Purbanat: The artistes making Bangla a part of British culture

Growing up in Sylhet, Murad Khan was involved in theatre from a young age. In 1987, he joined Aranyak Natyadal, a prominent Dhaka-based theatre group. 

After completing his Bachelor's and Master's in Economics from Dhaka University, he aspired to pursue mainstream theatre in England. And in 2001, he took the first step towards realising his dream and moved to the UK.

Khan started to observe how the arts worked in the UK, and even worked with a couple of theatre groups. However, more than a decade passed, and he still did not enjoy his work the way he did in Bangladesh. He always felt that something was missing. 

Photo: Courtesy

He noticed that it wasn't just him; all diaspora artistes experienced a sort of culture shock and identity crisis. He realised they needed their own theatre — a free and safe platform where they could express their unique cultures. 

In 2014, these thoughts gave birth to 'Purbanat', a British art organisation based at the heart of England.

"We, the diaspora, are significant in numbers here in Birmingham. But British culture does not reflect us. So, we needed our own platform to practise our culture," Murad, currently a government employee in Birmingham, told The Business Standard.

During his time in Aranyak, Khan and a few of his fellow theatre mates formed a group named 'Prachyanat', named by Bangladeshi legendary playwright Selim Al Deen. The term 'Purbanat' is adopted from that name. However, both translate to 'Arts of the East' in English.

Purbanat's very first project was a play titled 'Salty Water and Us', adapted from the renowned short story 'Nona Jol' written by Syed Mujtaba Ali. Filiz Ozcan, a British Kurdish, directed it.

The story was about Bangladeshi and Asian sailors who worked on the merchant ships of the East India Company during the British Raj. It celebrated their dreams, struggles, contributions and journey as a shared history of both Bangladeshi immigrants' heritage and British heritage.

Photo: Courtesy

Arts Council England funded the project and the play was staged in Birmingham, Manchester, Oldham, and London. This provided a significant confidence boost at the beginning of Purbanat's journey.

"I eat rice and dal but I'm British. So, it should be considered as a part of British culture. Culture should not have a concrete definition. The ecology of their art has to be changed. If you consider Purbanat as a movement, then this was our core demand," Khan said.

British culture always had a rigid definition and representation. And Purbanat is on a mission to break that and add eastern elements to the British cultural ecology.

Khan said the concept of 'Global Bangla' is very important. Bangalis are now scattered all over the world. In a sense, they are often seen merely as remittance earners, but their contribution for the country extends far beyond that. What people often fail to realise is that they are shaping Bangla globally.

Another notable play by Purbanat was titled 'Brick Lane 78', which they consider to be their best theatre production so far.

Some 45 years ago, in the heart of East London, the Bangladeshi community faced constant persecution. They faced a tough choice: fight back or go back (home). In the middle of all this trouble, a simple factory worker named Altab Ali turned out to be a symbol of their struggle. He changed things for non-white people in London forever.

On 4 May 1978, as he was coming home from work, Ali was brutally murdered in a racist attack. It was not the first time someone had been killed because of their race, and sadly, it was not the last. But it made a big difference to how Bangladeshi people were seen in Britain.

The play was directed by Sudip Chakroborthy and was widely appreciated by the audience and critics.

"I was a child at the time when this play was set, and I recall the white British attitude all too painfully well. Purbanat, under the careful care of director Sudip Chakroborthy, succeeds in driving home the range of feelings of those times. From fear to anger – even to love and empathy from those least expected – the cast were convincingly real and powerful in their portrayal of imperfect but genuine people", D K Powell, a British bestselling author and TEDx speaker, wrote on his personal blog. 

Purbanat also runs an arts consortium of grassroots-level art groups from diverse backgrounds in Birmingham called OVAL (Our Voice in Arts and Literature). This initiative creates opportunities to collaborate with professional artists, employ paid shadow artists, and engage volunteers.

It is registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC) and works under a non-profit organisational model. The governing body comprises four directors and six advisors. A youth group and a bunch of volunteers actively work for them. 

Moreover, the company hires as per project needs. It is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Birmingham City Council, Arts Council England, and BBC Children in Need.

For their exclusive voluntary service, Purbanat was honoured with the Queen's Award in 2022. In the UK, it's the highest award a voluntary group can receive. 

'50 Years of Bangla Brummies' is yet another notable project to celebrate the 50 years anniversary of Bangladesh's independence. 

Birmingham-based Bangladeshi immigrants played a crucial role in 1971 to support the independence of their country. About 10,000 people gathered at the Small Heath park of Birmingham on 28 March 1971.

Purbanat recorded an oral history interviewing about 20 people who were part of those activities. The project took almost two long years to complete. The Heritage Foundation supported it and the documentary is archived at the Library of Birmingham.

"We wanted to let the next generations hear directly from the people who fought for their country, despite living far far away," Khan said.

However, the journey was not as smooth as it sounds. The first few years were about fitting in, but now they 'contribute' to British art. This didn't happen overnight. It took Khan 14 long years to adapt to the way arts work in England. 

He believes that things have drastically changed in terms of racism, but still it is always there, more or less. So, it was challenging for him to fit into the system first and then attempt to change it. "Today, we are no longer dominated like before and it's our own achievement, I believe." 

Every year, Purbanat celebrates the International Mother Language day by arranging a multifest. It showcases the multi-lingual diversity in the West Midlands. 

The festival includes music, dance, poetry and drama performed in various languages. This year, the fest took place at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham where at least 11 linguistic groups and more than 100 performers from diverse backgrounds performed.

In the future, Murad aims to establish an art academy like the British Council or Alliance Française to practise and promote eastern, especially Bangali culture, worldwide