Jaya Ahsan urges everyone to save indigenous languages

On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, every citizen of Bangladesh remembers the sacrifice of the martyrs who fought and died for Bangla to be made our national language. Today, February 21, is celebrated in their memory and serves as a reminder of 1952's Language Movement.

Paying respect to the martyrs, many Bangladeshi citizens have penned their emotions on social media today. One of whom is noted actress Jaya Ahsan. She wrote "The language that is with us in every moment of our life, the Bangla we established with the price of blood on this day—I pay my utmost respect to it."

She continues in the post, "Bangla is my language, and from it derives the name of my country, Bangladesh. Still, we have much more to do for this language, in our society, education system, and nation. We all still have a long way to cross with Bangla."

"February 21 is now the inspiration for every suppressed or near dying-out language. Seventy-one years ago, the youths of this nation had created that inspirational event—can you imagine?" she added.

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She concluded her post by saying, "But the indigenous languages in our hill areas aren't doing well. I have read that only five speakers of the Rengmitca language remain among us. After that, it will be lost forever.  The loss of a language is like uprooting a beautiful garden. Is there nothing we can do to preserve this language?"