This is a translation version of the original video documentary which was than transcribed and translated from Bengali to English. A book with the title of History of Bangladeshis in Greater Manchester has been published and it will be distributed to the libraries, schools and universities. The interview took place on 17 November 2007, so information about his personal family information may have been changed.
8.2 Alhaj Moboshor Ullah:
8.2.1 Life in Bangladesh: Alhaj Moboshor Ullah was born in 1953 in the area of Shingerkas, Mazgaow village of Bishwanath, Sylhet. His father’s name is late Haji Mohammed Saif Ullah and mother name is Hajini Aymuna Bibi. He completed his primary education at ‘Shingerkas Primary School’ and admitted to a local high school called ‘Aklimur Raja High school’.
His high school was two miles away from home. Ramsundor High School was about five miles away. The road combination wasn’t very good to travel on, for that reason he used go to school by foot. He studied till year eight in the high school and after that he migrated to the UK.
In 1966, the prices of goods were reasonable but people did not have enough money to afford them. So, it wasn’t easy either. For example, he said that people who didn’t have enough money wouldn’t be able to afford to buy fish and had to find good places to go fishing to see if they could retrieve some food for themselves, but there were sufficient fishes available in the ponds, cannels, lakes and rivers. And the ordinary people used to catch the fishes to survive. There were so many fishing tools people used to use them I.e. fishing nets.
He said that people in the 1960’s were quite gentle, easy going and open minded. The curriculum in the school was very much related with real life. The method of teaching was very good and advanced. Teachers were very friendly and caring with delivering the curriculum. The students were affectionate towards the school teachers.
There was no need to employ a house teacher after receiving good tuitions from the school. The students were able to do the homework on their own after receiving the tuitions from the school teachers.
Most of the fishing area is controlled by private owners now, so it is difficult for ordinary people to catch the fish from the lakes. More specifically, the poorer population were in a more difficult situation. During the Pakistan period, if there was any crisis, the government used to provide relief to the ordinary public. At that time Ayub Khan was the president of Pakistan. He did not see anyone deprived when it come to getting relief from the government.
Now days you will see the complete opposite, the poorer do not get their goods. He has many poor relatives living in Bangladesh but he never seen anyone receiving help from the government. The poor people are entitled to receive relief goods from the government but some people abused the system and began looting the goods. There is lack of a distribution system which exists in Bangladesh due to political corruption.
The village economy was dominated by agriculture. He had seen that there were people involved with the production of rice, if someone did not have the land, but was able to get some land from the land owner and become partners in the rice cultivation the people could easily keep their families fed for at least six months.
The rich people were lazy when it came to doing the cultivation work; they’d rather purchase the rice from the local stores. Moulana Shikondor Ali and Moboshir Khan had made a tremendous contribution in their village school and many people had the opportunity to become educated. He appreciates their contributions, which has been benefited to the local people.
He said it was very hard to obtained education as there was no transport facility going to and coming from school. The road was disabled for the time being, if there was rain sometimes it would flood due to the cracks in the road. He used to bring one extra set of clothes to school in order to change it before he enters. There were no culverts over the cannels, so he did not have much choice.
Sometimes, people came forward to put a bridge made by bamboos but people used to break the temporary bridges. He was very keen to do the study; especially with his parents encouraging him. If he never came to Britain then he would have been able to continue his study. His father was so simple man, before his father came to Britain he was engaged with the agriculture. His father used to cultivate his own lands and sometime he used to hire the lands from someone else.
8.2.2 Journey to the UK & Immigration:
His father Saif Ullah came to Britain in 1957. His father came to realize that he would be able to bring his son to the UK. His eldest brother is deaf so his father decided to bring him instead. At that time his father used to live in Oldham. On 6th November 1966 he arrived in the UK. He was only 14 years old. When he first came to Britain he lived at 57 Belmont Street, Oldham, with his father. In 1966, there were only few families that had lived in the UK. Most of the people were single at that time.
In 1963, the Queen visited Pakistan, at that time Ayub Khan (President) requested to the Queen to allow some people from Pakistan to come to Britain to work. Since then the labour voucher was started and many people had the opportunity to come to Britain during that time. Entering Britain was so easy to migrate to.
In 1963, the British government had given the “Labour Vouchers”. Since then many people “especially the men” utilised the opportunity and came to Britain. No women came to Britain with the Labour Voucher, he did not see anyone to come or heard from anyone about this.
His teacher Moulana Shikondor Ali helped him to filing the forms. He signed the form and sent it to the British High Commission. He received an interview call letter from BHC and met with the school teacher.
