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What is the connection between Sylhet and London?

There might be some Bangladeshi ads but saying that it is all Bangladeshi is wrong. Bangladeshis only number 500,000 in UK compared to 1.2 Million Pakistanis and 1.4 Million Indians so why would Star Plus UK just show Bangladeshi ads?

But in my cable TV Star Plus (UK) channel shows all Bangladeshi ads in Hindi.
 
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I say love story between London and Sylhet because almost every resident Sylheti have atleast one member in London. I have never met or heard about any Sylheti having no connection with London. Why are Sylhetis so obsessed with London?

@Saiful Islam, please share your London connection. Many PDF BD members are also living in London. You guys know better about it.

@ Well as per my experience, the Sylheti's never considered themselve as a Bengali. They considered that their Sylhet has a differnt langauge. Historcially Sylhet was a part of greater Assam. In 1946/47 through a referendum it was annexed to the then East Pakistan. All though the Sylheti's voted for Muslim Leaque and subsequently voted for referendum to join Pakistan but once they came to Pakistan they were frustated as hardly any major refugee settlement were made. There were too many refugees came from Assam mostly they were Sylheti. This was as because many muslim majority areas of greater Sylhet district was not given to Pakistan. Take an example of Karimganj, it was a muslim majority subdivision but finally not attached to East Pakistan.

@ The Sylheti people came close with the English people once the tea plantation started in greater district of Sylhet during the British period. Since then many people migrated to London.

@ I think the greater Sylheti people's blood came from Turkey. Their caste custom, attitude, food habits resembles with Turkish people. So, they considered themselve as a minority in greater Bengal.

@ Once majority refugees came from Assam and they were not well treated so most of them were depressed. Many went back. Infact Pakistan was also not in a position to feed and housed them. Pakistan govt was more interested with the refugees of Biharees who came from Bihar and other areas of India.

@ Under these critical situation, immediately after the Second World War there was a huge labour crisis in Britain. British Govt offerred to supply some labour to the just freed independent countries of Common Wealth . Pakistan govt accepted the offer. Once the option given to Bengal, the Sylheti people at once accepted the offer and went to England. At that time non of the other people of Bengal were interested to go to London as they were busy in celebrating the newly got independent Pakistan. ( Nara-e-Tekbir Allah Hu Akbar, Larke Lange Pakistan, Pakistan Zinda Bad).

@ Slowly and gradually, these migrated Sylheti people took their relatives to London and today in three constituencies of Britain became the deciding factor. As I have already said since the people of Sylhet does not considered themselve as Bengali so they did not get married to other Bengali women so their number increased rapidly and remained intact as Sylheti.
 
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@ Well as per my experience, the Sylheti's never considered themselve as a Bengali. They considered that their Sylhet has a differnt langauge. Historcially Sylhet was a part of greater Assam. In 1946/47 through a referendum it was annexed to the then East Pakistan. All though the Sylheti's voted for Muslim Leaque and subsequently voted for referendum to join Pakistan but once they came to Pakistan they were frustated as hardly any major refugee settlement were made. There were too many refugees came from Assam mostly they were Sylheti. This was as because many muslim majority areas of greater Sylhet district was not given to Pakistan. Take an example of Karimganj, it was a muslim majority subdivision but finally not attached to East Pakistan.

@ The Sylheti people came close with the English people once the tea plantation started in greater district of Sylhet during the British period. Since then many people migrated to London.

@ I think the greater Sylheti people's blood came from Turkey. Their caste custom, attitude, food habits resembles with Turkish people. So, they considered themselve as a minority in greater Bengal.

@ Once majority refugees came from Assam and they were not well treated so most of them were depressed. Many went back. Infact Pakistan was also not in a position to feed and housed them. Pakistan govt was more interested with the refugees of Biharees who came from Bihar and other areas of India.

@ Under these critical situation, immediately after the Second World War there was a huge labour crisis in Britain. British Govt offerred to supply some labour to the just freed independent countries of Common Wealth . Pakistan govt accepted the offer. Once the option given to Bengal, the Sylheti people at once accepted the offer and went to England. At that time non of the other people of Bengal were interested to go to London as they were busy in celebrating the newly got independent Pakistan. ( Nara-e-Tekbir Allah Hu Akbar, Larke Lange Pakistan, Pakistan Zinda Bad).

