Ram Puniyani

Ram Puniyani (born August 25, 1945) is an Indian author, 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 in 1977. He has been involved with human rights activities and initiatives to oppose Hindu fundamentalism in India and is currently the President of the Executive Council of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS).^[1][2][3] He is also an advisory board member of the Muslim Mirror.^[4]

Ram Puniyani
Born	(1945-08-25) 25 August 1945 (age 78)
Nationality	Indian
Occupation(s)	Writer, volunteer, public speaker, doctor, teacher, medical researcher
Website	www.rampuniyani.com

Activism

He is associated with various secular initiatives and has been part of various investigation reports on violations of the human rights of minorities.^[5] He has also served as part of an Indian People's Tribunal that investigated the violation of the rights of minorities in the states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.^{[6] [full citation needed]}

He regularly conducts seminars and workshops on topics related to the threat of communal politics, human rights, the values of secularism, the Uniform Civil Code debate, the partition tragedy, Kashmir Imbroglio, and others. He is known for his articles and essays, which regularly appear in Indian magazines and newspapers.^{[7][non-primary source needed]} He also runs a fortnightly e-bulletin, Issues in Secular Politics.^{[8][non-primary source needed]}. He had been vocal about stopping the death sentence of Afzal Guru, a convict of the 2001 Indian Parliament Attacks, alleging that, at worst, Guru was a facilitator in the crime and not a part of directly perpetrating the crime.^[9] On the other hand, he advocates for the investigation of 'Hindutva terror'.^[10]

In March 2019, men in plain clothes claiming to be from CID, asked about the whereabouts of his children.^[11] In early June 2019, he claimed that he received threatening phone calls from unknown persons who demanded that he stop his "anti-Hindu" activities and leave the country. Puniyani filed a report with the Mumbai Police.^[12][13]

Awards

• Maharashtra Foundation (US) award for Social awareness about threat of Communal Politics 2002^[14]
• National Communal Harmony Award 2007^[15]
• 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
• Mathaveri (Uyirmmai Pathippagam 2009) ISBN 978-9380072883

References

1. "Governing Body". 18 June 2019.
2. . Archived from the original on 6 September 2012.
3. . Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
4. "About us". Muslim Mirror. from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
5. "People's tribunal on victimisation of minorities, OneWorld South Asia". OneWorld South Asia. 22 August 2008.
6. "Indian People's Tribulal Report 40". 20 May 2009.
7. "Veer Savarkar : Brave By Half By Ram Puniyani". www.countercurrents.org.
8. . Archived from the original on 18 January 2020.
9. "Hanging Of Conscience: Case Of Afzal Guru By Ram Puniyani". www.countercurrents.org. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
10. "Activists seek wider probe into 'Hindutva terror'". Deccan Herald. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
11. Desai, Nachiketa (11 March 2019). "Knock, knock, cops come calling on Prof Ram Puniyani". National Herald. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
12. "Ex-IIT professor Ram Puniyani says he got threat calls for anti-Hindutva stance". Telegraphindia.com. 8 June 2019.
13. "Social activist Ram Puniyani gets threat to life". Frontline. 8 June 2019.
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. 23 February 2016.

 

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