⇒ International Mother Language Day is observed worldwide on 21st February every year to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.
The Day is part of a broader initiative to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by people of the world.
Theme:
Every year a unique theme is chosen by UNESCO to celebrate this special day.
The theme of International Mother Language Day 2022 was “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”.
- It focused on potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.
History:
- The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day first came from Bangladesh.
- The general conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to celebrate February 21 as International Mother Language Day in 2000.
Celebrations in India:
Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, Ministry of Culture, Government of India organized a two-day event for 21st–22nd February 2022 at Indira Gandhi National Center of Arts, New Delhi.
» During the event, a book on ‘Tribal and Indigenous Languages of India’ written by Prof Ramesh C Gaur, Dean IGNCA was launched by the dignitaries.
» The next day, the signature tune for “Vande Bharatam” composed by Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej and Oscar contender Bickram Ghosh was released by Minister of State for Culture & External Affairs Smt Meenakashi Lekhi.
- The ‘Vande Bharatam’ song was produced for Vande Bharatam, Nritya Utsav of Ministry of Culture presented at Rajpath, New Delhi for the national Republic Day event 2022.