Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Feb 20:

In a noble gesture, Sambad- Ama Odisha  is combining efforts with Raahgiri day at Master Canteen Square to make Matrubhasa Dibasa a huge success. People will congregate at all Municipalities, Notified Area Councils (NACs) and 314 blocks across the state to take a solemn oath to use and protect their  Matrubhasa in every possible way. Odisha is our mother and  Odia is our language. We have inherited this from our ancestors.

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February 21 is proudly celebrated as the Matrubhasha Dibasa or International Mother Language Day (IMLD). This was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) in November 1999 . In 2016, Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General said, "mother languages in a multilingual approach are essential components of quality education, which is itself the foundation for empowering women and men and their societies."
Efforts are being taken to infuse  the young generation with pride and enthusiasm for their mother tongue. Even though the government has been making efforts in this field, it is a great initiative taken by Sambad -Ama Odisha to bring it to the masses.
It is a strength to know many languages but it is a super strength when one knows and uses the mother tongue  without feeling ashamed.

photo courtesy: play.google.com photo courtesy: play.google.com

These two  beautiful quotations says it all :
ucha heba paeen kara jebe asha ucha kara aage nijaa matrubhasa -Having high hopes is good but at the same time be proud of your mother tongue.
 aau jete bhasha sikhucha sikha nija matrubhasa mahata rakha- Learn as many languages possible but always give respect and be proud of your mother tongue.
To commemorate this wonderful occasion, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, President of Sambad-Ama Odisha has requested all to put their signature on the displayed banner to pledge their solidarity to love and respect their mother tongue.

photo courtesy: www.nuaodisha.com photo courtesy: www.nuaodisha.com

International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The date represents the day in 1952 when students demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka, the capital of what is now Bangladesh.