While organising the NRA Convention in Assam, it reminds me of a name Wahid Saleh of Netherlands. It is an honour and a privilege to be included in a prestigious list of speakers at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Wahid Saleh was one of the speaker including Amartya Sen (Noble Laureate), Lord Meghnad Desai (academician), Salman Rushdie (book author), L.N. Mittal, The Hindujas and Swarja Paul in the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Delhi in the year 2002.
Hailing from Rajabari, Jorhat, he moved to West Germany in 1963 for his higher training in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, but landed up in the Information Technology. He went through the whole process of IT - operator, programmer, system analyst, system deigner, data communication manager, computer centre manager and IT manager. His last job was Head of the department of Quality and Research of a major Dutch company. He was responsible for the design, procurement and implementation of a data communication infrastructure involving more than 5,000 online users. After 38 years in IT he had taken early retirement and is now involved in social work.
Wahid was also the Secretary of the Federation of International Friendship and Cultural Organisations in the Netherlands. Since 2001 he is one of the cultural coordinators of the Milan Festival, celebrated in the Hague. It is the biggest open air festival of the Asians in the European mainland.
On behalf of the Indian community in the Netherlands, Mayor of Zoetermeer and the Ambassador of India presented Wahid with The Golden Jubilee Community Service Award. So, far he is the only person to receive this award.
Wahid was then awarded the coveted Dutch honour, Ridder in de Orde van Oranje - Nassau or the Knighthood of the Order of Orange - Nassau. It was presented on the occasion of the queen's birthday. Wahid is beleived to be the first Indian national to receive the rare honour, which is normally given only to Dutch nationals who have made distinguished contributions to socio-economic life in the Netherlands. He was chosen for the award for his efforts in the promtion of multicultural activites in the country. The Dutch award was given to him as "tribute to his commitment, devotion, and years of dedicated work promoting knowledge about, and understanding between the peoples of India and the Netherlands of their culture, history, philosophy, religious and social structure of the two countries," according to the citation for the award.
Rini Kakati
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