His teacher then told him that you are only 14 years old, you need to decide whether you would like to go or not. If you decided not to go then this opportunity should be given to someone else instead. His teacher also told him that when he is old enough he would be able to come to Britain. He accepted his advice and the letter was given to his father. His father then gave this letter to his friend.
The Second time, his father arranged paperwork from one of the rubber factories. He submitted these papers to the British High Commission, Dhaka. At that time the interview procedures became a bit harder compared to the previous years. The entry clearance officer used to ask unnecessary questions like: what do you eat? Where did you stay last night? Who came with you? How many houses do you have? Who came to your house yesterday? Etc.
He also thinks that the interpreter made up these unnecessary questions. For example he said that he had taken his brother to the interview and his brother found that the interpreter wasn’t an interpreter at all, his brother made an objection, the interpreter had to leave from the interviewing room.
In 1966, it was the first interview of his life; it was in a foreign embassy, which he can’t forget. During the interview he was very nervous because he had to answer so many questions. He was worried that if he didn’t answer the questions correctly the outcomes could be negative. His father told him to tell the truth during the interview.
At the age of 14, whilst he was going through the interview process “whether or not this process was right” he could not understand and he thought it wasn’t logical at all. After all, Moboshor Ullah was successful, like many other young people. The formal interview lasted for about an hour, there was a long queue on that day. On that day he received the visa. On the way back to Sylhet from Dhaka, his mother started crying. When he arrived finally to his new home, his brothers and sisters started crying. After seeing this scenario, he was a bit nervous and afraid too. He told his mother that she should contact her husband to let him know that he is coming to the UK.
After all that, his family members (mother & other siblings) made compromises and had accepted the reality and had accepted that Moboshor Ullah should go to the UK. Finally, the airlines ticket was booked from Surma Travels in Sylhet town. The owner of Surma Travels also asked him a question which was “you are so young and you are going to the UK, the weather of the UK is so cold, how can you live there?”
He paid 16,000 Rupees “Pakistani Currency” and flew from Dhaka by PIA. He was so young that an air hostage had to carry him to the aircraft and put him in a seat. There were no known people at that flight. At that time only a few people used to go abroad. There were other Bangladeshi people who were on the same flight, his family talked to them and asked for them to keep an eye on him, whilst he was on the flight.
When the flight took off from Dhaka, he was a bit scared. The flight went to Karachi and arrived at Heathrow Airport. When he first met the Immigration Officer, he was unable to understand the English Language, the interpreter was called and asked him a question saying whether his father came to the airport to pick him up. He answered yes to this question.
As he was coming out from the flight, he had seen his father in the crowd and his father was waving his hand to show that he is in the Airport. His father embraces him at the airport. His father hired a taxi from Oldham; the taxi driver was called Abbas Ali. This taxi driver Abbas Ali had helped his father to prepare his declaration paper.
Abbas Ali was an educated person; therefore he helped many Bangladeshi people sort out their Immigration. His father offered him some food but he was so tired, within about three minutes he had fallen asleep in the taxi.
At the airport he had seen some people working with long beards and turbans, he asked his father are these people Imam (priest). His father replied and told him that they are sheik, Indian people.
In 1982 he brought his family, when the British government passed a law for the commonwealth citizen to bring their family to the UK (NB: Immigration & Nationality Act 1981). Before that there was no provision within the immigration Law to bring any families in the UK.
8.2.3 Life in the UK:
His father worked in the stadium as a line marker. His father used to get £7.00 per week. There was a time when many jobs were available in the factories and people were able to find the employment very quickly.
The bus was the main transport to go anywhere, but it was not adequate. The people used to wait 3-4 hours at the bus station. Waiting in the cold weather, their feet used to get cold. The people used to wear 2/3 sets of stockings and long boots to protect their bodies from the cold weather. It was a very hard life in Britain during those times, he added.
The weather condition was very bad. Heavy snow fallen during winter, most of the time they used to remove the snow/ice from their door step in order to open the door. The thickness of the snow/ice fallen was really high over a feet. One person used to hold the other person’s hand, when they used to go out.
At that time, there were no Bangladeshi or Indian grocery shops, which have now changed drastically. The first grocery shop was on Rochdale Road, Oldham, owned by Mona Ullah, who was from the Doulothpur village of Biswanath. Almost all of the Bangladeshis used to go there to do the shopping. They used to do the shopping once a week; it was easy to split the cost between them. The English women used to deliver straight to their doorstep.
One person was responsible to pay the grocery bills. They did not like to eat sheep meat; instead they used to get live chickens from the farms. They prepared halal meat, which was the main reason not to buy the meat because that was not halal at that time.
