By Pervez Bari, Twocircles.net,
New Delhi: Existence of two decades-and-a-half in the life of an organization with impressionable impact on the society is no mean achievement. Such is the case of the Institute of Objective Studies (IOS), India’s first think-tank to assess and analyze various issues in the Islamic perspective, which has completed 25 years of its meaningful and eventful existence. As such it has planned to have yearlong celebrations of the Silver Jubilee Year (2011-2012).
A number of international conferences and seminars will be organized in different parts of the country during the Silver Jubilee Year Celebrations, said Dr Mohammed Manzoor Alam, Chairman, IOS. The primary motive of these activities is to identify the human resources capable of looking issues in a true and correct national, humane and Islamic perspective, he pointed out.
Dr Mohammed Manzoor Alam
Dr. Manzoor said the silver jubilee celebrations will be inaugurated with a three-day international conference on “Towards Knowledge, Development and Peace – Outlining Roadmaps for the Future” on April 15 at the India Islamic Cultural Centre here in New Delhi. A number of renowned scholars from within the country and abroad, besides prominent government officials and ministers of India, shall be participating in the conference. The conference would conclude on April 17. It would be followed by 13 other conferences at Hyderabad, Kashmir, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Calicut, Aligarh, Pune and a closing conference in New Delhi. The celebrations would also culminate here at a three-day function on April 14-16 next year under the theme “Minority Identities and Rights: Challenges and Prospects in an Unfolding Global Scenario”.
The chairman said that it was indeed a great achievement in the life of an organization to complete two-and-half decades successfully. Over the years the IOS has carved out a niche for itself as a leading think-tank in socio-economic and political issues of the marginalized sections and minorities especially Muslims of India. It has brought out several pioneering researches and studies focusing Indian Muslims. The credit to study objectively, not in an emotive way, various issues related to the development of Muslims and other minorities in particular and nation in general goes to the think-tank, he added. The IOS would honour 200 personalities making excellent contribution in different fields at its functions to be held here and in state capitals under various themes. An exhibition also would be held to portray the journey of the IOS and art, calligraphy, paintings, books and manuscripts during the celebrations, besides the release of a documentary film and essay competition for college and Madrasa students, he said.
The IOS was established on April 13, 1986 in New Delhi. The Institute has its headquarters in New Delhi along with its six chapters at Aligarh, Chennai, Calicut, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Patna. The Institute has acquired marked credibility in a few select areas namely achieving steady progress in bringing together a galaxy of social scientists, policy planners and social workers. The brain-storming efforts have resulted into creating an intellectual movement all over the country among scholars, community leaders and social activists. Secondly, the IOS could create a synergy to focus on the problems of weaker sections of the society, the marginalised and the suffering from deprivation. It tried to foster healthy inter-community linkages among various sections of the society. Studies in areas of Dalits, OBCs etc are conducted even through collaboration with other NGOs working in the areas concerned. Thirdly, it has struggled hard to save and augment the secular, democratic and constitutional values of the Indian legal, civilisational and cultural base line. It has tirelessly worked in all odds at all levels in the past years.
The achievements, programmes and performance have caused a substantial rise in expectancy level of all concerned. It enjoys legal status and permission to conduct its affairs in terms of exemption in income tax to donors, permission under FCRA etc. It also enjoys recognition from the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN. The IOS is in consultative status (Roster) with the ECOSOC.
The Institute has become a trendsetter in the fields of conceptual and investigative research on the Qur’anic approach to human problems and the problems of Muslims in India. Various survey projects focused on the problems of Muslims fulfil the long-felt need for statistical information and analysis in different areas.
The governing structure of the IOS, as per the Memorandum of Association, consists of two democratically elected bodies namely the General Assembly of 60 members and the Governing Council of 11 elected office bearers and members. The research and academic activities are conducted through 23 academic committees in their specialised areas.
It has so far undertaken 250 research projects and 300 major publications, and organized 1050 conferences, seminars, symposia and workshops as well as awarded 934 scholarships. It also brings out two bi-annual academic journals – ‘The Journal of Objective Studies’ and ‘The Journal of Religion and Law Review’. Other publications include: Mutaleaat (quarterly journal in Urdu); (ii) Human Rights Today (quarterly IOS bulletin); (iii) IOS Newsletter (monthly in English) and (iv) Khabarnama (quarterly IOS newsletter in Urdu). ([email protected])