Shegufta Bakht Chaudhuri
Shegufta Bakht Chaudhuri | |
|---|---|
শেগুফতা বখ্ত চৌধুরী | |
| 4th Governor of Bangladesh Bank | |
| In office 12 April 1987 – 19 December 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Nurul Islam |
| Succeeded by | Khorshed Alam |
| Advisor of Caretaker government of Bangladesh | |
| In office 30 March 1996 – 23 June 1996 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1931 Bongaon, Habiganj District, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 11 November 2020 (aged 88–89) United Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Relatives | Syed Mujtaba Ali (uncle) Syed Murtaza Ali (uncle) Syed Mohammad Ali (cousin) Syed Muazzem Ali (cousin) |
| Alma mater | Murari Chand College, University of Dhaka |
Shegufta Bakht Chaudhuri (known as S B Chaudhuri; 1931 – 11 November 2020)[1] was a Bangladeshi economist who served as the fourth governor of Bangladesh Bank,[2] the central bank of Bangladesh, from 1987 to 1992, and was also the advisor of the first caretaker government of Bangladesh in 1996.[3][4][5]
Early life and education
[edit]Chaudhuri was born on 1 September 1931 in Bongaon, Nabiganj Thana, Habiganj District, Bengal Presidency, British Raj.[6] Shegufta's father was Dewan Mamun Chaudhuri and his paternal grandfather was Khan Bahadur Wasil Chaudhuri.[3] His mother was Syeda Zebunessa Khatun, daughter of Khan Bahadur Syed Sikandar Ali. Writers Syed Mujtaba Ali and Syed Murtaza Ali were Shegufta's maternal uncles.[3] He traced his maternal descent from Shah Ahmed Mutawakkil, a local holy man and a Syed of Taraf, though unrelated to Taraf's ruling Syed dynasty.[7]
He received a BA (Hons) in economics from the University of Dhaka in the early 1950s. His Masters in International Relations at the same university was not completed due to illness. He later received a MPA (Master of Public Administration) from the Harvard Kennedy School in 1967.[8]
Career
[edit]Chaudhuri worked as a journalist at the Morning News newspaper in the early 1950s before joining the Pakistan Taxation Service in 1955 after completing the CSS examinations.[6] He served in different branches of the Pakistan Government service as a section officer and deputy secretary. He was a member of the Economic Pool of Pakistan.[6]
Chaudhuri served as the First Secretary (Commercial Attaché) at the Pakistan Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, from 1967 to 1970. Following this, he was Chief Controller of Imports and Exports for the Government of Pakistan from 1970 to 1971.[6] After the independence of Bangladesh, he briefly served as the Director-General of the Export Promotion Bureau. From 1973 to 1974, he resumed the role of Chief Controller of Imports and Exports for the Government of Bangladesh.[6][9] Between 1974 and 1977, he served as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and later as Secretary of the Internal Resources Division in the Ministry of Finance. He served as the chairman of the National Board of Revenue from 1981 to 1987.[6]
Chaudhuri was the Governor of Bangladesh Bank from 1987 to 92.[1] He introduced a flexible exchange rate policy for Bangladesh and reduced the value of the Taka to encourage exports.[10] He was a Temporary Alternative Governor of the International Monetary Fund.[11]
After Chaudhuri retired from Bangladesh Bank, he started a column with the Daily Star titled "Along My Way".[6] He served as an Adviser (the equivalent of a cabinet minister) for three months in the Habibur Rahman caretaker government of 1996, which ran the country and supervised the parliamentary elections.[6] He was in charge of the Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Textiles and Jute.[6] He was also the Adviser to City Bank from c. 1993/94 to 1998.[10]
Death
[edit]Chaudhuri died on 11 November 2020 in United Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.[12] He was survived by his wife late Nargis Chaudhuri, son and daughter as well as three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Shegufta Bakht Chaudhuri passes away". The Daily Star. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Former BB governor Shegufta Bakht Chaudhuri dies". The Financial Express. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ a b c সাবেক গভর্নর এস বি চৌধুরী আর নেই. bdnews24 (in Bengali). Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Governors of BB". Bangladesh Bank. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Bangladesh Bank". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "A life dedicated to public service". The Daily Star. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Khan, Nurur Rahman (1999), Sharif Uddin Ahmed (ed.), "Syed Mujtaba Ali", Sylhet: History and Heritage, Sylhet: Bangladesh Itihas Samiti: 824–25, ISBN 978-984-31-0478-6
- ^ a b "OP-ED: Remembering Shegufta Bakht Chaudhuri". Dhaka Tribune. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ Bangladesh. Embassy of Bangladesh. 1976. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Bangladesh Bank". www.bb.org.bd. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Meeting, International Monetary Fund Board of Governors (1991). Summary Proceedings ... Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors. The Fund. p. 284.
- ^ "Former BB Governor Shegufta Bakht Chaudhuri dies". The Business Standard. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
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