Moonis Raza (2 February 1925 – 19 July 1994) was an Indian academic administrator, regional planner and geographer.

Early life

He was born in 1925 into a family of landlords in the Ghazipur district of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India. He was the older brother of Mehdi Raza, a professor of geography, and Rahi Masoom Raza, a poet, novelist, Bollywood film lyricist and screenwriter.

Career

Raza completed his higher studies from the

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

before joining the same university as a lecturer and reader. In 1966 he was appointed as the head of the Department of Humanities and later as the principal of the Regional Engineering College,

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

. Raza held a large number of positions at departments and commissions operated by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

. He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

, United States, in 1991. He was a creator of and an original signatory to the

Talloires Declaration {{Short description, Declaration for sustainability The Talloires Declaration is a declaration for sustainability, created for and by presidents of institutions of higher learning. Jean Mayer, Tufts University president, convened a conference of 22 ...

, a ten-point action plan devised by the Association of University Leaders for a sustainable future. Raza died of cardiac arrest in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, on 19 July 1994.

Positions held

*Chairman, Indian Council of Social Science Research * Founder Chairman,

Institute for Studies in Industrial Development The Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), formerly Corporate Studies Group, is a seat of higher learning, formed by under the umbrella of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, by the Government of India with an aim to ...

* President, National Association of Geographers of India * Honorary Director, Center of South Asian Studies *

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

* Founder Chairman and

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

* Director, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) * President, Indian Council of Educational Planners and Administrators * President, International Association for Ladakh Studies * Member, Executive Board of the Commonwealth Council of Educational Administration * Member, Advisory Committee of the UNCRD

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

* Member, Executive Board of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration * Member, National Commission on Teachers * National Lecturer in Geography * Professor and Founding Chairman, Center for the Study of Regional Development (SSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University * Visiting Professor,

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, United States

Publications

Raza authored, co-authored, and edited numerous books and articles, including ''Atlas of Tribal India'', ''Atlas of the Child in India'',''Valley of Kashmir'', and ''Education and the Future: A Vision''.

References

People from Ghazipur Aligarh Muslim University alumni Vice-Chancellors of the University of Delhi Indian geographers 20th-century Indian Muslims 1925 births 1994 deaths 20th-century geographers {{India-academic-bio-stub