Encouraging grassroots ingenuity
One fine morning in November 2020, I set out from home to submit my first innovation proposal at the office of the Jammu & Kashmir Science, Technology & Innovation Council (JKST&IC) located in Bemina. After reaching the office, the desk assistant informed me that the last date of proposal submission was over and I should have submitted it online. Dejected. I asked the assistant, is there any chance? He replied, “No”. I again asked, “Before leaving I want to try with Sir (Additional Director)”. He replied, “Go to the Srinagar Habitat Center located near to the JKST&IC office, as Nasir sir, along with Assistant Director Bilal sir, is there for some program.” I said to him, “OK, and thank you.”
Expecting a rude, harsh, and arrogant officer, as we usually witness, to scold me and reject my request, but to my surprise, Nasir sir told me, “Let us have a cup of tea first, and afterwards he will have a look at my proposal.” After a cup of tea, I handed over the file (proposal). A thorough look at the title of the proposal made him thoughtful, and he immediately told Bilal Sir to consider it. I felt so happy and thanked Sir. He said, “Beta, all the very best.” After three months I got a call, and I was informed that my innovation proposal will be funded.
When Nasir Ahmad Shah — Additional Director JKST&IC, DST, Government of J&K — steps down on 30 September 2025, the region will lose more than a capable administrator: it will lose a bridge between formal science and everyday innovation. His legacy is not headline-grabbing reformer but steady worker.
Shah brings to administration the rare combination of scholarly depth and ground-level experience. Trained to the doctoral level (Ph.D.) in Mathematics, he has taught at universities and colleges — helping shape curricula while keeping an eye on how students and teachers actually learn and apply ideas. That academic grounding has given him credibility when negotiating partnerships between universities and government agencies.
In addition to cementing bridge between innovators in academia, Shah’s most enduring contribution is his inclusive mindset. He deliberately sought out “non-academic innovators” — craftsmen, farmers, and hobbyists with solutions forged in local necessity — and offered them handholding: mentorship, grants, and access to prototyping support. That work is crucial in a place like J&K, where innovation often springs from context-specific problems (water management, horticulture, eco-tourism) rather than abstract labs. By legitimizing grassroots ingenuity, Shah widened the aperture of what counts as innovation.
As he prepares to retire, the challenge for J&K is to preserve the institutional habits he nurtured: regular school and college engagement, meaningful university-government partnerships, and the quiet scaffolding that lets grassroots inventors become acknowledged innovators.
In the end, Shah’s work is less about single, seismic projects and more about building habits: of listening, of connecting, and of trusting ordinary ingenuity. I wish his successor take JKST&IC to new milestones. Nasir sir, may you stay healthy, happy and connected to science, technology, and innovations that shall unfold from J&K in coming years.
Dr. Ashraf Zainabi is a teacher and researcher based in Gowhar Pora Chadoora J&K
