(THE NEWSMAN OF INDIA)
Mohd. Wazir Ansari, (Retired Director General of Police) Chhattisgarh cadre,an IPS officer of 1984 batch. He is the one who served for about 34 years in undivided Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh state and also in national capital Delhi on Central deputation during his tenure. An upright officer M.W.Ansari has been known for his comprehensive experience-on one side his tolerant, liberal, progressive, rational, egalitarian administrative abilities while on the other side, the kind of reforms that he has brought during his police services in Naxal hit Chhattigarh state are remarkable.Presenty M.W.Ansari is contesting for the post of Member,Board of Trustees (Ballot No. 4) at India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi.

THE NEWSMAN OF INDIA.COM, in an interview, talked in length to M.W. Ansari about his mission as well as vision for India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC).Here are the excerpts of the interview:

TNMOI. What inspired you to contest for Board of trustee IICC?

No doubt, India has progressed by leaps and bounds during the last 70 years after independence. But, as can be gathered from various economic survey reports, as well as observed while travelling from one corner of the country to another, India is yet to see equitable growth and development. It goes without saying that empowerment of the weaker sections of society will go a long way towards making India’s social and economic development equitable, inclusive and sustainable.Indian Muslims are the most disadvantaged among the weaker sections, a fact already established beyond doubt, by the multitude of survey reports in general and the Sachar Committee Report in particular.Empowerment means moving from enforced powerlessness to a position of power. Education is an essential means of empowering the so-called disadvantaged sections with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to fully participate in the development process. Education is much more than reading and writing. It is an essential investment to be made for their futures, a crucial factor in reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development. I am fully convinced that ‘education’ and “only education” can lead to empowerment – social, cultural and economic – of the Muslim community. And that IICC has the potential of playing the crucial role of a catalyst and a facilitator in this noble endeavour. Considering its members, IICC can be regarded as a pool of intellectuals, technocrats, bureaucrats (both serving and retired), political personalities, artists, and many more. The capabilities, experiences and reach of its esteemed members can be leveraged (collectively as well as individually) to create and develop systems that will work to alleviate the plight of Muslims in the country. The Governing Body of IICC will be the engine that will drive this whole enterprise. I am thus inspired to contest for the Board of Trustee, IICC and be part of this noble enterprise. Finally,
as a public servant, the position is not about oneself, rather it is about the public and community to whom we serve. I cherish this responsibility.

TNOI. What is your vision and mission?

At the outset, my single-point mission is to reverse the ongoing gradual decline and decay of the IICC, and propel it towards an irreversible path of progress and growth. Accordingly, I have proposed my vision statement, major points of which are summarized below: –
 Transforming IICC from an NCR-centric society to a Pan India society by opening IICC sub-centers or chapters in major towns and cities outside Delhi.
 Greater transparency and fair play in the constitution and working of governing body of IICC.
 To elevate the IICC to a new role of the spokesperson for the minority community vis-a-vis social-cultural-educational issues.
 IICC as a vibrant platform for inter-faith dialogues.
 Enlarge the visibility, scope and participation by members of IICC by extensive use of social media and internet.
 In a nutshell, transforming IICC from a “Society largely on paper” to a “Society on the ground”.

TNOI.Would you like to elaborate about few of your top priorities if you are elected?

1. Democratization of IICC – Opening of IICC sub-centers or chapters in places outside NCR; starting with Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bengaluru, and proliferating further downwards in due course of time. This will bestow a Pan-India character on the IICC, ensuring wider participation of members in the day-to-day working of the Society.

2. Greater transparency & equality of opportunity to Members – reduction in tenure of the governing body from 5 years (at present) to 3 years. Further, any life member can get elected to the governing body for a maximum of two consecutive tenures, i.e. 6 years, only

3. Greater visibility of IICC in the social media & User-friendly & information-packed IICC web portal – IICC should have active and visible presence on Twitter and Facebook platforms. The existing deficient website of IICC need to be replaced with a new web portal, which will be completely user-friendly. The new portal will be a knowledge portal in the true sense of the term.

TNOI. Its general belief that IICC is not realising its full potential unlike such centres in other countries, Your comments?

I too agree with this general public perception about IICC. Probably, the answer lies in this famous quote by Dee Hock – “An organization, no matter how well designed, is only as good as the people who live and work in it”. There is a dearth of people with requisite administrative experience in this organization, especially at the level of governing body, of passionate people who can work selflessly and tirelessly for the growth of this organization

TNOI. What fresh ideas of development growth do you see in functioning of IICC? How would you be going about it?

These I have already discussed, in the form of my mission and vision statements, above. Translating these ideas into action points and working for implementing the same will be the PRIORITY & FOCUS of the new governing body, election for which is going to take place on January 6, 2019. I, along with my team, are hopeful of getting the support of majority of life members of IICC who are going to vote in this all-important election.

TNOI. Who is your role model & why?

A Role Model is a person who inspires, motivates, teaches and encourages you. I hold two exemplary legends of India as my role models – Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: One of the most important reasons for India’s tremendous post-Independence success is its unwavering focus on education. One of the earliest architects of India’s freedom struggle and its focus on education was Maulana Azad, a close companion of Mahatma Gandhi and the first Minister of Education of free India (from 1947-1958). His educational policies that created the world-renowned Indian Institutes of Technologies and brought education to women very early on played a big role in India’s social and economic development and its ability to nourish its democracy.
 Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam: scientist, teacher, statesman and above all a great human being.He belonged to a humble background – his father was a boat owner and imam of a local mosque, and mother a housewife. But his desire to contribute to society never faded from his vision. A lifelong teacher and a student of everything, known as the “People’s President” and “Missile Man of India.