Javeed Alam

Javeed Alam was born to Khadija and Alam Khundmiri in the erstwhile State of Hyderabad that was ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad. His parents were leftist activists in Hyderabad and his family were deeply involved in the Telangana struggle of the peasantry. He completed his BA and MA degrees at Osmania University, getting a gold medal for standing first in the MA. He did his PhD at the Indian School of International Studies (ISIS), Delhi, and got his doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) since ISIS was merged with JNU[2].

His teaching career at Delhi University’s Salwan College was terminated since he married Jayanti, a Hindu. This led to a larger agitation that was backed by the Teachers' association and defended the secular character of the University. From 1973 to 1999 he taught at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU). He was a popular teacher who inspired generations of students and played a vital role in building Left politics in Himachal Pradesh. His writings on Indian politics, political theory, federalism, democracy, modernity and Left politics have helped to shape many of the academic and political debates of the past three decades. He returned to Hyderabad in the late 1990s and taught at the English and Foreign Languages University from which he retired in 2005. He was Chairman of the Indian Council for Social Science Research from 2008 to 2011[3].