Ram Puniyani was a professor in biomedical engineering

Biomedical engineering

Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...

 at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay , popularly known as IIT Bombay or IITB, is a public research university located in Powai, Mumbai...

, and took voluntary retirement in December 2004 to work full time for communal harmony in India http://www.tiss.edu/events/attachments/List%20of%20Speakers.pdfhttp://www.iit4india.com/news/prof-ram-puniyani-comments-indian-christians-decreasing-despite-allegation-of-conversions-by-pervez-bari/. 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-Fascism in India http://word.world-citizenship.org/wp-archive/2694. He is associated with various secular and democratic initiatives like All India Secular Forum, Center for Study of Society and Secularism and ANHAD

ANHAD

ANHAD is an Indian socio-cultural organization established in March 2003, as a response to 2002 Gujarat riots. Shabnam Hashmi, sister of the slain activist Safdar Hashmi and founder of SAHMAT, Marxian historian Prof. K N Panikkar and social activist Harsh Mander are the founding members of 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 along side 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 http://southasia.oneworld.net/event/peoples-tribunal-on-victimisation-of-minorities/. Has been part of people's tribunal which investigated the violation of rights of minorities in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh http://iptindia.org/main/ipt.php?Page=Report&Report=40. His approach and views have also been critisised as anti hindu.
He is known for his articles and essays which regularly appears in Indian magazines and newspapers http://www.sacw.net/auteur42.htmlhttp://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1815/18150780.htmhttp://www.countercurrents.org/comm-puniyani250804.htm. He also runs a fortnightly e-bulletin ‘Issues in secular politics’http://www.pluralindia.com.

Awards

Maharashtra Foundation (US) award for Social awareness about threat of Communal Politics-2002 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Trade-unionists-and-activists-win-awards-/articleshow/33204324.cms

Association For Communal Harmony in Asia-ACHA Star Award for Peace and Communal Harmony-2004 http://www.asiapeace.org/acha/awards.htm

Fr. Machio Memorial Foundation Humanitarian Award 2005 http://www.flipkart.com/contemporary-india-ram-puniyani-overcoming/8178711451-4v23f42zgf

Indira Gandhi National Integration Award 2006 http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/Ram_Puniyani.htm

National Communal Harmony Award 2007 http://www.topnews.in/national-communal-harmony-awards-2007-announced-217057

Books

Indian Democracy, Pluralism and Minorities

Communalism: India's Nemesis?

Communalism: What is False: What is True http://www.indianmuslims.info/documents/communalism_what_is_false_what_is_true_ram_puniyani.html

Communalism: Illustrated Primer http://www.gojaba.com/book/389870/Communalism-An-Illustrated-Primer-Ram-Puniyani

Communal Politics: Facts Versus Myths http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Fn7GhTpJ4esC&dq=ram+puniyani+Communal+Politics:+Facts+Versus+Myths&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=n_252kTko0&sig=1JypVKcT957xSmId8ra4LdVNejw&hl=en&ei=YYM_S-XKB46gkQX34_3rCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Terrorism: Facts versus Myths http://www.pharosmedia.com/india-books-bookstore/Book_Terrorism_Facts_versus_Myths_By_Ram_Puniyani.htm

Second Assassination of Gandhi http://openlibrary.org/b/OL13147048M/The_Second_Assassination_of_Gandhi

Religion Power and Violence: Expression Of Politics In Contemporary Times http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ZdPipb-u21gC&dq=ram+puniyani+Religion+Power+and+Violence:+Expression+Of+Politics+In+Contemporary+Times&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=K0MvZieZ-m&sig=4cJCkNhSFmhzni7tEypjr3AR_6Q&hl=en&ei=L4M_S7-UHNGIkAWtm5n-CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Contours of Hindu Rashtra: Hindutva, Sangh Parivar And Contemporary Politics http://www.flipkart.com/contour-hindu-rashtra-ram-puniyani/817835473x-4v23fauc9e

Contemporary India: Overcoming Sectarianism: Terrorism http://www.flipkart.com/contemporary-india-ram-puniyani-overcoming/8178711451-4v23f42zgf

Hindutva Strategies And Dalit Movement http://www.mail-archive.com/greenyouth@googlegroups.com/msg01097.html

Hindu Extreme Right-Wing Groups : Ideology and Consequences http://www.flipkart.com/hindu-extreme-right-wing-groups/8174951733-0v23fd2e8c

Mumbai Post 26/11(Edited along with Shabnam Hashmi)http://www.politicos.co.uk/books/449642/Ram-Puniyani-(Editor)-and-Shabnam-Hashmi-(Editor)/Mumbai:-Post-26-11/