Mushtaq Bala
Every year on 21st February, the world observes International Mother Language Day—a moment that reminds humanity of the beauty, dignity, and power of one’s mother tongue. Proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 and observed globally since 2000, this day is not merely symbolic; it calls for the preservation of linguistic diversity and the protection of cultural inheritance.
Language is not just a tool of communication. It is memory. It is identity. It is history carried through sound and expression. A mother language holds the lullabies of childhood, ancestral wisdom, village proverbs, seasonal poetry, and the shared consciousness of a people.
The observance of this day traces back to the Language Movement of 1952 in present-day Bangladesh, when students laid down their lives demanding recognition of Bangla as a state language. Their sacrifice became a lasting symbol of linguistic rights and cultural dignity. Today, International Mother Language Day stands in tribute to those martyrs and to every community striving to keep its language alive.
The Kashmiri Context
In Kashmir, language forms the foundation of cultural identity. Kashmiri, Dogri, Balti, Gojri, Pahari, Ladakhi, and other regional languages are not merely modes of speech; they embody distinct histories and lived traditions. Yet it must be acknowledged that many among the younger generation are drifting away from their mother tongues—shaped by social pressures, migration, and the growing dominance of global languages.
English and Hindi hold undeniable practical value in education and employment. But when the mother tongue is sidelined, cultural belonging weakens. A language not spoken at home gradually recedes from literature, theatre, cinema, and everyday life.
As a filmmaker and cultural practitioner, I have always found that storytelling in one’s mother language carries unmatched emotional force. When a character speaks in Kashmiri, the dialogue resonates with a depth that no translation can fully convey. Language shapes authenticity.
Language and Creative Expression
Preserving mother languages cannot rest solely with governments. Writers, filmmakers, poets, journalists, educators, and parents all share this responsibility. Schools must encourage reading and writing in native languages. Cultural institutions should document folklore, oral histories, and traditional narratives. Media platforms must create space for regional voices.
In the digital age, technology can either hasten linguistic decline or serve as a powerful means of revival. Podcasts, regional-language subtitles, digital archives, web platforms, and storytelling on social media can renew interest in endangered languages.
A Moral Responsibility
International Mother Language Day is not about opposing globalization; it is about grounding it in cultural continuity. Progress that ignores diversity is incomplete. When a language disappears, an entire way of seeing the world disappears with it. Humanity is diminished.
Let us commit to speaking our mother tongue with pride at home, writing in it, creating through it, and passing it to the next generation not as a relic, but as a living force.
For language is not only what we speak.
It is who we are.
On this International Mother Language Day, let us celebrate linguistic diversity and renew our commitment to preserving the soul of our culture—our mother language.
