Surur Hoda

Surur Hoda: (also known as M. S. Hoda) was a socialist politician and trade unionist who believed in the ideals promoted by Mahatma Gandhi and became involved in various international organisations.

Hoda was born in Chhapra in India, on 5 May 1928 into a Muslim family. He obtained an engineering degree. He then worked in the railway industry and became active in trade union affairs to such an extent that he found it necessary to leave the country and move to London in 1962.

In the UK he was employed in the railways and civil aviation section of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF).

Hoda was also active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He expressed concern regarding the nuclear testing performed by India and Pakistan in 1998.

He was the young associate of Jai Prakash Narayan, who had founded the Indian Socialist Party shortly after the independence. Hoda also enjoyed a long friendship with George Fernandes, who had been president of the All India Railwaymen's Federation before becoming the leader of Indian Socialist Party in the early 1970s. Surur Hoda was appointed as Indian Socialist Party's European representative, and it was in that capacity he met many people . This was at the time whenMrs. Indira Gandhi imposed emergency rule in India. Jai Prakash Narayan was jailed by the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi during emergency’, Noel-Baker chaired Surur's Free JP campaign, which contributed to the effort to restore democracy in India. Many opposition politicians, including George Fernandes, were held in prison during emergency. Surur Hoda played an active part in mobilising public opinion outside India against imposition of emergency and suspension of civil liberties in India.

In the early 1970s, he and his younger brother Mansur Hoda collaborated with Dr. E.F. Schumacher, the author of the best-selling book "Small is Beautiful", to set up the Appropriate Technology Development Association in India, together with George McRobie. This in turn, led to the creation of the Schumacher Institute for Appropriate Technology and Rural Development near Lucknow. Hoda worked as the chief Executive of the India Development Group and which sought both to raise funds for the Schumacher Institute and to promote the ideas of Fritz Schumacher regarding sustainable Intermediate Technologies.