Husna Ara Begum Matin (Tower Hamlets, UK)
My family
Husna Ara Begum's mother and two sisters died when she was only six years old. Her father died in 1966, just after she married and moved to West Pakistan.
I have many cousin brothers and sisters in and around London. When we first came here, there were almost none. But now about half our family members live in London. In fact, half of the Sylhet people live in the UK!
Her husband's brother also lives nearby in Whitechapel. She and her husband brought him over in 1984.
He came here as a tourist and got married. We arranged the marriage. It wasn't difficult to do that at the time. Anyone could marry and become legal. It only took a couple of months to get permission to stay… It was comparatively easy to get a bride here.
Husna Ara Begum has five daughters, three born in Saudi Arabia, one in Dhaka and one in the UK. All are married and chose Sylheti partners:
We arranged the marriages, but they chose their partners. When girls get into higher education, they make their own choice… Their choices were not bad and we did not have any problem with that. They married within the Sylheti community. All my daughters married someone in London, so they live close to me.
One grandson lives with her while he studies at university, and takes care of her.
Husna Ara Begum also has a large family in Sylhet. She grew up with them in a extended family and still maintains close contact with them. She also has relatives in Canada, America and Europe.
