Buildings on either side of Satmasjid Road between Jigatala and Shankar in the capital’s Dhanmondi are teeming with signs and hoardings of different sizes and colours, mostly in English.
A few of the signs, however, are emblazoned with businesses’ names written in both Bangla and English, but the Bangla letters are so small that it is quite difficult to read those.
Visiting the area on Friday, this newspaper found at least
20 signs of businesses, mostly eateries, in just one building, are all written in English.
English signs, displays, and brand logos is a very common sight in many other parts of the capital, including Baridhara, Gulshan, Banani, Paltan, Science Laboratory and Arambagh.
This situation has been prevailing even 70 years after the historic Language Movement. A law — Bangla Bhasha Procholon Ain — was enacted in 1987 for ensuring compulsory use of Bangla in all spheres of life.
Also, the High Court in February 2014 directed the government to ensure use of Bangla in signs, billboards, and banners.
But the authorities are yet to make any significant progress in this regard.
