Harsh Mander resigned from IAS in protest against what happened in Gujarat. He is one of the few officers who have resigned on issues of principle.
He writes and speaks regularly on issues of social justice. He is also a founding member of ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy).
His books include ‘Unheard Voices: Stories of Forgotten Lives’ and ‘Fear and Forgiveness: The Aftermath of Massacre’ published by Penguin India. Other major books include ‘The Ripped Chest: Public Policy and Poor in India’.
He is at present convenor of Aman Biradari, a people’s campaign for secularism, peace and justice, working for Nyayagrah, for legal justice and reconciliation for the survivors of the Gujarat 2002 carnage, and Dil Se, for the rights of homeless children, youth and women. He is Special Commissioner appointed by the Supreme Court of India to advise it in the Right to Food case on hunger and state responsibility, Honorary Director of the Centre for Equity Studies (working on public policy for the poor), Visiting Professor at IIM, Ahmedabad on poverty and governance and writes a column for the Hindu.
He was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for peace work, and the M.A. Thomas National Human Rights Award 2002.
