Language Movement: Women's contribution ignored

Anwara Khatun was an activist of Language Movement. She was born in 1924 and died in 1988. She actively participated in Language Movement in both 1947-48 and 1952. Many consutative meetings were held at her 23 Green Road residence during these periods. She was an active member of second Rstro Vasha Songram Porishod, which was jointly formed by Tomuddun Majlish and East-Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League, in March 02, 1948. She played a very important role to organize women activists and made the strike of March 11, 1948 a success. She became a member of Sorbo Dolio Rastro Vasha Songram Porishod in January 31, 1952. She delivered a fiery speech in the legislative assembly on 22 February, 1952 protesting the killing of people on 21 and 22 February, 1952.
   
This is a story of remarkable contribution of one of the women activists in Language Movement. It was published in a Bangla daily recently. I have included it to let all the people know about the great contribution of women in our Language Movement and realize its importance. There are many women who contributed a lot to our Language Movement. But their contributions are not yet written in details nor properly documented. Certainly it is a failure of the State.

Language movement activist and well-known writer Rafiqul Islam correctly wrote in his article Bhasa Andoloner Itihash that the Language Movement of 1952 was not only a movement of some students, teachers, and intellectuals; and also not only an educational and cultural movement. In reality, it was a broad-based mass movement of the people of erstwhile East-Pakistan against the domination, deprivation, and oppression of the autocratic government of West Pakistan.

It was women who first went to the streets during the curfew. They broke section 144, avoided police barricade, assembled at Amtola at Dhaka University campus and joined the movement. Dr. Halima Khatun, Dr. Sufia Khatun, Rawshan Ara Bachchu, Sufia Ibrahim, Fazilatunnessa, Rani Bhattacharia, Pratibha Mutsuddi, Sofia Khan, Zulekha, Nuri, Sara Taifur, Sufia Ahmed, Safia Khatun, et al were among the protesters. Some of them were arrested and harassed.
 
People in Narayanganj strongly protested the arrest of a school teacher and language movement activist Momtaj Begum. Later the government proposed to sign a bond in exchange of her release but she refused. On her refusal, her husband divorced her and even did not allow her daughter to live with her. Momtaj Begum was also terminated from her school as that was a government school. Later she joined another school but could not survive for dirty politics of her colleagues and their conspiracy. She died all alone after suffering a hardship, starvation, abandonment. And she was socially excluded as people called her a 'bad woman' who had dared to go even to prison for Bangla.

I have talked to a Language Movement activist Professor Dr. Halima Khatun before her death. She died on July 03, 2018. She told me that after being recognized the 21st February as International Mother Language Day, it has been getting importance. But women's contributions are still ignored. As a result, after 66 years of the Language Movement, the nation did not get a written history about their valiant role. May be writers did not know or they did not have interest to know about women's contributions in the Language Movement. It is really a matter of great regret! The new generation and the world know a very little about the contribution of women in our Language Movement.

Dr Halima Khatun further said, "More research and documentation are required urgently. Especially we, the language movement activists are able to provide true and specific information about women's participation and contribution in our Language Movement. Though women were less in number in the movement, but their philosophy and contributions were equal like men", she added.

In fact, we must collect and gather information about the women activists who was involved in the Language Movement within and from out of Dhaka to even at the remote areas of other districts.  It is true that 1952 created 1971. Finally we earned Bangla and Bangladesh with the sacrifice of the martyrs in Language Movement as well as the martyrs of the Liberation War. We must keep in mind that Febrauary 21 is not only a Day for us, but also it is a Day for all the people of the world, as it is now International Mother Language Day; declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999.

We, the people of Bangladesh request the United Nations to kindly declare Bangla--one of the official languages of the United Nations considering the supreme sacrifice of the people of Bangladesh for Bangla language on February 21, 1952. 

Miran Uddin, a Language Movement activist and a freedom fighter, he lives at Baniajuri of Ghior upazila in Manikganj recalls his involvement in the Language Movement and said, "The history and contribution of all the Language Movement activists must be documented properly in different languages. It will help the people of the world to know details about the importance of observance of International Mother Language Day on 21st February. Women's contribution in the Language Movement must be recognized perfectly, because women's equal participation made the Movement stronger and success. As a result we won, and established Bangla, the State Language of Bangladesh instead of Urdu", Miran Uddin explained.   

Women's contributions must be discussed in all the forums and documented properly in all the documents of the Language Movement and Liberation War.  Above all, women's contribution should be given greater emphasize. Women's active participation and their personal, social and collective invaluable contribution made us winner in many movements. Women have struggled and fought equally like men. If we feel proud of Amar Ekushey on 21 February and Victory Day on 16 December, women must get their due share of credit.  I pay a tribute to all the martyrs and activists. Long live our mother tongue Bangla, and long live our blood-earned, beloved Bangladesh.  

Parvez Babul is a journalist, author and poet