Hemant Goswami
Encyclopedia
Hemant Goswami. is an India
n social activist working on public health
and civil right issues. Besides being known as one of the most vociferous voices against tobacco, Hemant is also credited with creating the first smoke-free city in India
and also in any third world
country with the effective use of Right to Information Act
. He was awarded the "Global Smoke-Free Partnership Award" in 2008 and also "Extraordinary Activist Award" for the innovative use of legal action and activism resulting in the smoke-free Chandigarh initiative. Hemant Goswami is the great-grandson of Swami Rama Tirtha
the 19th century spiritual leader and social reformer. Hemant is the founder of many NGO's including Burning Brain Society
, Tobacco Free India Coalition and Citizens' Voice
which were till recently managed by him from Chandigarh. Hemant is closely associated with Servants of the People Society
too and is also working as the 'Chief Executive officer (CEO)' of The Samaja
, one of the largest selling Oriya daily newspaper founded by Gopabandhu Das
in 1919.
on June 30, 1971 to an Indian Air Force
Officer and a teacher. With initial education in electronic sciences, Hemant moved to management and started his career as a marketing professional, management consultant and a trainer. After working for a few years as a management consultant and trainer, in 2001 he left his other professional assignments to work full time as a social activist with major focus on fighting corruption, judicial reforms and ensuring transparency. He strongly believes that problem in these areas of governance is the main reason for the abuse of civil rights
of the people. Tobacco control
and countering substance abuse
are another major areas of his work in public health. During his college days, he founded Society for Prevention of Crime and Corruption, a NGO to work on corruption issues. In 2001, he founded the Burning Brain Society
and in 2004 formed Citizens' Voice
.
Known as an independent voice in challenging corruption and ensuring accountability in public service and governance at the highest echelon. The infamous Red Cross Scam of Punjab, the 83 Crores Punjab Agro-diversification scam, the CM relief fund mis-utilization, and many other such like expose against corruption have been brought to light by his group as a part of 'Mission Zero Tolerance' initiative of Resurgence India. Hemant Goswami also effectively uses judicial activism for getting results in matters of public importance through the use of Public Interest Litigation
. While his work on tobacco control
and right to information has been widely recognised and won him numerous awards, his fearless fight against narcotics and drug mafia and their nexus with the police has won him much public appreciation. In one of his daring acts, while arguing a public interest
petition himself, in-person, Hemant produced packs of drugs in the open High Court
before the Chief Justice to expose the easy availability of Drugs. Hemant actively works on Right to Education
(RTE) issues and empowerment of economically deprived children. His firm stand against exploitation of children by the private educational institutions has been criticised by the private schools. Hemant has also moved the courts against the Government for violation of child rights and to stop widespread child labour, his efforts against exploitation of children has forced the government to constitute Commission for Child Right in the State of Harayana, Punjab and Chandigarh. Hemant is also associated with work on Genetically Modified Food
and Agriculture
reforms and is also connected with Kheti Virasat Mission. In 2011 a documentary film titled "Change Catalyst" was produced which documented the process followed by Hemant Goswami to make Chandigarh as India's first smoke-free city.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n social activist working on public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
and civil right issues. Besides being known as one of the most vociferous voices against tobacco, Hemant is also credited with creating the first smoke-free city in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and also in any third world
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
country with the effective use of Right to Information Act
Right to Information Act
The Right to Information Act 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of India "to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens." The Act applies to all States and Union Territories of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir has its own act...
. He was awarded the "Global Smoke-Free Partnership Award" in 2008 and also "Extraordinary Activist Award" for the innovative use of legal action and activism resulting in the smoke-free Chandigarh initiative. Hemant Goswami is the great-grandson of Swami Rama Tirtha
Swami Rama Tirtha
Swami Ram Tirth , also known as Swami Ram, was an Indian teacher of the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta. He was among the first notable teachers of Hinduism to lecture in the United States, traveling there in 1902. He was preceded by Swami Vivekananda in 1893, and followed by Paramahansa Yogananda in...
the 19th century spiritual leader and social reformer. Hemant is the founder of many NGO's including Burning Brain Society
Burning Brain Society
Burning Brain Society is a non-governmental organisation based in India and USA working on the issues of civil rights and public health. In public health, Tobacco Control is one of the main areas of work for BBS. Headquartered in Chandigarh and Delaware, it was founded in 2001 by Hemant Goswami...
, Tobacco Free India Coalition and Citizens' Voice
Citizens' Voice
The Citizens' Voice is a compact newspaper published daily in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Its 2005 circulation was 32,862, mostly Luzerne County residents....
which were till recently managed by him from Chandigarh. Hemant is closely associated with Servants of the People Society
Servants of the People Society
Servants of the People Society is a non-profit organization founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, a prominent leader in the Indian Independence movement, in 1921. The society is devoted to "enlist and train national missionaries for the service of the motherland"....
too and is also working as the 'Chief Executive officer (CEO)' of The Samaja
Samaja
The Samaja is an Oriya daily newspaper published in Cuttack, Orissa, India; started in 1919, it is one of the oldest papers in this region. Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, a prominent freedom fighter and social worker started it as a weekly from Satyabadi of Puri district of Orissa to facilitate the...
