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© Beyond Banglatown
Built & designed by millipedia & Periscope

Gallery

23 September 2021 – PRIVATE VIEWING WITH RAJU VAIDYANATHAN

BEYOND BANGLATOWN
PHOTO EXHIBITION

RAJU
VAIDYANATHAN
By Date
By Theme

Raju Vaidyanathan’s Brick Lane: 40 years of change

Brick Lane has always been a place of change, located at the heart of the global city of London. It is a place of arrival, of settlement, of departure, for waves of refugees and migrants from across the world. From the Hugenots to the Irish and Jewish communities who followed, Brick Lane has been home, where they have left their mark on the street – its houses, its businesses, its places of worship - and moved on.

The Bangladeshi community follow in this tradition: from the lascars who disembarked at the nearby docks in the 19th Century to the arrival of families following Bangladeshi independence in 1971, Bengalis have made Tower Hamlets, and Brick Lane, their home. About 1/3 of the Borough’s residents are of Bangladeshi heritage, and Brick Lane/Banglatown, with its curry restaurants and cafes, grocery stores and sweet shops, remain important to British Bangladeshi identity, particularly for the first and second generations.

Brick Lane is both a place of safety, and a space that captures the landscape of a fast changing city. From the small industrial leather and textile working factories of the 1970s, to the neon signs of the curry houses and cafes that mark the arrival of ‘Banglatown’, the street reflects the changing lives of British Bangladeshis in East London. By the mid-2000s, Banglatown was home to over 60 ‘Indian’ restaurants and cafes, and was the indisputable ‘curry capital’ of the UK. However, by 2020, only 23 curry cafés and restaurants remained, and were under threat from both the expansion of the newly gentrified northern part of the street, and the Covid19 pandemic.

During our research, we encountered Raju Vaidyanathan, a former youth worker. Born and raised in Brick Lane, and with a passion for local history and the people who make and shape it, Raju has been taking photographs of the Lane and the surrounding area since 1983, after a friend gave him a small, second-hand camera. Because he did not have much money when he started, his early photographs are black-and-white. Only later, when Raju was earning more, and purchased a more expensive camera, was shooting in colour possible. Still living and working in the area, he  always keeps a camera with him and takes pictures of anything that catches his eye - people strolling down the Lane or attending the Boishakhi Mela, a curry house undergoing conversion into a sushi restaurant, or Deliveroo personnel delivering meals to someone’s home or office. Raju estimates that he has taken over 40,000 pictures in nearly 40 years. Without a doubt, he is the quintessential chronicler of changes in Brick Lane-Banglatown.

In this exhibition, we have worked with Raju to select 58 of his photographs to chronicle the life of Bengali Brick Lane, and its changes over the past 40 years. As this iconic street emerges from the pandemic and faces a new period of change, these wonderful images capture and celebrate Brick Lane and its people.

On September 23rd, 2021, as part of the launch of the online exhibition of his work, Raju Vaidyanathan spoke with Sundeep Lidher about his life and photography.

