Akash Mahanty- An Internationally acclaimed software developer, Inventor and student of Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning is no more.

Akash Mahanty-JSTSE Scholar-2016-2017

Akash Mahanty was a second-year student of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI & ML) at University School of Automation & Robotics, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), Delhi. Akash was a very talented student and placed second in the university's Mystery of Code Explorer in 2021.In 2016-17 Aakash was ranked 32nd among students of Delhi in the Delhi Government's Junior Science Talent Search Examination. Tragically, he passed away on May 11, 2023, at the age of 21, due to acute liver failure caused by Hepatitis A at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket, Delhi.

Akash was an exceptional young man with a passion for computer science and software engineering. He had a strong drive to contribute to the open-source community. He joined the open source community at the age 18 years and died at the age of 21 years, but with in a span of 3 years , he left behind a remarkable legacy through his various creations – Waybackpy, Videohash, Redis Stream based video stream API, dHashPy, Youtube Playlist Length Analyzer, VideoFingerprint, Image Dominant Color etc., which can be found under the name "Akash Mahanty/akamhy" on GitHub and PYPI. Akash worked day and night to learn and accomplish all these works.

His major creations was Waybackpy,(MIT License) a Python package and a CLI tool. Waybackpy, designed by Akash, enables developers to programmatically retrieve archived versions of web pages. It allows users to query the archive, obtain information about specific URLs, and retrieve snapshots of web pages from specific dates.

Princeton University lecturer Jeremie Lumbroso found it amazing and described it as the missing piece of the puzzle. 

Appreciation Mail of Jeremie Lumbroso lecturer Princeton University. USA

Waybackpy gained significant recognition and popularity in the developer community. It has been downloaded approximately 644,000 times, with thousands of additional downloads every month.Waybackpy has also been cited in various journals, papers, and books worldwide, highlighting its significance and impact on web archive research.

The details are as under:

1. Pantelakis, G., Papadopoulos, P., Kourtellis, N., Markatos, E.P. (2022). FORTH/University of Crete, Telefonica Research, Barcelona, Spain. Measuring the (Over)use of Service Workers for In-Page Push Advertising Purposes. In: Hohlfeld, O., Moura, G., Pelsser, C. (eds) Passive and Active Measurement. PAM 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13210. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98785-5_19

   
   
   

2. ACM Digital Library-ARTICLE Measuring the (Over)use of Service Workers for In-Page Push Advertising Purposes Authors:-George Pantelakis,Panagiotis Papadopoulos,Nicolas Kourtellis,Evangelos P. Markatos

3. Mekacher, A., & Papasavva, A. (2022). City University of London, University College London . "I Can't Keep It Up." A Dataset from the Defunct Voat.co News Aggregator. International Conference on Web and Social Media.

   
   
   

4. Wong, Wai & Trilling, Damian. (2023). University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Interplay between Right-Wing Alternative Media, Mainstream Media, and Political Elites in the United States. Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media. 3. 10.51685/jqd.2023.001.

   
   
   

5. WARCnet Special Report - An overview of Skills, Tools & Knowledge Ecologies in Web Archive Research, Aarhus, Denmark 2022 - Sharon Healy (Maynooth University), Helena Byrne (British Library), Katharina Schmid (Bavarian State Library), Nicola Bingham (British Library), Olga Holownia (International Internet Preservation Consortium), Michael Kurzmeier (Maynooth University), Robert Jansma (University of Siegen). 

6. Open Source Intelligence Techniques: Resources for Searching and Analyzing Online Information. Ninth Edition. Book by Michael Bazzell. USA

   
   
   

7. Famous twitter account Cyber Detective @cyb_detective- writes about #osint (Open Source Intelligence) tools and techniques in twitter, on 31 January , 2022 tweeted to use waybackpy authored by Akash Mahanty.

8. Awesome Open Source (awesomeopensource.com) included waybackpy in the Top Web Archiving Open Source Projects globally (2023).

9. Under Heading "Reviving the Past: Top Wayback Machine Alternatives 2023". 

   Asim Akhtar (Derby-United Kingdom)-Founder of AtOnce said- As an expert in web development, I was thrilled to discover Waybackpy during my search for alternatives to the Wayback Machine.This Python library is a game-changer as it allows me to access archived versions of web pages directly within my code without any need for API or website interaction.

