Experiecing art in person Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Experiecing art in person - Essay Example Event title: Release Your Plans by Daniel Sprick, United States, 2001. Event Location: Denver Art Museum Event Date and Time: July 27 2012, at 10 a.m. Event Performers: Daniel Sprick Brief Description of event: This is an event that took place in the Denver Art Museum, entailing the presentation and discussion of the artwork, â€Å"Release Your Plans†, which was created by Daniel Sprick3. During the event, the students and other interested parties sat and observed the painting. This was followed by a presentation by Daniel Sprick, where he discussed the background of the painting, what motivated the creation of the painting, its essence and relevance as an artwork, as well as the discussion and demonstration of the different components that makes up the painting. The audience was then allowed an opportunity to ask questions to the presenter, who then answered them. After the presentation, the event was finally closed. The form/structure of the art The piece of art, â€Å"Rele ase Your Plans†, which was created by Daniel Sprick, is located in the 7th floor of the Denver Art Museum. ... However, there are several components that are conspicuously available. First, the most eye-catching aspect of the painting is that, while its name is simply â€Å"Release Your Plans†, there is another full message written on a different piece paper which is then hang behind the easel of the painting, with a full message, â€Å"Listen to your destiny, and when it calls, release your plans† 3. The other conspicuous component of the painting is the human skull, which has some pins in its eyes, and a mirror placed on a stand, which reflects the outside of the room, and it shows that the outside is more beautiful than the inside of the room. The painting also has a litter of kitchen trash, which includes some broken egg shell, a knife, broken pieces of bottles, as well as some cans, which are particularly displayed as very old2. Broken pieces of glasses are also shown on the floor of the room, which seems to be a kitchen. The other components of the painting are floating ob jects, which include a rose flower and a plate, possibly used as the clamp for the rose. There is also a rug on the floor and a piece of cigarette that lies next to the eggshell that is already broken. The skull, the bottle and the floating objects are the placed on top of a table, which is particularly peculiar, owing to the way it is wrapped with a white cloth that appears to be larger than necessary, thus it is folded on the lower side with some strings and embedded on the main stand of the table. There are also some dead cockroaches that are placed on the table top3. The narrative intent of the art The narrative intent of the art is to depict life in its natural form, in its truthfulness and in its good and bad realities. The

Cultural acceptance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural acceptance - Essay Example The dish is a blend of the American tradition and the Chinese heritage. This made her celebrate her mixed culture, despite her white complexion. She describes her identity, as ‘My very existence is a mark of progress and a symbol of my country’. Cultural diversity appreciation creates a sense of pride and personal belonging. Cultural diversity in America as presented by Fong in her article presents different pros and cons. The demise of Fong’s grandmother is a reminder of the cultural appreciation that the family embraced especially through the ‘Thanksgiving dish’. The dish was so special in integrating the American tradition and the Chinese heritage, Fong and her cousins always enjoyed the dish and the meal was a true source of their heritage, she describes it as ‘the feast she prepared was always much larger’. The Thanksgiving acted as a reminder of the grandmother’s eleven grandchildren who would gather for the feast. The thanksgiving feast reminded Fong of the grandmother’s delicacy and not other common American traditional beliefs and practices. Fong’s description of her mixed racial affiliation depicts her belonging. She describes herself, as ‘I’m half Asian, half Anglo and completely American’. Despite the earlier discrimin ation against cultural affiliations, the picture has continued to change. The current crop of people has come to a point of celebrating cultural diversity and has been viewed positively especially, because of what the young generation has been able to learn in school. The government could rarely provide for people of mixed cultures but now the picture appears different. Fong could always indicate that she was Asian despite her mixed affiliations. Full embrace of Chinese culture is something that never came to happen for Fong. The fact that her grandmother never taught her father the Cantonese language, ate using

Need for Universal Social Security and Pension Schemes

Need for Universal Social Security and Pension Schemes Securing Old Age Abstract Pension system aims on poverty release, consumption smoothing, and insurance coverage in respect of ageing population. In India, most of the old age citizens are not covered under any social security program. A miniscule number of Government employees and few private sector workers retire with pensions. Majority of the total workforce is engaged in the unorganised sector with no access to old age income security. The issue of old-age security is gaining importance and it is now high on the public policy agenda. The developed countries generally provide pension to those who contribute for pension whereas in majority of the developing countries pensions are provided in a discretionary manner which reduces the coverage of pension. The article discusses the need for a universal pension scheme that will help the working population in the unorganized sector with increased coverage of pension. Key words: Pension scheme, Old age, social security Introduction The increased rate of the aged people in the total population has created a substantial demand for old-age social security. Thus it has become important to provide social security to its elderly people. Pension is one of the major component of old age social security. Developed countries have a good pension system with highly organised formal labour markets. Indian old-age income security is not well developed. India, being a welfare State, has taken upon itself the responsibilities of extending various