Dua Mahfil held for Rouf Chowdhury

A Dua Mahfil for eminent businessman A Rouf Chowdhury was held at the Gulshan Central Masjid in the capital after Asr prayers yesterday.

Eminent personalities, businessmen, bankers, friends and hundreds of well-wishers joined the event and prayed for the salvation of the departed soul.

Rouf Chowdhury, founding chairman of Rangs Group and Sea Resources Group, passed away at his residence in the capital on Saturday.

He was 86 years old.

Chowdhury had a dynamic foothold in the print media; he was one of the directors of Mediaworld Ltd, the parent company of The Daily Star.

The noted entrepreneur is survived by his son Romo Rouf Chowdhury, and daughters Romana Rouf Chowdhury and Sohana Rouf Chowdhury.

The dynamic businessman, who was blessed with extraordinary farsightedness, was laid to eternal rest at his ancestral village in Malkhanagar area of Munshiganj beside the graves of his parents.

Attending the Dua Mahfil programme, Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury lauded Rouf Chowdhury's contribution in employment generation in banking and other sectors.

Romo Rouf Chowdhury sought blessing from the attending guests for the eternal peace of his father's departed soul.

Graduated in business management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, A Rouf Chowdhury founded over 50 firms over the last four decades.

He invested in automobiles, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, real estate, IT, deep-sea fishing, telecommunications, electronics, food processing, banking, and insurance firms.

He started his career at a pharmaceutical company and began his own business in 1979.

His thoughts opened doors to economic development and introduced new dimensions to the country's trade and industry.

Chowdhury spearheaded the formation of Bank Asia in 1999 by acquiring the Bangladesh operations of the Canadian Bank of Nova Scotia.

He received numerous awards, including the lifetime achievement award from the UK Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce & Industry.