Now days you get everything you need; fish, vegetable and pan etc, battle nut was not available at the beginning. He said sometimes, when they felt that they wanted to eat fish then they would buy herring or sardines from the Market.
On Saturdays and Sundays they used to buy chickens and cooked their food in a big cooking pot. The price of a hen was 2 shillings 5 pence (1/2 crown). The prices of goods were very cheap. Usually on a Saturday, he used to go to the public bath. There was always a long queue and people used to wait in the queue for about 3 to 4 hours to get the serial. Half an hour maximum time was allowed to have a bath and the charge was only 2 shillings. The soap and towel was included with this price.
There was language difficulties when he first arrived in the UK, he was able to understand but was not able to speak. The English people used to show their affection to the Bangladeshis. If there was any problem in finding an address they used to show the address, sometimes they used to drop you off at the destination address.
They used to give money for the travel expenses if anyone was struggling with funds. Some people used to advise the new comers to keep their medical card, to show the address where they were living. For those people who were unable to speak the English language, it was useful to keep the medical card in their pocket. The police were very helpful too. He never faced any discrimination just because of his race or nationality. The English men and women were very affectionate and caring too.
In the house his father used to live, the rent was £2.50 per head. Three/four people used to share the cost of the meals. There were insufficient fresh vegetables available. There were big unions from Spain. The people used to think twice whether to buy the vegetable or not, due to the prices being a bit high.
The people used to consider their income before they spent their money. When he used to do the shopping, he’d remember his family back home. If he spent all his income in the UK, then how could he send money abroad to support his family? It will be very difficult for the Bangladeshi family members to maintain themselves.
At that time people used to save most of their money and send it to their loved ones. Many people sent money abroad to buy land and to build houses. Due to this the people were so careful when spending money. He was saddened about not completing his secondary school certificate exam, this was due to the fact that he had left Bangladesh and had come to Britain. He also added that the most enjoyable time of his live was when he was living in a village, he thought that he’d never see home again and would worry about it quite a lot.
In the past, the people who established a business were educated and intelligent, now days the setup of a business is much easier than in the past. There are many businesses that have been set up in different towns and cities, in the past the business was more profitable because there were less competition. Elderly people would usually get the jobs in the factories but for the younger generation only the restaurant jobs were available.
Before coming to Britain he did not know anything about this country, he was too young to learn about foreign countries. He was a very young age when he came to the UK. He recalled some of the memories of when he used to go out with his father, and then white people used to give him sweets and shown affection to him. He won’t forget that, He also never seen any discrimination.
At the factory his father used to work at, the white workers used to tell his father to bring his child with him. He used to go with his father and used to get around 4-5 packs of sweets, which was more than enough. There was some racial tension though, he can’t remember the exact year but he said in the past the black and Asian people were welcomed by the British white people. The people used to come forward and offer help.
In 1995, the total Bangladeshi population in Hyde was around 3,500; in 2007 the total population has doubled. Housing issues is not the only issue within the Bangladeshi Community but this is an issue for the wider community. For example, he said there is a two years’ waiting list for the New Charter Housing. Many of the Bangladeshis are now living in their own houses, so it is for the minority group who are not able to purchase due to their personal circumstances.
8.2.4 Employment:
His cousin owned a restaurant business in Salisbury; he started his first job in the restaurant and worked there for about two and half years. He did not receive any pay but he learnt the English language and had gotten a lot of work experience from there. The accommodation and food was free and sometimes he used to get £5.00 – £6.00 for his pocket expenses.
When he was 16 years old, he told his cousin that he is not going to work for him unless he is paid. He asked his cousin to help him find a new job for him. He was also told that his father’s income was not sufficient for maintaining his family in Bangladesh, so he needed to earn some money and would like to support his father.
He imagined that working in a factory would be really hard, even if he had the chance to work there, he would not be able to do so. He has seen his father and other people working in factories.
His father then contacted a man who had a restaurant in Liverpool; he was originally from the same village. His name was Dipok Chowdhury and the name of the restaurant was Asha. Dipok Chowdhury finally agreed to offer a job to him. He started his employment as a coffee waiter in mid 1968. The wages were £6.00 per week and accommodation and food was included, he had worked there for about 12-14 years.
Dipok Chowdhury’s father was an advocate in the Judge Court, Sylhet, Bangladesh. Dipok Chowdhury helped him to learn English all the time to improve his communication skills. Dipok Chowdhury also insisted that he should go to college to learn English. He also took Faruk Miah with him to college to learn English.