benefits of Social Security and Social Assistance to its citizens. As per the reports out of an estimated work force of about 397 million, around 28 million workers are having the benefit of formal social security protection in India. Rest of the workers are in the unorganised sector. A well organised social security system for the workers in the unorganised sector will help in improving productivity, contribute to the harmonious labour relations and thus contribute to socio and economic development. Social security is a system of protection of individuals who are in need of such protection by the State as an agent of the society. Such protection is relevant in contingencies such as retirement, resignation, retrenchment, death, disablement which are beyond the control of the individual members of the Society. The current study attempts to examine the need for a universal social security and pension scheme. And a non-contributory pension scheme can guarantee a regular income in old age to all residents of the country, regardless of their earnings or occupation. It explains the scope for implementing a universal pension scheme which will increase the pension coverage and ensures proper income security to the old. The findings suggest that a reasonable increase in the amount of the pension and streamlining the delivery mechanism would significantly help to reduce old-age vulnerabilities. The paper concludes with policy directions for reforming the Indian pension system. The coverage of formal old age security is low, as majority of the population belonging to the informal sector of the developing countries is deprived of old age security. Indian pension system could potentially influence policy decisions in other developing countries with similar reliance on the national provident fund system. Indian provident fund schemes are low coverage and under performance schemes due to the investment restrictions. Majority working populations are engaged in the unorganised sector and have no access to any formal system of old age economic securities like provident fund and pension fund. Public sector employees are privileged with a vast pension provisions while private sector employees are aggrieved with low returns from their benefit schemes. Old age and social security The disappearance of large family system in India that took care of the social security needs of all members has necessitated provision of social security for senior citizens. For the senior citizens, social security can works like a protection cell which provides security through the medical benefit and old age pension plan. Social security pensions are meant to help disadvantaged sections of society such as the elderly, widows and disabled persons to live with basic financial security. Social security has gained paramount importance in the changed economic scenario. Social security programmes are actively undertaken even in developed nations. Social security is the financial assistance provided by the Government to the needy citizens such as disabled persons, aged persons, widows, unemployed youths, survivors of the deceased workers to promote their welfare by enabling them to access to food, shelter, health etc. social security acts as safety net for the disadvantageous sections of the society. Social security has gained paramount importance in the changed economic scenario. India also has enacted many social security measures for its needy citizens. In order to protect the welfare of unorganized workers the legislative measures namely minimum wages Act, 1948, the employees compensation Act, 1923, the maternity benefit Act, 1961, the bonded labour system (Abolition) Act, 1976, the contract labour (Regulation Abolition) Act, 1970, the inter-state migrant workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, the building and other construction workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, etc. were implemented. In India, the elderly population is projected to reach 116 million in 2016 and 179 million in 2026. This raises the need for an effective system of pension. Population in India across Different Age Groups (million) Source: Census of India Percentage Distribution of Population by Broad Age Groups, Sex and Residence, 2012 Source: Sample Registration System (2012). Old age social security plays a pivotal role in a welfare state and one of its’ major components is pension. Pension provides a long-term income security in old age. Need for Pension scheme Need for Pension arises because of: à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · One is not as productive in the old age as in youth. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · The rise in the nuclear family system as compared to earlier joint family system. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Migration of younger earning members as they are no longer interested in their family business. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Rapidly growing informal and unorganized sector. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Rise in cost of living. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Urbanization andimproved standard of life à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Increase in the life span because of good medical facilities. à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Bringing unorganized sector into formal scheme of pension. Unlike most of the developing countries, India did not have a universal social security system for the old aged people. As there is no formal pension scheme in India for the newly appointees, a need was felt to have a scheme so that people can save for their future when they are no longer working. Pension is a financial tool for old-age income security. These are generally defined as monthly payments made on superannuation to an individual to enable her/him maintain a decent standard of living post retirement and in old age. The developed countries generally provide pension to those who contribute for pension whereas in majority of the developing countries like India, pensions are provided on a discretionary basis which reduces the overall coverage of pension. The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) was introduced in India in 1995. Currently, five schemes come under the NSAP: the IGNOAPS, the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), the National Family Benefit Scheme and the Annapurna Scheme. The central government makes a diminutive contribution