Sheikh Akij Uddin (1929 – 10 October 2006) was a leading Bangladeshi entrepreneur and the founding chairman of Bangladeshi conglomerate

Akij Group Akij Group is one of the largest Bangladeshi industrial conglomerates. The industries under this conglomerate include textiles, tobacco, food & beverage, cement, ceramics, printing and packaging, pharmaceuticals, consumer products etc. In 2009, ...

Early life

Akij Uddin was born on 1929 in Madhyadanga, Phultala,

Khulna Khulna ( bn, খুলনা, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of Khulna District and Khulna Division. Khulna's economy is the third-largest in Bangladesh, contributing $53 b ...

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. He was an only child. He worked while in school and had to discontinue his studies to help his family income. He left home amidst the Bengal Famine for Kolkata.

Career

He slept rough in

Sealdah railway station Sealdah (station code:SDAH) is one of India's major railway terminals serving the city of Kolkata. The other main railway stations in the Kolkata metropolitan region are , , and Santragachi. Sealdah Railway station is the busiest railway stat ...

in Kolkata while looking for work. He once saw retailers auctioning off fruits to vendors. He opened his store in Kolkaka called Nilamwala Chhay Ana (Auctioneer six ana) where everything cost six ana. He was arrested and fined after which he sold of his assets in Kolkata. He moved to

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

and stayed there for two years. He returned to Kolkata with some capital from Peshawar. He started a small business in Kolkata, which he sold and returned to his home town in Phultala with 10 rupee. He met a friend of his father, Bidhu Bhushan, who used to manufacture

Beedi A beedi (also spelled bidi or biri) is a thin cigarette or mini-cigar filled with tobacco flake and commonly wrapped in a tendu (''Diospyros melanoxylon'') or ''Piliostigma racemosum'' leaf tied with a string or adhesive at one end. It orig ...

(hand-rolled cigarettes). Akij Uddin started to manufacture beedi with Bhushans help in 1952. He opened up a grocery store alongside his beedi factory. From 1954 he sold them under Akij Beedi label. The companies were reorganized into Akij group in 1972.

Death and legacy

Akij Uddin died on 10 October 2006 in Singapore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akij Uddin, Sheikh 1929 births 2006 deaths People from Khulna District People from Khulna Bangladeshi chairpersons of corporations 20th-century Bangladeshi businesspeople