London Station Gets Bengali Signage. Mamata Banerjee Reacts

The Whitechapel Station in London Tube will now have Bengali signage. This is the first time that the name of a Tube station in London has been displayed in Bengali. West Bengali Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has praised the move. She tweeted, "Proud to note that the London Tube Rail has accepted Bengali as a language of signage at Whitechapel Station, signifying the increasing global importance and strength of the 1000-year-old language."

In a subsequent post, Ms Banerjee added, "It underlines that the diaspora should work together in common cultural directions. It is  a victory of our culture and heritage."

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, who played an instrumental role in getting the bilingual signage at the Whitechapel station, has shared some fresh pictures on Twitter. Here, we can see the signage both in English and Bengali. In one of the slides, Mr Biggs is standing outside the station. 

"Delighted to see bilingual signs now installed at Whitechapel station - in both English and Bangla funded by Tower Hamlets Now," he wrote on Twitter. 

Mr Biggs has also extended his gratitude to Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, “for helping us to make it happen”.

As per an East London Advertiser report, Mr Biggs, in a letter addressed to the Mayor of London, had highlighted the need for coming up with bilingual signboards. In his appeal, Mr Biggs said, "Whitechapel is at the heart of the Bangladeshi community. Bilingual signs have been installed at Southall and replicating this at Whitechapel would be welcomed to mark the culture of British Bangladeshis and reflect the rich heritage and diversity."