10. Akash Mahanty's waybackpy has been mentioned in the Wikipedia article 'Wayback Machine'. In Wikipedia,page: Help:Using the Wayback Machine ,Waybackpy has been mentioned in command line tool [Save a live page, Get the oldest archive, Get the newest archive, Archive close to a date and time] section.

11. The International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) has included Waybackpy in the list of most important and widely used tools and software related to web archiving (2023).

12. WebxKit a leading digital marketing company  wrote under the heading "Wayback Machine Alternative to Try in 2023".

    Waybackpy is a vеrsatilе wayback machine alternative in the form of a Python library. It allows dеvеlopеrs to crеatе custom archiving solutions tailorеd to their specific nееds.By lеvеraging Waybackpy, dеvеlopеrs can intеgratе archiving functionalitiеs dirеctly into thеir applications or wеbsitеs, offеring a sеamlеss usеr еxpеriеncе for thеir audiеncе.

    
    
    

13. Students at the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain have incorporated Waybackpy, a tool authored by Akash Mahanty, into their Master's Degree program in Cybersecurity and Cyber Intelligence.

Akash's other notable creation,Videohash (MIT License) is a Python package for detecting near-duplicate videos using perceptual video hashing. This package has been downloaded approximately 101,000 times, with a steady influx of thousands of new downloads every month. Videohash has been cited in the study "Estudio y desarrollo de métodos para comparar vídeos" by Troconis Abreu, Eduardo Arturo and Serra Ruiz, Jordi, Ingeniería Informática, Escuela De Ingeniería (EE), Universidad Autónoma De Barcelona (UAB) [The Autonomous University of Barcelona].

Akash's other notable creation, Image dominant color, (MIT License)is a Python package for detecting dominant color of images. This package has been downloaded approximately 61,000 times, with a steady influx of thousands of new downloads every month.

Unfortunately, many of Akash's other works remain unknown, as he did not share them with his family and friends. His passion for computer science, software engineering, and open-source contributions left a lasting impact, and his creations continue to be utilized and appreciated by developers worldwide. My love and affection to Akash for the work he has done for mankind at the short span of life (only 21 years).

Akash wasn't just handsome boy on the outside, he was so handsome boy on the inside, he was a treasured and adored child. He didn't want to be an engineer for himself and his family, he wanted to be an engineer to help poor people, he wanted to open his own company (startup) and give jobs to others.

EXCELLENCE AWARD-OF AKASH

Two famous quotes of Akash which is ringing in my ears all the time. 1.Engineering embodies the spirit of innovation and the application of skills to overcome challenges. Its primary focus should be on problem-solving rather than monetary gain. 2.Active participation in open-source initiatives is essential for the betterment of humanity through technology. Without such contributions, achieving true human welfare, the ultimate goal of technology, becomes a formidable task.

How was Akash? Akash devoted himself to practical knowledge, research, and innovation, embodying the role of an avid inventor. Driven by a relentless curiosity and a passion for learning, he prioritized the pursuit of new ideas and creations, often foregoing traditional grooming habits to maximize his time. His ultimate ambition was to amass a significant number of patents, showcasing his commitment to groundbreaking solutions. Beyond personal achievements, he aspired to establish a software company, aspiring to provide employment opportunities for others. His unwavering dedication and focus were so profound that he resisted the allure of popular social media platforms and online distractions, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube Vlogs, and online games.

वेद,और अग्नि पुराण के अनुसार,हरी ओम मंत्र के जप से

व्यक्ति का पाप नाश होता है और उसे मोक्ष की प्राप्ति होती है।

Who was Akash?

Analyzing Akash's appearance, character, intelligence, birth, etc. with the information available in Sanatan Hinduism, it is clearly understood that his Soul came from Heaven to fulfill a task with little life span. Having completed this sacred duty, his soul ascended to Vaikuntha (बैकुण्ठ) through the benevolence of Shri Hari Narayan.

सनकादि ऋषियों का एक सिद्ध एवं चमत्कारी

मंत्र- हरि शरणम

The Causes of Akash's death.

