Close to Whitechapel station in the garden of an ordinary looking and fairly modern terrace house sits the oversized bust of a Bangladeshi legend. 

Erected in 2016 by Afsar Khan Sadek, the Joint Secretary of the London Awami League, it is an impressive monument and feels particularly incongruous in East London (perhaps not a huge surprise as it sits in Mr Sadek’s front garden).   

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is well worth remembering and is often considered the Father of Bangladesh and a driving force in its independence.  He was the first President of the nation and also its Prime Minster for four years until his assassination in a coup which also killed most of his family. 

The statue itself is a strong reminder that this part of London remains incredibly multi-cultural (see my article on tailoring for a bit of an insight into this).  It’s a strong statement of ethnic history and well worth a look if you are in the area.

It’s also clearly a Whitechapel landmark and a statute that gives some pride to those that live nearby. On stopping to take this photo, I was accosted by a local resident who gave a full background on the history of Bangladeshi independence - all incredibly interesting and clearly still relevant to a significant proportion of East London. It represents yet another example of how important history remains in the city and how it affects all of our daily lives.