British Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term c ...
s are people who arrived from
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
to the United Kingdom, and throughout the years have started to create new businesses throughout the country, especially in
Brick Lane, where there are many
Bangladeshi restaurants. Bangladeshis were the first to have started the curry industry in the UK, from small businesses. The
curry
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...
is now regarded as Britain's
National dish. Many others also own supermarket stores specialising in Bangladeshi products, and also in the media, the main Bengali channels -
Bangla TV
Bangla TV ( bn, বাংলা টিভি) is a Bengali-language satellite television channel based in the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. It was established in the United Kingdom on 16 September 1999, targeting Bengali audiences both there an ...
and
Channel S
Channel S is a UK-based, free-to-air television channel targeting the British Bangladeshi community. The channel was established on 16 December 2004 by Mahee Ferdous Jalil, a Bangladeshi businessman in London. On Sky it at first had a timesha ...
.
Curry industry
Today many of the Bangladeshi community are now part of the
Curry
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...
Industry in Britain, more than 8 out of 10 Indian restaurants in the UK are owned by British
Bangladeshis
Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay.
Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
,
95% of which come from Sylhet. The number of restaurants owned by Bangladeshis increased rapidly years after years. In 1946, there were 20 restaurants or small cafes which were owned by Bengalis; then in 1960 there were 300 owned; and by 1980, more than 3,000 have been created by them. Now, as of today there are 8,500 Indian restaurants, of which around 7,200 are Bangladeshi.
One of the main dishes in those restaurants, the
chicken tikka masala
Chicken tikka masala is a South Asian dish consisting of roasted marinated chicken chunks ( chicken tikka) in a spiced sauce. The sauce is usually creamy and orange-coloured. The dish was popularised by cooks from South Asia living in Great B ...
, is now regarded as Britain's national food dish. The curry industry is seen as a great success for Bangladeshis living in Britain, the industry which changed the culture of food in
British cuisine.
Chicken tikka masala is now served in restaurants around the globe, and a UK survey claimed it is the country's most popular restaurant dish.
[ Lloyd, J & Mitchinson, J: "]The Book of General Ignorance
''The Book of General Ignorance'' is the first in a series of books based on the final round in the intellectual British panel game '' QI'', written by series-creator John Lloyd and head-researcher John Mitchinson, ". Faber & Faber, 2006. One in seven curries sold in the UK is a chicken tikka. The popularity of the dish led the British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook to proclaim it as Britain's true national dish,. Former prime minister,
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
also recognised it as the favourite dish, by eating at a Bangladeshi curry restaurant for his daughter's birthday.
[
]
Curry threat
In April 2008, restaurants owned by Bangladeshis came under threat. Many of those who work in these businesses are recent immigrants legally brought in from outside the UK. The British government announced it would change immigration laws for these workers, blocking access for high skilled chefs from Bangladesh. The law demanded these workers speak fluent English, and have good formal qualifications
Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to:
* Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional expe ...
in order to meet the requirements of society and work in Britain.
These laws have not only affected the Bangladeshis, but have hit other migrant workers from China and India. However, the legislation may have a particularly dramatic effect on Bangladeshis because so many of them rely heavily on the curry business. It has been estimated that 30% of their restaurant businesses are seriously threatened by these new laws. On 20 April 2008, 44,000 people gathered and protested in London, including Bangladeshis, Chinese and Indians and other groups who were unhappy with the changes to the law. They argued their contribution to the economy of the United Kingdom
The economy of the United Kingdom is a highly developed social market and market-orientated economy. It is the sixth-largest national economy in the world measured by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), ninth-largest by purchasing power pa ...
meant they deserved better treatment.
Local business
Many other Bangladeshis own grocery stores. Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...
has a thriving local street market which is located opposite the famous Royal London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and s ...
, which is the largest hospital in Britain. The market offers many low-priced goods for the people working in the area and the local Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
community. People will go there to grab a bargain every day from Monday to Saturday, which contains over 80 stalls selling many products and foods, everything from fresh fruit to fish, clothing, bedding, carpets, jewellery and electrical goods such as toys. The nearby East London Mosque
The East London Mosque (ELM) is situated in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets between Whitechapel and Aldgate East. Combined with the adjoining London Muslim Centre and Maryam Centre, it is one of the largest mosques in Europe accommodating ...
ensures a steady stream of visitors and many stalls now sell Indian spices
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are ...
and exotic vegetables as well as great quality silks and saree
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
fabric.
