Khuda Buksh: The Pioneer of Life Insurance in Bangladesh

Muhammad Obaidur Rahim
The University Press Limited (2011)
ISBN 9789845060271
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (2/12)

Article first published as Book Review: Khuda Buksh: The Pioneer of Life Insurance in Bangladesh by Muhammad Obaidur Rahim on Blogcritics.

For forty years, Khuda Buksh has been bringing the benefits of life insurance to the people of the South Asia region. He began by laying the foundation in Bangladesh and Pakistan, struggling first to educate the people about life insurance and then to persuade them to buy it. This book is an in-depth study of how Buksh helped change the awareness of the people of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as it applies to the life insurance industry. He made the people aware of the value and benefit of life insurance in these countries. The book continues to describe Khuda Buksh as a life insurance icon.

Buksh was fighting an uphill battle, facing such obstacles as religious and cultural prejudices against the idea of life insurance. He came up against political turmoil and more in his quest to bring down the institutional barriers. It was only due to his charm and business savvy that brought him to such success. He was a determined individual that used very inventive methods to recruit and train his sales force. From 1930 to 1970, Buksh worked hard to establish the life insurance industry in the region even at the risk of trouble because of the political unrest.

“Khuda Buksh: The Pioneer of Life Insurance in Bangladesh” would be a very good book for a salesman in the South Asia region to read. It is about a very charismatic man that made a lasting impression on his countrymen. I doubt very much if it would be such a big hit in the U.S. The hard cover version is done nicely with a picture of Khuda Buksh on the front. The print and binding is quality and even though I don’t think it will sell a lot of copies in America, I gave it a B for the research and concise history that the author conveyed.

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