People of distinction need to be remembered time and again in the national interest, for the ideals and guidance they leave behind serve as a source of inspiration and sustenance in our lives. In 1838, the renowned nineteenth-century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his memorable poem A Psalm of Life. In this poem, he wrote:
“Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time.”
The essence of these lines is that the lives of great people remind us that we, too, can make our lives meaningful and illustrious. Even after they are gone, the footprints of their achievements left upon the sands of time continue to inspire ordinary people like us. One such remarkable individual was M. A. Samad (1923–2005).
Yesterday marked the 21st death anniversary of Mohammad Azizus Samad, widely known as M. A. Samad. Although 21 years have passed since his departure on his eternal journey, his memory remains indelibly etched in our hearts. A man of exceptional talent, M. A. Samad is regarded as the architect of the country’s insurance industry. He was a cultured and learned individual, a language movement activist, a writer, and a journalist. In addition, he was the founder of the country’s first privately owned non-life insurance company.
A man of extraordinary promise and vision, M. A. Samad was born on January 1, 1923, in Kulaura Upazila of Moulvibazar District. He earned his bachelor’s degree with outstanding distinction from Presidency College in Calcutta. Before the partition of India, he served in an important capacity at All India Radio in Delhi as one of the principal editors and newsreaders of Bengali-language news. During this period, he came into contact with Nirad C. Chaudhuri, one of the most distinguished intellectuals of the Indian subcontinent.
After the partition, while working at Radio Pakistan, he became actively involved in the language rights movement that began to take shape in 1948 and 1949. As a result, he was compelled to resign from his position at Radio Pakistan. Subsequently, as an act of cultural resistance, he and his wife, Fawzia Begum, launched Minar in 1949, an exceptional and tastefully produced Bengali magazine for children and young readers. The magazine became a platform from which emerged many celebrated intellectuals who played historic roles in the literary and cultural renaissance of that period.
In 1951, he entered the insurance profession by joining Prudential Life Insurance. Following Bangladesh’s independence, he played an outstanding role as Managing Director of the state-owned Jiban Bima Corporation. He established the Bangladesh Insurance Academy and, in 1985, founded the Bangladesh General Insurance Company Limited, widely known as BGIC. Through this initiative, he pioneered private-sector non-life insurance in Bangladesh.
M. A. Samad served multiple terms as chairman of the Bangladesh Insurance Association, the leading forum representing the country’s insurance company owners. He also made significant contributions to the development of the broader capital market after being elected a council member of the Dhaka Stock Exchange.
He was a listed international expert under the United Nations technical assistance programme on trade and development. Through a UNDP fellowship, he visited various insurance training institutes in the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition, his four original books, written in Bengali and English, are regarded as authoritative textbooks for insurance education in Bangladesh. His collection of short stories, titled Shanibarer Chhuti (Saturday Holiday), bears a distinct testament to his refined aesthetic sensibility and literary sensitivity in Bengali fiction.
M. A. Samad passed away on October 17, 2005. A pioneering figure like him will remain remembered and honoured for generations to come. We pray for the forgiveness of his soul. May Allah grant him a place in Jannah (Paradise).
