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 11 April 2010, so information about his personal family information may have been changed.
8.51 Syed Ansaf Miah
8.51.1 Life in Bangladesh: Syed Ansaf Miah was born in 1953 in the village of Syedpur, Jagannathpur, Shnamgonj. His father’s name is late Syed Abdal Miah and he was the land owner (Farmer). He completed his primary education from “Syedpur Primary School”, and then he went to “Syedpur Pilot High School”, he studying up to class 8.
The condition of the village was very good with plenty of rice from the paddy fields and cows (Milk), fishes and horses being available in his house. He used to ride the horses and his family was involved with the boating competition in every year. Although the economy wasn’t very good but the people were very happy and what they needed was there.
There wasn’t a very good road communication within that area and he used to use the boat for transport (even going to school). His family also had a fighting bull and they used to organise events to celebrate for cultural reasons. He used to do the fishing and there was plenty of fruit and vegetables available in his home area.
At that time the education system was very good compared to this time. The people were good and there was less corruption, if there was any problem in the village then the villagers would help out to resolve any issues. If the Villagers find that the someone is guilty for doing wrong then the punishment was to shave their head or to put a shoe necklace on and they had to run around the pond 7 times and they also had to swear that they will never do it again.
8.51.2 Journey to the UK & Immigration:
In September 1966 he came to Britain, he had used a boy voucher to come to the UK, the reasons for coming to Britain was because his father was living there. In 1965 there was a conflict between India and Pakistan and his father thought it will be better for him to come to the UK to settle.
When he received the declaration from his father he had taken one of his cousins and went to the British High Commission in Dhaka to process the application for settlement. On the same day he obtained the visa and then after two months he came to Britain. He flew from Dhaka airport by PIA and arrived at Heathrow airport. When he first arrived in the UK he went to see one of his uncles in London and then was taken to Birmingham where his father was living. The address was 35 Dickens Road, Hay Mills, Birmingham.
8.51.3 Life in the UK
His father used to work in a car factory making Jaguars based in Birmingham, the weather was very cold, during the winter time there was always snowfall. The people were very nice and friendly. The housing condition wasn’t very good, there was no central heating system, no hot water, and people would use coal to heat up the house.
The toilet was outside, the people used to go to the public bath once a week. There wasn’t many Asian grocery shops at the time, so the people used to do their shopping from the English markets, there was a very limited supply to get Asian vegetables. The price of goods were good, the life was good.
There were less private cars and the main transport was public buses, trains and taxies. There were was a very limited number of mosques at the time also. The people used to go to the cinema once a week and would also visit each other’s houses. The TV’s were black and white and they only had one channel so people would prefer to go to the cinema. There was no carpet in house so they would use liners and people had a really hard time with the weather.
8.51.4 Education in the UK:
He went to Golden Hillock High School in 1966 in Small Heath, Birmingham; he finished in 1969 with a SEC (Secondary Education Certificate). In 1969 he went to college to study photography and to learn English. After finishing his study he studied for a GCSE in law, after about a year he finished the study.
8.51.5 Employment & Business:
His first job was an apprenticeship with a garage in Birmingham; he did it for a week and stopped because he didn’t enjoy it. His uncle then offered him a job in a restaurant and offered to teach him how to do it. He started working in the restaurant in 1969, he worked as a training waiter and earned £7 a week, 12pm to 3pm and 5:30pm to 11:30pm were his working hours, he worked there for a year.
In 1970 his father opened a grocery shop, and he helped within the shop. He used to get £20 a week as pocket money. He worked there until 1974 and then his father bought a restaurant and he sold the grocery shop, he then started work within the restaurant. He worked there as a waiter and earned £35 a week, his working hours were 5pm to 12pm.
His father sold the restaurant in 1975 and then he found a job in an English restaurant and started work there in 1976, the restaurant was called Steak House. He earned £25 a week and the working hours were 7pm till 12pm. In 1976 he bought a building and renovated that place into a restaurant and opened it in 1977, It was in New Brighton.
The building cost £4500 and he spent £4500 for the restaurant. The profit was reasonable. He owned the restaurant until 1991 because the MDC council said that the building came under CPO and taken it. In 1992 he opened a takeaway in Wallasey Village in Merseyside.
To set up the business it was cost him £20,000, the profit was reasonable. In 1999 he had given up the lease and bought a new restaurant/takeaway just opposite the old business. It’s still there now and he is still the owner, it is called MAK Syed Restaurant & Takeaway.
8.51.6 Housing:
His first house was a 3 bedroom town house in New Brighton, Merseyside. He paid £13,500 and he bought it in 1979. In 1986 he bought a new house and let out the old one, it was a 4 bedroom detached house, he paid £33,000 and it was in Wallasey Village, Merseyside. In 1989 he bought a new house; it was a 3 bedroom semi-detached house, he paid £33,000. It was in Prenton, Birkenhead, and Merseyside. In 2010 he sold the first house to his son; he is still living in the semi-detached house.
8.51.7 Social & Family:
In 1975, he went to Bangladesh for the first time and he had gotten married to Syeda Rabeya Khatun, they were from the same area where he was raised; in 1978 he brought his family to the UK.
He has 6 son’s and 2 daughter’s, His first 3 sons done higher education and their profession is teaching, his 3 other sons are attending schools, one of his daughters is going to university and his other daughter is attending secondary school. He has got some close relatives living in Bangladesh so he regularly travels there to see them.
Since 1966, when he came to Britain he used to help people write letters, In 1970 he provided help and support to the people who didn’t have transport and struggled with their language, he offered the support to those people by taking them to hospitals, job centres etc. In 1970 he was serving as the sports secretary.
In 1975 he joined the Bangladesh Welfare Association in Merseyside, he was the Assistant Secretary. He served there for 5 years. He became the General Secretary in 1980, in 1985 he became the vice chairman and was a founding member of a Bangla School, and in 1995 he became the chairman of the Wirral Bangladesh Association.
In 1995, he joined a Bangladeshi political party called Jonoforum headed by Dr Kamal Hussain. In 2006, he retired from the chairmanship. During his involvement with all these organisations he carried out a number of projects helping local communities also. From 2006 to 2009 he was the director of the “Shajahal Mosque” in Birkenhead. In 2010 he was serving as a treasurer of the “Development Council for Bangladeshis in the UK”. In 2012 he was appointed as the “Voice for Justice in the UK”.
8.51.8 Independence of Bangladesh:
During the liberation period he was involved in supporting the action committee and he collected the donations, attended meetings and demonstrations organised by the group. Recently he received an award from Channel I in recognition of his participation in the liberation time.
8.51.9 Conclusion:
The first generation of Bangladeshi immigrant did not have the higher education but at present the new generation of the Bangladeshi community is doing very well and making progress. It is very important for the community to have the facility for Bangla classes to be added with Arabic classes. That is the improvement he wants to see, this affects the outcome of the Bangladeshis community.