Tamaddun Majlish facts for kids
"Pakistan's state language: Bengali or Urdu?" - The cover of a Tamaddun Majlish newsletter
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| Formation | September 2, 1947 |
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| Founder | Principal Abul Kashem |
| Headquarters | Moghbazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Website | Official website: http://www.tamaddun.com/index.htm/ |
The Tamaddun Majlish (Bengali: তমদ্দুন মজলিশ) is a cultural group in Bangladesh. It was started in 1947 by Principal Abul Kashem. This group played a very important part in the beginning of the Bengali Language Movement. They helped make sure the Bengali language was respected.
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How Tamaddun Majlish Started
Tamaddun Majlish was created in Dhaka right after India was divided into two countries on September 2, 1947. Principal Abul Kashem, a professor at Dhaka University, founded the group. At first, they were very active and played a big role in the early days of the Bengali Language Movement.
Why They Formed
The people in Tamaddun Majlish were inspired by ideas from the East Pakistan Renaissance Society. After India was divided, they felt that Pakistan was not being run with the fair ideas they had been promised. Because of this, most members of Tamaddun Majlish started to move away from the Muslim League political party.
Fighting for the Bengali Language
Tamaddun Majlish mainly wanted to strengthen Islamic culture in the new country of Pakistan. However, this group also strongly supported the idea that Bengali should be a state language. They showed the Bengali-speaking people of East Pakistan that asking for Bengali as a state language was not against the government.
Their Important Booklet
On September 15, 1947, Tamaddun Majlish published a booklet called Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu? This means "Pakistan’s State Language: Bengali or Urdu?". The authors, Kazi Motahar Hossain, Abul Mansur Ahmed, and Principal Abul Kashem, argued strongly for Bengali.
They believed Bengali should be the only language used for teaching, in offices, and in courts in East Bengal. They also strongly demanded that Bengali be one of Pakistan's official state languages.
The booklet had a clear plan from Principal Abul Kashem. Here are the main points:
- Bengali should be:
- the language used for teaching in East Pakistan;
- the language used in courts in East Pakistan; and
- the official language of East Pakistan.
- Urdu and Bengali should both be official languages for Pakistan's central government.
- Bengali should be the main language for education in East Pakistan, learned by everyone.
- Urdu could be a second language or a language for people moving between provinces in East Pakistan. It could be taught as a second language to those working in West Pakistan. Only a small part of the population (5% to 10%) would need to learn Urdu. Urdu could be taught in higher classes in secondary schools in East Pakistan.
- English should be the third or international language in East Pakistan.
- Both English and Bengali should be used as official languages in East Pakistan for a few years.
Creating a Language Council
To fight against the government's policies that were against Bengali, Tamaddun Majlish took the lead. They protested comments about the Bengali language made by Fazlur Rahman, the Central Education Minister. In October 1947, they helped form the first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad, which means "State Language Movement Council."
Professor Nurul Huque Bhuyain of Dhaka University was chosen to lead this first council. However, Professor Abul Kashem, the General Secretary of Tamaddun Majlish, was key in the early stages. He gathered wide support for making Bengali a state language of Pakistan. He got younger people, especially teachers and students from Dhaka University, to join the movement. This first council gave the language movement the organization it needed in late 1947 and early 1948.
First Protest Meeting
The first protest meeting happened at Dhaka University on December 6, 1947. It was organized by the Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad. The meeting protested a decision made in Karachi to make Urdu the only state language of Pakistan.
Many students, teachers, and others from Dhaka University attended the protest. Professor Abul Kashem led the meeting. Several students and teachers spoke, including Munir Choudhury, Abdur Rahman, and Farid Ahmed. The ideas of Tamaddun Majlish about the Bengali Language Movement showed what the common people of East Bengal wanted.
Their Newspaper: Shainik
Tamaddun Majlish published a weekly newspaper called Shaptahik Shainik. It was published from 1948 to 1961. This newspaper was an important voice for the Bengali Language Movement. Tamaddun Majlish played a great role in the language movement.
Key People in Tamaddun Majlish
Some important members of the organization were:
- Principal Abul Kashem
- Abul Hashim
- Dewan Mohammad Azraf
- Shahed Ali
- Nurul Huq Bhuiyan
- Shawkat Ali
- Kabi M.A.N Shahidullah shahittarotno
- Abdul Gafur
- Sanaullah Nuri
