Harsh Mander (born 17 April 1955) is an Indian author, columnist, researcher, teacher, and social activist who started the Karwan-e-Mohabbat campaign in solidarity with the victims of communal or religiously motivated violence. He is the Director of the Center for Equity Studies, a research organisation based in New Delhi. He also served as Special Commissioner to the Supreme Court of India in the Right to Food Campaign and was a member of the National Advisory Council of the Government of India, set up under the UPA government.
Mander served in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), working for nearly two decades in states including Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Following the 2002 Gujarat riots, he resigned from the civil service and began working in the field of social activism.
He has been associated with several public policy and rights-based initiatives, including the National Campaign for the PeopleâÂÂs Right to Information. He has also served on advisory and working groups of the National Human Rights Commission of India related to issues such as bonded labour and mental health.
From 1999 to 2004, Mander served as Country Director of ActionAid India. He has also been associated with initiatives in public health and social inclusion, including the State Health Resource Centre in Chhattisgarh, which contributed to the development of community health programmes such as the ASHA programme.
In June 2010, he was appointed a member of the National Advisory Council chaired by Sonia Gandhi. During his tenure, he worked on issues related to food security, urban poverty, and social protection. His tenure ended in 2012.
Mander has expressed opposition to the death penalty.
In March 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs (India) recommended a CBI inquiry into an organisation associated with Mander regarding alleged violations under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
Mander has taught courses on poverty and governance at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and St. StephenâÂÂs College, Delhi.
He has also taught at institutions including Jamia Millia Islamia and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. In addition, he has delivered lectures at universities and institutions in India and abroad, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Los Angeles, and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Mander has written and co-authored several books and regularly writes columns for newspapers like The Hindu, Hindustan Times and Dainik Bhaskar, and contributes frequently to scholarly journals. His stories have been adapted into films such as Shyam BenegalâÂÂs Samar, and Mallika SarabhaiâÂÂs dance drama, Unsuni.
Some of his selected publications include: