The emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 followed years of hardships and a protracted 9-month war. Post the 1947 partition, Bangladesh became the eastern wing of Pakistan, known as East Pakistan. Despite a predominantly Bangla-speaking population, Mohammad Ali Jinnah of West Pakistan insisted on making Urdu the sole national language, disregarding pleas from Bengali representatives. The turning point came on February 21, 1952, when public outrage transformed into a protest led by students, journalists, and others opposing linguistic oppression. In a bid to crush the movement, Pakistani leaders resorted to violence, resulting in the martyrdom of brave individuals like Salam, Rafiq, Barkat, Jabbar, and Shafi. Eventually, the Pakistani government had to yield to the demands.
In remembrance of this sacrifice, since 1953, literary journals and magazines have annually published works by writers of all levels. To document this rich history of publications nationwide, the Bangla Academy initiated a “Sangkalan” to compile details of these publications, their publishers – whether private or collaborative efforts, and the dedicated writers upholding the spirit of the language movement. Some individuals have preserved original pieces for decades, passing them down as heirlooms. Aninda Rahman, one such individual, undertook the task of commemorating the language movement’s legacy.
The Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) unveiled the “Sangkalan” exhibition on February 20, showcasing special publications and archives related to February 21 across various districts in Bangladesh. The event commenced with patriotic speeches, followed by a collective rendition of “Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano.”
An experimental filmmaker, Aninda Rahman amassed paper cuttings, pamphlets, journals, and illustrations related to February 21 from the past seven decades. The walls of Gallery Zoom were adorned with Bangla Academy archived pages, capturing half of the publications to date, alongside magazines and advertisements. The actual collection is more extensive, with Aninda noting that the exhibition offers just a glimpse.
Inside the gallery, old newspapers featured graphic tributes to the language movement day by various business entities like Nabisco, Jahaj Marka, Nouka Marka tar, Phoenix Leather Complex, and more. Additionally, there was a display of stickers shaped like “Prabhat Feri,” the dawn procession that traditionally headed towards the “Shaheed Minar,” the martyrs’ monument, until the government altered the schedule.
Seeing magazines like Begum, Bichitra, Nabarun, which my mother, a sibling of freedom fighters, often spoke of, displayed in the gallery felt surreal. The exhibition not only presents artifacts from the past but also educates the younger generation on the significance of the language movement day, acknowledged internationally by UNESCO. The exhibition will run until February 28.