Moboshor Ullah described one of his experiences and said “one of the teachers came to our restaurant and he recognised us, he first seen us at college and told us that we we’re able to speak good English, why do you come here?”, The teacher also told them that they can speak English and therefore have no need to come to college and waste their time.
Moboshor Ullah was gradually promoted from his position which was a coffee waiter to a full waiter. He remembered some of his colleagues whilst he worked at the Asha Restaurant in Liverpool, those were Abu Talib-chef, Subrotho Kanti – Assistant chef, Rafiq Miah, Barindro Chondro Biswash, Musleh Uddin Ahmed and Hussain Ahmed.
He went to the Milk factory in Dukinfield, Cheshire and he met the manager. He had a job for three weeks on a trial basis. The manager also told him that all the training will be given, if he could show that he would be able to do the job then a permanent position will be offered. He completed his trial period with success and had a permanent job with the Milk Company. His job was to operate a computer. He worked there for about three years and used to get £135.00 – £150.00 per week. In 1981, he established a takeaway business in Penny Meadow in Ashton-under-Lyne.
In 1986 he sold his Takeaway in Ashton and opened another Takeaway in Liverpool. He ran the takeaway for about 7-8 years and then sold the business. He then opened another takeaway in Stockport. In 1995, he sold his third business and dedicated his time to the Bangladeshi Community in Hyde.
8.2.5 Housing:
In 1977 he left the job and moved to Dukinfield, Cheshire where he bought a two bedrooms house for the price of £1,600.00. The toilet was outside; there was also no central heating, the main reason for moving to Cheshire was due to his father working in that area and his father requested that he should come to Cheshire.
8.2.6 Social & Family:
In 1969 he returned to Bangladesh for the first time and had gotten married to Afia Khatun from Chuto Polir Ghaw, village of Chattak. He stayed there for about 14-15 months and then returned to the UK, when he returned he also rejoined his old employment at the Asha Restaurant.
In 1975, he brought his wife and son to the UK. He had started living in a house next to his work place and paid the rent of £12.00 per week. Within his friends circle he was the first person to get married and pass his driving test. These were the great achievement in his life, he added. In 1986 he performed his Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah). In the same year he had an invitation from the Hyde Bangladeshi Welfare Association and joined with them.
In 1995, there were activities by the HBWA due to the fact that the centre was closed. Since he became involved he started to do some lobbing with some agencies and was able to bring some of the services to the centre. He also visited other associations in greater Manchester, in order to see how the other associations were run and what sort of activities they were doing. More specifically he appreciates the support he received from the Oldham & Rochdale Bangladesh Association.
He was a member of the Tameside Racial Equality Council, Age Concern, Shahjalal Housing Association, Probin Mela Luncheon Club and the school governor for Hyde Technology School. He worked towards developing the Bangladeshi Community in general but he used to participate and provide support to social activities. His contribution in the Hyde society will be remembered by the Bangladeshi Community, he added.
He said “we need to educate our children, then they will lead the community, they will have better jobs and will bring the prosperity in the future. We will then feel proud to our community”. If you put the national interest first and work together as a team, then we will succeed, he also added.
In 1996, he became the general secretary of the Hyde Bangladeshi Welfare Association. In 1997 he became the chairman of the same Association. He continuously served this community until 2004.
He is the father of 9 children, 4 sons and 5 daughters. The eldest son Kashem Uddin has graduated from Birmingham University and is now working as a teacher in Dubai, his second son is working for British Gas as an engineer, his two daughters are married (Nasima & Halima & Rajima), Naima is working in the legal sector in an office and his other children are in the school and College.
8.2.7 Conclusion:
He shared his experience in working with the community and his life in the UK. He said “you never get 100% support; some people will always oppose to your actions by criticising or not co-operating with you. You have to ignore those kinds of people and you have to work towards a good cause and projects, then you will see the success”. He also said “do not look backwards and try to move on, helping other people is helping mankind and this is purely community work; you will get rewarded from the creator”.
He also said “if any community works as a team (united not divided) when dealing with any issue, you will see the success definitely”. There was an incident with the local police in 2000. The Police played a negative role and arrested a few young people for throwing some rubbishes (chips wrapping paper).
The community was united, a public meeting was called and Chief Inspector of Police had to apologise in public for their wrong action. That police officer was suspended later on. There is some provision for the elderly people at the HBWA, which has been running for about 20 years.
He said “after having the qualification in Bangladesh, there is no guarantee that you would be able to get a job but in the UK, there are many opportunities for an educated person to find employment”. There are many relatives living in Bangladesh and he travels to Bangladesh on regular basis to see his close relatives. He wishes for his retirement life to be spent in the UK with his family.