The poor need Bengali more than the educated.

Are there any names you would like to mention who helped you in this huge task of language movement?

badruddin umar: Among the people who helped me significantly in my research initially was Qamaruddin Ahmed. I also got material from Oli Ahad. I got most of the documents and information from Tajuddin Ahmed. Tajuddin had a habit of collecting all the documents of that time. At the time when leaflets and pamphlets were printed, there were no dates on them. Tajuddin had the habit of writing dates on leaflets and pamphlets. This was an important matter.

I already knew Tajuddin, but I formally interviewed Qamaruddin Ahmed at Tajuddin’s house. Tajuddin said, “I have kept a diary. Look and see if it will be useful to you.” Tajuddin had small diaries written in English. He started writing in 1947 and continued writing till 1956.

I said these were invaluable resources. Tajuddin said, “Take them and see whether they are of any use to you or not.” I kept the diaries till 1952 and returned the rest to him. Tajuddin’s diaries were particularly important as he recorded entries for every single day since 1947.

Shahidullah Qaiser also helped a lot. He was involved in pro-Moscow politics. He was in charge of all the old documents of the Communist Party at that time. I was involved in politics then, but I had good relations with Shahidullah Qaiser. “I have several documents you can use,” he told me. He gave me many leaflets, even party circulars, from the year 1952 from the Communist Party archives. These documents highlighted the Communist Party’s stance and involvement in the language movement. The help I got from Shahidullah Qaiser was not available anywhere else.

Many documents were also destroyed in the government attacks. Many people even set documents on fire out of fear. Then, I received a booklet here and a booklet there from the common people.

You write that the real heroes of the language movement were the struggling people of East Bengal and you have dedicated this book to them. Would you elaborate on this?

badruddin umar: There was no leader of the language movement. I wrote this in my dedication. No party led the language movement. As an organisation, the Youth League was most active in the language movement. The most important person in the period after February 20 was Oli Ahmed, general secretary of the Youth League. Youth League joint secretary Imdadul Haq, Sultan Mahmood Sultan and Ghaziul Haq also played a role in the movement.

As soon as Pakistan was established, Gono Azadi League, Gonotantrik Jubo League and such organizations emerged. They demanded that Bengali be declared one of the main state languages ​​of East Pakistan and also the official language and medium of instruction. Can you elaborate on that?

badruddin umar: Many people believe that the language issue is a matter for educated people. But Bengali as a language is needed more by the poor than the educated. After all, those who were educated knew some English and could do without Bengali. But the poor could not do without Bengali. So for them, not being able to speak in their own language was a serious attack. Then there was a famine and there was a shortage of food.

People had dreamed of a golden Pakistan, but the Muslim League kept the people hungry from the beginning and did not give them anything. He suppressed them. Within a short time there was a change in the entire society. As a result, when by-elections were held in Tangail in 1949, the Muslim League candidate Zamindar Khurram Khan Panni lost to newcomer Shamsul Haq.

Many people believe that Bangladesh became independent because of the language movement. It’s not like that. As soon as Pakistan was established, the communalism and Hindu-Muslim conflict that had emerged at the end of British rule, for which Pakistan was created, soon ended. In its place a new conflict arose between Bengalis and non-Bengalis. ‘Communalism’ of politics started.

In fact, it can be said that the process of birth of Bangladesh started in 1947. Pakistan was not a stable state. This was reflected in the emergence of the Gono Azadi League and the Gonotantrik Jubo League. It was the Muslim Leaguers who formed these organizations. But he saw that after the formation of Pakistan, the politics of Muslim League had no relevance. Then the language movement of 1952 started.

When the rulers of West Pakistan declared that Urdu would be the state language, it was linked to other oppression, exploitation and repression. The language movement was an explosion. The politics of the language movement was an important reflection of non-communalism in politics. The language movement is a major milestone in the ‘communalisation’ of East Bengal politics. This process began in 1947 and led to a large-scale rebellion and then Bangladesh becoming independent in 1969.

How do you see the overall trend of Bengali in Bangladesh as a state?

badruddin umar: In the language movement, it was demanded that Bengali language should be made the medium of education and culture. But after the country became independent, Bengali was made the medium of education without any plan. Changing the medium of instruction from one language to another requires very careful planning. Books will be required for this. Earlier lectures were given only in English, books of all subjects were in English. When the medium changed to Bengali overnight, lectures in colleges and universities started being given in Bengali. English books disappeared. The lessons were in Bengali, but there were no Bengali books. The level of education fell immediately. As a result, poor quality notebooks appeared everywhere. Students turned to these notebooks instead of core textbooks. Those who were educated in this way later became teachers.

Amidst this plight of Bangla, some corrupt people, who resorted to dishonest methods to collect money, wanted their children to get good education. This led to the birth of English medium schools. Children from the middle class and rich class were given admission there. It is clear where the trend of Bengali fell as a result of this. Presently the situation is that those who study in English medium do not know Bengali. As a result, they have become isolated from the history, literature and culture of our country. People coming out of English medium schools become detached from the history of Bangladesh.

First of all there was a need to establish a large translation institute. The little translation that has been done here has been done on personal initiative. There is still no translation institute. There are no Bengali translations of books on science, philosophy and literature. A big effort should be made by the government. Those who are reading books now do not know Bengali. And those who study Bengali do not have ready books. How can Bengali language be promoted in this crisis?

badruddin umar: Thank you too.