@ Slowly and gradually, these migrated Sylheti people took their relatives to London and today in three constituencies of Britain became the deciding factor. As I have already said since the people of Sylhet does not considered themselve as Bengali so they did not get married to other Bengali women so their number increased rapidly and remained intact as Sylheti.
Md Akmal bhai as usual very informative. Thanks
 
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@ Well as per my experience, the Sylheti's never considered themselve as a Bengali. They considered that their Sylhet has a differnt langauge. Historcially Sylhet was a part of greater Assam. In 1946/47 through a referendum it was annexed to the then East Pakistan. All though the Sylheti's voted for Muslim Leaque and subsequently voted for referendum to join Pakistan but once they came to Pakistan they were frustated as hardly any major refugee settlement were made. There were too many refugees came from Assam mostly they were Sylheti. This was as because many muslim majority areas of greater Sylhet district was not given to Pakistan. Take an example of Karimganj, it was a muslim majority subdivision but finally not attached to East Pakistan.

@ The Sylheti people came close with the English people once the tea plantation started in greater district of Sylhet during the British period. Since then many people migrated to London.

@ I think the greater Sylheti people's blood came from Turkey. Their caste custom, attitude, food habits resembles with Turkish people. So, they considered themselve as a minority in greater Bengal.

@ Once majority refugees came from Assam and they were not well treated so most of them were depressed. Many went back. Infact Pakistan was also not in a position to feed and housed them. Pakistan govt was more interested with the refugees of Biharees who came from Bihar and other areas of India.

@ Under these critical situation, immediately after the Second World War there was a huge labour crisis in Britain. British Govt offerred to supply some labour to the just freed independent countries of Common Wealth . Pakistan govt accepted the offer. Once the option given to Bengal, the Sylheti people at once accepted the offer and went to England. At that time non of the other people of Bengal were interested to go to London as they were busy in celebrating the newly got independent Pakistan. ( Nara-e-Tekbir Allah Hu Akbar, Larke Lange Pakistan, Pakistan Zinda Bad).

@ Slowly and gradually, these migrated Sylheti people took their relatives to London and today in three constituencies of Britain became the deciding factor. As I have already said since the people of Sylhet does not considered themselve as Bengali so they did not get married to other Bengali women so their number increased rapidly and remained intact as Sylheti.
I don't have good knowledge of everything you said here, but the following are true:

1. Even today Sylhetis esp the older ones, educated or illiterate, call the people of other greater districts of BD 'Bengali'.

2. Sylhetis rarely marry outside Sylhet. Sylheti Chowdhuries rarely marry off their sons or daughters to other Sylheties who are not genuine Chowdhuries or Syeds, let alone to other non-Sylheti people.

3. Sylheti cuisine is different from those of other areas in BD.

4. Lexical similarity between Sylheti and Bengali is 70% (while it is 60% between English and German) and linguists are divided in their opinion regarding whether Sylheti should be considered a seperate language or a dialect of Bengali. Many Sylheti words are common with Assamese. Pronunciations are more similar to Assamese than to Bengali, particles are unique, pronouns are gender specific. Lastly Sylheti had a different script (Syloti Nagri), many Punthis written in Syloti Nagri are existent. I hear of people from older generations who could read no other script other than Syloti Nagri.

5. Lastly one historical fact orally transmitted to next generations-Shah Suja's Army took refuge in Tripura while fleeing from his brothers and many of his men took local wives (Tripura is neighboring to BD and part of it fell in areas now part of BD).
 
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I don't have good knowledge of everything you said here, but the following are true:

1. Even today Sylhetis esp the older ones, educated or illiterate, call the people of other greater districts of BD 'Bengali'.

2. Sylhetis rarely marry outside Sylhet. Sylheti Chowdhuries rarely marry off their sons or daughters to other Sylheties who are not genuine Chowdhuries or Syeds, let alone to other non-Sylheti people.

3. Sylheti cuisine is different from those of other areas in BD.

4. Lexical similarity between Sylheti and Bengali is 70% (while it is 60% between English and German) and linguists are divided in their opinion regarding whether Sylheti should be considered a seperate language or a dialect of Bengali. Many Sylheti words are common with Assamese. Pronunciations are more similar to Assamese than to Bengali, particles are unique, pronouns are gender specific. Lastly Sylheti had a different script (Syloti Nagri), many Punthis written in Syloti Nagri are existent. I hear of people from older generations who could read no other script other than Syloti Nagri.

