BHADRALOK TO SUSHEEL: Language, identity and hegemony in post-colonial Bangladesh
IN MY small town, Bheramara, Ekushey February was a ritual. Barefoot we roamed, demanding the same of every passerby — a shedding of shoes, a mark of respect. Bangla, bhasha shaheed — these weren’t just words, they were close to the heart, a pulse. And how could they not be? Bangladesh, a nation birthed from language, its very being woven into the...