[I knew Shahid Akthar and many of those mentioned below in their work situations, and am really grateful for his prompt initiatives in promoting Free/Libre and Open Source Software in the Asia-Pacific through his many initiatives, and extreme openness to learn from the FLOSS campaign and its ideas here. An unusual official from the UN network, for sure. --FN]
Shahid Akthar ... and his emails
A farewell note by Chanuka Wattegama chanuka@gmail.com
Shahid Akthar ended his long and illustrious career in the field of development when he left his office in UNDP on June 30, 2007. In his 37 years of development work, he has become perhaps the leading regional specialist about the ICT for development (ICT4D) initiatives in Asia Pacific.
No matter whether it was e-Government, telecentres, Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) or telemedicine, from Iran to Cook Islands and from Mongolia to Timor Leste, none could tell what exactly was going on in some obscure corner in nearly 40 countries, better than him. That was his job and what he was good at. He was the walking version of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific, the two yearly publication that records the ICT trends in every Asia Pacific economy, which Shahid himself was instrumental in publishing. Sometimes he was far more updated than the print version and certainly had more links to information sources.
Until his retirement, he was my boss, although I hate to use that word. Shahid was more a guide and a friend, with the type of characteristics we South Asians fondly coalesce to a single word -- a Guru.
Initially, when I went for international workshops, I introduced myself by saying I work for UNDP-APDIP. Later, I learnt to say, "I work for Shahid Akthar." I realised that the latter was a quicker way to make others treat me as a friend. Such was the respect Shahid had. His network of ICT practitioners in the region was amazing. It was only rarely that he did not get an invitation for any regional or most of the national ICT events. People ran after him for keynotes. Everybody and his uncle in ICT4D knew what he did from the small UNDP-APDIP office in Bangkok.
A writer can pay tribute in only one way -- that is what I am trying to do now, although I have to admit, it is no easy task. Shahid had been a phenomenon. One can write a book about him, said my friend and ex-colleague, Gopi Pradhan. Gopi should know.
All of us who work in ICTs are weird. Shahid was even a bit more exceptional. Shahid has his own ways of doing things. According to my colleague Sunil Abraham, Shahid assigned him the first job without even having talked with Sunil. "He was just there at the workshop I did some presentations and in the break he came to me and gave me his card without uttering a word. Later he e-mailed me saying if I like to take there is a six month?s assignment on FOSS."
So Sunil joined to APDIP team to build the largest FOSS network in Asia Pacific, ISON and stayed for several years.
Shahid did not use a mobile. The story goes that during the incident leading to the change of government in Thailand, the UN security people were perplexed on why there was no mobile number available in front of the name of the person who was in charge of ICTs. They thought it was a mistake. James, a colleague of mine had the difficult task of explaining just because one is ICT savvy one does not necessarily have to be an ICT consumer.
Shahid was a pioneer who promoted use of mobile phones, in all sort of remote places, Bangladesh, Fiji and Laos, but he never saw the need for one in Bangkok.
The security guys were not happy. "Yes, but how can one contact him in an emergency?" Those who know Shahid, knows the answer. By e-mail. You can send an email on 7 pm on a Saturday and can expect the reply in 15 minutes. That was Shahid.
Prior to joining Shahid?s team, my friend Joy Daniel, then ICT specialist at Sri Lanka UNDP Country Office told me two things about Shahid -- one good, the other one a bit scary. "As far as giving due credit, none can be a better boss than Shahid. You do a good policy paper, and Shahid will take it everywhere and let everybody knows you did it. But the negative side is if he sends an e-mail on a Sunday morning, he expects action before the first thing in the morning next day."
My flirting with Internet started long before meeting Shahid, so checking email on a Sunday morning was no issue to me. So I joined UNDP-APDIP. Joy could not be more correct. Shahid not only became one of the best bosses I ever had in my career, but also convinced me what a strong communication medium e-mail is, specially when they are written in all lower case.
Why Shahid wrote his e-mails completely in lower case is a mystery. My colleagues have different theories on this. One said that without having mastered the touch system (like many in his generation) it was difficult for Shahid to use the Shift keys, simultaneously. Another said he did not want to look as if he is giving an order, even when it was what he exactly did! I do not know the answer. May be both.
According to James, Shahid himself when confronted on this issue has slyly avoided the topic by saying that credible research has indicated that in the long run, you actually save a substantial amount of time if you type completely in lower case and refer to everyone by initials and signoff with an initial too.
Shahid's use of e-mails was legendary. For two years, I reported to Shahid (in Bangkok) from the UNDP Regional Centre in Colombo. I initially thought I would be going to get a phone call from him every hour. For those two years, he contacted me by phone only once, that too for something unavoidable. Instead I was bombarded with a load of e-mails, staring from a minimum of 20-25 everyday. (I should say he was considerate because he reduced that a bit on weekends.)
This practice never changed. Once both of us were at adjacent seats in a cyber café in New Delhi and Shahid thought the best way to instruct me do some minor task is by email, as if he were writing from some other planet.
These were all official mails. As a true professional, Shahid was not somebody who outwardly or openly discussed about personal matters during office hours (or out of office hours for that matter!). The only occasion I remember him getting personal was to instruct me and my colleague James to take care when there was a bomb blast at the Colombo Airport. It is not that he was not concerned about us. The well being of each and everyone who worked for him was always on the top of his priorities list but he saw no reason to be outwardly pretentious in demonstrating it.
I know of many occasions where he has stood up in defence of his staff when the need arose without being asked. One more reason why I am so glad to have worked with a boss like him.
Shahid was a workaholic. He often made me remind the motto of my Alma Mater -- Kam mere Pooja (Work is worship). Call it old fashioned, but he was a part of a generation that worked not for rewards, but for the sheer pleasure of doing it. Joy put it nicely, "Shahid is the type of person who knowing that you worked till 12 midnight yesterday in organising a workshop, but still expects you to arrive at work 8.00 am today. Slightly exaggerated perhaps, but not too far from truth.
The good news was Shahid did it in such a great manner, that one never realised one works that much. It was all fun and fulfilling.
Shahid?s five years of work in UNDP alone speaks volumes about him. Over 50 ICT4D knowledge products (both in print and electronic format) makes UNDP-APDIP the lead agency that has potentially contributed most in the area of cutting-edge ICT4D research and literature in the region. As for capacity building, perhaps its not too bold to state that no other agency has trained so many individuals in the region in such diversified topics from FOSS to e-Government.
The small grant scheme that Shahid pioneered alongside a few development partners, has funded 56 innovative and sustainable pilot projects. I am particularly happy to note that one such project -- the e-village based on the Mesh Networking concept -- is being selected to be replicated at so many other locations, by the government of Sri Lanka.
I have often been asked whether Shahid would enjoy his retirement, after leading such a hectic working life. Knowing him, I find it difficult to answer this question. Frankly I am not sure.
Shahid was a person who loved his work and I cannot imagine him being happy without checking his e-mail at 7 pm on Saturdays. In one of the Sherlock Holmes' adventures, (another character - though fictitious - who immensely enjoyed his work), Holmes tells Watson that the best thing for rest is changing the line of work. I hope Shahid will take a hint from that. I join the rest of my colleagues to wish him a happy retirement and happy and productive long life.
-- Frederick Noronha Journalist http://fn.goa-india.org E: fred@bytesforall.org or fredericknoronha@gmail.com P: +91-832-2409490 M: +91-9970157402 Yahoo: fredericknoronha Skype: fredericknoronha GTalk: fredericknoronha 784, Sonarbhat, Near Lourdes Convent, Saligao 403511 Goa India