PROFILE KHUDA BUKSH

Khuda Buksh, the legendary figure in the history of insurance in Bangladesh was born on February 1, 1912 in Damodya, Shariatpur (erstwhile Faridpur). He passed his entrance (matriculation) examination from Shamacharan Edward Institution, in 1929. Later on, he completed Intermediate Examination from Islamia College (presently Moulana Azad College), Kolkatta, India in 1931. In 1933 he got admitted to B.A. (Hons) in Presidency College, Kolkatta. In Dec 1935 he joined Oriental Government Security Life Assurance Company Kolkatta,India (OGSLA) as a life insurance agent. He was promoted to Inspector of OGSLA in 1946.

In 1952 Khuda Buksh left OGSLA and joined as Life Manager, Eastern Federal Union Insurance Company Limited (EFU), East Pakistan. As Life Manager, Khuda Buksh worked tirelessly to overcome engrained religious and cultural prejudices against life insurance. His passion, devotion, and unique sales strategies led him to train, motivate, and manage thousands of salesmen during his long career. He created a large number of field organizations from scratch and under his leadership life insurance flourished in East Pakistan (Bangladesh). During his full tenure in East Pakistan, life insurance was synonym to Khuda Buksh.

He was subsequently promoted to Life Manager, Deputy General Manager and General Manager in 1960, 1963 and 1966 respectively of EFU Life department, Pakistan. His leadership was instruumental in expanding business all over Pakistan and UK particularly residents of Bangladeshis in London. He was the driving force in making EFU the largest Insurance Company not only in Pakistan but Asia and Africa excluding Japan. He earned a reputation as the country’s “most magnetic and dynamic sales executive” and “wizard of life insurance.”

After leading the life department of EFU for 17 years, “his love of justice, fairness and advocacy for the interest of Bangalees brought him to clashes” with EFU management. He resigned from EFU in the wake of investment disparity policy between East and West Pakistan. After resignation he established Federal Life and General and Assurance Company in May 1969. Later he was elected a member of the Advisory Committee of the Security and Exchange Authority, Pakistan and Vice Chairman, of the Insurance Association of Pakistan. He was also selected one of the Director’s of Pakistan Insurance Corporation. He was twice elected Chairman Dhaka Insurance Institute. He was a Rotarian for 22 years. He was also a member of Dhaka Club, East Pakistan Automobile Association, TB Association ofEast Pakistan, Karachi Boat Club etc. A philanthropist, he ran a free primary school at his native village and helped poor students all his life.

With the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation in 1971 a new era started. In 1972 all life insurance companies were nationalised in Bangladesh. Khuda Buksh was selected one of the Director’s of the Jatiya Jiban Bima Corporation. Subsequently Bangladesh reorganized nationalized insurance cororations. In 14 May 1973 Khuda Buksh was nominated Managing Director of Jiban Bima Corporation (JBC). However, he was relieved by Bangladesh Government from JBC in November 1973 following vehement Trade Union unrest. He died on 13th May 1974. After his death Dhaka Rotary Club reported, “He is one figure among Bengali Muslims who popularized life insurance among people. His name itself is an institution and in his own life time he became a legendary figure.”

Message from The Chairman

On behalf of everyone at KBMF  I welcome you to our official organization  website. I hope that it meets your expectations, and allows you to discover more about our activities, mission and  our working culture. 

A dream of many ideas coming together, with great passion and an opportunity ceased is how Khuda  Buksh Memorial Foundation (KBMF)  was born. Our aim at establishing the website   was to create an entity independent site  of servicing the needy people specifically the rural people of Shariatpur.

The KBMF  has been in operation since 2003. Since its inception the KBMF has done charitable work for needy people with health care, award money to hospitals, flood victims,  help poor students with books, tuition and scholarships.

The objective of the KBMF  is not only to do charitable work but to carry forward the helping legacy of  Khuda Buksh  who helped  people all his life to eradicate homelessness and literacy in the society. 

Our motto is to ‘Help disadvantaged rural people” on education that we will  be striving to achieve for years to come. Keeping in view of our objectives, we have recently expanded  our charitable work towards establishing a modern library  in SC Edward Institution where Khuda Buksh passed his matriculation in 1929. I hope these  changes prove a positive motion  to the upliftment of the rural society.

We look forward to the future and all the exciting charitable work and opportunities and challenges that it might bring. Of course, this would have never been possible without the constant dedication and collaboration of all our trustee members  without which none of our success would have ever been possible.

Finally, I would like to thank you for visiting our website.  I personally assure you of our best services at all times. The website is at construction stage and many changes will be coming in the future.

I trust that you will enjoy navigating through our site.

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