowdhury’. The Nawab told the British, “Whatsoever is the official language of India; Bengali must be the official language of Bengal. (Ref: BangIa Rashtrabhashar Protham Prostabak awab Ali Chowdhury by Abu Md. Motahar).
Seven years later, Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah advanced a step forward claiming Bengali as more resourceful than Hindi from the lingua point of view, and urged all to recognise Bengali as the ‘language of people’. In a meeting held at Calcutta Bishwa Bharati, he opposed Poet Rabindranath Tagore’s advocacy for Hindi as the common language of India and said, “It is Bengali having all the qualities of becoming the People’s language.” In 1947, Dr. Shahidullah strongly pleaded for making Bengali the state language of Pakistan. He wrote an identical article few months later.
It needs to mention that Dainik Azad played an important role for the Bengali language. On April 23 in 1937, the daily in its editorial under caption ‘Bharater Bhasha’ judged that Bengali have all the qualities of becoming the state language of India in view of HindiUrdu conflict over lingua status.
Abul Hashem, MLA, Secretary of Bengal Provincial Muslim League, drafted a resolution in 1946 for declaring Bengali as the state language of (proposed) Pakistan.
However, Tamaddun Majlish, an cultural organisation founded by Principal Abul Kashem, printed a booklet on September 1 in 1947 under caption ‘State language of Pakistan: Bengali or Urdu’? Few’ months earlier on June 24, Abul Mansur Ahmad in Dainik Millat categorically wrote that nothing would be more unjust than rejecting Bengali as the state language of Pakistan.
Governor General of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah while visiting Dhaka in 1948 said, “Urdu and Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan.” It was a dead blow to the population of Bengal who sacrificed more for the cause of Pakistan than the Punjabis, the Sindhis, the Baluchis and the Pathans did. Literally when 56 percent of Pakistanis total population spoke Bengali, just three percent for Urdu. Yet, Mohammad Ali Jinnah advocated for Urdu and thereby made a blunder.
The students of Dhaka University (DU) vehemently protested Jinnah’s unilateral declaration. The students of Dhaka University protested, ignored the curfew and bullets and paraded the city streets. The language movement, thus, got momentum on February 21 in 1952. The Dhaka University students decided to violate Section 144, as proposed by Abdul Matin.
Dr. Shahidullah was of the opinion that had not the Muslims been defeated at Palassey, Bengali would have progressed much faster than it surged ahead. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, (Architect of Bangladesh) writes in his book Ausampta Atmaj iboni at page Nos. 91, 92 and 93 that on February 8 in 1948, the Pakistan Constituent Assembly session was proceeding in Karachi. One of the agendas was ‘what would be the state language (of the country).’ The Muslim League members in the assembly were in favour of Urdu, even those from East Pakistan held the same view. (Amidst it), the Congress representative Dhirendranath Dutta demanded that Bengali should be the state language of Pakistan.
It is because Bengali was the language of the majority population of the country. But the Muslim League MCAs were not at all ready to accept this truth. In it lied a great conspiracy to make Urdu the sole state language sidelining Bengali.
But the evil move did not go unchallenged. The East Pakistan Muslim Students League and the Tamaddun Majlish protested and voiced for making both Urdu and Bengali the state languages of Pakistan. The two organisations jointly convening an all-party meeting formed an action committee named Rashtra Bhasha Bangla Sangram Parishad (Action committee for making Bengali the State Language). Committees of the East Pakistan Muslim Students League were expanded to several districts and sub-divisions.
The Tamaddun Majlish was a cultural organisation. Its leader was Professor Abul Kashem (of Dhaka University). Among those who joined the action committee were Qumruddin Ahmad and Shamsul Haque. It was decided in the joint meeting to declare March 11 in 1948 as Bhasha Dabi Dibosh (Language Demand Day).
The day was observed despite Police action. About 75 leaders and workers of the action committee were arrested and many injured. Among those who were arrested was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, (later Architect of sovereign Bangladesh). Meantime, Muslim League leader Khawaja Nazimuddin agreed to hold talks with the Sangram Parishad.
Shortly Qumruddin Ahmed met us in the jail and informed that the government had agreed to a formula. It suggested making Bengali the official language of East Pakistan and one of the state languages of Pakistan, rescinding of all cases filed against the Sangram Parishad leaders and workers, release of all the prisoners and investigation into the allegation of Police action.
The success of March 11 in fact laid the strong foundation of the language movement. Though the Tamaddun Majlish was not heard much later, it was East Pakistan Muslim Students League hat carried the flag of the movement for making Bangla the state language of Pakistan.
The movement for decorating Bengali with the status of an official language of Bengal began long before the creation of Pakistan. An English writer N.B. Holhed in the year 1778 published a book named’ A Grammar of the Bengali Language’ (otherwise known as Holhed Grammar) in which he strongly advocated for Bengali instead of Persian as the official language of Indian State of Bengal.
He argued that it would help the British East India Company to run the government efficiently and understand what the people wanted (Rashtrabhasha Andoloner Etihash by M.A.Barnik at page no.23).
