This is development culture

A friend who has been in the development sector for almost all his working life finds it difficult to think like an ordinary person.

So, when I asked him to just come over for a chat at the university campus, this is how he responded: “I cannot come just like that, it’s not ‘feasible.’ Think about the ‘logistics’ at this time of evening, the roads will be packed and there will be too many ‘challenges.’”

And when I laughed at his response, he simply said in an admonishing tone: “No, no, no. You must learn strategic thinking, After all, you are in the sector yourself.”

Hmm, couldn’t disagree, but I also reminded him that when someone has journalism in their blood, it’s difficult to infuse a new culture no matter where he/she works.

Anyway, the usage of a few common words got me thinking about the whole culture, bringing back a wave of memories.

When I first stepped into development, I found that people were taught to think and act in a certain way. If you did not, then you were considered a misfit.

This meant first implanting certain words into your system and making sure to use them regularly.

“Sustainable” is such a word, followed by others such as “grass-root level,” “facilitating,” “long-term impact,” “visible impact,” and so on.

I was hardly surprised when, one day, a revered “apa” came to me with an anguished face and a sad tale of how distressed she was over her daughter’s desire to go out with a guitarist.

“Can this relation be sustainable?” she lamented. “Who wants to go out with a guitarist; what is this guy’s long-term plan? Has he a strategy to financially support his own social elevation?”

Hmm, surely a musician can’t be that useless? I remarked.

“No, you do not understand; there is severe deficiencies in this guy’s forward plan. I mean, what about the fiduciary risks?”

Well, by that time, I was lost.

Maybe you should ask the guy to come and present you and your extended family a comprehensive plan for his future.

PowerPoint presentation included and, later on, the plan can be circulated to all via e-mail for further comments/observations.

She beamed at the idea.

It could be titled: “The guitarist X: His five year advancement strategy.”

I also found that an avidly followed practice is to come together to make almost completely incoherent, mostly quixotic strategies.

Of course, for this, the office won’t do, therefore, a retreat has to be planned, preferably somewhere out of town in a comfortable surrounding.

Minds work better by the sea or in an exotic location.

Well, in exchange for a comfortable outing, a few hours of impractical exercise can be accepted.

Unfortunately, on one occasion I, along with a few other team members, ended up on the lawns near the Parliament building on a sweltering hot summer afternoon.

The idea was to sit and come up with innovative ideas. Large white papers (only seen at development organisations) were laid out on the grass, markers were out, and we got together zealously to find solutions to all problems.

In this case, communication-related ones, since that’s the side I worked on.

Thinking back in retrospect, not even half of those plans ever saw the light of day. Don’t be surprised, they never do.

But the rule states that one has to make them regardless, since that is the culture.

One time, working for CARE, the task of making the annual report fell on me, and since I was a novice in this line, I did not feel the necessity to consult the countless specialised teams at the office.

In fact, no one told me that the system was to go from door to door to ask what they wanted to be featured in the report.

No point unless there are several people involved, with a few hell-bent on finding faults in whatever you give them.

In the end, with too many teams providing their separate inputs, it became almost impossible to decide on the format of the report, let alone the content.

Should this be like a book or a four-page brochure? The answer was lost in a quagmire.

One of my friends, whom I mentioned at the beginning, always tells me: “Always strategise and make elaborate plans, it doesn’t matter if they appear impractical.”

Hence I was not the least surprised when, before his son’s birthday, he sent around a draft birthday card to us for comments — some actually made suggestions which he duly incorporated, circulating the final version diligently.

At the party, the child was asked to come forward and greet us all and tell us of his plans for the future.

He did so impeccably, perks of strategic thinking from an early age.

“See, how effective my method is” my friend observed with pride. “We want to bring a catalytic change to his life and from time to time go on deep dives to unearth the hidden potential.”

“Marhahaba!” I said. “You must be getting all the deliverables.”

“Maybe you would like to come to one of our cluster meetings?” the wife asked. “It will surely teach you to think out of the box.”

“Er, well, spare me, I think I was never in the box in the first place.”