You can hear it still, though it’s
a bit blurred -
the richly perfumed soil, the dawn
birdsongs,
miles of latticed waters, still reflections,
emerald paddies, scents of mango
orchards
ripening their fruits under mango-coloured suns;
you can hear the cadence of the mother
tongue
every time I write here and speak, and
even
when I am struck dumb, though I’ve
never been
there – never inhaled those rains,
animal dung,
lentil paste daubed into delicate
pointy shapes
drying in the yard; never seen those
landscapes
of drizzly bamboo groves quietly quiver
by the whip-thin track tumbling to
the river.
ভাষা আন্দোলন দিবসের অভিনন্দন, শ্রদ্ধা জানাই সব মাতৃভাষাপ্রেমীদের যাঁরা শহীদ হয়েছেন নিজের কথা নিজের ভাষায় নিজের মত করে বলার মৌলিক ও অপরিহার্য অধিকার অক্ষুন্ন রাখতে।
Today is the International Mother Language Day, originally observed in India and Bangladesh, and now the world over since the UNESCO declaration in 1999, to honour the right to speak and value one's own mother tongue. A day of pride and celebration, and also sombre commemoration and reflection, for all native speakers of Bengali. And for language lovers generally, in which category I automatically include all writers/poets/bloggers. Happy Mother Language Day to you!
Today is the International Mother Language Day, originally observed in India and Bangladesh, and now the world over since the UNESCO declaration in 1999, to honour the right to speak and value one's own mother tongue. A day of pride and celebration, and also sombre commemoration and reflection, for all native speakers of Bengali. And for language lovers generally, in which category I automatically include all writers/poets/bloggers. Happy Mother Language Day to you!