of Rs 200 per month per person to old-age pensions, raised to Rs 500 per month under IGNOAPS, for persons aged 80 years and above. The patterns of usage of the pension are indicative of its importance in the lives of the benefi ciaries. The accepted defined benefit pension system, which was the broader goal of a welfare state, is slowly giving way to the defined contribution system where risk is borne by the final beneficiaries. Pension reforms in India in the last decade have seen three major initiatives a paradigmatic shift in the civil servants pension scheme, the National Pension Scheme for all citizens and the New Pension System Lite for the economically disadvantaged sections with small savings. Pension system in India Pension plansprovide financial security and stability during old age when people dont have aregular source of income. Retirement plan ensures that people live with pride andwithout compromising on their standard of living during advancing years. Pension scheme gives an opportunity to invest and accumulate savings and get lump sumamount as regular income through annuity plan on retirement. The history of the Indian pension system dates back to the colonial period of British-India. The Royal commission on civil Establishments, in 1881first provided pension benefits to the government employees. Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935 made further provisions and expanded the retirement benefits to the entire public sector workforce. Several provident funds were set up after the independence to extend the coverage to private sector employees. Indian pension system largely hinges on financing through employer and employee participation. It denied the vast majority of the unorganised workforce’s access to formal channels of old age economic support. A common objection to social security pensions is that they might displace or undermine family support for widows and the elderly. Traditionally, joint family structures in India worked as a hedge against old-age economic crisis and a support network that precluded the need for third-party pension instruments. Universal Social Security and Pension Schemes Table: Details of Pension Beneficiaries of Selected Pension Schemes Source: Economic Political Weekly and Government of India. Universal pension schemes are often criticized for high fiscal costs. Recently Government of India announced a slew of low-cost pension and insurance schemes, in the budget for 2015-16. It includes least half-dozen social security schemes like Atal Pension Yojana and Universal Social Security scheme that will lead to a universal social security system for all, especially the poor and the underprivileged. Atal Pension Yojana will provide defined pension according to contribution. Of this, 50 percent contribution would be made by the government The government proposes to work towards Universal Social Security for all Indians. These social schemes reflect the intention that no person suffers from avoidable pain due to illness, old age. In countries like Canada and New Zealand, a progressive income tax system taxes the pensions for higher income individuals, making even the universal pension system relatively targeted. However, most of the lower income countries which might institute a universal pension system may not have a progressive income tax structure and may find it difficult to use the tax system to make the universal pension more targeted. Depending on the income distribution within the country, making the pension small enough may be sufficient for higher income individuals to not bother with collecting the pension. Such is the case in Nepal where higher income Nepalese often do not collect the very low universal benefits. A second set of issues arise regarding the service delivery for a universal pension. In the case of Namibia, despite a mandate for a universal pension, many rural elderly were not receiving the pension. The reasons ranged from lack of access to the pension distribution network and difficulties with verifying age and eligibility to different types of fraud. However, the administrative cost of the system was raised. Since poorer regions are harder to reach, the poorest may still not be reachable with a universal pension without a sizable investment in administrative capacity. This service delivery issue applies to all types of social pensions, not just the universal type. Some countries as noted above, offer universal pensions to all residents above a certain age regardless of income or assets. Even non-citizens who have fulfilled a minimum residency requirement in the country are often eligible. Universal pensions are clearly the best way to drastically reduce old age poverty since all the elderly, regardless of work or contribution experience, are eligible to receive some benefit. However, as with any universal benefit, many people who will be receiving it will not be poor. As a result, in terms of poverty reduction achieved per dollar spent, the expenditure may not be wholly effective. Furthermore, in the countries where such programs have been adopted, such as Namibia13 and Mauritius, cost considerations are forcing the governments to move toward means-testing and other methods of providing old age security. Universal pensions systems involve less administrative apparatus and administrative costs than targeted systems, but the actual benefits, since they are received by the nonpoor as well as the poor, cost more. A large proportion of Indias population is without insurance of any kind, health, accidental or life. Worryingly, as the young population ages, it is also going to be pension-less. Conclusions The current study attempts to examine the need for a universal pension for the elderly. Indian financial sector reforms have made significant progress in the spheres of banking and capital market. But sectors like insurance and pension are still hitherto untouched sectors. India has low coverage pension and the pension system is unable to fulfil its purpose. Since independence, many reforms have been initiated. The introduction of a universal pension scheme will facilitate social security and also helps in assuring the young that in old age there would be national savings to take care of any difficulties, implying that over-accumulation is not necessary during the younger days. The introduction of a universal pension scheme will enhance the welfare of the working cohorts of India majority of whose future lies in uncertainty.

