Samson H Chowdhury

Full Name: Samson H. Chowdhury
Born: 25 September 1925
Birthplace: Gopalganj, Bangladesh
Residence: Baridhara, Dhaka
Education: Scottish Church College
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Religion: Christian
Died: 5 January 2012
Aged: 86
Years active: 1952-2012

Samson H Chowdhury was a renowned, famous, well-known entrepreneur and a commercially successful person in the history of Bangladesh. Samson H Chowdhury was the founder of the country leading private company, SQUARE who started a journey on his track with a small village pharmacy in 1952 in Pabna. Now Square is the largest diversified group of companies in Bangladesh where employing more than 36,000 people. The company yearly turnover is now more than U$ 800 million.

Samson H Chowdhury Early life:

Samson H Chowdhury was born on 25 September 1925 at Aruakandi in Gopalganj to Eakub Hossain Chowdhury and Latika Chowdhury. His father was a medical officer so that Samson got a chance to take the living experience of the different corners of the country as a result of his father’s job posting. Samson started his schooling in Chandpur then he moved to a village school at Ataikula in Pabna.

Later he was admitted in class IV at Victoria Mission School in Mymenshing for better education. In 1935 after two years, he enrolled Siksha Sangha High School in Bishnupur, around 15 miles from Kolkata but he had to leave the School responding to his father’s concern due to World War II.

However, he passed the Matriculation Examination from Ataikula High School in 1943. Then he left home to Kolkata with two friends at the age of 17 without notifying his family. Later he shifts Kolkata to Mumbai in search of fortune and finally selected by Navy. Samson also worked at the postal department for a few years.

Samson H Chowdhury Career:

In 1956, Smason launched his mission with a small company ‘Esons’ means Eakub Hossain and sons borrowed 5000 takas from his father. He used to manufacture syrups at home and he was the owner, the worker, the distributor, and the marketing officer of his company. Anita, his wife only helped him with these activities.

In Pabna at that time, there was a Hindu pharmacist used to manufacture an anti-malaria mixture. Later the pharmacist made his little pharmacy into a pharmaceutical company named Edruk. Seeing this Samson’s confidence, resistance and stamina were boosted. Samson-if they can establish a pharmaceutical company from a small medicine factory, why can’t I?’

In 1958, Samson H Chowdhury along with his three friends Dr. Kazi Harunar Rashid, Dr. PK Saha and Radha Binod Roy they made a plan to build a pharmaceutical company named Square. Samson-“We named it Square, cause we, four friends, built the company. The other significance of the name to me is that the four sides have to be equal to make it a square that symbolizes accuracy and perfection.”

Square launched its journey with just Rs 17000 in a rented small tin-shed house in Pabna. They recruited 12 workers and maiden medicine was blood purifier ‘Easton Syrup’. Square could not make any profit during the first three years. As a result, they re-invested more money increased to Tk 80,000 in the third year. Square managed to make some profit in the fourth year and that was the dramatic beginning. Square never looked back. Samson was the founder chairman of Square.

Samson H Chowdhury Personal life:

In 1947, at the age of 22, he got married to Anita Biswas 15 years old girl. There have three sons Samuel H Chowdhury, Tapan Chowdhury, a former caretaker government adviser, and Anjan Chowdhury, daughter Ratna Patra.

”No Prayer No Breakfast.”