In Brick Lane, other than curry being served, there are many Bengali staples available such as jack fruit
The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, Sri ...
, betel nut
The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel p ...
and paan leaves and frozen fish caught from the Surma River
The Surma River ( bn, সুরমা নদী) is a major river in Bangladesh, part of the Surma-Meghna River System. It starts when the Barak River from northeast India divides at the Bangladesh border into the Surma and the Kushiyara rivers. ...
. Various travel agents
A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destinati ...
offer many flights to Sylhet with the national airline, Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines ( bn, বিমান বাংলাদেশ এয়ারলাইন্স) commonly known as Biman ( bn, বিমান), pronounced (), is the national flag carrier of Bangladesh. With its main hub at Hazr ...
, for around £500 and a new airline called, Air Sylhet was created by British Bangladeshi diaspora, offering low cost flights between both countries.
Every Bangladeshi business located in the East End seems to hark back to the city of Sylhet, for example the Weekly Sylheter Dak - which has a UK circulation of around 7,000 a week; a shop called Sylhet Stores; a lawyers' office called Sylhet & Co; and a Bangladeshi Welfare Association. There are also booming black market in money transfer, such as First Solution Money Transfer which in June 2007, the company went into liquidation owing nearly £2 million to the public who used their services. Seamark and Ibco, owned by millionaire Iqbal Ahmed, Taj Stores, First Bangladeshi Real Estates in UK calle
Masha Estates Ltd
and many others.[
There also hundreds of fast food stores scattered across east London, owned by Bangladeshis. Mainly named as Perfect Fried Chicken or Halal Fried Chicken and many other names. These fast food shops are primarily found in the area of Stepney Green.
]
Media
People have gone beyond by working in media, where the first Bangladeshi channel abroad was created called Bangla TV
Bangla TV ( bn, বাংলা টিভি) is a Bengali-language satellite television channel based in the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. It was established in the United Kingdom on 16 September 1999, targeting Bengali audiences both there an ...
in 1999, and later another channel called Channel S
Channel S is a UK-based, free-to-air television channel targeting the British Bangladeshi community. The channel was established on 16 December 2004 by Mahee Ferdous Jalil, a Bangladeshi businessman in London. On Sky it at first had a timesha ...
in 2004, 19 October 2017 another channel launched called ION TV UK the Asian community' reflects on the programs it broadcasts, with many talk shows offering advice from lawyers and barristers such as 'Legal Advice', talk shows, Bengali film and entertainment, an Islamic voice for the community, and much of the channel that broadcasts in the community language, Sylheti - the only Bangladeshi channel to do so. Channel S had acquired the rights to broadcast the Baishakhi Mela, and there has been bitter rivalry between both channels. Also Bangla news published from London are Weekly Surma, Notun Din, Jonomot
daily Amader Protidin
Probasha Protidin, Potrica etc. Other notable business companies include, NRB Media, Masha Estates Ltd, Purple i - an IT expert company providing solutions to many restaurants,
First Solution Money Transfer
In July 2007, a British-based firm called 'First Solution Money Transfer' went into liquidation. Company chairman, Dr. Fazal Mahmood, admitted the business owed hundreds of thousands of pounds to the public. The firm claimed it had lost control of the money it handled due to a lack of regulation in this fast-growing sector of the economy.
The company was heavily used by the Bangladeshi community to send money to relatives in Bangladesh. However, huge amounts of this cash were lost. The scandal provoked anger amongst the community. Dr. Mahmood received death threats and his home was pelted with eggs. Local leaders asked tough questions about the business's management, and the MP George Galloway raised the matter in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
. It eventually emerged that the company had misappropriated an estimated 1.7 million pounds of their clients money.
See also
* List of British Bangladeshis
This is a list of notable British Bangladeshis ( bn, উল্লেখযোগ্য বিলাতী বাংলাদেশীদের তালিকা). This includes Bangladeshi immigrants settled or residing in the United Kingdom a ...
* Economy of Bangladesh
The economy of Bangladesh is a major economy of South Asia and a developing market economy.
—
—
—Siddiqi, Dina M. “Miracle Worker or Womanmachine? Tracking (Trans)National Realities in Bangladeshi Factories.” Economic and Politica ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Business Of British Bangladeshis
Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom
Business in the United Kingdom