Making Teams Work Essay -- Essays Papers

Making Teams Work The importance of teams is becoming more and more apparent in today's dynamic business world. Increasingly managers are searching for a means to improve production and keep their organization competitive in the global market. A lot of these managers have turned to the team as a means for achieving this improvement. Quality circles were originally looked at to fulfill this role, however they are being phased out in favor of self-managed work teams. These teams are increasingly being used to solve many of today's organizations production problems and inefficiencies, and in the process are both badly failing and greatly succeeding. So the discussion of teams is a very important one to address. Managers should be aware of the concept of teams and learn about as a means to further their organization and for when the time comes to implement a team they are prepared with the knowledge needed to build and use a team properly. The basic interpretation of a team is "a collection of two or more individuals who interact with each other, share common beliefs, and perceive themselves as being a group." (Denton '92) Metropolitan Life Insurance Company defines a team fore specifically as "a group of people with specific roles and responsibilities, organized to work together towards common goals or objectives, in which each member depends on others to carry out responsibilities to reach those goals and objectives." (Denton) The implementation and operation of a team can either be a great success or a costly failure, both money wise and time wise. Many companies have benefited from teams, and "when teams work, there's nothing like them for turbocharging productivity." (Denton "94) There are many examples of successful implementation of teams: Federal Express and IDS boosted productivity by 40% and Boeing cut its engineering hang-ups on its new 777 passenger jet by more than half. The Ford Motor Company al so has had great success with teams when producing the new Mustang prototype. Ford produced the Mustang from design concept to the finished product under budget and in record time. (Dumaine) However, many companies and managers are put off by the very mention of the work team. Some people see teams as just another management fad, while others in management have had bad experiences with teams that have failed. As Magee points ou... ...t must all come together to build a successful team, it can be done with proper planning and support from upper management. They must also discuss how to set up the compensation for the team, evaluation of team performance, and of individual performance. In my opinion, the benefits of increased productivity and efficiency that are seen by the organizations that properly build and successfully implement teams, far out-weigh the risks and costs of a team that fails. I would have to say that in today's competitive, globally oriented organizations, we cannot over stress the importance of teams. It seems that how much you get out of a team depends on how much you are willing to put into it, and most of what you need to put into it is some time spent doing the homework planning necessary to build the team that will take your business to the top. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Denton, D.D. (1992) Building a team. Quality Progress, October, 87-91. 2. Dumaine, B. (1994) The Trouble with Teams. Fortune, 130. 3. Magee, Y.S. (1997) Teams: avoiding the pitfalls. Public Management, 79. 4. McGarvey, R. (1996) Joining forces: 12 steps to creating winning teams. Entrepreneur, 24

Ancient Women Powerfull or Powerless Essay

In ancient world, men’s and women’s life were highly segregated. Man worked in public places while women were confined to their homes, where they managed the household and raised children with the help of slave. This does not mean that women did not have a social, public and economic life. David Cohen says that Athenian women participated in many activities such as working in fields, acting as nurse and many other activities. Women were considered week in front of men, role’s of men were given more importance than roles of women. The role of women may differ depending upon the class of the women or the region of Greece she belong. It is believed that Spartan women enjoyed more freedom than Athenian women. Women also participated in religious festivals and in a sacrifice as said by Cohen. The relationship of women with man is made evident through the household, government and in wars. Women also had some political ability which has been made evident through the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes where Lysistrata portrays the political ability by bringing the devastating Peloponnesian was to a end. The roles played by men and women in ancient Greek society are made evident through the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes. In the play an indication is given of women’s role in the households and their relationship with man. As this play was written by a male playwright it also provides a male point of view towards women. Women role were confined to the house where they produce legitimate children and ensuring that that household activities were executed. Sarah Pomeroy say, â€Å"The primary duty of citizen women towards the polis[city] was the production of legitimate heirs to the oikoi, or families, whose aggregate comprised the citizenry. † The women place was seen being within the home as Lysistrata provides evidence of this when, Cleonice, states, â€Å"†¦but it’s not easy, you know, for women to leave the house. One is busy pottering about her husband; another is getting the servant up; a third is putting her child asleep or washing the brat or feeding it. Households were the only place in which women have power, as they were in command. The role of women to produce legitimate children was viewed as a most important duty of women. Women also participated in rites and rituals. The burial rites were most likely the mid ritual women were involved with. The roles of women in rituals are concerned with how Athenian women participated in religious festivals as stated