Working for joy

I work for my own joy – not to make money, and certainly not for fame, status, or power

Back then, this news appeared in almost a dozen newspapers. It was 2003. The internet was scarce, and I didn’t even have my own computer. I started working during lunch breaks in the university lab and on the computer of a kind-hearted person at my residence (Lutfor Rahman). Everyone else in my class had their own computer; only I and a couple of others didn’t, because of financial limitations. When I finally managed to buy my own computer after much struggle, I spent night after night building this software. At that time, it wasn’t insignificant at all. In 2004 or 2005, it was even selected for an IT Innovation Search Program. I presented it in front of today’s ICT Minister, Mr. Mustafa Jabbar. Until then, I had never used a laptop in my life. I had only once seen a Japan-returned professor at the university working on a touchpad. That single glimpse helped me during the presentation.

The internet was extremely scarce then, and whatever existed was in cyber cafés with very limited resources. My project didn’t use the internet at all. It was entirely my own effort. All my classmates knew that I barely studied academically. Many times I went to class only to hear that there would be a class test shortly. I am grateful to my friend Imran (Imran Hossain). I took quick briefings from him countless times before exams. I never studied at home; I completed my academic learning solely from the lectures in class. Even then, my results were not bad at all—my CGPA was consistently at a first-class level.

As always, memorization was something I deeply disliked. Even now, I tell everyone not to memorize. The first blow to the potential of children in our country comes from the pressure to memorize everything.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, when everyone else moved to Dhaka one by one, I remained in Khulna. My father couldn’t afford to support my expenses, so I had to find a job before I could go. A few months later, a generous elder brother (Kamruzzaman Palash) arranged that opportunity for me, and only then could I move. After that, I switched to another job and stayed in Cox’s Bazar for almost three months—purely for the adventure.

I have always been independent-minded. Working under someone’s strict instructions was never in my nature. So when I took the job, I said I would do in one day what others do in five. In return, I wanted the remaining four days for myself. Fortunately, the office I worked in gave me a lot of freedom. The chief executive, in particular, treated me with sincere kindness. I must gratefully acknowledge his contribution.
Even after reaching top management, I left the job. That was five years ago. For the last five years, I have been unemployed—at least in the conventional sense. But I say I am a “night laborer.” What I spend now is something no institution in the country would pay me as a salary. I roam as I wish. Last year alone, I wasted almost three 15-day trips to India… well, let’s not get into that calculation. I try to be a bit too honest, trust people repeatedly, get deceived, and swallow requests I shouldn’t. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t “achieve” anything in life. But many people around the world are leading in various fields today because of my direct or indirect inspiration.

I work for my own joy—not to earn money, and certainly not for fame, recognition, or power. Every year, what I spend on learning and experimental projects alone could probably have bought me an apartment by now. I know my job is simply to keep creating. Whether money comes or not is not my concern. But at the end of the day, I still need to put food on my table. Many people depend on me. They need food too. Somehow, through my work, these things manage to come. There are many families and individuals around the world who depend on my work. They sell the things I create and make their living.

I am a free person. I don’t owe explanations to anyone. I don’t have to follow anyone’s orders. Some days I spend the whole day lying around; other days I sleep only two or three hours. This freedom itself is my success. Hundreds of thousands of websites around the world run on my themes. That is my reward at the end of the day. Many government websites also run on my themes—though many people customize the design and make it look terrible.

Today I felt good seeing that the Ministry of Finance of Guyana (https://finance.gov.gy) is running on one of my themes. The Forest Department of Belize (http://forest.gov.bz) is running on another. There are thousands like these—government, non-government, universities, charities, businesses, companies. You probably know that all domains ending with .gov belong to government institutions. The people of Tonga, an island nation in the Australian region, may not know that the website of their only broadcasting corporation—their radio and television—was built using the web technology created by an ordinary man from an unknown country called Bangladesh.

I couldn’t become a rocket scientist, but a site belonging to an organization of American rocket scientists runs on my theme. Isn’t that something? I may not have achieved anything myself, but I have been able to inspire those who are achieving.