17 October 2009
Besides Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos, Bangladeshis constitute a bulk of the expatriate population in Abu Dhabi and its surrounding areas. A large number of them are employed in sectors involving hard physical labour. But after their arduous working days under the scorching sun, they look forward to their weekends when they can get together with their friends and relatives on the grounds next to the Al Mullah building.
The gathering of Bangladeshis begins around 5pm on Fridays and by about 7pm, the place is transformed into a crowded market place, with loud conversations in various accents of Bangla language filling the air.
“When we meet here, we feel as if we are in our native place, because we can meet our friends and relatives here. I’m here only for the last 10 months and I have been terribly homesick. But we feel really good when we meet here,” says Mobinul Haq, who hails from Chittagong in Bangladesh.
The 35-year-old electrician came to Abu Dhabi, leaving behind his parents, wife, brother and sister back in Bangladesh. Even though he stays at Khalifa City, which is considerably far from Electra Street, he looks forward to meeting his compatriots on Electra Street every weekend.
Shaheedul Islam, 34-year-old painter who is a ‘regular’ at the weekend gathering, says, “Sitting on these lawns we share news of our people back home. Among the crowd are several who have just returned from Bangladesh after their vacation. So they update us on the happenings back in our homes and the neighbourhood.”
Muhammed Nazemuddin, who runs an electrical goods shop on the Electra Street, says, “Some people bring us the ‘parcels’ sent from our home, during our weekend get-together. We can also meet some who are about to proceed on vacation. So this area provides a meeting point for us to send parcels to our relatives in Bangladesh.”
Mohammed Imtiaz, who hails from Dhaka, says, “I have also been able to make new friends through our weekly get-together here. One such friend who works in a prominent hotel here has just delivered a diary to me.”
How did these meetings begin?
“It is not clear to me how these meetings originated, though I have been here for the last 22 years. But a large number of Bangladeshis are staying in Al Mullah building. Initially the friends and relatives of those who are staying in the building must have started flocking to the area and eventually it might have emerged as a meeting point for a large section of Bangladeshis in Abu Dhabi, even from far away areas like Musaffah,” says 58-year old Abu Tahir.
He hails from Feiny in Bangladesh and is working in the building maintenance sector. His wife, two sons and two daughters are living in Bangladesh.
“We are able to go home mostly after a gap of two years or more, so it is this sharing amongst our friends sitting on this lawn that keeps our relationships green. And I don’t miss a chance to come to this place for the weekend evenings,” says Tahir.
The shops in the area, selling electrical and electronic items, consumer goods and textiles, and the small restaurants make good business on weekends.
“Sales almost double and triple during the weekend. But the recession has affected us significantly,” says Muhammed Imtiaz.
Many Bangladeshi workers buy the goods that they want to send to their families or wish to carry with them owhen they go on vacation. Some of them run private financing, but they are scared of sharing details of the business.