in Lysistrata. This displays that Greek women participated in rites and rituals. The elationship between men and women in ancient Greek society illustrates the role of women was in relation to household duties and everyday affairs. A Women’s actions were expected to be respectful towards men and were dependent upon their husbands. The women’s were not also able to have an initiate communication with one, as it is displayed in Lysistrata when Lysistrata addresses the magistrate who then replies back, â€Å"You disgusting creature,† as he is appalled with her nonconformist manner. Men did not believe that women’s were capable of running the state as their political roles were viewed with contempt; despite the fact that they run the households in an efficient manner. Politics was not the business of women their business was confined to their household activities. This is displayed in Lysistrata when she asks about the affairs of the state and the response she receives is, â€Å"Shut up and mind your own business! † The involvement of women in war is seen in the same way as their involvement in politics. Go and attend to your work; let war be the care of the men folks. † This is from Lysistrata shows the reply to women’s involvement on the war effort. However, Lysistrata says that women did contribute greatly to the war, â€Å"We’ve given you sons, and then had to send them off to fight. † Women did have power within the households but they did not have any power over men, this is the reason why women did not posses many roles in the politics. The male view of women portrayed throughout the play is degrading of women. Popular opinion through the play is that women are drunkards and sex-crazed. In Lysistrata it states, â€Å"If it had been a Bacchus celebration they’d been asked to attend – or something in honor of Pan or Aphrodite – particularly Aphrodite! You wouldn’t have been able to move. † This extract shows the opinion as Bacchus was the god of wine and Aphrodite the goddess of love, therefore implying that these are the festivals the women took pleasure in. The men also viewed women as being sub-human as said in Lysistrata, â€Å"There is no beast as shameless as a women. The women’s were also believed to be sensitive and emotional. The overall male view about women were seen as insignificant and an annoyance. All these roles played by women were slightly varied between the different cultures. Athenian women were different from Spartan women as their lives were much freer, as is alluded to in Lysistrata when the Spartan, Lampito, comments on her da ily activities, â€Å"If we were in training. † There is also mention of the Metic women in Lysistrata who were able to carry out commercial roles. However, despite these differences, the women of citizen families, whether they were of middle class or royalty, still carried out the same roles and still had very little freedom and rights. It is made evidently apparent all the roles which women played in ancient Greek society and their relationship with men through these roles. Women in ancient Greece were given little to no freedom and rights, and their only true place of power was in the household.

History of 21st February

There arc 6,000 to 7,000 spoken languages in the world and half of them arc in danger of extinction. The Interna tional Mother Language Day that is celebrated annually on Feb. 21, after it was declared by UNESCO in November 1999, reminds us of the necessity, mier alia, of protecting these languages from extinction by promoting meir importance. It is important to keep these languages in practice; languages are simply not a random compilation of words but a means of communication, interaction and understanding among different peoples.The language, thus, is one of the mediums that form the socio-oil rural identity of a nation. A Language is more than just a way of sharing our views with the world; it has its own history as welt. The language of a nation can sometimes contribute to the contents of its history Great works of literature as well as the legacy of a nation might bc lost if the language is lost. A language helps create unity among a group  ° people; a persons mother tongue i s an important aspect of her/his culture and the identity of who he/she is. Feb. 1,1952 marks an important event in the history leading toward the emergence of Bangladesh, which declared independence on March 26,1971. The Bangla Language Movement, reaching its pinnacle on this very day in 1952, was a political mass uprising in Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan), which demanded mat Bangla – the mother tongue spoken by the majority of the population – should bc recognized as the second official language besides the then existing state Language that was spoken by only a minority of the population. This would allow the Bangla language to bc taught in schools and used in government affairs.After the partition of India rn 1947 into Pakistan and India, Bangla-speaking people in Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) made up 44 million of the newly formed Pakistans 69 million people. However, in 1947 at a national education summit a minority language was declared by the then s tate machinery as the sole state language to bc used in all spheres of life, including media and schools. This Jed to a situation where almost 70 percent of the population that formed the majority and spoke Bangi* were practically required to discard their mother tongue Bangla, which they had used for thousands of wirs. nd learn afresh a completely alien minority language. Students of Dhaka University and other colleges of the city in Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) organized a general strike on March 11,1948 to protest the exclusion of the Bangla language from official use, including on coins, stamps and in official competitive tests / examinations.Later taking the shape of a popular movement, the protest restated the demand that Bangla be declared an official language of the state. On feb. 1,1952 students of the Dhaka University along with member-, ol the public defied the unconstitutional ban on peaceful protests and organized a protest