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Biography :
25 September 1925
1930
Began his schooling in a mission school in Chandpur as his father was posted as
a medical officer at the Chandpur Mission Hospital.
1932
1933
1935
Went to West Bengal and got admitted to Siksha Sangha High School in
Bishnupur.
1942
1943
1943
1946
Joined a Naval mutiny against British Colonial rulers, and eventually got
arrested. After five days in jail Samson H Chowdhury was sent to a
concentration camp for a month. He was later released and also given a clean
certificate of discharge and a recommendation for a government job in any
administrative position, or in the law and order agency.
1947
6 Aug 1947
1952
Left his post office job and returned home. On advice of his father, Samson
started running his father's medicine shop 'Hossain Pharmacy'.
1956
Samson borrowed money from his father and opened a small pharmaceutical
company named 'Esons' in Ataikula, Pabna. 'Esons' referred to Eakub and sons
1958
Formed a business partnership with three other friends, namely Dr Kazi Harunur
Rashid, Dr PK Shaha and Radha Binod Roy. The four friends launched a
pharmaceutical company named 'Square' with an initial investment of Rs17,000.
1962
1964
Square was converted into a private limited company with an authorized capital
of Rs 500,000 and a paid up capital of Rs 400,000.
1974
1987
1988
1991
1995
1996
1997o
1998o
2001o
2002
2003o
2004
2004
2005o
New State-of- the-Art Square Cephalosporins Ltd went into operation. It was
built under the supervision of TELSTAR S.A. of Spain as per the US FDA/ UK
MHRA requirements.
SQUARE Herbal & Nutraceuticals Ltd. got the license in Bangladesh, in this
particular field.
2006o
o
2007o
o
2008
NBR Award for being the longest tax payer in Rajshahi Division.
2009o
2010o
Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd received 'Best Enterprise' award by The Daily Star
and DHL Worldwide Express
Chamber of Commerce
2011
2012
5 January 2012
Accolades :
1998
2000
Business Person of the Year by the Daily Star and the DHL Worldwide
Express
2003
2008
2009-2010
2010
2013
1996-1997
1999-2004
1999-2005
2000-2001
2000-2009
2001-2010
2003-2011
2003-2011
2004-2012
2006-2011
2006-2011
2009-2010,
2011-2012
2007-2011
1956-1967
1961-1964, 19681972
1973-1978
1975 &1979
1976, 1978, 1980,
1983-85, 1990-93
1980-1995
1983-2009
1985-1990
1989-2008
1996-2000
2009
1994-1995
1996-1997
1999-2012
2004-2007
2009-2012
Findings :
Dreamer: In 1952, he started a small pharmacy in Ataikula village. Few years aftrr he and his
three friends ventured into a partnership pharmaceutical company.When asked why the
name SQUARE was chosen he remembers - 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.
Additional information :
1- Eldest son of Eakub Hussain Chowdhury and Latika Chowdhury, Samson H Chowdhury, was
born at Aruakandi in Gopalganj on 25 September 1925.
2-He started his schooling in a mission school in Chandpur as his father was posted as a medical
officer at the Chandpur Mission Hospital in 1930.
3-His Father sent Samson to Mymensingh for better education in 1933. He got admitted to
Victoria Mission School in Mymensingh in class IV.
4- He Joined Royal Indian Navy without informing his parents in 1943. In 1946 he joined a
Naval mutiny against British Colonial rulers, and eventually got arrested.
Samson spent five days in jail and the he sent to a concentration camp for a month but he was
later released and also given a clean certificate of discharge with a recommendation for a
government job in any administrative position, or in the law and order agency.
Conclusion:
Ref:: (Samson: a patriot apart | The Daily Star)
By the time the war broke out in East Pakistan in March 1971, Samson H Chowdhury had
become a successful businessman."He was by heart a true Bangalee. As a result, Samson was on
the hit list prepared by the local collaborators," reminisced Dennis Dilip Datta, a retired
development and church activist."One of his gatekeepers in his Pabna residence requested him to
go into hiding as the collaborators were planning to kill. He listened and left Pabna with his
family for his village home. The collaborators burnt his residence in town and village homes to
ashes, forcing him to leave for Dhaka," Datta said.The 70-year-old man had followed Samson,
who breathed his last yesterday, like a shadow for the last 40 years, working for the development
of the churches in Bangladesh and building a close link with the family.
He said Samson was in British Navy during the Second World War, and the honorary general
secretary of the National Council of Churches, which is the part of the World Council of
Churches, during the Liberation War in 1971. "He did a tremendous job during the nine-month
war. The World Council of Churches sent a ship full of food items for the people of East
Pakistan. He diverted the ship to Salt Lake as he realised that the Pakistani armies would take
control of the ship."
Thousands of Bangalees took refuge in Salt Lake in Kolkata and its other parts to avoid genocide
in the hands of the occupation armies. Datta said Samson's youngest son Anjan Chowdhury left
home and joined the freedom fighters, becoming the youngest freedom fighter of the country.
His middle son Tapan Chowdhury stayed inside the country and kept close contacts with the
freedom fighters and helped them with food and medicine.
Datta recalled the place where Lab Aid Hospital in the capital city is located now was a guest
house of the church mission in Bangladesh during the war. "Many journalists boarded the guest
house as their movement would have been restricted if they had chosen to stay in the
Intercontinental Hotel controlled by the army."
"Samson Chowdhury secretly met many foreign journalists and provided them with the real
picture of the war," Datta told The Daily Star yesterday.
Soon after the war, Samson set up Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh, a
consortium of donors that took up various projects to rehabilitate people affected by the war.
"He went to Narsingdi and helped weavers with money and machines to rehabilitate them. It was
a huge programme. He also took up a fishing project in Moheshkhali in Cox's Bazar to
rehabilitate fishermen. He spent $12 million for an agriculture project in Rajshahi."
Samson was also the chairman of Koinonia, a social welfare organisation that provides services
in areas of education, health and microfinance.Samson raised the Bangladesh's flag in Sathia
when the part of the country was liberated. "During personal conversation he termed the moment
as the most memorable one of his life," recalled Datta.He said when Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman urged the rich to surrender their ration cards, Samson was the first businessman
to do so. Datta said Samson had no enemies although his company became one of the biggest
conglomerates in the country. "He always told me to keep the opponents in good humour."
Samson was a philanthropist and throughout his illustrious life, he spent billions of taka for the
poor. "He started from scratch and never stopped working and became the country's best known
businessman," Datta said.He said: "Once in mid 1990s his wife told him: 'you have worked a lot
and now you should stop'. He responded saying: 'Look, now I care for the country. I want to
create jobs for people."
Samson's Square Group now employs more than 33,000 people.Datta said Samson also cared for
his employees. "All of his employees get a good lunch everyday. They get regular salaries,
bonuses and perks. Labour strikes never took place in his factories."
"Honesty and integrity was the main motto of his life. Out and out, he was an honest and clean
man. He was the highest taxpayer in the country."
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