Shabnam Hashmi Editor

Ram Puniyani is currently the Chairman at the Center for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai. He was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Mumbai, and took voluntary retirement in 2004, and is currently working for communal harmony. He has been involved with human rights activities for the past two decades. He has also involved himself with groups working for workers’ rights. Ram Puniyani is also associated with various secular and democratic initiatives, namely, All India Secular Forum, Center for Study of Society and Secularism, and Anhad. Shabnam Hashmi is a social activist, a rebel, a fearless fighter and a human rights defender. She has been working as a social activist, and in 2003 formed Anhad. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1000 women from across the world in 2005. She was awarded the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA) Star Award for Communal Harmony in 2005, Smriti Samman in 2005 and the National Minority Rights Award 2008 by the National Minority Commission. She is a member of the National Integration Council, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, a Council Member of the National Literary Mission, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.