Gauhar Raza Biography 
Gauhar Raza is an Indian scientist from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He is also known as an Urdu poet, social activist and documentary filmmaker. He primarily aims at popularizing science among people, and for this purpose he makes documentary films. Jung-e-Azadi and Inqilab are his major documentary works. "Main Chahta hoon" is one of his most popular poems. He is married to Shabnam Hashmi, social activist and human rights campaigner, and his brother-in-law Safdar Hashmi was a communist playwright and director of street plays.
Gauhar Raza was born on 17 August 1956 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. As a toddler his family shifted to Aligarh where he was brought up. His father Wizarat Husain was a communist party member, freedom fighter and renowned educationist, who taught science at AMU. His mother was a freedom fighter and a social worker. Raza completed his engineering degree from AMU in the year 1977 and M. Tech from IIT Delhi in 1979, after which he entered professional career. Initially he worked at Eicher Goodearth Limited for three years and in 1982 joined National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies as a scientist. He is still working there.
He writes Urdu poetry and also books on science. He has co-authored a few science works such as Plague, Media and People; A Delicate Space Ship, Youth for Disarmament; Confluence of Science and Peoples' Knowledge at the Sangam; Science Crafts and Knowledge: Understanding of Science among Artisans in India and South Africa and HIV/AIDS Public Understanding and Attitude. He published his poetry collection - Jazbon Ki Lau Tez Karo in 1999. He penned lyrics for one Bollywood film, Say Salaam India in the year 2007.
Published: February 15, 2019
Updated: February 15, 2019
