Sammilito Sanskritik Mancha spreads awareness on International Mother Language Day

Feb. 21: International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February to promote awareness of Linguistic diversity and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since 2000. The theme of the 2022 International Mother Language Day, “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”, will discuss the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.

However, it has been observed that the many of the youths are yet unaware of the importance of the International Mother Language Day and also about the significance of mother tongue as a marker of identity  in our day-to-day life. It is with this aim of increasing awareness about one’smother tongue that Sammilito Sanskritik Mancha (SSM), a conglomeration of the socio-cultural organisations of Cachar district took the initiative and performed street plays juxtaposed with songs and dialogues at various parts of Silchar including some of the educational institutions including Radhamadhab College, Silchar.

Participating in the awareness campaign, the importance of mother tongue as a marker of identity was explained by Monoj Deb, Biswajit Das, Sekhar Debroy, Ajoy Roy, Nupur Dutta among others on behalf of Samiilito Sanskritik Mancha. They performed small plays explaining the significance of mother tongue as well the concept of unity in diversity. Sekhar Deb Roy and Nupur Dutta also performed songs highlighting the concept. “Let’s love and respect the language of each other but never at the cost of our own mother tongue,” was what was emphaised during the street shows.

Linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear. Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life. Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.