Moosa Raza

Moosa Raza has authored a book titled “of Nawabs and Nightingales” which is a collection of his early experiences in the Indian Administrative Service. His book was very favourably reviewed by the noted author, Khushwant Singh in newspapers and magazines. His book In Search of Oneness published in 2012 is a free flowing narrative about the author's journey in search of a personal God and faith. Drawing from religious sources like the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and sufi writing by authors like Abdurrahman Chishti, Ibn Arabi, Rumi, Abdul Qadir Gilani and others, the author has highlighted the commonality of religions. Moosa Raza has also published a collection of his Urdu poems under the title "Khwab-e-Natamaam" (Incomplete Dreams). Kashmir; Land of regrets published in 2019 is a recounting by the author of his tenure as the Chief Secretary to the then state of Jammu and Kashmir in the tumultuous years leading up to the famous Kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed. Moosa Raza published his memoirs titled Of Giants and Windmills in the year 2022 which traces his journey from a remote village in South India to his present role as chairman of the South Indian Educational Trust.

Moosa Raza has been awarded the Padma Bhushan for the year 2010. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1960 and rose to be the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He then served as Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, Advisor to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh and, in Delhi, as Secretary to the Government of India in the Cabinet Secretariat and in the Ministry of Steel.

Mr. Moosa Raza was conferred the prestigious award of Padma Bhushan in the Republic Day Honours in 2010. During the course of his services, he has been awarded the President’s Silver medal, the Shiromani Award, the Indira Priyadarshini Award, the Jewel of India Award, the Pride of India award and several other awards.

Moosa Raza was nominated as the President's nominee on the Senior Selection Committee of Indira Gandhi Open University, and since 2009 has been on the Court of Aligarh Muslim University. Since 2000, he has also been functioning as the chairman of Southern India Education Trust, a minority promoted institution which is running a college for women, two high schools, a centre for women's studies, a centre for dyslexic children etc. More than 50% of the 9,000 students of these institutions belong to the majority community.

In the wake of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Moosa Raza was sent as an Advisor to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh where during his tenure, he helped in controlling the law and order situation. Later as Secretary to the Government of India in the Cabinet Secretariat in the Steel Ministry. He formulated numerous proposals and policies to liberalise the steel industry of India and set it on the path of expansion and modernisation. He retired from government service in 1995 after 35 years of service as Secretary to the Government of India having served in that position in both the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Steel.

In 1975, he was appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Madhavsinh Solanki. In 1998, when the state of Jammu and Kashmir was facing severe turbulence, he was appointed Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir where he helped in controlling the incipient militancy and implementing welfare measures for the State.

In 1969 he was entrusted the onerous task of managing drought relief operations during the crippling famine and drought that struck Gujarat. As Director of Relief, Moosa Raza covered an area of over 50,000 kilometres, travelling by jeep, car, boats, on camel and on horseback. He was able to bring relief to over 12000 villages across Gujarat by way of providing government employment to over 1.5 million villagers, water to over 7500 villages and cattle feed to save the lives of over 3 million milch cattle, the livelihood of the rural communities in Gujarat.

Within just 4 years of service, Moosa Raza was posted in 1964 as Collector and District Magistrate in the district of the Banaskantha district in Gujarat, from where he later moved to Surendranagar district and then to Surat as District Collector. He was picked up by the then Finance Minister of India, Morarji Desai, to head his home District of Bulsar (Valsad) for 4 years. He was given charge of the flood relief operations in 1968 as the Municipal Commissioner when the city and the District of Surat was submerged due to heavy floods in the Tapti river.

He graduated from the Madras Presidency College, (now called Presidency College, Chennai) University of Madras with Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English Language and Literature, in 1958, getting a First Class First. During his days at the college, he won seven college medals, not only of his own department but also from the departments of History, Physics and Economics. He is the only triple gold medal winner from the University, a feat reported by unsurpassed till now. He went on to earn a master's degree from the same university.

In 1958, the then Vice-Chancellor, Sir Lakshman Swami Mudaliar appointed him as an Assistant Professor of English in the Presidency College, his alma mater. At the same time he prepared for the prestigious Indian Administrative Service examinations. He appeared for the selection exams in 1959 and was selected for the Indian Administrative Service for Gujarat (a state in India) in 1960, in the very first attempt.

Moosa Raza was born on 27 February 1937 in Minambur, a small village located between Gingee and Villupuram in the Villupuram District in the State of Tamil Nadu, India to Ghulam Ali Mehkari and Aasiya Begum. His maternal ancestors hailed from a farming community and belonged to the Nawayath Clan of South India. His maternal grandfather was the village munsif (District Munsiff Court) and had a number of villages in the region under his stewardship. Moosa Raza studied in the local village school until the age of 8 studying Urdu & Arabic after which he moved to Chennai (Madras) along with his family. He studied in a local school called Madrasa-e-Azam and went on to complete his intermediate from the then Government Arts College (now called Quaid-E-Millath College) in 1955.