Editorial
Ekushey, the day that sustains us
The spirit should be utilised more widely
We return to our core values today. Not as a ritual but to take a vow to imbibe them. Our national consciousness was embodied by the language movement six decades ago. It then came into a crescendo of a glorified series of achievements through our distinctive cultural assertion, famous 21-point programme of Jukta Front in 1954, anti-Martial Law struggle, 11-point programme of students, 6-point struggle for autonomy in the late sixties, and finally the Liberation War leading to the birth of a free Bangladesh.
It is through the pathway laid by the Ekushey that over the last four decades we have reached a watershed. This is as much our moment for pride in the richness of our heritage as it is of deriving strength and inspiration from the indomitable spirit of Ekushey. This we need to press into service for building the nation on a stronger and versatile footing to take our place with the advancing world around us.
Culture as understood and applied in its many and varied facets is a powerful deriving force for intellectual and material developments based on forward looking ethos.
Bangla language has been reasonably enriched over the years through contributions of the Bangla Academy and those of the literati. Given the adaptability of our language, a room for further enrichment exists. This brings us to the issue of using Bangla widely and more intensely. It can be employed as a vehicle for literacy expansion, in imparting higher education including explaining scientific and technical concepts and in taking administration and social awareness campaigns to the doorsteps of people.
The real prosperity and dynamism of a living language is embodied in its literature. We should have literary festivals to showcase and benefit from literary works of different countries, not just our own. We need to open up to the world with the best in our literature as well as embrace that which is the best in other literatures. The principal vehicle for such intellectual give-and-take is translation -- of our works into other major languages and their works into our own language.
In the past, Ekushey Padak and Shadhinata Padak had been somewhat tainted by the awards going to political favourites of one ruling party or the other. But this year, one notices a certain departure from that practice insofar as giving Ekushey Padak is concerned. This must be built up on to keep national awards above political consideration; for, by their very nature, these honours are required to be bestowed on persons of sheer excellence in their chosen fields of work.
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