1948
Vaithy pictured in ship galley
Vaithy pictured in ship galley - 1948
Vaithy Nellaye (second from right), a Keralan chef, pictured in a ship's galley on his way to live and work in Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1985
Shop front
Shop front - 1985
Musa Patel's Clifton tobacco and confectionery shop
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Street scene
Street scene - 1985
A Jewish man standing outside a Jewish-owned fabric store in Brick Lane in the mid-1980s
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Local pub
Local pub - 1985
The Seven Stars pub was a very popular venue for local South Asians
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Abdul's music shop
Abdul's music shop - 1985
Abdul in his Brick Lane music shop
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Taj Stores. Brick Lane
Taj Stores. Brick Lane - 1985
One of the owners of Taj Stores
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Butchers in Taj Stores
Butchers in Taj Stores - 1985
Butchers preparing meat inside Taj Stores on Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Brick Lane corner shop
Brick Lane corner shop - 1985
A photo of Harry Fishman's corner shop two years before its demolition in 1987
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Harrys corner shop
Harrys corner shop - 1985
Harry Fishman, who established his corner shop in the 1930s
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Shop front
Shop front - 1985
88 Brick Lane, a leather garment wholesaler
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Shop front
Shop front - 1985
Multiple occupancy at 80 Brick Lane - a leather wholesaler, a travel agent and mini-cab office
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Party canvassers outside school
Party canvassers outside school - 1985
Bangladeshi men outside the polling station on Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Father with son who has been stabbed
Father with son who has been stabbed - 1985
A father showing the wound his son has suffered after being stabbed
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Crowd of men along Brick Lane
Crowd of men along Brick Lane - 1985
A group of Bangladsehi men gather outside Musa Patel's Clifton-Halal cafe to observe comings and goings at the polling station on the other side of the road
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Man walking home with shopping
Man walking home with shopping - 1985
A Bangladeshi man taking a bag of rice home to his family
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Last days before closing of the local laundrette.
Last days before closing of the local laundrette - 1985
Soon after this picture was taken, the premises became Bengal Cuisine, another fashionable Bangladeshi restaurant
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Modern Saree Centre.
Modern Saree Centre - 1985
One of the street's earliest saree shops
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Modern Saree Centre.
Modern Saree Centre - 1985
The Modern Saree Centre moved to new premises in the mid-1980s
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Taj Stores. Brick Lane
Taj Stores. Brick Lane - 1985
Brick Lane's oldest and most renowned Bengali grocery store
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Naz Cinema Brick Lane
Naz Cinema Brick Lane - 1985
Once the Mayfair, then the Odeon, and finally the Naz cinema, the site became home to Cafe Naz, one of the first upmarket restaurants on Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Video shop-cum-café on Brick Lane.
Video shop-cum-café on Brick Lane - 1985
A cafe attempting to capitalise on the 1980s video boom
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1986
Kitchen worker
Kitchen worker - 1986
A kitchen porter working at The Famous Clifton restaurant
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Kitchen worker
Kitchen worker - 1986
Making parathas in the kitchen of Musa Patel's The Famous Clifton
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Housing Rights Demonstration
Housing Rights Demonstration - 1986
Demonstration outside the Town Hall in Bethnal Green
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
EPRA Fabrics
EPRA Fabrics - 1986
Epra Fabrics, a Jewish-owned retailer, was established in 1956
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Sweet and Spicy cafe
Sweet and Spicy cafe - 1986
The popular Sweet & Spicy cafe
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Filming along Brick Lane
Filming along Brick Lane - 1986
A summer street scene in Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Street scene
Street scene - 1986
Demonstration in support of homeless families moving north along Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Campaign against homelessness
Campaign against homelessness - 1986
Bangladeshi young people campaigning for homeless families
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Factory Window Display
Factory Window Display - 1986
Displaying goods from the window of a garment factory
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Corner shop on Chicksand estate
Corner shop on Chicksand estate - 1986
The Keralan-born owner of a local corner shop
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Filming along Brick Lane
Filming along Brick Lane - 1986
Filming on Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Street scene
Street scene - 1986
Family walking home after shopping in Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Palace Videos
Palace Videos - 1986
Father and son making their way home after shopping in Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Inside cafe
Inside cafe - 1986
South Asian customers eating inside the famous Sweet & Spicy cafe
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Ready to be built on
Ready to be built on - 1986
Clearing wasteland for a new housing project
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Meat delivery on Brick Lane
Meat delivery on Brick Lane - 1986
Delivering halal meat to Zaman Brothers Cash & Carry
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Music band and supporters around Brick lane for a photo shoot
Music band and supporters around Brick lane for a photo shoot - 1986
Joi Bangla made many records and were part of the Asian Underground Scene
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Waiting outside Beigel shop on Brick Lane
Waiting outside Beigel shop on Brick Lane - 1986
Waiting outside the Beigel Shop, probably Brick Lane's most famous landmark
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Man walking along Brick Lane
Man walking along Brick Lane - 1986
In the mid-1980s, Brick Lane still contained a significant number of Jewish businesses
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Children sitting on furniture
Children sitting on furniture - 1986
Secondhand furniture purchased from the Brick Lane Sunday Market
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Session in advice centre.
Session in advice centre - 1986
A resident finding help at the Bangladesh Youth Movement Advice Centre
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1987
Inside a clothes factory
Inside a clothes factory - 1987
Inside a Bangladeshi-owned garment factory
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Inside a clothes factory
Inside a clothes factory - 1987
Bangladeshi tailors working in a Bangladeshi-owned garment factory
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Youth in front of a video and music shop
Youth in front of a video and music shop - 1987
Young Bangladeshi man standing outside a local video store
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1988
Chicksand estate play group
Chicksand estate play group - 1988
Children playing on the Chicksand Estate off Brick Lane
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1989
Children playing in a park
Children playing in a park - 1989
Local Bangladeshi children play on a roundabout
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1990
Children hanging around playground
Children hanging around playground - 1990
Young Bangladeshi boys from the Chicksand Estate spending time outdoors
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Children playing on housing estate
Children playing on housing estate - 1990
Young Bangladeshi children at play
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Waiting for Amitabh Bachchan.
Waiting for Amitabh Bachchan - 1990
Young Asian men waiting to meet Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1996
Restaurant workers relaxing on a day off
Restaurant workers relaxing on a day off - 1996
Some of Brick Lane's restaurant staff enjoying their day off
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1998
Inside Seven Stars
Inside Seven Stars - 1998
The Seven Stars pub was an important meeting place for local Bangladeshis and Pakistanis
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
1999
Restaurant staff standing in front of Halal Shalamar Restaurant.
Restaurant staff standing in front of Halal Shalamar Restaurant - 1999
Keralan chef, Rahman, in front of the popular Halal Shalamar cafe
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Brick Lane
Brick Lane - 1999
On the main restaurant strip at the Curry Festival
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Nazrul restaurant.
Nazrul restaurant - 1999
Originally a cafe, Nazrul became a licensed restaurant
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
City Spice restaurant.
City Spice restaurant - 1999
Serving customers during the annual Curry Festival
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Brick Lane Curry Festival
Brick Lane Curry Festival - 1999
The Brick Lane Curry Festival
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan
Opening of a restaurant
Opening of a restaurant - 1999
122 Brick Lane about to open as Preem Restaurant and Balti House
Photograph © Raju Vaidyanathan