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Badsha
Meah was born in the Sylhet district of Bangladesh on January 30th
1936.
He
came to Gloucester in 1965 to stay with his brother Askir Meah who
had come to Gloucester approximately seven or eight years before.
Badsha
had come to join his brothers in the restaurant business. At the
time there were only three Bangladeshi restaurants in Gloucester
and his brother successfully owned two of them.
One
was at 20 London Road called New Karachi. The second was called
Taj Mahal and was at 49 Southgate Street.
Different
origin
The
restaurants were named after Indian and Pakistani places and monuments
- although they were fundamentally from a completely different origin,
that of Bangladesh - because the people in this country were more
familiar with Indian icons than with those of Bangladesh, a smaller
and less recognised country.
The
restaurants were named after Indian and Pakistani places and
monuments - although they were fundamentally from a completely
different origin - because the people in this country were more
familiar with Indian icons than with those of Bangladesh, a
smaller and less recognised country.
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Untold Stories |
The
restaurants would be kept open during the day and at night, however
Badsha found that most of his customers would come in the evening.
They
would mostly be English - just one in a hundred would be of a different
nationality.
Eastern
food, with its range of spices, progressively became an alternative
to English food for many people.
Before
coming to Gloucester, he was a student in Bangladesh and had learnt
a little about England. On
arrival, Badsha had found the language barrier to be a problem.
However, as
time passed, his English improved.
He
remembers Barton Street, predominantly known for its Asian community,
as being very different from today.
There
are many Asian food stores now but there were scarcely any back
then.
He
remembers having to go to Ryecroft Street to do some shopping at
Mr Achei's shop. Although
there weren't any Bangladeshi vegetables he could buy Indian vegetables
instead.
Times
have changed
Badsha
was joined in July 1986 by his wife Roushan Ara Meah. Then the Asian
women would not go out very much. Now, he reflects on how times
have changed.
Like
most of the Bangladeshi families now, his wife and daughters go
shopping or to college.
He
accepted this because he believed that his daughters should have
the same opportunities as boys - therefore they should go to college
for higher education.
Badsha
would like to go back to Bangladesh, but only to visit. He prefers
to live in England.
Badsha is now known as the most senior
member of his community. Although his children have been brought
up in this country, he has given them a Bangladeshi upbringing
in the home.
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Untold Stories |
He
has raised his children in this country and now all but one have
left school and grown up.
They
have been educated in this country but Badsha adamantly rejects
the idea that of any of his children should enter the restaurant
business because it is now very competitive.
Differentiating
one restaurant from another is very difficult now, as there are
so many to choose from. Moreover,
the competition has made the catering trade less profitable than
before.
Badsha
is now known as the most senior member of his community. Although
his children have been brought up in this country, he has given
them a Bangladeshi upbringing in the home.
He
loves his country and would like his children to be married in Bangladesh.
»
See 'The Bangladeshi Community'
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