India, Feb. 21 -- On February 21, the world pauses to remember a truth written in blood and ink - that language is not merely a tool of communication, but the soul of a people. International Mother Language Day is not an abstract cultural celebration. It is rooted in sacrifice, in the streets of what was then East Pakistan, where young students laid down their lives defending the right to speak Bengali. Their resistance shaped not only the destiny of Bangladesh, but also the global conscience on linguistic justice.

The origins of this day trace back to 1952, when Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, declared in 1948 that "Urdu and Urdu alone" would be the state language of Pakistan. It was a decision that ignored demographic reality:...