– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
He is just 86 years young professor busy in organising seminars, conducting meetings and preparing papers for policy intervention pertaining to minorities’ issues in Karnataka. He is Dr. Abdul Aziz, currently Chair Professor, Religious Minorities Chair at National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
Earlier, he taught Economics at Mysore University and headed the Economics Unit in the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. He held the ICSSR National Fellowship, NLSIU, Bangalore, and worked in Shriram Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, New Delhi. Dr. Aziz has been a UGC Visiting Professor at Madurai-Kamaraj University, Madurai, and Consultant with the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Hyderabad and D M Nanjundappa Chair Professor at the Center for Multi-Disciplinary research, Dharwar.
Hailing from a small hamlet Huniskote, Malur Taluk in Kolar District, Prof. Aziz specializes in Labour Economics, Rural Development, and Decentralized Governance and Planning. Dr. Aziz is much grateful to the Almighty whose blessings prevailed upon him all through his life. He remembers his village headmaster who insisted his father to send him to higher primary school in the adjacent village when his father wanted him to discontinue the studies after completing IV std. and help him in tailoring work. Later, when he passed out matric exam, it was the village chief who helped him move to college along with his own son. Thereafter with government scholarships he came up on his own.
Teacher and guide:
Dr. Aziz has successfully guided 15 doctoral students, directed several research projects and organized national and international seminars, workshops and training programs. It may be of interest to mention that the Presidents, Vice-Presidents and members of the Zilla Panchayats of Karnataka were trained under his leadership.
Expertise:
He has published several research papers in Indian and foreign professional journals, and authored 27 research-based books which include half a dozen edited volumes and co-authored works. He has edited a book on Karnataka Arthikate under the auspicious of Kannada University, Hampi where he served as a member of the Syndicate. He has contributed several articles to Kannada Encyclopedia brought out by Mysore University, Papers to a journal Prabuddha Karnataka, Mysore University and to Kannada daily newspapers such as Prajavani, Vijaya Karnataka, Vijaya Vani and the like.
Dr. Aziz spearheaded research in macroeconomic issues, regional planning, decentralized governance and the economics of poverty, in his capacity as Head, Department of Economics, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore (a position from which he retired). Dr. Aziz’s publications and books on the Karnataka Economy, Industrialization, Externalities and State Policy and Regional Development are regarded as standard works.
Professional membership:
Dr. Aziz was associated as an expert member of academic and government bodies such as The Academic Council, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Tamil Nadu, the Committee on Fee-structure in Professional Colleges in Karnataka, the Karnataka State Finance Commission, the High Power Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances in Karnataka, the Karnataka State Planning Board, the Karnataka State Minorities Commission, the Committee for Implementing the Recommendations of D. M. Nanjundappa Committee, the Karnataka Government Results Framework Documents Committees on Education, and Planning and Finance, Working Group on Strengthening District Planning Committee, Task Force on Strengthening Panchayat Raj Institutions in Karnataka and Member, Expert Group in respect of Caste Census in Karnataka, Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission.
Dr. Aziz has served as a Consultant to World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Swedish International Development Agency, Department for International Development, India (DFIDI) and Wilbur Smith Associates handling research projects and training programmes based in India on behalf of these organizations.
