2024 – The Bengals Pride Awards

Winners of The Bengal's Pride Awards in 2024

Life time Achievement Award

Dr Jack Preger

Dr Jack Preger, MBE, now 93, founded Calcutta Rescue which has provided healthcare, education, vocational training and sanitation (clean drinking water and toilets) and hope to over 500,000 of the poorest people in Kolkata. He has demonstrated outstanding and selfless leadership, building and managing this charity for so long in the face of numerous challenges. He has also pioneered approaches to delivering low-cost, high-quality, medical services in slums now being followed around the world.

Pride of Bengal Award

Muquim Ahmed

Ahmed arrived in East London in the early 1970s, aged 19, to study engineering with the intention of returning to join the family business in Bangladesh.
Having invested £2 million in a bakery and a ready meals factory in South West London, Ahmed, 55, is building a food manufacturing leg to his property and restaurant portfolio. Best known for his work in transforming the Brick Lane area of East London, later helped his father export goods from Britain and the Netherlands to Bangladesh. He diversified into property and was a millionaire at 26. He has a £30m property portfolio while his Café Naz chain of restaurants turns over about £3.5 million a year.
His other interests include a travel agency.
Ahmed is also a fellow of The University of London.

Entrepreneur of the Year

Prof(Dr) S.P.Gonchaudhuri

Prof. (Dr.) S. P. Gonchaudhuri is an internationally acclaimed expert in renewable energy, known as the “Solar Man of India.” With an electrical engineering background from Jadavpur University, he has significantly contributed to India’s renewable energy growth over a 27-year career.

He received the prestigious Ashden Award, globally referred to as the “Green Oscars,” and the Euro Solar Award from Germany in 2003 for his pioneering work in solar energy. Prof. (Dr.) Gonchaudhuri’s groundbreaking project in Herma, Tripura, transformed the village with solar power, initiating a career dedicated to electrifying remote, impoverished communities. By 1989, he had led solar installations in nearly 40 villages across India’s northeastern states, and by 2000, over 400,000 people in villages around the Sunderban National Park benefited from solar energy due to his efforts.

He is a published author and an honorary lecturer at universities, serving on the boards of several renewable energy firms. His remarkable achievements have earned him numerous international recognitions, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in the field of renewable energy.

Women Entrepreneur of the Year

Maureen Forrest

Maureen Forrest’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of compassion, unwavering determination, innovation, and selflessness. As the founding director of The Hope Foundation (HOPE) – a humanitarian organisation supporting the implementation of development programmes in Kolkata, West Bengal, for the past 25 years. These programmes are delivered through HOPE’s implementation partners, i.e. HOPE Kolkata Foundation, (HKF), and other local partner organisations. Maureen has dedicated her life to alleviating human suffering, fostering sustainable change,and making a positive lasting difference to the lives of marginalised and vulnerable individuals and communities. Her enterprising spiritshines through her innovative and pioneering approaches to addressing social challenges and ensuring that all HOPE initiatives have a positive and enduring social impact. Maureen’s approach recognises the need for long term investment in human potential and thus one of the key aspects of the HOPE model is to focus on empowering and educating individuals, (with a particular focus on educating and empowering females) giving them the skills and resources required, to break the cycle of poverty, and thus transforming lives and communities. What began in 1999, as a modest endeavour, to implement a single child protection programme in Kolkata, under Maureen’s guidance, HOPE Kolkata Foundation has today developed into a comprehensive network of almost sixty education, healthcare, protection, and vocational training programmes across Kolkata, and has made a tangible and positive impact on the lives of over 3 million individuals.

Business Person of the Year

Mr Zillur Hussain MBE

Mr Zillur Hussain MBE is a successful businessman and entrepreneur from Peterborough. He is an experienced Owner with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. Skilled in Entrepreneurship, Business Development, Management, Business Strategy, and Property Management.
He is the funder and chairman of Z Group. Z Group is a conglomerate of companies that operates in varous sectors, including property letting, property management, investment, construction development, architectural services, business development, brand marketing, charities, and mental health. Z Group’s core businesses are focused on property management and development. The group has a strong track record of delivering high-quality projects that meet the needs of its clients and customers. Whether it’s commercial or residential properties, Z Group has the expertise and experience to manage the entire process from planning to delivery.

He is a long-standing Peterborough entrepreneur, who opened his first restaurant, Royal Spice, 24 years ago. Now owns Pearl Hotel and Tavan and a number of other businesses in the city.

Apart from his businesses, he is well known for his charitable work. All of Zillur’s charitable work has been under the banner of the Zi Foundation the organisation he set up nine years ago. During the covid-19 pandemic, his charity organization delivered over 500 meals and hand sanitizer to some of the most vulnerable people in the city.. They delivered 13,000 free meals across Peterborough, also producing other food packages and making sure people had access to sanitizing products.In the year (2022) he was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) by Princess Royal in Windsor Castle for his outstanding work for the Community on the Queen’s Birthday.The Zi Foundation also helps people abroad. Zillur has overseen the building of three schools in Bangladesh, as well as another in Nepal, each caters for around 300 pupils.

