Ram Puniyani

Ram Puniyani
Ram Puniyani
Born (1945-08-25) 25 August 1945
Nationality Indian
Occupation writer, communal harmony volunteer, public speaker, doctor, teacher, medical researcher

Ram Puniyani (born 25 August 1945) is a former professor of biomedical engineering and former senior medical officer affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He began his medical career in 1973 and served IIT in various capacities for 27 years, beginning 1977. In December 2004, he took voluntary retirement to work full-time for communal harmony in India.[1][2] He is involved with human rights activities, communal harmony and initiatives to oppose the rising tide of fundamentalism in India.[3][4] He is associated with the organisations All-India Secular Forum, Center for Study of Society and Secularism and ANHAD. In 2006, he was awarded the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration.

Biography

Puniyani was born in British India in 1945. He was raised in the central Indian town of Nagpur. He completed a Visharad (Master's degree) in Hindi literature alongside matriculation and would then earn both an MBBS as well as an MD at Nagpur Medical College. Upon graduation, he moved to Mumbai where he found a job as a senior medical officer at the Indian Institute of Technology campus in Powai, Mumbai. After about ten years of service as a physician, he diverted into the then fledgling Blood Rheology Laboratoy set up in collaboration with the faculty of mechanical engineering at IIT. After obtaining tenure, and having successfully mentored doctoral and master's degree students, Puniyani decided to dedicate himself to the cause of "restoring" secular principles to post-Babri demolition, post-Mumbai rioting India. He resides in Powai with his wife, a practising physician whom he met as a professor of medicine at Nagpur Medical College. He has two sons who are settled as professionals in various companies.[5]

Activism

Puniyani has been spreading the message of peace and amity through lectures, publications, workshops and meetings and by travelling extensively to different parts of the country disseminating messages of secularism, pluralism and communal harmony. His lectures focus on the need for national integration and communal harmony. He is also the Course Director of 'Peace and Conflict Resolution' Workshop, being conducted by Center for Study of Society and Secularism. Is associated with various secular initiatives and has been part of various investigation reports on violation of human rights of minorities.[6] Has been part of an Indian People's Tribunal that investigated the violation of rights of minorities in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.[7] He is known for his articles and essays which regularly appears in Indian magazines and newspapers.[8][9] He also runs a fortnightly e-bulletin 'Issues in secular politics'.[10]

He regularly conducts seminars and workshops on themes like, threat of communal politics to democratic society, human rights, values of freedom movement and values of Secularism, conversions, uniform civil code debate, partition tragedy, Kashmir Imbroglio, tasks for secular movement. Have been addressing College students and teachers on these themes regularly. He regularly publishes articles and essays in magazines and newspapers. Running a fortnightly e bulletin ‘Issues in secular politics’. His articles being translated in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati languages..

Awards

  • Maharashtra Foundation (US) award for Social awareness about threat of Communal Politics-2002[11]
  • Association For Communal Harmony in Asia-ACHA Star Award for Peace and Communal Harmony-2004[12]
  • Fr. Machio Memorial Foundation Humanitarian Award 2005[13]
  • Indira Gandhi National Integration Award 2006[14]
  • National Communal Harmony Award 2007[15]
  • Gaints Group of Powai (Mumbai)Appreciation Award 2003
  • All India Christian Council, Mumbai: Graham Stains Certificate of Honor 2003
  • Honored by Karmaveer Dadasaheb Gaikwad Sanskritik Kendra on January 26, 2003
  • NCHRO's Mukundan C.Menon award,2015[16]

