21 January
International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on February 21 to raise awareness about linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. On November 17, 1999, UNESCO announced the first ever celebration of the day. However, this day has been celebrated as Language Movement Day in Bangladesh since before that. In 1999, UNESCO granted international status to the day. Mention On March 21, 1948, Pakistan’s Governor General Muhammad Ali Jinnah announced that Urdu would be the only official language in both East and West Pakistan. But in mainland East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), people strongly protested against the announcement and formed a strong movement. On February 21, 1952, the Pakistani military jumped on protesters in Dhaka city. Several students of Dhaka University were killed that day in firing by security forces. Since then, this day has been celebrated as Language Movement Day in Bangladesh. Since 1999, UNESCO has decided to celebrate this day as International Mother Language Day.