J.S. Bandukwala

Juzar Saleh (J.S.) Bandukwala was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) on 27 March 1945. He obtained a degree in physics from Bombay University before completing his doctoral studies in nuclear physics from the University of Oklahoma in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Bandukwala taught physics at the M S University of Baroda and was elected president of its teachers' union in 1981.^[1]

He was vocal about the rights of marginalized groups. He worked tirelessly against the ghettoization of Muslims which included fighting against the displacement of Kalyannagar slum communities. He had led a struggle for their rehabilitation since 2015.^[2]

His house was burnt down during the 2002 communal violence in Gujarat.^[2]

Bandukwala also devoted his life to spreading the education among Muslims. He created and was the lifetime president of the Zidni Ilma Charitable Trust.^[3] Through this trust he raised money to fund the education of 400 underprivileged children every year.^[4]

He was an active member of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties.^[1]

He was presented with the Indira Gandhi award for national integration for 2006 by then Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh.^[5]

Bandukwala died on 29 January 2022 in Vadodara at the age of 77. He was survived by a son and daughter, who are both settled in the United States.^[4] His funeral service took place at the Kalyannagar mosque in Vadodara.^[4]

The Zidni Ilma Charitable Trust opened a Library cum Reading room in memory of Bandukwala in the old city area of Vadodara.^[6]