Ram Puniyani

Ram Puniyani
Ram Puniyani
Born	(1945-08-25) August 25, 1945
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	writer, social activist, teacher, public speaker

Ram Puniyani (born 25 August 1945) was a professor in biomedical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and took voluntary retirement in December 2004 to work full-time for communal harmony in India . He is involved with human rights activities from last two decades. He is working for communal harmony and initiatives to oppose the rising tide of Fundamentalism in India . He is associated with various secular and democratic initiatives like All India Secular Forum, Center for Study of Society and Secularism and ANHAD.

Bio

Dr. Puniyani was born in British India (1945), and raised in a refugee Punjabi speaking business family in the central Indian town of Nagpur. He completed a Visharad in Hindi literature alongside matriculation, and thence both MBBS and MD at the Nagpur Medical college. Upon graduation he moved to Mumbai where he found a job as a senior medical officer(SMO) at the Indian Institute of technology campus in Powai, Mumbai. After about 10 years of service as a physician, he diverted into the then fledgling Blood Rhealogy lab set up in collaboration with various Mechanical Engineering faculty. After obtaining Tenure, and successfully producing more than 5 doctoral students and mentoring numerous talented Masters students, he decided to dedicate himself to the then burning cause of restoring secular principles to post Babri-demolition post Mumbai-rioting India. He resides in Powai with his wife who is a practising physician, whom he met as a professor of Medicine in Nagpur Medical College. He has two sons who are settled as professionals in various companies.

Activism

He 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 . Has been part of an Indian People's Tribunal that investigated the violation of rights of minorities in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh . His approach and views have also been criticised as anti Hindu. He is known for his articles and essays which regularly appears in Indian magazines and newspapers . He also runs a fortnightly e-bulletin ‘Issues in secular politics’.

Awards

• Maharashtra Foundation (US) award for Social awareness about threat of Communal Politics-2002 ^[1]

• Association For Communal Harmony in Asia-ACHA Star Award for Peace and Communal Harmony-2004 ^[2]

• Fr. Machio Memorial Foundation Humanitarian Award 2005 ^[3]

• Indira Gandhi National Integration Award 2006^[4]

• National Communal Harmony Award 2007 ^[5]

Books

Indian Democracy, Pluralism and Minorities ^[6]

Communalism: India's Nemesis?

Communalism: What is False: What is True

Communalism: Illustrated Primer

Communal Politics: Facts Versus Myths

Terrorism: Facts versus Myths

Second Assassination of Gandhi

Religion Power and Violence: Expression Of Politics In Contemporary Times

Contours of Hindu Rashtra: Hindutva, Sangh Parivar And Contemporary Politics

Contemporary India: Overcoming Sectarianism: Terrorism

Hindutva Strategies And Dalit Movement

Hindu Extreme Right-Wing Groups : Ideology and Consequences

Mumbai Post 26/11(Edited along with Shabnam Hashmi)

References

External links

• http://www.pluralindia.com/drPuniyani.htm
• http://www.biomedexperts.com/Profile.bme/1145105/RR_Puniyani