British Bangladeshi Information Group

Humble Beginnings

The vision to provide written information and support for the Bangladeshi/Sylheti community was an off-shoot of all that had happened in the community's journey in the United Kingdom and in particular Tower Hamlets. The services were improving all around as a direct result of the political progress and the organisations, such as Weavers Youth Forum and Boundary Community school and the Progressive Youth organisation based in Tower Hamlets were doing their bit but we felt that it wasn't enough.  All organisation were funds dependent but lack innovation and the protectional drive that existed in the 60s and 70s.

The new found resources and funds have changed the drive and the mindset of many of the champions who strived to protect the community, them days of chipping in and doing it for the greater good, protecting the community had dried up and retorted to the council fundings.  

Today, we can see the legacy of the dependent on funding organisations have ceased, folded, frizzled out, many of those did not diversify when it came to funding and fund raising.  Many of the organisations back in the day, Ali Ashgar who went on to write a whole book on them have frizzled away, Progressive Youth Organisation and Weavers Youth Forum have dissolved.  These organisations played a very big part in the formation of the need for information for the Bangladeshi community.

In 1996 Mayar Akash and Mizanur Rahman (Mizan), both members of these organisations and also residing in Boundary estate.  Mizan  had a excellent Bengali education as well as Arabic, he was able to write and translate English into Bengali.  This was such a great help and asset, this meant that I could put the English leaflets together and he would translate it, this would shave so much time and money and give us 100% autonomy in the work we did.

Without funding but using Weavers Youth Forum's (WYF) photocopied them to distribute them to the Bangladeshi families in the area.

We wanted to take control and not be bogged down with waiting for hand-outs and approval. As out sloga says: "One of many positive contribution to society by young Bengali people."

BDESHI - Bangladeshi Drugs Educational, Sexual Health information Initiative. (bit of a mouthful)

This was Mizan's translation and his handwriting, because it was so neat and legible, we didn't need to have typed up, so to save money.  We wanted to stay free from restrictions and constrictions.  And we went on to produce few of these leaflets and over time they got lost and we all moved on.

 

To my surprise, here is what I found in Tower Hamlets Bancroft Archive Library, "that feeling" of when you find something that you lost,  which you had gone out of your mind.

I was so humbling to see it, I immediately Whatsapped it to Mizan.  

Tower Hamlets Archive Library

Discovering this and the realising the venture I have started in recent years, I refocused on that same vision that I had then.

Putting those two together is  the birth of "British Bangladeshi Information Group, as a collective. But the nuts and bolts of it will be the British Bangladeshi Information Chronicler (BBIC).

BBIG will be a open platform to showcase the information, BBIC with the collector of the information.

So, cogs in the community has been turning and has moved in many directions positive and negative.  

We will keep it central and establish capsule for the British Bangladeshi community.

Anyone is welcome to get involved to contribute information from around United Kingdom.  It is necessary for a greater involvement and participation to do great work.

Inspiration

I took inspiration from Tassaduk Ahmed.  Today we have a growing number of supporters and sharer of the same mindset and vision. We have active involvement from Faruque Ahmed, Mustak Mostofa both of whom are authors of books and have done extensive research and recording of the Bangladeshi community in UK.  There are many well wishers so far.