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My
name is Haris Ali and I was born in Sylhet in Bangladesh. I carne
to this county in 1963 and my first job was painting motor vehicles
in Hitchin. I
lived there for a year and then moved to Welwyn Garden City where
I spent the next three years working in a bread factory.
I came
to England to make a living in order to provide for my family in
Bangladesh. When I first carne to England I had no education. I
had worked on the land and I had not been able to go to school as
it was too far from my house.
When
I first arrived in England I worked all day and then went to night
school to learn English.
The
health inspector gave me the idea of helping teach the Bengali
community to learn English.
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| Haris
Ali |
I finally
settled in Gloucester in 1980 with my family and started a restaurant
named Maharajah. This
is where I first became involved with the community.
I had
a visit from the health inspector at the Maharajah and he gave me
the idea of helping teach the Bengali community to learn English.
So
I set up a programme where our community could come to learn English.
We had special classes for women who carne to my house.
The
courses grew in popularity grew and so we decided to introduce Arabic
teaching for children. This was because Islam is very important
to the Bengali community. The
Holy Quran is written in Arabic, and to keep its authenticity we
Muslims have to learn and understand Arabic.
Persistence
The
Arabic class ran alongside the English class in my house. As the
community grew, the Arabic teachings were moved to a small Bengali
Community Centre which was set up by the Bengali community in the
mid 1990s.
My
persistence in ensuring there was a place for the children was very
important. I have enjoyed working with the community here in Gloucester
and will continue to contribute and to help bring together ideas.
When
I had full time work, I had to manage my money with responsibility
both for my family back in Bangladesh and my family in England.
I'm
still committed to supporting my people in Bangladesh, even
though I am a pensioner. I
need to help the new generation in Bangladesh to read, write
and speak good English, so that they don't need to rely on foreign
support.
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| Haris
Ali |
I only
used money myself for the vital necessities, such as a small amount
of food and for household bills. The
rest of my money - up to 75 per cent - was sent home to support
my family, to provide for developments in the local community and
to help the children of my locality.
I'm
still committed to supporting my people in Bangladesh, even though
I am a pensioner. I'm providing them with whatever I can.
I need
to help the new generation in Bangladesh to read, write and speak
good English, so that they don't need to rely on foreign support.
»
See 'The Bangladeshi Community'
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