Staff Reporter :
In accordance with this year’s theme of multilingualism chosen by UNESCO for the International Mother Language Day, the School of Arts and Humanities (SAH) of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organized a three-day event from February 22 to 24 to reflect on the significance of mother tongues all over the world. The SAH program, “Mother is the Wor(l)d” celebrated the diversity and plurality of mother tongues.
On the first day, an audio-play, “Kajol,” from Kolkata was showcased. The play focused on the significance of preserving mother tongues. The author of the play, Dr. Piyali Bhattacharya from Chapra College, Nadia, India, also played a role with her co-actors Dr Kusumita Mukherjee Debnath and Smt Chaitali Bhattacharya. The program ended with a screening of letters to mothers in 21 different languages read by native speakers from all over the world.
The second day began with an academic panel discussion on the language policy in higher education in Bangladesh. The panelists were Prof. Syed Manzoorul Islam and Dr. Mahmud Hasan Khan with Prof. Kaiser Haq acting as the moderator. The panelists emphasized that the Bangla learning and speaking scenario in Bangladesh must improve alongside English.
On the final day, a traditional Noh and Kyogen play called ‘An Evening of Noh and Kyogen’, courtesy of the Japan Foundation, was screened with a brilliant introduction on the form of the drama by Prof. Dr. AKM Yusuf Hassan from Department of Drama & Dramatics, Jahangirnagar University.
The three-day event was inaugurated by ULAB Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jahirul Haque. The Pro Vice-Chancellor of ULAB and Dean of SAH Prof. Shamsad Mortuza gave the opening speech where he spoke of the significance of 21st February.
