British Bangladeshis

Abstract

The palm tree in Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ‘Palm Tree’ dreams of flight and escape. Once allowed to escape its land, it journeys far and wide. It never forgets its homeland, however, and when the rushing of the wind subsides it returns once more to earth, its mother (Radice, 1987). The poem, which is well known in West Bengal and Bangladesh, seems like an apt metaphor for the adventures of the early Bangladeshi migrants to Britain. In its imagery we can see elements of space and time, of travel, history and life courses. Many of these early migrants took extraordinary risks during their youths on roundabout journeys to Britain. Across the oceans they heaved and swished on ships to London, via Singapore, New York, Sydney and Buenos Aires. As the storms and winds of a youth on the high seas during the dangerous war years subsided, they settled down to a family life. They dreamed of a return to the land of their birth, their earthly corner, Sylhet. Many, however, as I will describe, stayed in Britain.