Ansar Ahmed Ullah from the Swadhinata Trust and Mariam Sheikh Hakim, a London-bred communications specialist and freelance writer have teamed up to tell us all about Bangladeshi culture in London for our World in London series.

The 2001 National Census recorded that 153, 893 people of Bangladeshi origin reside in London, with approximately 65,500 living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Tower Hamlets has a rich history of welcoming different immigrant populations – from the French Huguenots of the 1700s to the Jewish immigrants of the late 1800s. Now the area is largely occupied by the Bengali Community and is the best place to experience Bangladesh in London.

The very first Bengalis who came to the UK were seamen, and were often ship’s cooks in the early 1900s. Back then Bengal was still part of India, and later, following partition in 1947, the majority of Bengal became East Pakistan.

The success story of the so-called “Indian” is the 10,000-12,000 restaurants in the UK, which are almost all owned and run by Bangladeshis. This started with the setting up of cafes ashore, which spread out from the docks.

By the 1970s, East Pakistan gained independence and sovereignty as the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. After the independence of Bangladesh during the 1970s and 1980s, many more Bangladeshi families began settling in East London near Brick Lane as well as central London such as Camden – Drummond Street in particular. This led to an increase of cultural and religious activities in these areas, particularly in food, music, arts, literature, drama and now festivals in East London.

Today, Brick Lane – also known as Banglatown – has been dubbed the “Curry capital” of Europe, boasting more than 50 restaurants on just one street.

Since 1997, the Bangladeshi community in East London have been organising the Baishakhi Mela (Bengali New Year Festival) in Banglatown annually. The celebrations take place in Brick Lane, and adjoining streets, and include live music from two stages, Bengali food and a grand parade by children in costumes. The festival is often held in the second weekend of May and has now become an annual event for all Bangladeshis from the UK as well as Europe. Today the Baishakhi Mela held in London’s East End is the largest open air festival outside Bangladesh and West Bengal and the second biggest in London after Notting Hill Carnival.

At the Altab Ali Park at the very bottom of Brick Lane, there is even a replica version of the famous national Bangladeshi monument, the Shaheed Minar which commemorates Bangladeshi language martyrs.

So, in short if you want to experience Bangladesh in London, head to London’s Banglatown, as it’s the best place to start!

Note: We’ve used the term “Bengali” here to describe the language and culture from the Bengal region now spreading across West Bengal in India and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Do you have any other top tips for experiencing Bangladeshi culture in London? Let us know in the comments below…

Tucked away opposite the Old Truman Brewery in London E1 is Sheba Brick Lane.

On arriving in Brick Lane we were greeted by touts for a host of Indian restaurants all claiming to offer the best meal on the busy East End street. Sheba, however, needs no touts – it has a steady stream of customers literally queuing for the chance to eat at the well-loved establishment.
 
Founded in 1973, this family-run restaurant excels in delivering delicious, hearty Indian cuisine at a reasonable price. We arrived at 7pm to a full restaurant. Many diners seemed to be regular customers judging by their familiar rapport with the waiters, which we took to be a good sign. The bustling, buzzy atmosphere gave a sense of theatricality to the whole experience.
 
The extensive menu was rather overwhelming, with specialties from award-winning chef Gulab Miah, Sheba house specials, a huge selection of seafood as well as all the curry house classics. We eventually decided on kebab ke karishma (grilled meats) followed by the lamb lucklow (lamb shank) and special tandoori korai king prawn.

The main dishes were particularly outstanding. We’ll return to Sheba for the lamb lucknow alone, with its rich gravy of cardamon, tomato and saffron. In fact, the food was so good and portions so generous that we were compelled to take home what we couldn’t finish.
 
Our evening was rounded off perfectly with a stroll back to Liverpool Street station through the charming Spitalfields Market, happy in the knowledge that we would be able to enjoy our Sheba leftovers for lunch the next day.

Sheba is open seven days a week and booking is recommended at the weekend.

Last night I went to the launch of London’s first-ever drive-in cinema.

Located in a large carpark in the Old Truman Brewery off Brick Lane, the Starlite Drive-In consists of about 20 brand new Volvos parked in front of a big screen for your viewing pleasure.

For the launch, the cars were the stars: we were invited to explore the three types of Volvo provided (a convertible, a sporty 2-door model and a 4×4) – by sitting in the driver’s seat, playing with radio and sun roof controls, and honking the horns (although this was discouraged!). There’s no need to bring your licence though, as all the cars remain stationary and the engines are firmly off. We only saw a short promo film, but tonight and tomorrow cinema-goers will watch Dirty Dancing and Grease.

Catering and entertainment was provided by The Brickhouse nightclub, which backs on to the carpark. There was a brief speech from Damien Barr – the visionary behind the Starlite Drive-in:

“We all grew up with the drive-in dream. But it never happened in Britain because we don’t have the space, the weather, or that car culture. I wanted to update the idea and make it work for an urban, eco-conscious audience and this seemed the perfect way to do it.”

After which, we were treated to 1950s-style performances – retro singers, burlesque and a hula hoop girl.

I’d love to say long live the drive in but Volvo Sarlite Urban Drive-In is open for two nights only in London, before relocating to other spots around the UK.

Let’s hope it returns next year!

On a recent sunny Saturday, I put on my best Sherlock Holmes hat and joined five friends to solve a murder mystery presented to me as”Murder Killed the Radio Star”  courtesy of A Door in a Wall.

The day started at the Vibe Bar in Brick Lane where about 100 people convened to get their briefing, including a list of possible suspects and clues to locations all across London.

This is where the fun started: having pinpointed certain areas to find clues about our suspects, we headed to the city. We covered great mileage including The Barbican, The British Library, The British Museum and Soho to name but a few.

The clues were hidden by ingenious methods of using shops or museums to display pieces of information. We also met with several actors throughout the day who offered gossip for some insights.

After about five hours of running around, with the occasional hop on a bus or tube to save our ailing feet, we returned to Brick Lane to write down our findings and to name our culprit.

We didn’t win, despite identifying the correct suspect, but to be honest after such a great day I don’t think people cared if they had won.

I can’t recommend this enough as this was one of the best days I have spent in London and the bonus was I have  discovered some hidden gems in the city. The company (A Door in a Wall) that organises the event set it up originally for friends but when they realised what fun they all had, they opened it up to anyone.

It takes about three months of preparation to make each day happen, which didn’t surprise me as the level of detail was amazing.  I won’t tell you how much as that might spoil the next event.

I will hopefully be solving the next murder sometime soon. Perhaps I will be Miss Marple next time and perhaps I will see you there. Find out more at www.adoorinawall.com

East, one of London’s most exciting, quirky and cool festivals, is just around the corner!

East is an annual festival that celebrates the cultural and creative life of East London. Next year it will be held from 4-9 March and, while we can’t reveal too much at this stage, we can tell you that it’s going to be just as interesting and diverse as ever.

East 2010 will explore four key themes:

1. Architecture
2. Asian Subcontinent
3. Travel
4. Minimalism

The six-day festival features around 80 events held at East London venues ranging from The Barbican to Brick Lane, Whitechapel Gallery to Spitalfields Market.

Previous East festivals have seen innovative new collaborations, work from world-class artists and performers, and record audiences. This is one London festival you really don’t want to miss.

In fact, why wait for March? The Christmas break is an ideal time to get out and about in East London. For inspiration, check out the East London Walks page, our Only in London East Itinerary and the DIY East guide. That way, when the festival rolls around, you’ll be fully prepared to enjoy East!