News Flash
By Saiful Islam
DHAKA, Feb 20, 2025 (BSS) - The 1952 Language Movement laid the foundation of the Great War of Liberation in 1971 and all freedom struggles and democratic movements in the country.
The freedom loving nation, being imbued with the spirit of language movement, achieved the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 after a nine-month long war and through the path of independent struggle, we got a new Bangladesh in 2024 by a mass uprising against the autocratic regime, said veteran journalist Alamgir Mohiuudin here today (Thursday).
Alamgir Mohiuddin, a young journalist during the Language Movement in 1952, currently the editor of the daily Naya Diganta and Director of the Board of Directors of the national news agency BSS, has recounted his memories of the Language Movement in an interview with BSS reporter Saiful Islam.
Talking to BSS on the eve of observance of “Immortal Ekushey” and the International Mother Language Day, veteran journalist Mr. Mohiuddin touched upon various aspect of the language movement, which ultimately helped achieve independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
Giving the background of Language Movement, he said, "We were told to speak in Urdu. Or speak in English. Then we said we will speak in Bangla, our mother tongue. This nation can never accept any other language apart from this language."
"The stubbornness of the then Pakistani ruling class, their mentality of imposing their whim on the innocent Bengalis and on the other hand, the spirit of Bengali nationalism all together forced the people of the then East Pakistan to take to streets to protest against the Pakistani regime ," he said.
Alamgir Mohiuddin said, "We saw in our childhood that whenever there was a movement, it was all centered on East Bengal. And whenever the language movement came up, everyone came together."
Urging the new generation to love their own language, he said, "The English love the English language with their heart. They only respect their own language, but also imposed the English language on the rest of the world. All the research in the world is carried out in English. They can't even think about what kind of research can be done in a language other than English."
Mentioning that Bengalis are using English keeping aside their own languages, he said, "Bengalis can impose on everyone whatever they think. The problem is that they cannot impose anything on themselves what they think or do. As a result, the use of other languages ??has increased among us."
Alamgir Mohiuddin said, "No one can tell the English people to speak Bengali. Even if they die, they won't speak. But we don't want to speak in our mother tongue. There is no such precedence in the history of the world that so many people have given their lives for a language.”
He continued, “The use of Bengali, which was obtained in exchange of so much blood, is decreasing. The practice of speaking English is increasing. Many consider speaking English to be smartness. This is leading to the destruction of our national identity. The nation must be saved from this destruction by any means. Here too, the youths can play a leading role.”
He said, "We should have respect those who led the language movement. The Bengali nation learned to understand its own identity through the language movement. If there is no respect and honor for the language of one's own country, there will be no respect for the common people either."
Senior journalist Alamgir Mohiuddin was born in Natore district. He studied at Nazim Uddin High School in Chanchkoir. Later, he passed his higher secondary from Rajshahi College and obtained his bachelor's degree from the English department of Rajshahi University. He was a second-batch student of that university. In personal life, Alamgir Mohiuddin is the father of two daughters.
