A Bangladeshi running a water taxi in a marine park. I heard Bangla and started speaking on safety concerns between island points in Perhentian. He was shocked to hear Bangla as most tourists, read all are Westerners. To find an Indian holidaying at an atas marine park does not sit well with the racial stereotype.

He asked where am I from, and how do i speak Bangla? I said should i speak Hindi then, if I am a Bengali? He smirked and started speaking normally saying that there are a few dozen Bangladeshis who run the water taxi operations in fairly distant Perhentian Islands. From a country which has a riverine system, it is a natural talent pool.

Bangladeshis from Venice to Penang bolster labor pools globally. Whether the world wants to speak the Bangladeshi dialect is another question of identity, migrant value chains and local politics.