On 25 September 1974, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the prime minister of Bangladesh, delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City to the member states' representatives at the General Assembly session. It was the first speech at the United Nations to be given in Bengali, and took place during a period of depression and famine in Bangladesh. The anniversary of the speech has been observed in the U.S. state of New York as Bangladeshi Immigration Day since 2019.
| Part of the 29th session of the United Nations General Assembly | |
 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivering his speech | |
| Native name | ১৯৭৪-এ জাতিসংঘে শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানের ভাষণ |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 September 1974 |
| Time | 3:00 pm – 3:10 pm (UTC–4) |
| Venue | United Nations General Assembly Hall |
| Location | Headquarters of the United Nations, New York City, United States |
| Type | Speech |
| Theme | Bangladesh's full membership in the United Nations |
Background
editSheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder and first president of Bangladesh, preferred to deliver speeches in Bengali, his mother tongue and the native language of East Pakistan (previously East Bengal). At the 1952 Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference, held in China, he gave an official speech as the Pakistani representative in his native language instead of English.[1] He insisted on the presence of the language at all levels. When the province became independent from Pakistan as the People's Republic of Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Liberation War, he, as the prime minister, formed a committee to popularize the language, and it became official language of the country. He refused to sign official documents written in English.[2]
Bangladesh became a member state of the United Nations on 17 September 1974, three years after its independence. Mujib decided that he would address the United Nations General Assembly in Bengali. Minister of State for Information Taheruddin Thakur wrote a draft of the speech and submitted it to Mujib. He rejected the draft. Fakhruddin Ahmed, the foreign secretary, and Faruq Ahmed Choudhury, the deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh posted in the United Kingdom, wrote and presented another draft and showed it to him. Mujib felt that the draft did not address the reality of Bangladesh, so he edited it to mention the country's food problems through a copyist of the office.[3]
A team of 24 members, including Mujib, left Bangladesh's capital Dacca (present-day Dhaka) by air on the morning of 23 September, two days ahead of the session of General Assembly.[4] He informed the assembly that he would deliver the speech in Bengali. Algerian head of state Houari Boumédiène asked him to speak in English, but Mujib refused.[1] At that time, speeches were not given in any language other than Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, the official languages of the United Nations.[3][5]
Speech
editToday as I stand before this Assembly I share with you profound satisfaction that the 75 million people of Bangladesh are now represented in this Parliament of Man. For the Bangalee nation this is a historic moment, marking the consummation of the struggle to vindicate its right of self-determination.
The task of translating of the speech to English was entrusted to Faruq Ahmed Choudhury who was present at the session.[4] Mujib's speech used the motto "friendship with all, enmity with none", which he had adopted as the foreign policy of the country.[7][8] He highlighted the importance of understanding the reality of peace, humanity, brotherhood and interdependence to solve the global economic crisis. He proposed a uniform global economic system. He said that his country would work to solve various issues and thanked those who helped with the freedom of Bangladesh.[9] The speech highlighted the situation of the country, which was going through a depression and famine.[10]
Reception
editThe speech at the session was the first speech in Bengali at the United Nations. It drew praise, especially from representatives of third-world member states. Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim called the speech "candid and constructive". British Foreign Secretary James Callaghan described the speech as "powerful".[11] According to journalist and writer Santosh Gupta, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established the status of Bengali language internationally by delivering a speech in it at the UN General Assembly. Journalist Abdul Gaffar Choudhury compared its promotion of Bengali identity with the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature of Rabindranath Tagore.[1]
Indian writer Surjit Dasgupta said that the day of the speech was the greatest day of Mujib's life. According to writer and journalist Syed Badrul Ahsan the speech made Bengali the only language of the Indian subcontinent recognised at the United Nations.[4] Writer and educationalist Syed Manzoorul Islam wrote that, through this speech, Mujib elevated Bangladesh's image and indirectly gave a message to Middle Eastern countries that opposed its recognition as a country. According to him, Mujib inspired other member states to use their languages, rather than the United Nations' official languages, in the sessions.[12]
Legacy
editAs the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, gave speeches in Bengali at United Nations General Assembly sessions, inspired by her father.[13] Since 2019, the anniversary of the speech has been observed as Bangladeshi Immigration Day in New York.[14] In 2020, Posts and Telecommunications Division released a special postage stamp to commemorate the speech.[15] The government released an e-poster to commemorate the speech.[16]
A campaign was launched to commemorate the day on the occasion of Mujib Year.[14] A resolution titled "United Nations International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023" incorporates a quote from Mujib's address, "friendship with all, enmity with none", and its fourteenth paragraph states, "The General Assembly recognizing the importance of combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and unemployment, and emphasizing that friendship to all and malice towards none, in the spirit of constructive cooperation, dialogue and mutual understanding, will help to achieve these objectives."[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Ghosh, Biswajit (25 September 2023). বঙ্গবন্ধু ও জাতিসংঘে বাংলা ভাষা. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Islam, Udisa (21 February 2022). কেন বাংলা ভাষার প্রচলনে এত জোর দিয়েছিলেন বঙ্গবন্ধু. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b Shahjahan, Mohammad (25 September 2021). বঙ্গবন্ধুর জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ: আত্মমর্যাদার নতুন ইতিহাস. NewsBangla24.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ a b c জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ ছিল বঙ্গবন্ধুর জীবনের সুন্দরতম ও সর্বশ্রেষ্ঠ দিন. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (in Bengali). 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Official Languages". United Nations. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh (25 September 1974). Address to the United Nations General Assembly (Speech). 29th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. United Nations General Assembly Hall.
- ^ Molla, Robel (18 October 2023). "'সকলের সাথে বন্ধুত্ব, কারও সাথে বৈরিতা নয়'— মন্ত্রের উৎস অনুসন্ধান ও প্রাসঙ্গিকা". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ a b "'সবার সঙ্গে বন্ধুত্ব, কারও সঙ্গে বৈরিতা নয়' যুক্ত হল জাতিসংঘ রেজুলেশনে". Shomoyer Alo (in Bengali). 8 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ বিশ্বব্যাপী অর্থনৈতিক সংকট নিরসনে চাই শান্তি মৈত্রী ও সমঝোতার পরিবেশ. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 26 September 1974. p. 1.
- ^ জাতিসংঘে বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রীর ভাষণ. The Sangbad (in Bengali). 27 September 1974. p. 2.
- ^ বঙ্গবন্ধুর ভাষণের ভূয়সী প্রশংসা. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 27 September 1974. pp. 1, 6.
- ^ Riyad, Syed (24 September 2020). "'জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ দিয়ে বিশ্বকে তিনটি বার্তা দেন বঙ্গবন্ধু'". Dhaka Times (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ বইমেলা উদ্বোধনে প্রধানমন্ত্রী : জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ দেই বাবার পথ অনুসরণে. Bhorer Kagoj (in Bengali). 2 February 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b জাতিসংঘে আজ বাংলায় ভাষণ দিয়েছিলেন বঙ্গবন্ধু. The Daily Star (in Bengali). 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ জাতিসংঘে বঙ্গবন্ধুর বাংলায় ভাষণ উপলক্ষে স্মারক ডাকটিকিট. Banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ জাতিসংঘে বঙ্গবন্ধুর প্রথম বাংলায় ভাষণ প্রদান স্মরণে ই-পোস্টার. Daily Jugantor (in Bengali). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
External links
edit
- The original video recording of the speech on the official website of the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations