Tamaddun Majlish, an influential cultural and political organization, played a significant role in advocating for the recognition of the Bengali language in Pakistan. On September 15, 1947, Tamaddun Majlish published a pamphlet titled "Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu?" (Pakistan's State Language: Bengali or Urdu?), which argued for the inclusion of Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan, alongside Urdu. The organization emphasized that Bengali should be recognized officially due to its widespread use by the population of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and to ensure cultural and linguistic rights (source: Prothom Alo).
One of the key proposals set forth by Tamaddun Majlish was the establishment of Bengali as an official language of the central government of Pakistan, alongside Urdu. They argued that this would represent the linguistic diversity of the country and cater to the linguistic needs of the majority of people in East Pakistan (source: The Daily Star).
Here is an image related to the pamphlet and the movement:
To further solidify their proposals, Tamaddun Majlish spearheaded the Language Movement, which led to significant events like the protests of 1952, known as the Bengali Language Movement, where demonstrators demanded recognition of Bengali as a state language. This eventually resulted in Bengali being recognized alongside Urdu in 1956 (source: Banglapedia).
Overall, Tamaddun Majlish's efforts were essential in advocating for linguistic equality and cultural identity within Pakistan.
What historic impact did the Bengali Language Movement have on Pakistan's linguistic policy?
How did Tamaddun Majlish contribute to the Bengali Language Movement?
How did the weekly publication Shaptahik Shainik contribute to the Bengali Language Movement?
Why did the Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad organize against adopting Urdu as the state language?