Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo observes International Mother Language Day

The Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo observed the International Mother Language Day (IMLD) 2021 recently with due solemnity and fervour. 

The theme of the celebration was ‘Language for Friendship’, with a special focus on the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence. The Government of Sri Lanka partnered with the High Commission in the observance. 

 Due to the constraints of the pandemic, the main part of the day’s celebration was a virtual program. It featured a pre-recorded video message from Chief Guest of the observance Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, where he expressed his appreciation to the Government of Bangladesh and the High Commission for promoting the values of multilingualism among Sri Lankan students. 

The event also featured a video message from the Special Guest, Sri Lankan Education Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris. Prof Peiris emphasised on the role of language in breaking compartmentalisation in the education system.  

Moderated by the High Commissioner, the program consisted of a panel discussion and a multilingual cultural performance. The panel speakers were Prof. J. B. Dissanayake, the eminent Sri Lankan linguist and Emeritus Professor of Colombo University; UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka; High Commissioner of India, Ambassador of Italy, and High Commissioner of Malaysia. They spoke about the preservation and protection of all mother tongues and also shared their thoughts about their countries’ experience with multilingualism. In his remarks, High Commissioner Tareq urged upon all to utilise the observance to uphold fraternity of languages and cultures in building a just, peaceful and inclusive world. 

At the beginning of the virtual event, the immortal Ekushey song was rendered in Bangla by the Muslim Choral Ensemble of Sri Lanka. A documentary, in-house production of the High Commission on IMLD, was also screened. 

On this occasion, at the initiative of the High Commission, the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka organised a Children’s Art Competition from 8-15 February in a hybrid model to limit the requirement of physical presence, in which a good number of students participated despite the pandemic situation.  

The names of the winners of the competition were announced and all the artworks were displayed at the virtual event. The Ministry of Education also organised some dance routines and recitations in Sinhala and Tamil languages by children video clips of which were screened.  

The cultural segment also included a number of enthralling (pre-recorded) children’s performances arranged by the Colombo Plan Secretariat, SAARC Cultural Centre, Maldivian Educational and Cultural Centre, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Alliance Française, Russian Cultural Centre and Iranian Cultural centre in Colombo and Sri Lanka Scout Association. 

A large number of people, including Ambassadors/High Commissioners and diplomats based in Colombo, local dignitaries, students and teachers of local educational institutions, representatives of cultural organisations, and children joined the virtual event. The entire program was also live-streamed on social media platforms.

Before the virtual program, in the morning the High Commission also had an in-house observance of the day abiding by the local health guidelines. As a part of that, the national flag of Bangladesh was hoisted at half-mast at Chancery by High Commissioner Tareq Md Ariful Islam in the presence of mission officials. It was followed by observing a one-minute silence as a mark of respect to the memory of the language martyrs, placing of floral wreaths at the portrait of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, reading out of messages of the Bangladeshi President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and State Minister for Foreign Affairs, screening of documentaries and offering of special prayers.  

The High Commission would also arrange a blood donation camp tomorrow at a local hospital in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Scout Association.