that resulted in police opening fire a nd killing a number of students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar. Resultantly, a massive popular upheaval spread across Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) as large processions ignored the unconstitutional ban on peaceful protests and condemned the actions of the police.At one stage more than 30,000 people assembled at Curzon Hall of Dhaka University in Dhaka. During the continued protests, police actions led to the death of more people. This prompted Bangla speaking government officials and civil servants from different organizations to boycott government offices and join the procession. The â€Å"All-Party Central Language Action Committee†, supported by the majority of the population, decided to commemorate Feb. 21 as Shahid Dibosh (Martyrs Day).On the first anniversary of the protests, people across Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) wore black badges in solidarity with the dead and victims of violence Most offices, bank ond educa tional institutions in Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) were closed to observe the occasion. Student groups made agreements with educational institutions ond police officials to preserve law and order. However, the state machinery provoked tensions by declaring that those who wanted Bangla to become on official language would be considered an â€Å"enemy of the state.Despite the restrictions to mark the anniversary of the protests, the Bangali population took to the streets. Demonstrations broke out on the night of Feb 21,1954 with various halls of Dhaka University raising black flags in mourning. Several students and protesters were arrested indiscriminately to foil the commemoration. On May 7,1954. the constituent assembly was forced to resolve to grant official status to the Bangla language. Bangla was recognized j the second official language of the state on Feb. 29. 1956. Although the question of official languages was settled by 1956, the Bangai! eople were discriminated against in every sphere of Life. The Bangali community, despite being the overwhelming majority, continued to bc under-represented in the civil and military services, and received a minority of state funding and other government assistance. The demands of these people were overlooked. One demand was that the province of East Pakistan be called Bangladesh (Land of Bangalis), which later contributed into the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 ond culminated in a prolonged bloody â€Å"Liberation War† that saw the emergence of an Independent Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.The struggle to freely use the mother tongue of a majority population of a coun tn once resulted in bloodshed for the people of Bangladesh and contributed significantly to the movement and war of her Independence. However, today it ts a different fight for many people; it is a fight to keep their mother tongue in use so that an important part of their cultures is not lost The writer is a Year 1 student at Taylor College. (The article was written in commemoration of the Language Movement of Bangladesh /International Mother Language Day. ) The Language Movement  : Its Political and Cultural Significance Scrajul Islam ChoudhuryWhat had happened on the 21st of February in 1952 is not difficult to describe. Some lives were lost when police opened fire on agitating students. What the students were agitating for is also well-known. They wanted Bengali to be recognized as one of the two state languages of what was then an undivided Pakistan. But a description like this would be patently superfluous, for it would not describe what had really happened, let alone reflect the feelings that the movement had embodied and roused. The movement of 21st February was not sentimental, but it represented very deep-rooted sentiments.To begin with, the movement did not lose its significance even after an official recognition of Bengali as one of the two state languages. It went ahead, gained in depth and momentum as it went, y and, ultimately, made the emergence of an independent Bangladesh inevitable. But even after we had achieved a state where Bengali is the only and not one of the two state languages the movement has not ceased to be vital. Why? The answer is easy. Bengali has not yet been accorded the place of honour and importance that it deserves. The rate of literacy has not risen above the poor 22 per cent.Of ~th~o e who know the alphabet many do not read books. Some ddb get books, others do not need them. The vast majority of the population has been denied for ages the right to use Bengali. The illiterate person, oftener a women than a man, does not know any other language, but he does not know Bengali either in the literate sense. Those who are well-to-do do not need Bengali. Social and commercial intercourse tends to be more effective when done in English in unspoken opposition to Bengali. The cultural milieu of the sophisticated tends very often to be shorn of the use of Bengali almost to the extent it is sophisticated.International communication is, of course, done in English. Bengali, thus, is not properly used either by the very rich or the very poor, the former shies away voluntarily, the latter has no choice. The middle class uses it, but not in as extensive a manner as could have been expected. We do not print books in large number. Nor are the titles wide   ranging. for books are expensive to print and difficult to sell. The problem is rooted in the very socio-political and economic reality of Bangladesh. And it is this reality that invests the language movement of the 21st of February with an enormous significance and meaning.How does one account for the rise of this movement ? Was it due to the wrong decision of any particular person or group? Most obviously not. The movement was as spontaneous as it was inevitable. Despite its later ramifications and complexities the movement was a simple expression of the irreconc ilable, indeed ever-increasing, contradiction between the rulers and the ruled. The ruling classes wanted to impose Urdu on the Bengale s with a view to keeping