Interview of Birendra Nath Adhikary Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS)

Birendra Nath Adhikary is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS). Bangladesh Computer Samity is the largest ICT based association in Bangladesh and it represents Bangladesh in WITSA and ASOCIO. Birendra Nath Adhikary is at the helm of BCS Secretariat and he has been here since 2004 as COO. He started his career in 1984 and he worked in different organizations. Thus, his professional life spans for almost 25 years. He has been directly involved with the ICT sector of Bangladesh for many years.
I have known Birendra Nath Adhikary since 2004 and I was and am still amazed with management skill and proficiency of English language. I cherish the days when I worked with him for BCS Computer Show 2004 and BCS Computer Show 2005. He is known to all of us (the ICT journalists) as Biren Da and I always wanted to take his interview. Here is the interview for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: How do you evaluate the changes that have taken place in the technology sector of Bangladesh in last two decades?

Birendra Nath Adhikary: It seems you mean the changes that have taken place in the Information & Communication Technology sector. Yes, a lot of changes have taken place in this sector as follows:

As such, I evaluate that there is tremendous positive changes over the last two decades in the technology sector of Bangladesh.

Razib Ahmed: The sales of laptop are growing now in Bangladesh. What should be done to ensure that laptops reach the doorsteps of rural people?

Birendra Nath Adhikary: Firstly I appreciate the question with a great idea to reach the laptops to the rural people, however, policy and action plan have to be formulated in ahead. I mean it is important to point out what & how the rural people will make best use of laptops and whether the infrastructural support, specially electricity and internet connectivity are ensured. Once these issues are settled, then there comes the product pricing keeping in mind that rural people have lower purchase capacity. My proposal is to first create job opportunity with proper planning & sustainable infrastructure development, and then provide subsidy or other type of incentives such as low rated soft loan for the rural people for buying laptops.

Razib Ahmed: Owners of many companies are skeptical about the benefits of using computer technology in their business activities. How do you think we can change their mind set?

Birendra Nath Adhikary: I do not like to speak in singular aspect whether the owner of a company or any of his/her staff members uses computer or not, rather in plural sense I think computer companies having 10 or more staff members use computers at least to some extend for their business operations. Companies having lower number employees have limited business arena which does not permit to incur establishment & overhead cost. In fact the ICT is a type of business in which none could sustain in long run without knowing computer operation. As such, it will be an automatic phenomenon that all business owners will have to know how to use computers for their survival and thus they will use it. 

Razib Ahmed: We have heard a lot about Bangladesh being potential outsourcing destination, but we have not seen any substantial growth in the export figure from software industry. What do you think is the problem?

Birendra Nath Adhikary: Buzz words are just buzzes! I think we have lot of disadvantages than advantages, which we do not address or just avoid and become highly optimistic with our only so called advantage of availability of workforce at lower wages in compare to anywhere of the world. Let me point out our disadvantages as follows:

1. Our software products are not proven to compete the world market till now due to the main reason we haven’t our own market for our own products. Just look at most of the banks use foreign software.
2. Buyers’ lack of confidence to us due to our inadequate infrastructure and other socio-political unrest.
3. A large number of our quality people migrate for better opportunity due to low wages here.
4. Competitors around us have much advantage over us such as their products are proven in their homelands; their infrastructure is stable, lower rate of migration of their skilled workforce due to their higher wages at home etc.

Razib Ahmed: These days many people are talking about ITES. Do you think that ITES has good potential for Bangladesh?

Birendra Nath Adhikary: Yes, ITES has very good potential in our country. In fact this is the industry which could grow across the country with minimum invest and mid level education background, say higher secondary or even lower grade. If you think about graphics design or multimedia software development, you need not to know high level programming language; mid level or even primary level of technical knowledge in the respective subject will enable you to furnish the job at initial stage and then gradually will be expert enough. Same is case for simple web page development. Think most of the web pages are of this category worldwide.

Razib Ahmed: We have over 500 software companies, but we don’t have software companies employ hundred of workers. What do you think is the reason?

Birendra Nath Adhikary: If you haven’t payment capacity, how come you can employ hundred of workers? Our software companies are not that much big to employ large number of employees.

Razib Ahmed: Internet is a wonderful technology, but most people out side of Dhaka still do not have internet access to it in Bangladesh. How this scenario can be changed?

Birendra Nath Adhikary: We need to develop the infrastructure as quickly as possible, meaning connectivity to all districts and sub-districts must be ensured, bandwidth charge must be lowered down, and rural people have to know what they will do with internet connections, meaning they need jobs, which should be ensured.

Razib Ahmed: Tell something about your personal and professional background.

Birendra Nath Adhikary: Personally I am at 52, fought for the country in 1971 as one of the youngest freedom fighters. I got my Bachelor Honours and Masters in Statistics from the University of Dhaka. Also I completed Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science. My better half SEEMA works in government office and our only child BOON reads at level VIII in a neighboring country. In 1984 I started my career as a Research Assistant at ICDDR, B, Dhaka, Bangladesh, where I was promoted as a Database Programmer and Database Group Head and worked there till early 1998, and then I joined in AKTEL as the IT Manager where I worked till mid 2000, then joined as Director of first authorized Oracle Education Center in Bangladesh and then finally joined at Bangladesh Computer Samity as Chief Operating Officer since 2004 & working here till date.