MADE IN BANGLADESH
a social Bunch, Bangladeshis keep themselves Busy with Safaris, Rallies, dawats & more
There may not be a single building in Dubai and the UAE that wasn’t built by Bangladeshi hands, says Mohammed Noor, an expat who moved to Dubai in 1998 from the US. “Our countrymen have created this nation,” says the residences director, Hyatt Regency Dubai and Galleria, who prefers Dubai to America. “Money is not everything,” he says. “Life is also about the personal touch and the sense of togetherness. I came here (to Dubai) for two years, and have been here for 19!”
The talk of community and sense of togetherness recurs in conversations with Bangladeshis. “There are at least 6,00,000 Bangladeshis in the UAE”, says Dr A.K.M. Rafique Ahammed, commercial counsellor, Consulate General of Bangladesh. And the population, he says, is largely concentrated in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The general impression Bangladeshis have of themselves is that “we’re kind, hard-working, social people. We love being together and we love eating together too.”
Some Bangladeshis though have a bone to pick with the media for supposedly, putting them on the backfoot, perception-wise, in portraying all Bangladeshis as construction workers and/or criminals. The complaint goes that no one speaks of the accomplishments — of the more than 100 engineers employed by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), of the Bangladeshi doctors, bankers, teachers, entrepreneurs, IT professionals and businessmen who’ve thrived here.
Dr Reza Khan, principal wildlife specialist, Dubai Zoo/Safari, Dubai Municipality, says, as 80 per cent of Bangladeshis here are labourers, most non-Bangladeshis forget about the 20 per cent white-collar employees who work in high offices as teachers, scientists, physicians and engineers. “Their contributions go unrecognised. The worst misconception about Bangladeshis is held and broadcast by newspapers. For example, when an Indian is involved in a crime the news says, an Asian was involved in the crime, whereas if it was committed by a Bangladeshi, the paper mentions the name of the Bangladeshi person, and if possible, the name of his village too!”
According to the consulate in Dubai, UAE is one of Bangladesh’s major trading partners with trade volumes of the two countries currently over US$1billion. Major exports from Bangladesh to UAE are frozen fish, jute yarn and twine, knitwear, woven garments, vegetables, dry food, battery parts, etc.
The saris are famous — the tangail silk, jamdani, taat, katan and the gorgeous nakshi kantha. Everyone’s heard the story of how the finest silk muslin Bangladeshi sari can slide right through a ring. When Bangladeshi women go back home, it’s not uncommon for other women to load them with requests to bring saris back for them.
Bangladeshis are a very social bunch, with several occasions throughout the year to socialise and celebrate. There are car rallies that happen. Every year on Dec 2, 150-160 members of the community drive up to Fujairah together. They also organise one of the biggest desert safaris, with 300-400 community members ever game to dune bash. “We have a thriving community here,” says Mohammad Nowsher Ali, a senior manager at Emirates Engineering, Emirates Airlines (who was born and brought up near the banks of the river Meghna and misses “its beauty, its water, its smell”). “We celebrate Eid, and all national and traditional events and festivals. Major ones are Eid, our National Day, Victory Day, International Mother’s Language Day, Boishakhi (Bengali New Year), Bosonto Boron (welcoming spring), besides the annual picnics, weekend dawats, other get-togethers and mini-community events.”
It’s the reason why you will rarely meet a homesick Bangladeshi in UAE. They miss the rains, the greenery, and the six seasons back home, but all the socialising, community events and people here make UAE feel like home.