them subjugated for generations to come ~I'he issue was far from linguistic, it was grossly political and economic.The imposition of Urdu was a part, albeit not an easily recognisable part, of the ruthless exploitation of the Begalccs by West Pakistani monopoly capital and civil-military bureaucracy. The language movement brought to the fore what had hitherto, lain undetected inside the deliberately roused sentiments of Pakistani nationalism. The oppressed people of East Bengal had joined the Pakistan movement in the hope of achieving a better standard of living consequent upon the establishment of an independent state.That the hope was unreal was cruelly exposed by the fondly proclaimed arbitrary decision of the rulers to make Urdu the only state language of Pakistan. There was no escaping this fact. Language was, undoubted ly,. the declared issue. But the movement was not for reforming the language, not even for winning recognition for Bengali as one of the state languages, although that was the manifest objective. It was aimed, really, at the emancipation of an oppressed people. The rulers were obliged to recognise the destructive potentiality of the movement.For what was constructivee for the oppressed Bengalees was destructive for the oppressors- – such was the polarity of the situation. Facing the uncompromising reality, the Pakistani rulers had offered terms of a compromise. They did accommodate Bengali as a state language when the question of framing a constitution came to a head, 21st February was declared a public holiday- eventually. A board was set up for the development of Bengali language, But the movement was not to be hoodwinked by such tactics of accommodation. Compromise was impossible.The movement grew and grew, gained in depth and momentum, leading to the establishment of Bang ladesh. M uch has been gained and yet much remains to be achieved. As indicated above, universal use of Bengali in Bangladesh remains a distant hope. It does not require much of an analysis to demonstrate that the objective of the language movement can be achieved only in a society which is free from exploition and is, therefore not poor. Poverty is the effect of exploitation, not its cause. Therefore, the movement of the 21st of February must be called a protest against the exploitation of man by man.It raised a determined voice against injustice. For what could be more unjust than the inflicting of a foreign tongue on a population of seventy million, constituting as it did the majority of the population of Pakistan as a whole. Our love for the Bengali language is traditional, it is based on very deep sentiments. But it is impossible to deny that it was not this love alone that had led us to join the language movement in swelling numbers. There was hatred as well. Hatred against in justice, against exploitation. The movement was essentially anti-colonial and anti feudal in character.It was aimed at overthrowing the none-too-hidden system of colonial exploitation sought to be perpetrated by the ruling classes. It was clearly anti-feudal in content inasmuch as it tried to win for the people their inalienable right to use their own language in state affairs. Love and hatred, they say, go together: and indeed they did in this very case, for the depth of hatred was only the obverse of the depth of love and vice versa. The language movement went like magnet over the iron of the suppressed feelings of the people. It provided the people with an outlet to their pent-up emotions against political injustice and social exploitation.It forged  a unity which was b_ oth creative and enduring. A section of the police in Dhaka had gone on strike even before 1952. They. had been fired upon. But that firing did not rouse the indignation that the firing of the. 21st of February did. The reason was that the latter firing was not aimed at any particular section of the peope, it was not designed to silence the professional demands of any specific group, its target was the entire Bengali-speaking people of Pakistan, irrespective of political belief or ideological commitment. For it hurt even those who had collaborated with the government.As long as exploitation of the many by the few remains, 21st February is unlikely to lose its significance. How did the movement begin? It began as a students' movement. – Its centre was the university of Dhaka which was the only university in East Bengal at the time. The potentiality of the movement was unknown to the rulers, it was not known even to many of those who were at its forefront. Perhaps it-would die a natural death- the rulers, it is easy to imagine, had fondly hoped. But all estimates and expectations were belied. Once firing had started the movement spread-wider than a fire, faster than the bullets.It re fused to be confined to the university campus; percolating through the railway, steamer and bus stations it reached almost every comer of the province. The public joined in it. The working class struck work, it became a movement against an insult hurled at the existence of a people. The Pakistani pretence became much too big for the mask. A new feeling of nationalism began to grow very rapidly indeed. And ultimately it was this new linguistic and, therefore, essentially secular, democratic and creative nationalism which prevailed over the makeshift nationalism of Pakistan.Pakistanism pretended to be spiritual which spiritualism was, so far as East Bengal was concerned, a cover for material exploitation of the classically crude type. The new awareness made people conscious about their material existence, tearing the veils of false hopes and comforts. Its creativeness was immeasurable. For it had touched and released the youth of the nation. The youth of the country had begun this mov ement. But it was not a youth movement. It was the youthfulness of a people that it had stirred. The movement's creative power displayed itself in many, almost all aspects of life. New organisations – social. s- well as political – came into being. A new leadership–uncompromising and courageous-grew up to replace the established one. Politics topkk on a new character, it no longer remained a