Bangalis may have been ruled over by people from many lands who spoke many languages, but the Bangla language has always absorbed them, grown from them, grown with them, and continued. Over half the people spoke Bangla, the other half was the sum total of a handful of groups each with their own language. The bullets that would have silenced, instead ignited a fierce retaliation, exacting the demands for Bangla to be recognized as a state language. In the years that followed, the Bangla language has been acknowledged and honoured for its monumental tribulations. Today, the world celebrates February 21 as the International Mother Language Day.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 20, 2019 18:11 UTC