Never before have I come
across a more detailed book on the life and times of Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan who
served humanity in a very special way and left behind a legacy for others to
follow. Khan was a very different man. Some considered him a social scientist
while others added various other titles including poet, scholar, community development
expert and philosopher.
Very early in his career he
left the Indian Civil Services and opted to become a locksmith. He wanted to
experience the misery of the downtrodden class. Later he became Director at the
Comilla Project in East Pakistan where he was engaged in community mobilization
and encouraged the participatory approach of development.
Akhter Hameed Khan later went
to Karachi and initiated the Orangi Pilot Project. This project was based on
self-help and power of the people living in the locality. He provided guidance
with many aspects of the project. Technical assistance was provided to the
resident of Orangi, regarding sewerage system and improvement of the environment.
A micro-credit system was also established in the area which emphasized on self-reliance.
Dr. Khan received numerous
awards, but paying tribute to him would only be justified when his work and
ideas would be taught at university level. This would help his teachings in
making their way to the development policies of the developing world. The
twelve chapters in this book cover his early life, struggles in achieving his
goals, his development works, efforts for a humane society, community mobilization
methods and unfortunately the false cases initiated against him. The life of
the maverick covered in this book teaches the reader the common lessons in life
regarding idealism, sacrifice, hard work and persistence.
Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan said: “Pakistan’s development will not come from
the top, it will come from the bottom, and it will happen in pockets – one island
formed here, one there and one island will be made by you…”
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