pastime of the privifegetl few.. In its changed character, politics became a threat to the existing s oc i a l system. Poets wrote busily; composers composed energetically. Flays, novels and short stories have been written on the theme. And it would be impossible to count the souvenirs_ that have been published to celebrate the spirit of the day. But the most precious creation Or the movement did not lie in any of these in isolation.It lay in something that united these diverse areas and manifestations and inspired them from behind. his was nothing more, or less, than a new consciousness. This consciousness is characterised, among other things, Ity an irreconcilable patriotism. True patroitism does not isolate; it unlles, it brings the individual to the community, and identifies collective; well being as the unfailing source of individual welfare. And it i. y this patriotism that the language movement carries with itself, and nourishes as it goes. N c language movement was essentially creative.It not only produced new works of literature, music, painting and drama but also, and more importantly, gave these creations a new content, which was unmistakably secular and democratic in character. The movement was anti-imperialist and anti-feudal; and it was therefore only natural that the cultural works it produced should have a militancy and a sew;e of direction they had not known before. Bengal, let us recall, was divided in 1947 on the basis of the so-called two-nation theory. Communalism was endemic in the very foundation of that partition. The democratic upsurge of February, 1962 stood firmly, atatiinst communalism.Communalism did not die, such monsters die hard, but it became weaker than it was in 1947. What was more significant was that a new path of development was laid open. People came tog`ther; forgetting their communal identity. They fought for a common cause. Then there was the important question of tradition. Pakistani nationalism had expected to survive and gain in strength by Whippin g up emotions around a false sense of tradition which sought to make the Bengalees of East Pakistan feel as if they belonged to the Middle East and not to the land where they, as well as their ancestors, were born and had their being. Ws, in fact, amounted to a ruthless attempt to disinherit them of their tradition. Not only in literature, but in all aspects of life and creativity what was natural and real was sought to be replaced by the unnatural and the unreal. The language movement came as an open challenge to this. Instead of encouragin g deracination, it gave-the thinking section of the public a new sense of belonging. The homecoming had begun. It had no parallel in our past history. For the issue of tradition had never before been as clearly defined as it was during that fateful month of February, 1952.Bengalecs of East Pakistan began to take a new pride in their language which, they realized, constituted the very basis of their cultural identity. The creative artists working in all genres looked at life with a realism which gave their creations a nearness to life. They acquired a new awareness of the economic and political reality of the country. As a result, what they produced was significantly different – both in content and form-from what their predecessors had offered. The arts came closer to politics. The fact of economic exploitation of the poor by the rich also found its way into the creative imagination of the artists.For it had become clear that the Bengalecs were an exploited nation, and that th eir survival ultimately depended on their economic emancipation. A new taste was created, and a new standard of cultural judgement was set up. The movement had not only released the suppressed creative energies of a nation, it had also produced a hunger for more realistic works of art. The language movement represented for the Bengali speaking Pakistanis an entrance into a new area of creativity. The movement of 21st February has done for us another important work.It has drawn, clearly and unmistakably, a line of demarcation between the forces of light and darkness, of progress and reaction. To speak of light first. The light that matters most is the light of economic emancipation of the masses. Needless to say that the light of knowledge remains invaluable. Yet since hunger is the greatest extinguisher of ‘all other lights, no progress in the collective sense can be made without meeting the basic economic needs. And it is this light-the light of economic freedom-that the lang uage movement had promised to the people of Bangladesh.The movement did something more. It distinguished the forces capable of giving life   giving light from those which persist in keeping the people submerged in the darkness of poverty and deprivation. The movement was successful in marking out progress from reaction. Progress, it showed, did not mean more material growth; it also meant, and not less importantly, the proper distribution of wealth. Proper distribution is equitable distribution. It does not need much imagination to see that what ails our economic life is inequality.Inequality has maimed the productive power of labour which is our greatest national asset. It has not allowed national creative powers to grow properly. That we are poor is due primarily to this inequality. The language movement identified progress as removal of the factors responsible for the existence of the social gulf. It also showed that progress and reaction cannot achieve a relationship of peacef ul co   existence, that the antagonism between the two is irreconcilable and would not cease to be operative unless one of the two is completely liquidated.Perhaps it is unnecessary to say on which side the movement of 21st February stood, for its commitment to light against darkness and progress against reaction is total. All these make 21st February significant to us. The nation was not the same after that day, for it had gained a new sensibility, baptised in fire. True, the old order did not change immediately, it normally does not. But it was threatened to its very foundation. And the hope that a new world was not very far continued to grow.