, one of the largest selling Oriya daily newspaper founded by Gopabandhu Das
Gopabandhu Das
Gopabandhu Dash known as Utkalamani was a social worker who excelled in the field of politics as well as literature.-Early life : The revolutionary student:...
in 1919.
Biography
Hemant Goswami was born in DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on June 30, 1971 to an Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
Officer and a teacher. With initial education in electronic sciences, Hemant moved to management and started his career as a marketing professional, management consultant and a trainer. After working for a few years as a management consultant and trainer, in 2001 he left his other professional assignments to work full time as a social activist with major focus on fighting corruption, judicial reforms and ensuring transparency. He strongly believes that problem in these areas of governance is the main reason for the abuse of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
of the people. Tobacco control
Tobacco Control
Tobacco control is a field of public health science, policy and practice dedicated to controlling the growth of tobacco use and thereby reducing the morbidity and mortality it causes...
and countering substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
are another major areas of his work in public health. During his college days, he founded Society for Prevention of Crime and Corruption, a NGO to work on corruption issues. In 2001, he founded the Burning Brain Society
Burning Brain Society
Burning Brain Society is a non-governmental organisation based in India and USA working on the issues of civil rights and public health. In public health, Tobacco Control is one of the main areas of work for BBS. Headquartered in Chandigarh and Delaware, it was founded in 2001 by Hemant Goswami...
and in 2004 formed Citizens' Voice
Citizens' Voice
The Citizens' Voice is a compact newspaper published daily in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Its 2005 circulation was 32,862, mostly Luzerne County residents....
.
Known as an independent voice in challenging corruption and ensuring accountability in public service and governance at the highest echelon. The infamous Red Cross Scam of Punjab, the 83 Crores Punjab Agro-diversification scam, the CM relief fund mis-utilization, and many other such like expose against corruption have been brought to light by his group as a part of 'Mission Zero Tolerance' initiative of Resurgence India. Hemant Goswami also effectively uses judicial activism for getting results in matters of public importance through the use of Public Interest Litigation
Public interest litigation
In Indian law, Public Interest Litigation OR जनहित याचिका means litigation for the protection of the public interest. It is litigation introduced in a court of law, not by the aggrieved party but by the court itself or by any other private party...
. While his work on tobacco control
Tobacco Control
Tobacco control is a field of public health science, policy and practice dedicated to controlling the growth of tobacco use and thereby reducing the morbidity and mortality it causes...
and right to information has been widely recognised and won him numerous awards, his fearless fight against narcotics and drug mafia and their nexus with the police has won him much public appreciation. In one of his daring acts, while arguing a public interest
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
petition himself, in-person, Hemant produced packs of drugs in the open High Court
High Courts of India
India's unitary judicial system is made up of the Supreme Court of India at the national level, for the entire country and the 21 High Courts at the State level. These courts have jurisdiction over a state, a union territory or a group of states and union territories...
before the Chief Justice to expose the easy availability of Drugs. Hemant actively works on Right to Education
Right to education
The right to education is a universal entitlement to education, a right that is recognized as a human right. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to...
(RTE) issues and empowerment of economically deprived children. His firm stand against exploitation of children by the private educational institutions has been criticised by the private schools. Hemant has also moved the courts against the Government for violation of child rights and to stop widespread child labour, his efforts against exploitation of children has forced the government to constitute Commission for Child Right in the State of Harayana, Punjab and Chandigarh. Hemant is also associated with work on Genetically Modified Food
Genetically modified food
Genetically modified foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms . Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques...
and Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
reforms and is also connected with Kheti Virasat Mission. In 2011 a documentary film titled "Change Catalyst" was produced which documented the process followed by Hemant Goswami to make Chandigarh as India's first smoke-free city.
