Imran A. Chowdhury : Whilst driving home in the rain on a quintessential British winter night after attending the 15th founding anniversary of Channel S Tv and Victory day celebration at the High Commission. I was engulfed with the reminiscence of hospitality, camaraderie and welcome given by the whole team of the channel S Tv. One of the best parties I have been after a long time. As if I was attending my own family gathering – seeing, greeting and meeting so many known faces, friends,
acquaintances and the bastions of the Bangladeshi community under one roof. Was joyous evening. I thought immediately that, before I forget the feeling let me record my thoughts in my phone and when I go home use the recording for transcription to write the article and here I am.
The journey of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom has been so far one of the best migration of preeminence. From the humble voyage of a few predecessors in the early to mid fifties of the twentieth century have turned into an ocean of mammoth confluences of hegira.
An unknown, unseen and unheard citizenry has blown into a massive community before any prediction could even fathom. Today the Bangladeshi community represents 0.08% of the UK’s total population. These trajectories of migration were not the easiest one to say the least.
The community’s exponent in the media in the UK was only confining within the print media and a very few rudimentary electronic media in the last decade or so.
Bur the emergence or the birth of a dedicated franchise of tv in the midst of it all overshadowed everything for the community as a whole. The birth of Channel S has electrifyingly engulfed the attention of the whole community up and down the country and beyond.
Channel S has caught the very delicate nerve of community’s aspiration, wish-list and the imagination immediately. It was as if like a pandoras box emerging from the bottle of the Genie. The TV channel since then has been giving an excellent community service to the areas where others have failed to penetrate.
There is a saying,’’ If you don’t know where you come from, how will you appreciate where you are off to? ‘’ that is what the channel S is predominantly reminding us off day in day out. This perhaps epitomises their quest. The diaspora is now in its fourth generation and many inherent cultures, ethos, practices, social and anthropological traits and quality of our racial footprints are in decline amongst the current generation.Due to living away from the epic centre of Bangladesh.
This is where the Channel S has been proactively trying to imbue those eroding realities of our age old traditions to remind everyone of the present generations of their past to appreciate their present.
It is really very encouraging and astonishingly reassuring that, this is one of the few genres of the institution who is acting as the standard bearer of those qualities.
Our history, our enriching cultural traditions and centuries old social practices are being constantly promoted by this TV channel to keep our descendants embraced with those richness of traditions.
This is not just a commercial TV station only, it is rather a hub of for all thing that a community needs to have in order for it to promote the excellence and the same time tell the unknown truth of the shortcomings to rectify the inhibitions or the reticence.
Channel S has been in the forefront as a vanguard to help the community, individuals, groups and charities plus business in their respective need to achieve their goals. Also, the new emerging synergy developed in between the London Bangladeshi High Commission and the channel S is very praise worthy. The whole vibe and the modus operandi of the High Commission’s both community, political – plenipotentiary & defence wing have gelled so well with the diaspora is unbelievable. I have not seen these lever of cohesion and integration in the last 30 years. The Leadership of our incumbent High Commissioner has brought ocean of changes.
Off course during this precarious course of the marathon to reach the Olympiad there were at times wrong judgements or negative repercussions, However , they have come a long away from those calamitous phases towards the path of enfranchise to progression, to embark on a journey of an exuberance of excellence.
I think this one of the success story of this giant organisation which has been catching the imagination of the community and promoting that dream, the aspiration, the ascendency to the wider world.
Hence, I am totally persuaded to express my heartfelt gratitude to Channel S Television for being one of the champions of our community.
Also, it’s a great privilege on my part to reiterate a true instance of patriotism to everyone, that Channel S Tv was launched on the most auspicious day of our national calendar; The Victory Day; Bijoy Dibash – The 16th of December. What a momentous day to mark its Birthday; speaks volume of their love for the country; Bangladesh!
Last but not the least, I am absolutely awe struck to see the History trail of the Channel S square which is an epitome of passion, love and devotion to mother Bengal and her history.
Finally, Happy Birthday Channel S Tv & Shuvo Bijoy Dibosh
