BCB to pay tribute to language martyrs during BPL matches today

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will pay homage to language martyrs and mark the month of language during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches Friday.

All commentators and hosts will don specially designed attires with the Bengali alphabet imprinted on them tomorrow.

They also will delve into the rich history and importance of International Mother Language Day during the matches, in both English and Bangla.

This will be an exceptional moment for Bangladeshi fans, as the commentators will provide commentary in Bangla and non-Bengali commentators will also try to incorporate some Bangla words into their commentaries, said the BCB.

Before the start of the matches, players will be interviewed in Bangla. English will be used only if a non-Bengali player is named the player of the match. The post-match presentations and interviews will also be conducted in Bangla to underscore the reverence for the mother tongue.

All players, match officials, commentators, and hosts will don special armbands with the Bangla alphabet printed on them to express their support for the language.

To enhance the celebration, a selection of words from the month of language will be showcased on the giant screen in the field.

Bangladesh observes Amar Ekushey – the Language Martyrs Day (Shaheed Day) and the International Mother Language Day – on February 21 to mark the supreme sacrifice of the language heroes in 1952 for upholding the right to speak their mother tongue Bangla.

The day is also observed around the world as UNESCO on November 17, 1999, recognised the Ekushey February as International Mother Language Day to celebrate the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity.