International Mother Language Day to be celebrated as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

Feb. 20: Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, Ministry of Culture, Government of India is organizing a two-day event for 21^st – 22^nd February 2022 at Indira Gandhi National Center of Arts, New Delhi.

International Mother Language Day is observed worldwide on 21^st February every year to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. The Day is part of a broader initiative to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by people of the world. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day first came from Bangladesh. The general conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to celebrate February 21 as International Mother Language Day in 2000. Every year a unique theme is chosen by UNESCO to celebrate this special day. The theme of 2022 is: “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”, it focuses on potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.

To mark the day, Ministry of Culture is organising two-day programme in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts IGNCA and UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office in physical and virtual format.

The key note address at the event will be delivered by Culture Secretary, Govind Mohan, followed by the address of Mr. Eric Falt, Director, UNESCO Cluster Office, New Delhi and renowned lyricist and poet Prasoon Joshi. With a line-up of exemplary speakers from India and abroad, the event will also witness Poetry recitation in mother tongue, Group Song & Dance in different languages, webinar on ‘Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities’, launch of book ‘Tribal and Indigenous Languages of India’ written by Prof. Ramesh C Gaur, Dean IGNCA.

Later in the evening, the event ‘Ekam Bharatam’ will witness distinguish presence of Minister of State for Culture & External Affairs Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi to formally release the ‘Vande Bharatam’ soundtrack. The song which has been co-created by Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej along with tabla maestro Bikram Ghosh  was a part of the dance presentations by Ministry of Culture on Republic Day event 2022. The event will also witness music virtuosos perform together live.

Furthermore, there will be an interaction session among the group of writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians, journalists and experts on one stage. The unmatched celebration will be followed by cultural performances.