Action against Tobacco
Hemant's fight against tobacco has continued since his school days. Continuing his strong actions against tobacco has produced encouraging results. Remarkable among the results is churning the city-state of Chandigarh as the first city-state in the emerging world to be smoke-free. The success of smoke-free Chandigarh has been made into a documentary film titled "Change Catalyst - Creating Smoke-Free Cities." Fighting numerous battles in the court has also produced good results and these include taking on one of the major tobacco companies to force them to drop the trade-name of their cigarette brand from their (surrogate) promotion activities undertaken in the name of rewarding brave people. Besides the regular monitoring and reporting violations of law by the tobacco industry, Hemant had also exposed the nexus of the tobacco companies and political parties to prove how tobacco companies were paying donation to almost each and every political party in the parliament of India. The expose ensured that the overt political funding by the tobacco industry to political parties has stopped. Legal fight against the illegal Hookah/Shisha Bars has resulted in closure of illegal tobacco and nicotine supply in the northeren region of India.Activism on Right to Information
As a hardcore activist advocating free speech and fighting for complete Right to Information (RTI), Hemant's activism has resulted in many tangible results. While the smoke-free Chandigarh initiative itself largely succeeded due to innovative use of RTI wherein Hemant filed nearly 300 RTI petition just to bring in accountability in action and to set the ball rolling for the implementation of the smoke-free laws. Besides taking tough stands against any proposed amendment to the RTI Act, Goswami has boldly taken senior bureaucrats and Governors to task too for lack of transpaprency and accountability in their offices. When the Governor-Administrator of Chandigarh refused to follow the Right to Information Act, Hemant fought a long and bitter battle to ensure transparency in the office of the Governor-Administrator of Chandigarh. After a long legal battle, favourable orders were secured in July 2008 from the Central Information Commission(CIC) and thereafter the office of the Governor-Administrator was forced to open its public records for the public and operate in a transparent manner. Subsequent to this, the Administrator-Governor of UT of Chandigarh increased the fee for obtaining information by 500%. Once again Hemant fought the decision tooth and nail and after many public interactions and Writ Petitions in the High Court the decision to increase the fee had to be reversed. Another remarkable initiative of Hemant Goswami, as a part of "Mission Zero Tolerance" against corruption, resulted in an consolidated order by the CIC (deciding 52 complaints by "Society for Prevention of Crime and COrruption" in one order), wherein all Central Government and Chandigarh Administration offices were directed to ensure proper implementation of the Right to Information Act 2005 and thereby for the first time directions were issued to the Government to proactively publish all the public documents online on the internet.Awards and recognitions
A few of the recognitions accorded to Hemant Goswami for his work are;- Global Smoke-Free Partnership Award - by American Cancer Society in Bangkok; 2008
- Young Leadership Award - by APCTH at Taipai; 2007
- Young Scholars Award - by APCTH at Taipai; 2007
- Extraordinary Activist Award (For Legal Initiatives) - by University of Washington at Washington DC; 2008
Affiliations and assignments
Hemant is affiliated and associated with the following organisations;- Burning Brain SocietyBurning Brain SocietyBurning Brain Society is a non-governmental organisation based in India and USA working on the issues of civil rights and public health. In public health, Tobacco Control is one of the main areas of work for BBS. Headquartered in Chandigarh and Delaware, it was founded in 2001 by Hemant Goswami...
- Chairperson - Servants of the People SocietyServants of the People SocietyServants of the People Society is a non-profit organization founded by Lala Lajpat Rai, a prominent leader in the Indian Independence movement, in 1921. The society is devoted to "enlist and train national missionaries for the service of the motherland"....
- Assistant Secretary - SamajaSamajaThe Samaja is an Oriya daily newspaper published in Cuttack, Orissa, India; started in 1919, it is one of the oldest papers in this region. Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, a prominent freedom fighter and social worker started it as a weekly from Satyabadi of Puri district of Orissa to facilitate the...
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO) - World Health Organisation (WHO) - Invited Expert
- National Steering Committee on Tobacco Control, Govt. of India - Member
- Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Tobacco Control, Govt. of India - Member
- Chandigarh Tobacco Control Cell, Govt. of UT Chandigarh - Member
- Tobacco Free India Coalition - Founder Convener
- Tobacco Free World Foundation - Director
- Resurgence India - General Secretary
- Citizens' Voice - Chief Executive
- Progressive Development Facilitators P. Ltd. - Director
- Society for Prevention of Crime and Corruption - Chairperson
Writings
Hemant has written four books and many short articles on varied subjects. Not only that it shows his mastery over many subjects and domains but it also reflects the different phases of his life. He authored his first book, "Towards a Perfect Democracy," on his political thoughts and philosophy at the age of 28 years. This book is also credited as the first full-length online book by an Indian author to be launched on the internet. His published books are;- Towards a Perfect Democracy - 1999
- How to be Successful in Interviews - 2001
- How to Fight Corruption and Live With Dignity - 2003
- The Tobacco Menace - 2005
Creative Pursuits
The creative talent of Hemant reflected in his paintings during his early days. He won many prizes and recognitions in various regional, national and international awards during his student days. Later on he shifted to digital forms and more recently to amateur film making. Hemant is pursuing film-making mainly to aid his social activism and as a tool of mass communication for social change. Hemant has produced and directed a few documentaries and short films, some of them are;- Tobacco in Movies and Impact on Youngsters (2005)
- The Lost Track - Sports in India, Dreams Hopes and Reality (2007)
- The Last Song (2008)