Some of the earliest immigrants from the greater Dawrai area came to Britain in the early part of the 20th century. They were mainly sea men working on merchant ships, who returned to Bangladesh after their brief stint to the UK. Settling in Britain was never contemplated as these people had strong links to their homeland which compelled them to return to Bangladesh.

A significant number of immigrants came to Britain in the 1950’s and 60’s, culminating in a mass immigration of families in the 1970’s. Like most Bangladeshis, people of this region were encouraged to move to Britain during this decade because of changes to immigration laws, natural disasters, conflict, and the desire to escape poverty. These people experienced a lot of difficulties at first. They were faced with a lot of barriers, like racial, religious, social and communication barriers, while trying to settle in Britain. They have since, like most Bangladeshis, found a footing in Britain and have since integrated in to British society.

Many of the 2nd and 3rd generation have excelled in many fields in British society and are actively contributing to business, academia and social life. We are now proud to count amongst our ranks, the likes of doctors, accountants, scientists, aeronautical engineers, chemical engineers, civil servants and a host of prominent businessmen within our ranks.

Although the vast majority of us still have links to Dawrai, we are becoming isolated through no fault of our own. A lot of us are not acquainted with people from our region. This may be because of work, a hectic family life or just geographical differences. We are not aware of deaths of people in the region, both here and in Bangladesh. We are unable to invite people to weddings and family functions because we have lost contact. We are unaware of social and economic issues facing our compatriots in Dawrai. Institutions like madrassas, mosques and schools are sometimes in need of support, which cannot always be managed at local level. Therefore, it falls on us as Muslims and people who have roots there, to come together and provide support. In light of the above some of our fellow villagers took the initiative and set up the Greater Dawrai Association. We have now compiled a list of most the people from the region, who reside in Britain, and are still working tirelessly to compile a more conclusive list.

If you have originated from the area of Greater Dawrai please join and let us work together for the benefit our future generations both here and in Bangladesh.