Ekushey Padak is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and economics. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs administers the award.
Ekushey Padak
Winners of Ekushey Padak 2014
Bengali language movement
The Bengali language movement was a political movement in former East Bengal advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government affairs, the continuation of its use as a medium of education, its use in media, currency and stamps, and to maintain its writing in the Bengali script.
Dhirendranath was the key figure to raise the demand for Bangali with its traditional script as a state language in Pakistan assembly.
Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda proposed the romanisation of Bengali in the early stage of language movement.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 21 March 1948 told at a public meeting that State language of Pakistan is going to be Urdu and no other language.
Muhammad Shahidullah was a central figure in the proposal to make Arabic the state language
