Gauhar Raza (born 17 August 1956) is an Indian engineer, science communicator, Urdu poet, social activist, and documentary filmmaker.
Early Life and Education
Gauhar Raza was born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh, India, on 17 August 1956. His family moved to Aligarh in 1958. His father, Wizarat Husain (1919–2007), was a freedom fighter, communist party member, and a science teacher at Aligarh Muslim University. His mother was a social worker involved in the Indian independence movement. Raza completed a BSc in engineering at Aligarh Muslim University in 1977 and an MTech in Power Apparatus and Systems at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1979.
Career
Raza began his professional career in 1979 as an electrical engineer at Eicher Goodearth Ltd., a multinational company, where he worked for three years. In 1982, he joined the National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) as a scientist, where he continued to work for much of his career, eventually serving as Chief Scientist and Head of Science Communication through Multimedia at CSIR-NISCAIR. He was also a former Professor at the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) and served as honorary director of the Jahangirabad Media Institute.
Raza is known for proposing the "Cultural Distance Model" of Public Understanding of Science, which examines how cultural factors influence the public's comprehension and acceptance of scientific knowledge.
Poetry and Literary Work
Raza is a noted Urdu poet. His poetry collection Jazbon Ki Lau Tez Karo (1999) received the Creative Literature Award from the Hindi Academy in 2001. His poem "Main Chahta hoon" ("I like to") is among his most recognized works. He also wrote lyrics for the 2007 Hindi film Say Salaam India.
Documentary Filmmaking
Raza has directed several documentary films, including Jung-e-Azadi, about India's First War of Independence, and Inqilab (2008), a documentary on the revolutionary Bhagat Singh.
Personal Life
He is married to activist Shabnam Hashmi, sister of the murdered theatre activist Safdar Hashmi. The couple has a son, Sahir Raza, and a daughter, Seher. Raza identifies as an atheist.
Selected Works
- Plague, Media and People (1996, co-writer)
- Jazbon Ki Lau Tez Karo (1999, poetry collection)
- HIV/AIDS Public Understanding and Attitude (2007, co-writer)
- From Myths to Science: The Evolution of Religious Beliefs and Scientific Knowledge (2025)
Awards
- Best subject expert for educational film, University Grants Commission (1999)
- Creative Literature Award, Hindi Academy (2001), for Jazbon Ki Lau Tez Karo
- Contribution to science writings and propagation of science award, Urdu Academy, Delhi (2002)