Carehome of the Year Award

Mohammed Asaduzzaman

Mr Mohammed Asaduzzaman, known as Asad. He owns 6 residential care homes under 4 different companies and he is the sole owner. Details are below: 1. Across The Bay LTD Across The Bay Care Home (Morecambe) 2. New Chamber Mount LTD Chamber Mount Care Home (Oldham) 3. Elizabeth House (Oldham) LTD Elizabeth House and Marland Court (Oldham & Rochdale) 4. Sheridan Care Limited Elmsdene and Honeysuckle House (Blackpool) Around 200 employees from 10 different counties are employed by these care faci-lites. Currently 150 patients lives in these care homes. His team has 14 managers and a regional is overseeing the whole operation and he oversee everyone. We nominated his Across The Bay Care Home (Morecambe) as Best Care home of the Year.

Achievements in Health and Social Care

Ali Aklakul Islam

Ali Aklakul Islam, a British-born individual of Bangladeshi descent residing in Luton, Bedfordshire, has dedicated over two decades to volunteering, independently and tirelessly. Amidst an eight-year tenure at Amazon, he emerged as a pivotal figure during the Covid-19 crisis, serving as a key worker. His unwavering commitment extended beyond his workplace, as he selflessly aided his community, family, friends, and elderly neighbours. Whether it was grocery shopping or tending to their lawns, he stepped up to support those in need, particularly those in isolation. Beyond his individual efforts, Ali collaborates with various organisations to distribute food to the less fortunate, homeless individuals, and the vulnerable. His enduring dedication to volunteerism persists unabated, showcasing his profound empathy and altruism. Evidence of his impactful contributions is substantiated by a collection of documentation compiled from his Facebook and other social media platforms, attesting to his ongoing commitment to serving others.

Achievement in Media/Art/Culture

Sukrishna Ishii

Sukrishna was born in a multigenerational family in Kolkata, India in 1959. Her family has very close ties with Rabindranath Tagore. She was raised in an environment where performing and visual arts was an everyday practice. After finishing her graduation (BSc) in Kolkata, Sukrishna went to Shantiniketan where she graduated in textile design from Kala Bhavan, Rabindrasangeet from Sangeet Bhavan and Japanese language from Bhasha Bhavan, the different schools of Visva Bharati University. She won the first prize in a Japanese speech contest held in Netaji Bhavan in Kolkata. Post marriage Sukrishna migrated to Japan in 1987 and in 1991 she had her daughter Tomona. The first four years Sukrishna spent teaching English to the Japanese children. After shifting to Numazu city, Sukrishna was dismayed to see that her Japanese friends had very antiquated ideas about India. They assumed that Indians cooked one single type of curry (the one popular in Japanese cuisine) and ate that everyday. To break that stereotyped myth and to introduce the Japanese to the wide range of Indian, especially Bengali cuisine Sukrishna started Indian cooking classes from her home. Initially it was an uphill task to recruit students. Over the years as Sukrishna’s reputation spread, the circle of her students expanded and in 1996 Sukrishna founded her school of Indian culture and arts which she named Poribar. A Bengali word, poribar means family and as Sukrishna puts it her students are her family in her adopted country. By then Sukirhna’s marriage had dissolved and she was a single mother raising her daughter by herself.

Restaurant of the Year

Naz Islam

From the age of 15 Naz has worked in Northamptn’s thriving restaurant industry, and has run the hugely successful Saffron restaurant in Castilian Street for 20 years – a venue named the UK’s leading curry house in 2016 when it won the prestigious Tiffin Cup at a ceremony held at the House of Commons. A keen community champion, Naz is always looking at ways of helping the most vulnerable members of society. During his career, Naz has raised almost £100,000 for local charities and established a school and orphanage in one of the poorest areas of Bangladesh with the help of his family.

Sports Person of the Year

Enamul Haque jr

Enamul Haque jr has been playing cricket professionally as a cricketer for more than 22 years. He was an integral part of the Bangladesh national team playing for the Sylhet Division and Chattogram Challengers in the Bangladesh premier league. Now he started to work on developing aspiring athletes into cricket.

After relocating to England from Bangladesh started working with the likes of London Eagles Cricket Club Roehampton Cricket Club and Roding Valley Cricket Club. Now he is working as Head of Performance and Development and Sports Coach at Newvic Cricket Academy.

Bom on December 5, 1986, in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Enamul Haque jr is a left-hand orthodox spinner and a right-handed batsman.

He is the first Bangladeshi bowler who took 300 first-class wickets. He grabbed everyone’s eye by his bowling when the touring England batsmen found to their horror when they were playing a practice match against Bangladesh President’s XI losing four wickets for no runs during their tour in 2003-04. Three of them were grabbed by Enamul. This performance propelled him into the playing XI for the Test series and he continued to impress scalping 4 wickets in his debut series at the age of 16.

The brightest moment though came in the home series against Zimbabwe as Enamul scalped 18 wickets to help Bangladesh register their first-ever Test win as a nation. They ended up winning the 2 Test series to record their first series victory in January 2005. He was then picked up by Chittagong Kings in Bangladesh Premier League auctions. He took 13 wickets in 9 matches, this performance earned him a place in the ODI team for the 2012 Asia Cup. He had a short stint with Maharashtra in the 2008-09 Ranji season.

Wolverhampton Cricket Club signed Enamul in 2013 as their overseas player. He bowled well and took 30 wickets in 11 matches during his time. Due to this form, he was recalled back to the Bangladesh team and was asked to prepare with them for the series against New Zealand.

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