OUR PRIDE

 

OUR PRIDE SAMSON H. CHOWDHURY

Samson H. Chowdhury was recognized as a Global Business Leader in his country. He had been awarded with various national and international recognitions from various business association. He was considered as a Commercially Important Person (CIP) in Bangladesh. Chowdhury ventured into a partnership pharmaceutical company with three of his friends in 1958. When asked why the name SQUARE was chosen he recalled: “We named it SQUARE because it was started by four friends and also because it signifies accuracy and perfection meaning quality” as they committed in manufacturing quality products. That company is, as of 2012, a publicly listed diversified group of companies employing more than 28,000 people. The current yearly group turnover is 616 million USD.

Chowdhury was born on 25 September 1926. He studied at Senior Cambridge. He completed a management training course jointly sponsored and conducted by University of Dhaka and Harvard University. After completing his education he returned to what was then East Pakistan and settled in Ataikula village in the Pabna district, where his father was working as a medical officer in an outdoor dispensary. In 1952 he started a small pharmacy in Ataikula village which is about 160 km off capital Dhaka in the north-west part of Bangladesh. He was a practising Christian of Protestant (Baptist) faith. Among his children, the middle son Tapan is a notable figure in the industrial sector of Bangladesh.

He served as a vice president of the Baptist World Alliance from 1985 to 1990. In addition to being a BWA vice president, Chowdhury served in other areas of the global Baptist organization, including on the BWA General Council, the Executive Committee, the Baptist World Aid Committee, the Promotion and Development Committee, and the Memorial Committee. Chowdhury was elected president of the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship (BBCF) a dozen times, and was honorary general secretary for 14 years, between 1956 and 1969. He was a president of both the National Church Council of Bangladesh and the National Evangelical Alliance.

In 2012 Samson H. Chowdhury died  at the age of 86. He did a lot for our country and inspired us to be a patriot. But now a days a few people know about him properly. We should give him proper respect and learn lessons from his life as well.

Positions:

§  Chairman, Square Group

§  Chairman, Mutual Trust Bank board of directors 

§  Chairman, Astras Ltd.

§  Honorory Member, Kurmitola Golf Club

§  Former Vice President, Baptist World Alliance, 1985-1990 

§  Former Chairman, Micro Industries Development & Services (MIDAS)

§  Chairman, Transparency International, Bangladesh Chapter, 2004–2007

§  President, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerece & Industries, Dhaka in 1996 and 1997

§  Vice-President: International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh

§  Former Director, The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerece & Industries (FBCCI)

§  Member, Executive Committee of Bangladesh French Chamber of Commerce and Industry

§  Director, Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh

§  Chairman, Central Depository Bangladesh Ltd

§  Member, Advisory Committee of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries

§  Founder President, Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies

Accolades:

• “Business Executive of the Year” by American Chamber in Bangladesh in 1998.
• “Best Entrepreneur of the Country for the year 2000 – 2001” by the Daily Star and DHL Worldwide Express.
• "Special contribution in country's industrial and commercial sectors for the year 2003" by "Merchantile Bank Award 2003"
• For Uncompromising Business Ethics, Honesty & Transparency of the year 2005 by "Banker's Forum Award - 2005".
• Recipient of ICAB National Award “Best Published Accounts and Reports 2006 in the Manufacturing Sector”.
• Recipient of NBR Award one of the Highest Tax-Payers in 2007-2008.
• Recognized by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) as one of the top ten tax payers of the country since 2005.
• Recipient of CIP (Industry) 2009-2010 status by the Government of The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.

New Glory Of Bangladesh

"I was close to losing my life several times. One time I was swept around 30 metres away from my tracks and almost into a crevasse.”
Nishat Majumder--the first Bangladeshi woman to scale Mount Everest--described her brush with death during her fantastic adventure when she spoke to The Daily Star over the telephone yesterday after returning safely to the base camp with her fellow mountaineer MA Muhit.
“It was a treacherous trek with the possibility of losing one's life at any moment. It was more dangerous than what I had imagined it would be,” she said.
Nishat and Muhit reached the south base camp, 5,350 metres above sea level, at noon Bangladesh time yesterday. At the same time, a second Bangladeshi woman Wasfia Nazreen was already climbing towards the summit having left from the base camp in the early hours of Monday.
Wasfia expects to reach the summit sometime Friday morning, according to her last facebook update on Sunday.
Nishat and Muhit both expect to be back in Dhaka by June 1 or 2.
While talking to The Daily Star, Muhit--the first Bangladeshi to scale Mount Everest twice--said, "I have climbed several mountains before but this one was by far the most dangerous climb."
Both mountaineers described their ordeal as they narrowly escaped death several times during the journey.
"Despite all the hardship, I was never tempted to return without reaching the top. I was afraid but I was determined to reach the peak," Nishat said.
She described one of her worst moments being on April 27 when they were on their way from camp 1 to camp 2. She was swept nearly 30 metres away from her track by a snowstorm.
"I had just crossed a crevasse using a ladder. A strong snowstorm hit us without warning, giving us no chance to take safety measures. I just rolled away from my track," she said.
"I protected myself by holding on to the ice sheets with all my might. If the storm had pushed me by just two or three metres more, I might have fallen into the crevasse.”
Nishat also mentioned that she saw blood during her way up, which likely were of other climbers or Sherpas on a similar expedition.
Nishat said they stayed on the summit for nearly one hour.
“The surroundings looked foggy with all the snow around. We took some pictures and then started our descent."
When asked how she was doing physically, Nishat said she was well but feeling weak. “I need rest," she said.
She expressed her gratitude to her parents, well-wishers and the people of the country who prayed for her.
"We begin our final descent on Tuesday or Friday next and hope to reach Kathmandu the Sunday or Monday after that. We will receive our certification of having climbed the peak from Nepal's Ministry of Tourism there," Nishat said.
“After completing those formalities, we will start for Dhaka."
Meanwhile, Nishat's mother Ashura Majumder, while talking to The Daily Star yesterday evening, urged everyone to pray that her daughter returns home safe and sound.
Enam Ul Haque, president of Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC) said Nishat and Muhit's feat has earned accolades for the nation.
BMTC organised the expedition with co-sponsorship from Plan Bangladesh, a non-government organisation (NGO), under their campaign “Because I Am a Girl”.
Dhaka Wasa, Nishat's employer, meanwhile is all set to accord a reception to its favourite girl.
"We will hold a reception for her when she returns though we have not finalised any date yet," Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan said last night.
Thirty-one-year-old Nishat from Laxmipur scaled Mount Everest on May 19, the first Bangladeshi woman to do so.
Musa Ibrahim was the first Bangladeshi to conquer Everest on May 23, 2010. Muhit scaled the same in May the following year.

Reference : The Daily Star