Bangladeshi diaspora in the united kingdom ; an odyssey of excellence Imran a. Chowdhry - writer & historian
The journey that began some 65 to 70 years ago from the Ganges Delta's north eastern tip to the Uk has been an epic story of success and prosperity. Today the descendants of those migrant are standing tall in the British society with their head held high to the pinnacle. In excess of 17000 restaurants, 5000 groceries, 3000 other paraphernalia of the auxiliary supporting service echelons of businesses are thriving up and down the whole of the British isles. Achievers and entrepreneurs are at the heart of the diaspora. The emblem of their foot prints are exuberantly visible in all almost all parts of Uk and Bangladesh. the community is now owning banking, international financial and hedge fund business, world class medical treatment and research and surgical centre and sme’s seen all over Bangladesh which is mostly the landmark investment ventures by the expat community living in the Uk. millions of pounds are pumped in the sylhet region to change the total landscape of the region into a biggest construction site in the country which is turning the district as the main hub for business, investment and convergence of a thriving cosmopolitan — an enclave within the rest of the impoverished parts of Bangladesh - a stark contrast from the rest of the country. The progression in the fields of education and qualification of the Bengali diaspora in the Uk needs no evidence to show. Mulberry girls high school in tower hamlets in London is perhaps the biggest example of excellence for the girls of the community. the achievement and progression of the diaspora in terms of women empowerment are the just the tip of the iceberg — where 3 of the ladies from the diaspora are sitting in the epitome of the world’s oldest democratic parliament the palace of Westminster. as once it was looked down upon and now a vibrant community with one of the biggest achievers in the country. in the buy to let segment Bangladeshi diaspora in the Uk today have pumped in the biggest resources and every other Bangladeshi now owns second or third property stock. knowledge acquired in the uk’s booming catering trade owned by the community is now moving abroad and moving into a new direction of hotels and tourism businesses and there are more then 10 world class tourism theme parked based holiday complexes are the fastest growth sector in Bangladesh. to feed the need for a tourism base for the 160 million population and it's expanding
middle class has a room for more than 100 of these kinds of establishments and these are all being initiated by the new generations of expats from the Uk back home. Bangladesh being the second largest exporters of ready made garments in the world with a total of $30 billion plus circa is another avenue which the latest generations of Uk based Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are eyeing to siege the opportunity. Brexit is now opening many new doors and Bangladesh being one of the oldest trade partners of Uk a relation dating back to 1615 ad some 332 years will give more to bilateral trades dimensions. Bangladesh being the most potential emerging economy in the South east asian region will play the pivotal role of forging stronger ties with the Uk post Brexit. the phenomenal progression of this community from the backwaters of Bangladesh has been a true odyssey of excellence!