Russian House in Dhaka hosted a discussion marking the International Mother Language Day jointly with Liberation War Academy Trust.

Director of Russian House in Dhaka Maxim Dobrokhotov paid deep respects to all language martyrs and young students from Dhaka University, who made on this day in 1952 their sublime sacrifice for establishing Bangla as a state language of the erstwhile Pakistan. 

He also said that in recognition of the Language Movement in Bangladesh, UNESCO declared February 21 International Mother Language Day to promote linguistic and cultural diversity in the UN member-states. 

READ: Russian House lauds growing presence of online journalism in Bangladesh

The declaration was made on November 17, 1999. He reminded that The Language Movement inspired the Bengali nation to fight against injustices and exploitation unto achieving national independence in 1971.

Language activist and renowned linguist Dr. ABM Amanullah highlighted that despite the status of the official language, Bengali is not still used as mother tongue properly in Bangladesh and often replaced by English and this is really shameful.

Seventy-seven percent of primary schools in Bangladesh do not have language martyr memorials to pay homage to them and so many students construct martyr's minaret on their own initiative, said Asif Mazhar, a linguistic expert and academician, quoting several dailies in Bangladesh. 

Freedom fighter Md. Abdur Rauf Bhuiyan recalled that this year is a year of celebration of the 50th anniversary of friendly relations between Bangladesh and Russia and recited an emotional self-written poem on 50 years of friendship between the two countries, said a media release on Tuesday. 

Liberation War Academy Trust Chairman Dr. Abul Azad also spoke on the occasion. 

Prominent freedom fighters of the country, family members of freedom fighters, cultural activists and students of various educational institutions were present.