1.Despite the doctors' efforts, the timely identification of the disease proved challenging. The severity of hepatitis A took everyone by surprise, leading to a rapid and unexpected deterioration. 2.Akash's liver succumbed to the assault of the hepatitis A virus, an uncommon occurrence. With the liver's failure, the crucial detoxification process halted, allowing harmful substances to wreak havoc on all organs. As blood detoxification ceased, the brain's ammonia levels soared to 700, ultimately causing a slowdown and cessation of brain function. 3.The overreliance on doctors solely based on their degrees and the blind trust in the reputation of a super-specialty hospital reflected a lack of understanding of medical science by Akash's parents and family. 4.Despite lacking comprehensive facilities for treating the disease, Akash was kept in the hospital for nearly 16 hours. This decision, made by a super-specialty hospital aware of the non-functioning liver, raised questions about the adequacy of the medical care provided. 5.Ultimately, it appears that Akash's life was destined to be brief, a fate beyond the control of medical science.

After Akash's death:-

After Akash's death, a shadow of mourning fell all around, Akash's university was closed on that day, Akash's friends started crying, the passers-by who heard about this started crying, but in the meantime, some people were happy, not only that, but some of them started blaming Akash's family (father) for the death of Akash. Akash's family heard all these silently and endured the biggest sorrow of their lives and started praying to God for the rebirth of Akash in the land of his choice to fulfill his dream, goal and ambition.

Request to all Software Developers /computer engineers.

With a heavy heart, I, as Akash Mahanty's father, convey the sorrowful news and earnestly appeal to all software developers and computer engineers. Regrettably, Akash Mahanty, the creator of waybackpy, is no longer with us. I kindly request that anyone reproducing copies or engaging in projects directly or indirectly associated with waybackpy, or writing any related books, includes Akash's name as a tribute to his departed soul. Your acknowledgment would bring solace to our grieving hearts.

Condolences Messages:-

From: Jérémie Lumbroso Date: Sun, 3 Mar, 2024, 21:15 Subject: Re: Gratitude for your Email to Akash Mahanty To: Prabir kumar Mahanty <prabir.mahanti2000@gmail.com> Cc: <lumbroso@seas.....> Dear Mr. Mahanty, I was deeply saddened to learn of your son Akash's passing. Please accept my heartfelt condolences for your loss. The news of such a talented and promising young individual departing too soon is truly heartbreaking. Your message about Akash's work and the impact he had in his short but meaningful life moved me profoundly. It is clear that he was not only a gifted individual but also someone who left an indelible mark on those around him. I apologize for the delay in my response. The news of Akash's passing brought me great sorrow, especially regretting that I could not continue our conversation before his untimely departure. I understand the depth of your loss and the value you place on those who recognized his talents. In these challenging times, the importance of honoring the legacies of brilliant young minds like Akash becomes ever more clear to me. In this spirit, I've been contemplating a way to contribute to preserving his remarkable work. I wonder what you would think of the idea of me taking over the maintenance of Waybackpy? I've noticed there are currently 12 open issues since the last version was released in March 2022. My intention would be to address these issues and ensure that Akash's work not only remains relevant but continues to thrive and evolve. We could ensure that Akash's name and story is shared. I see this as a potential way to keep his legacy vibrant and influential in the community he was so passionate about. Additionally, as a regular donor to the Internet Archive, I am considering reaching out to them to see if there's a possibility of featuring Waybackpy and commemorating Akash's work within their platform. This is just an idea at this stage, and I would proceed only with your blessing and support. Please let me know if you are comfortable with these suggestions or if there's any other way I can assist in preserving and honoring Akash's legacy. Your son's work was truly remarkable, and it deserves to be recognized and remembered, as does his spirit of openness and giving. Once again, my deepest sympathies go out to you and your family during this time of mourning. If there is anything more I can do, please do not hesitate to reach out. I weep the kind soul that was your soon deeply. With warmest regards and deepest respect, Sincerely, Jérémie Lumbroso, Ph.D. Practice Assistant Professor Computer and Information Science University of Pennsylvania Office: Towne 219A LinkedIn | GitHub

Our loving Akash we are praying to God for your rebirth in the

land of your choice to fulfill your dream, goal and ambition.

जय कल्कि जय जगत्पते। पद्मापति जय रमापते।।

I dedicate this writing for the peace of the departed soul of my only son late Akash Mahanty.-Prabir Kumar Mahanty.🙏