Works

  • Clinical Hemorheology: New Horizons (New Age International, 1996), ISBN 9788122407754
  • Applied Clinical Hemorheology (with Hideyuki Nimi, Quest Publications, 1998), ISBN 9788187099062
  • The Other Cheek: Minorities under Threat (Media House, 2000), ISBN 9788174950819
  • Second Assassination of Gandhi (University of Leicester, 2002), ISBN 9788174951489
  • Communalism: What is False: What is True (with Khalid Azam, Bombay Sarvoda Friendship Center, 2002)
  • Communal Politics: Facts Versus Myths (2003), ISBN 9780761996675
  • Communalism: Illustrated Primer (Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust and J&P Publications, 2004), ISBN 978-8186219324
  • Hindu Extreme Right-Wing Groups : Ideology and Consequences (Media House, 2004), ISBN 9788174951731
  • Fascism of Sangh Parivar (Media House, 2004), ISBN 9788174951953
  • Religion, Power and Violence: Expression Of Politics In Contemporary Times, (SAGE, 2005), ISBN 9788132102069
  • Contours of Hindu Rashtra: Hindutva, Sangh Parivar And Contemporary Politics (Kalpaz, 2006), ISBN 9788178354736
  • Indian Democracy, Pluralism and Minorities (Global Media, 2006), ISBN 9788188869190
  • The Politics behind Anti-Christian Violence (compilation of investigation committee reports, Media House, 2006), ISBN 9788174952370
  • Terrorism: Facts versus Myths (Pharos Media, 2007), ISBN 978-81-7221-033-5
  • Fundamentalism: Threat to Secular Democracy (eBook, IdeaIndia.com, 2007), ASIN B005D7FCYY
  • Contemporary India: Overcoming Sectarianism: Terrorism (Hope India, 2008), ISBN 9788178711454
  • Communalism: India's Nemesis? (eBook, IdeaIndia.com, 2009), ASIN B005INISXU
  • Dalit and Social Justice (Mythri Books, 2009)
  • Mumbai" Post 26/11 - An Alternative Perspective (with Shabnam Hashmi, SAGE, 2010), ISBN 9788132104926
  • Deconstructing Communalism in India: Striving for Harmony (All India Secular Forum, 2010)
  • Samajik Nyaya Ek Sachitra Parichay (in Hindi, Vani Prakashan, 2010), 9789350001479
  • Communal Threat to Secular Democracy (Kalpaz, 2010), ISBN 978-8178358611
  • Malegaon to Ajmer: The Trail of Terror (edited, All-India Secular Forum, 2010)
  • Communalism Explained! A Graphic Account (with Sharad Sharma, Vani Prakashan, 2011)
  • Making Sense of Ayodhya Verdict (co-edited with Asghar Ali Engineer, Vitasta Publishing, 2011), ISBN 9380828500.
  • God Politics (Vitasta Pub, 2012), ISBN 9789380828633
  • Sectarianism, Politics and Development (with Uday Mehta, Rawat, 2012), ISBN 9788131605233
  • Muslims in Indian Democracy (Kalpaz, 2013), ISBN 9788178359281
  • Quest for Social Justice: An Illustrated Primer (Arth Prakashan, 2013), ASIN B00J6AN412
  • Tribute Volume For Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Striving For Peace And Harmony (Bhashya Prakashan 2014), ISBN 978-9383206292
  • Caste and Communalism (Mythri Books 2011), ASIN: B00HR1PB04
  • Communalism & Anti Christian Violence (Mythri Books 2011), ASIN: B00HWWISMG
  • Osama, America and Terrorism (Mythri Books 2012), ASIN: B00HWWIUP6
  • Religion and Politics (Mythri Books 2009), ASIN: B00HWWMF7U
  • Making of a Nation (Mythri Books 2012), ASIN: B00HWWMHWI
  • Saampradaayiktaa (2011), ISBN 978-9350007419
  • Aatankvaad Explained- A Graphics Account (Arth Prakashan 2013), ISBN 978-8192627632
  • Manthaveri (Uyirmmai Pathippagam 2009) ISBN 978-9380072883

Audio & Video Productions

Audio productions

  • Sampradayik Rajniti: Yatharth aur Mithak: 140 Minutes produced by Mumbai Sarvodaya Friendship Center Mumbai

Video productions

  • Developed script for Hum Sab Ek Hain (60 Minutes), 2001
  • Un Sapno Ki Khatir - Anhad- Facts Versus Myths 27 Minutes, 2004 (English, Hindi)
  • Rah Aman Ki: Center for Harmony and Peace 3 Hour video recording of 9 Lectures on communalism, in English and Hindi

Part of Investigations: Citizen’s Inquiry Committees

  • Truth behind Forced Conversions in Ulhasnagar (Near Mumbai), March 1999
  • Attacks on Christian Mission Schools In Mumbai, June 1999
  • Attack on Girls Hostel in Nasik, Maharashtra, May 2000
  • Member Indian People’s Tribunal Investigating Communalism in Orissa,2005
  • Hindukaran of Adivasis in Dangs, Gujarat, 2006
  • Convener, Indian People’s Tribunal on Communalism In Madhya Pradesh,2006
  • Member Jury: National Tribunal on Atrocities on Muslims in the name of Fighting Terrorism 2008-August 2008 Hyderabad, Scapegoats and Holy Cows
  • Member Jury: National Meeting on, What it means to be a Muslim in India Today- October 2009 Delhi
  • Convener : People’s Tribunal On Kandhamal, Orissa, 2010.

References

  1. ↑ Book listing "Communalism: India's Nemesis", IdeaIndia.com
  2. ↑ Abu Saleh, Communalism and Terrorism, UoH Herald, University of Hyderabad, 18 September 2013
  3. ↑ National Seminar on Socio-Economic and Educational Status of Muslims in Maharashtra, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 2009 Archived 6 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Ram Puniyani at World People's Blog
  5. ↑ Announcement of lecture series by Ram Puniyani, Gujarat National Law University, Gandhi Nagar, 2014.
  6. ↑ People's tribunal on victimisation of minorities, OneWorld South Asia
  7. ↑ Indian People's Tribulal Report 40 Archived 20 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Ram Puniyani's articles at South Asia Citizens Web
  9. ↑ Ram Puniyani's articles at CounterCurrents.org
  10. ↑ Plural India
  11. ↑ Trade unionists and activists win awards, Times of India, 3 Jan 2003
  12. ↑ ACHA Awards Archived 12 April 2001 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ flipkart.com book listing
  14. ↑ "PM's Address at the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration". PIB, Prime Minister's Office. 31 October 2007.
  15. ↑ National Communal Harmony Awards for 2007 announced...Dr. Ram Puniyani and Setu Charitable Trust have been selected for the National Communal Harmony Award for the year 2007.
  16. ↑ "NCHRO's Mukundan C.Menon award 2015; Honored by Sadbhawna Award by Jamat E Islami Hind on August 20, 2016 given to Ram Puniyani". flickr.com.
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