ABSTRACT
The event on the ‘Omor Ekushey February’ (the 21st of February) 1952 is arguably the solitary example of its kind due to its significance. This day is recognised by UNESCO and celebrated across the world as the ‘International Mother Language Day’. The day is commonly known as the ‘Omor Ekushey February’ in Bangla. Conceptually, the movement on this day can be seen as a dark tourism event. A careful understanding within a qualitative research framework reveals some insights. The ‘Bengali Language Movement’ on this day is less likely to be termed merely a language movement but represents the spiritual cravings of a nation for identity, heritage and nationality. The event is intimately related to psychological aspects of the national identity and unity of a nation confronted with potential threats towards its tradition, prosperity, culture, territory, global presence and particularly its sovereignty. Celebrating the ‘Omor Ekushey February’ is not merely an honour to the martyrs but in a true sense, respects the strongest desire for independence of a nation that ensured its identity. From this perspective, this study suggests a theoretical reshaping of dark tourism terminology that should not limit its focus to death and disaster. It calls for people’s sentiment, intimacy and action to be seen as tools of national identity formation. Further, the chapter concludes that a conceptual shift of this dark tourism festival is necessary to focus inquiry, not on death per se but people’s perception of it.