5. Lastly one historical fact orally transmitted to next generations-Shah Suja's Army took refuge in Tripura while fleeing from his brothers and many of his men took local wives (Tripura is neighboring to BD and part of it fell in areas now part of BD).

@ Who says that you have no knowlege. You have nicely expressed the real facts of Sylheti people. It does not mean that we are underming the Sylheti people.

@ Finally thanks for revealing the truth that Suja's soldiers took shelter in Tripura. Time and again I had been pleading that Bengal had been a safe heaven for the muslim fugitives not only the Indian Sub-continents but also for the muslims of Middle-East.

@ About the "Syloti Nagri", yes I have gone through it but hardly I understand. Basically, the muslims of Bengal did not had any written language. They used to express in Bengali but never went deep to study the "Sanscret". More so who would taught them ????? So, a different oral language being inspired by the Persian and Arabian scholars invented in East Bengal known as " Puthir Gan". The "Syloti Nagri" is one of such "Puthi".

@ This "Puthir Gan" played a very vital role in expreading the muslim culture, traditions, muslim history from generation to generation. And it continued for about 3 centuries. And it became very popular within a very short period. Soon the Hindu scholar to counter this invented "Kobir Gan".
 
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I don't have good knowledge of everything you said here, but the following are true:

1. Even today Sylhetis esp the older ones, educated or illiterate, call the people of other greater districts of BD 'Bengali'.

2. Sylhetis rarely marry outside Sylhet. Sylheti Chowdhuries rarely marry off their sons or daughters to other Sylheties who are not genuine Chowdhuries or Syeds, let alone to other non-Sylheti people.

3. Sylheti cuisine is different from those of other areas in BD.

4. Lexical similarity between Sylheti and Bengali is 70% (while it is 60% between English and German) and linguists are divided in their opinion regarding whether Sylheti should be considered a seperate language or a dialect of Bengali. Many Sylheti words are common with Assamese. Pronunciations are more similar to Assamese than to Bengali, particles are unique, pronouns are gender specific. Lastly Sylheti had a different script (Syloti Nagri), many Punthis written in Syloti Nagri are existent. I hear of people from older generations who could read no other script other than Syloti Nagri.

5. Lastly one historical fact orally transmitted to next generations-Shah Suja's Army took refuge in Tripura while fleeing from his brothers and many of his men took local wives (Tripura is neighboring to BD and part of it fell in areas now part of BD).

My dad is from Narayangonj, when his side of family use their local dialect i find it hard to understand. Dialects are suppose to be different. There was a time when Assamese considered as a dialect of Bengali. They use the same script as us. They even claim Charyapada as their languages early example.

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@ Who says that you have no knowlege. You have nicely expressed the real facts of Sylheti people. It does not mean that we are underming the Sylheti people.

@ Finally thanks for revealing the truth that Suja's soldiers took shelter in Trippura. Time again I am pleading that Bengal had been a safe heaven for the muslim fugitives not only the Indian Sub-continents but also for the muslims of Middle-East.

@ About the "Syloti Nagri", yes I have gone through it but hardly I understand. Basically, the muslims of Bengal did not had any written language. They used to express in Bengali but never went deep to study the "Sanscret". More so who would taught them ????? So, a different oral language being inspired by the Persian and Arabian scholars invented in East Bengal known as " Puthir Gan". The "Syloti Nagri" is one of such "Puthi".

@ This "Puthir Gan" played a very vital role in expreading the muslim culture, traditions, muslim history from generation to generation. And it continued for 3 centuries. And it became very popular within a very short period. Soon the Hindu scholar to counter this invented "Kobir Gan".

Shah Suza took refuge in Arakan where he was betrayer and killed. Khan Jahan Ali might be a example you are looking for,

Khan Jahan, a noble under the Tughlaqs, seems to have come to Bengal just after the sack of Delhi (1398) by Timur. He acquired the forest area of the Sundarbans asjagir (fief) from the sultan of Delhi and subsequently from the sultan of Bengal. He cleared up the dense forest in the Sundarban area to set up human settlements.

He ruled over an area called Khalifatabad stretching up to Naldi to the north of Narail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Jahan_Ali.
 
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