Clearly this was the first say for Bengali, which reached its peak in 1952 and the government of the newly born Pakistan had to accept it as one of the state languages of the country in the Constitution adopted in 1956. Nawab Ali Chowdhury, an eminent educationist, was the first Indian to have raised the issue of making Bengali the official language of Bengal. In the year 1911, he said at a ‘Provincial Education Conference’ held in Rangpur that Bengali is the mother language of the Muslims. “This is our language,” he claimed.
None showed so much courage as did Nawab Ali Chowdhury of Tangail, writes Dr. Ali Newaj in 1987 in his book titled ‘Nawab Ali Chowdhury’. The Nawab told the British, “Whatsoever is the official language of India; Bengali must be the official language of Bengal. (Ref: BangIa Rashtrabhashar Protham Prostabak awab Ali Chowdhury by Abu Md. Motahar).
Seven years later, Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah advanced a step forward claiming Bengali as more resourceful than Hindi from the lingua point of view, and urged all to recognise Bengali as the ‘language of people’. In a meeting held at Calcutta Bishwa Bharati, he opposed Poet Rabindranath Tagore’s advocacy for Hindi as the common language of India and said, “It is Bengali having all the qualities of becoming the People’s language.” In 1947, Dr. Shahidullah strongly pleaded for making Bengali the state language of Pakistan. He wrote an identical article few months later.
It needs to mention that Dainik Azad played an important role for the Bengali language. On April 23 in 1937, the daily in its editorial under caption ‘Bharater Bhasha’ judged that Bengali have all the qualities of becoming the state language of India in view of HindiUrdu conflict over lingua status.
Abul Hashem, MLA, Secretary of Bengal Provincial Muslim League, drafted a resolution in 1946 for declaring Bengali as the state language of (proposed) Pakistan.
However, Tamaddun Majlish, an cultural organisation founded by Principal Abul Kashem, printed a booklet on September 1 in 1947 under caption ‘State language of Pakistan: Bengali or Urdu’? Few’ months earlier on June 24, Abul Mansur Ahmad in Dainik Millat categorically wrote that nothing would be more unjust than rejecting Bengali as the state language of Pakistan.
Governor General of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah while visiting Dhaka in 1948 said, “Urdu and Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan.” It was a dead blow to the population of Bengal who sacrificed more for the cause of Pakistan than the Punjabis, the Sindhis, the Baluchis and the Pathans did. Literally when 56 percent of Pakistanis total population spoke Bengali, just three percent for Urdu. Yet, Mohammad Ali Jinnah advocated for Urdu and thereby made a blunder.
The students of Dhaka University (DU) vehemently protested Jinnah’s unilateral declaration. The students of Dhaka University protested, ignored the curfew and bullets and paraded the city streets. The language movement, thus, got momentum on February 21 in 1952. The Dhaka University students decided to violate Section 144, as proposed by Abdul Matin.
Dr. Shahidullah was of the opinion that had not the Muslims been defeated at Palassey, Bengali would have progressed much faster than it surged ahead. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, (Architect of Bangladesh) writes in his book Ausampta Atmaj iboni at page Nos. 91, 92 and 93 that on February 8 in 1948, the Pakistan Constituent Assembly session was proceeding in Karachi. One of the agendas was ‘what would be the state language (of the country).’ The Muslim League members in the assembly were in favour of Urdu, even those from East Pakistan held the same view. (Amidst it), the Congress representative Dhirendranath Dutta demanded that Bengali should be the state language of Pakistan.
It is because Bengali was the language of the majority population of the country. But the Muslim League MCAs were not at all ready to accept this truth. In it lied a great conspiracy to make Urdu the sole state language sidelining Bengali.
But the evil move did not go unchallenged. The East Pakistan Muslim Students League and the Tamaddun Majlish protested and voiced for making both Urdu and Bengali the state languages of Pakistan. The two organisations jointly convening an all-party meeting formed an action committee named Rashtra Bhasha Bangla Sangram Parishad (Action committee for making Bengali the State Language). Committees of the East Pakistan Muslim Students League were expanded to several districts and sub-divisions.
The Tamaddun Majlish was a cultural organisation. Its leader was Professor Abul Kashem (of Dhaka University). Among those who joined the action committee were Qumruddin Ahmad and Shamsul Haque. It was decided in the joint meeting to declare March 11 in 1948 as Bhasha Dabi Dibosh (Language Demand Day).
The day was observed despite Police action. About 75 leaders and workers of the action committee were arrested and many injured. Among those who were arrested was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, (later Architect of sovereign Bangladesh). Meantime, Muslim League leader Khawaja Nazimuddin agreed to hold talks with the Sangram Parishad.
Shortly Qumruddin Ahmed met us in the jail and informed that the government had agreed to a formula. It suggested making Bengali the official language of East Pakistan and one of the state languages of Pakistan, rescinding of all cases filed against the Sangram Parishad leaders and workers, release of all the prisoners and investigation into the allegation of Police action.
The success of March 11 in fact laid the strong foundation of the language movement. Though the Tamaddun Majlish was not heard much later, it was East Pakistan Muslim Students League hat carried the flag of the movement for making Bangla the state language of Pakistan.
