Bangladeshi residents join forces for commemorative day

More than 100 Bangladeshi residents descended in Chadderton to remember the brave students who sacrificed their lives in the fight for their language rights.

The commemorative day dubbed Ekushey February, on February 21, is a day of remembrance of those young people who put their lives on the line to shape the history of Bangladesh. 

In Oldham, the community celebrated the International Mother Language Day in style with many organised events at Shahjalal Physical Activeness Recreational Club and the Royal Sultan Functional Hall in Chadderton. 

Celebrations also took place at Oldham’s Shaheed Minar on Main Road, with Community Activist Abdul Malik, who helped to organise the event.

Marking the special occasion were local residents, along with Bangladesh’s Assistant High Commissioner, Councillor Mohon Ali and the Mayor, Councillor Elaine Garry, and children from Burnley Brow School in Chadderton, who learned about the day. 

On the same day in 1952, students in Dhaka, Bangladesh, protested against the Pakistani government’s decision to make Urdu the only state language - despite Bengali being spoken by the majority in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).  

They took to the streets to demand their right to speak and learn in their mother tongue, but the peaceful protest turned tragic when police opened fire on unarmed students, leading to the loss of many students known as language martyrs today. 

Their sacrifice led to Bengali being recognised as an official language in 1956, and the movement became a key moment in Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. 

Now, February 21, is recognised globally as international Mother Language Day, reminding the community that every language matters and no culture should ever be erased.