In Patiram, International Mother Language Day Event Doubles as Civic Call for New Block and Municipality

• Language and Liberty

Kamal Kumar Biswas.TOD. Patiram

Marking International Mother Language Day, a local civic group organized a cultural evening and honored community contributors while renewing a demand for administrative recognition for the area.

The event, hosted by the Patiram Nagarik O Yuva Samaj Swechchhasebi Sangstha on Saturday at a primary school in Patiram, combined tributes to language martyrs with music, recitation and dance performances. The program also celebrated the organization’s eighth anniversary.

Participants began by offering floral tributes to those who died in historic language movements. Poet Nirmal Chowdhury spoke about the significance and history of the observance. Students from three high schools in Patiram and neighboring Parpatiram who excelled in last year’s secondary and higher secondary examinations were felicitated during the ceremony.

A community recognition, the “Patiram Ananya Samman 2025,” was awarded to Somnath Sarkar (Bhola) for contributions to society. Cultural performances featured songs by local artists and recitations and dance by students and groups from nearby academies.

In the cultural segment, songs were performed by Ananya Chowdhury, Priti Shil, Jitoshree Pramanik and Rani Ukil. Recitations were presented by Surashree Sarkar, Ananya Mondal, Jitoshree Pramanik and Priti Shil. Dance performances were given by Kuheli Sarkar, students of Shyam Dance Academy, and students of Priya Dance and Dreams.

Among those present at the event were Ratan Bandyopadhyay, Anima Mondal, Shyamal Ganguli, Apurba Sarkar, Partha Chatterjee, Biswajit Biswas, Suchintya Ghosh, Debajit Chowdhury, Utpal Sarkar, Shankar Saha, Kanai Chouhan, Madhu Das, Sonali Sarkar and many other distinguished individuals. During the program, the Language Day edition of the magazine Chiramati, edited by Dr. Souren Bandyopadhyay, was formally released.

Alongside the celebrations, organizers reiterated a long-standing civic demand: the creation of a separate Patiram block and a municipal body for the area. The group said it plans to send a letter to West Bengal’s chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, ahead of the upcoming elections seeking action on the proposal.

The organization also outlined several infrastructure needs for the locality, including an auditorium with a stage, a primary health center with round-the-clock medical services, a children’s park and a modern ambulance service. Local residents and community leaders attended the gathering, organizers said, underscoring broad participation in both the cultural observance and the civic appeal.