Bengali Language Movement In India
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The Bengali Language Movement is a campaign to preserve
Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken o ...
and
Bengalis Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of ...
culture and to oppose anti-Bengali sentiment in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. The movement was started in
Manbhum Manbhum District was one of the districts of the East India during the British Raj. After India's independence, the district became a part of Bihar State. Upon re-organisation of the Indian states in the mid-1950s, present Purulia district was ca ...
in 1940, ahead of the Partition of India which allocated eastern Bengal to the new nation of Pakistan and led to the relocation of many Bengali communities. In 1947
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
bifurcated into
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. The population of the eastern part of Bengal was majority Muslim, and was incorporated into Pakistan.
Bengali Hindus Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Beng ...
in this eastern region migrated to India, principally settling in
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
, Chhattisgarh,
Dandakaranya Dandakaranya is a historical region in India, mentioned in the Ramayana. It is identified with a territory roughly equivalent to the Bastar division in the Chhattisgarh state in the central-east part of India. It covers about of land, which inc ...
and
Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
, Maharashtra,
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. The Movement remains prominent in
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
,
Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
,
Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
, Chhattisgarh and
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.


Assam

The Bengali language movement of
Barak Valley The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of the Indian state of Assam. The region is named after the Barak river. The Barak valley consists of three administrative districts of Assam - namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi. The ...
in
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
was the protests against the decision of Assamese government making Assamese language as the state's only official language, though majority of the population was the Bengali-speaking in
Barak Valley The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of the Indian state of Assam. The region is named after the Barak river. The Barak valley consists of three administrative districts of Assam - namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi. The ...
. The main event happened on 19 May 1961. On that day, 11 defendants were killed in provincial police.Choudhuri, Arjun. "Bhasha Shahid Divas". We The People, Barak Valley. Retrieved 23 May 2013. After that Bengali was declared as the Official Language of the valley and Second Official language of the state.


Bihar

When the Indian government imposed the Hindi language for Bengali speaking people living in Manbhum district of the state of Bihar, they forced the government to form a new district in the state of West Bengal by making this movement for Bangla language.


Other parts in India

*
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
: *
Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
:Jharkhand is not only in the neighboring state of West Bengal but parts of
Rarh region Rarh region () is a toponym for an area in the Indian subcontinent that lies between the Chota Nagpur Plateau on the West and the Ganges Delta on the East. Although the boundaries of the region have been defined differently according to various ...
of western part of ancient Bengal are included in this particular state. In many districts of this state, the districts were not included in West Bengal despite the Bengali population being the largest. In addition, Bangla and tribes of Bangla Jharkhand (which are called the Definition of Bengali) are the languages connecting However, although Hindi, English and Urdu have the status of the official language of the state, Bengali is still not recognized as the official language. Many Bengali organizations of Jharkhand and tribal organizations have long been demanding to declare Bangla as the official language. Although Bengal was declared the second official language under the pressure of Bengali movement in Jharkhand, it has not been implemented. Apart from Bangla-speaking students, the deprivation has been accepted, Bengali medium schools have been converted through Hindi. * Chhattisgarh :After 1947 partion of India, by
Dandakaranya Project The Dandakaranya Project, or the DNK Project, was the form of action the Indian government designed in September 1958 for the settlement of displaced persons from Bangladesh (former East Pakistan) and for integrated development of the area with pa ...
, the Hindu refugees of
East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...
rehabilited in 132 villages and 33 villages of Pachanjoore. For them, arrangements primary and secondary education were arranged. However, after the Dandakaranya project Government of Chhattisgarh stopped providing education for Bengalis. Bengali medium schools were converted through
Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
. No Bengali medium books were provided and Bengali educators face discrimination. The students started showing protests. After the formation of movement under the leadership of the All India Bengali Refugees Association demanding Bengali medium schools, Bangla in primary and secondary level and Bangla in government services. The protests was not fruitful so much. Majority of Bengalis migrated to other states. *
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
:During the partition of India in 1947 refugees from East Bengal took refuge in Delhi in the capital of India. At that time,
Chittaranjan Park Chittaranjan Park (also known as C.R. Park) is an affluent and upscale neighborhood in South East Delhi and home to a large Bengali community. It was established on a rocky terrain in the early 1960s under the name EPDP Colony (East Pakistan Di ...
was the main residence in Delhi. Bengali's living in Delhi from last 200 years when Bengal regiment captured Delhi from Maratha in 1803. Bengali's living in Delhi from the time of Mughal when Sultan of Bengal used to do trade. Many Bengali buinsessman used to come to Delhi and stayed. Many Bengali school which established before independence. Around more than 10 Bengali school's opened before independence and they are N P Bengali Girls Senior Secondary School, Shyama Prasad Vidyalaya, Bidhan Chandra Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School, Union Academy Senior Secondary School, Lady Irwin Senior Secondary School, Raisina Bengali Senior Secondary School, Bengali school J Block Laxmi nagar, Bengali Boys Senior Secondary School, Vinay Nagar Bengali Senior Secondary School, Ramakrishna Sarda Mission Nivedita Vidyamandir and these school's are English medium with Bangla is a mandatory subject. Besides, Bengalis from
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
,
Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...
,
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
,
Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
and other Bengali-speaking states of India came to Delhi, before the Sindhi, Punjabis, and Baniya's. :
Bengalis Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of ...
became Delhi's second largest minority community. According to the Indian population, approximately 2.5 million (25 lakhs) Bengali people live in Delhi. But, there too Bengalis acknowledged discrimination. Although there are other languages Nizasub academy in Delhi, there is no Bengali language academy. Bangla Medium School is not available for Bengali Studies in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
. Therefore, Bengalis in Delhi are protesting for the rights of language. Attempts at establishing a Bangla Academy in Delhi are currently underway due to the Bengali movement teacher Rajesh Sarkar. *
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
:A section of the refugees of East Bengal took shelter in different villages of the southern state of
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. There was no arrangement for Bangla readers to read Bengali there. Bengali medium and Bengali
Bengalis Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of ...
in Karnataka took the movement to accept the language as a text issue. Their demand for movement The Karnataka government arranges for Bengali reading in the Bengali villages of the country.http://www.prothom-alo.com/amp/international/article/3856কর্ণাটকে-রাজ্যভাষার-মর্যাদা-পেল‘বাংলা’ Bengalis In Karnataka, the
Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...
recognized Bengal as the second language in the movement.


References

{{Bengali Language Movement in India Bengali Hindus Bengali language movement Language conflict in India Uttar Dinajpur district 20th-century mass murder in India Human rights abuses in India