All languages must be protected from any attack: Mamata on International Mother Language Day

Language is not merely a tool for communication; it is central to identity, learning, emotional wellbeing and meaningful participation in society. On the International Mother Language Day, many popular names underlined the importance of preserving and protecting one’s languages from any form of attack.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that all languages are equally worthy of respect. Paying tributes to those killed during language movements, she said her government honours linguistic diversity and has accorded official recognition to several languages.

She said Bengali is not only a language of great literary heritage but part of a broader commitment to respecting all linguistic communities.

“We have also ensured that every person, whatever the language they speak, has the opportunity to study in their mother tongue in the state,” she said in a post on X.

“On this sacred day, we reaffirm our pledge that if any language comes under attack, we will all stand united against it. All languages deserve equal respect,” she said.

Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan said Tamil is an inseparable part of his identity and existence. In a post on X, he wrote that his mother tongue “is formed in my genes, nourished through mother’s milk, heard as sound in the ears and lives within the body as life itself”.

He added that Tamil is the language that comes naturally to him in moments of pain, sleep and reflection, and that “each person’s mother tongue is their life, and mine will forever remain my breath”.

Observed on February 21, the International Mother Language Day celebrates linguistic diversity and highlights how multilingual education empowers youth, preserves cultural identity, promotes inclusion, and supports global Sustainable Development Goals.

The observance also reinforces the global commitment to safeguarding languages that are at risk of disappearing.

The day commemorates the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh, where students protested for recognition of their mother tongue. Their sacrifice led to global recognition of linguistic rights and diversity. In 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day, and it has been observed worldwide since 2000. This year’s theme “Youth voices on multilingual education” emphasises the crucial role young people play in preserving and promoting linguistic diversity.

Multilingual education also ensures that marginalised communities are not left behind. It fosters equality, cultural understanding and social cohesion key pillars for sustainable development.

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah also paid heartfelt tributes to the linguistic soul of Jammu and Kashmir, urging people to cherish, protect and proudly speak the languages that define their identity.

Emphasising the urgency of preservation, he called for mother tongues to become the primary medium of instruction in schools, especially during a child’s formative years, where language shapes thought, imagination, and belonging.

The Centre’s AI Bhashini supports over 22 Indian languages, including the 22 scheduled languages, enabling seamless digital access and government services by providing AI-powered translation, speech recognition, and language understanding to bridge digital and linguistic divides.

One of Bhashini’s most significant breakthroughs, according to experts, is its adoption across India’s panchayats. The eGram Swaraj platform is now multilingual. Panchayats record minutes in native languages, upload audio, and the system automatically transcribes and translates it. Over 90,000 such recordings have already been processed.

The platform is also enabling transcription and translation of parliamentary proceedings, digitisation of historic documents and multilingual access for hundreds of government  websites.