Our Team

With a team of diverse young students, running jobs that they are good at and learning the ones that they aren’t, Nous finds themes and builds links to transmit stories. With its credo ‘From Metaphysics to Masses’, it aims to reconstruct the discourse around human rights, development, culture, politics, and religion. To tell its stories, the team writes, draws, creates, and shows.


Ali Javed — Founder, Chief Executive Officer

He is a research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the brain behind this think tank. He completed his Master’s degree in Economics from Jamia Millia Islamia. His passion for community building, social activism, and metaphysical research have resulted in a complete package of skills for the organization where he is positioned as the lead editor, producer, and motion graphic expert among other things. He has a tendency to draw attention through his oratory skills which end up taking more than half of his day.

Abuzar Javed — Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer

He has pursued a Master’s in Business Management from Manipal University. He specialises in planning and management and is well- versed in the art of communication. Apart from this, having been brought up in a journalistic and activistic environment, he has an inherent sense of aspiring for the betterment of society.

Habibullah Rahimi — Co-founder and Chief Production Officer

He is a research scholar of Arabic at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Over the years of his education, which is all from Jawaharlal Nehru University, he has mastered the art of conversing and is capable of having an opinion on anything within and beyond the academic world. He is remembering the trajectories of the oppressed in the country, a task too powerful to be ignored.

Abid Faheem — Chief Research Officer

PhD, Social Medicine & Community Health (Jawaharlal Nehru University)

Hamza Arafaat — Co-founder

He completed MBA in Marketing and Sales from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. He has seven-plus years of befitting work experience in this field. He belongs to many places and people. Otherwise, he is a Muslim from the mountains, raised with a temperament of stoics and idealists alike. His education and professional experience has always given him a new playing field. ‘The Nous’ for him, he says ‘is the living essence of being. Being a part of this energy has evolved me and given me a purpose in life’.

Zeenia Parveen – Producer, Researcher

She is a research scholar at the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia. Her ongoing thesis work is on the question of caste among the Muslim community in India. A fish out of the water with her flary writing style in the elite academia of the social sciences, she is trying her hands at creative arts and production.

Yusra Hasan–Producer

She has worked with Newslaundry, as a director-producer for their weekly media critique show, TV Newsance and has written and hosted Newslaundry explainers, NL Cheatsheet. Newslaundry is a reader-supported, independent news media company. She has also worked with Memesys Culture Lab on a documentary film, While We Watched. It is a newsroom thriller, following Ravish Kumar’s journey in Indian broadcast media. Her work has offered her an opportunity to engage with Indian news media creatively. And her academic training at both Miranda House and then MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia have made sure it is grounded in critical thinking.

Syed Azharuddin

Syed Azharuddin, an influential activist, author, and entrepreneur from Warangal, holds a master’s degree in VLSI System Design and additional degrees in English and Psychology. He has served as an Assistant Professor and published numerous articles on socio-political and youth issues. Azharuddin has held leadership roles, including Director of Rafeeq-e-Manzil Group of Publications and White Dot Publishers, and former CEO of Inqhab, an incubation center for young entrepreneurs. He founded Kitaab & Coffee, a social startup promoting a learning culture among tech-savvy youth, and serves on the Board of Directors at SEVA MACCS, a cooperative society. Azharuddin envisions Nous as a think tank for shaping socio-political narratives.

Ansab Amir–Researcher

Ansab Amir is a writer, journalist, researcher, and aspiring documentary producer from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, currently based in New Delhi. He has written facts in portals such as the The Wire, The Citizen, The Quint, Polis Project, and The Telegraph. He also has written fiction for Terribly Tiny Tales and The Scribbled Stories. He regrets pursuing degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Business Management, and currently researches the intersection of education, politics, arts, and human rights. He's extremely interested in satire and comic journalism, which might stem from his inadequacy of sense of humour.

Yousuf Nomani - Producer

He post-graduated in Mass Communication at Jamia Millia Islamia, specializing in cinematography, video editing, and motion graphics. He has a keen interest in geometric patterns which evidently seeps through all of his work. His strengths lie in the aesthetic visualization of theology and politics. When he is not spending his day on the edit table, you will find him trying to restart his father's old scooter as he loves to carry elements of history in his personal life along with his work.

Khadija Aslam– Researcher

She has a master’s degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University and is currently pursuing PhD in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics. Her research area is centred on the field of development and Islamic economics. Equipped with critical thinking abilities and a refined command over language, economics, and politics, her writings can be found at Maktoob and Madhyamam.

Md Meharban–Photo & Video Journalist

He is an independent photojournalist based in New Delhi, India with a master’s degree from A.J.K. Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia Millia Islamia. He won the fellowship of the Water- Aid India Programme in 2019. His work has featured in various international and local publications including National Geographic, New York Times, Associated Press, The Atlantic Magazine, The Hindu, Forbes Magazine, The Caravan Magazine, and many more. He has picked up a few commercial projects in Bollywood. He has also worked in the field of Fashion photography with The Pioneer and moved to Nature and Wildlife photography with WWF India. One thing that he wants to be the best at is street photograph.

SK Hanif Mohammad - Animator & Illustrator

He is a post-graduate from A.J.K. Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, with an M.A. in Visual Effects and Animation. Previously, he graduated from Jamia Millia Islamia with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Arts. Infusing life into a story with his visuals, he has learned to weave a tale on a digital screen, be it through 2D, 3D, or live-action. With a couple of startling tricks up his sleeve, he brings animation, illustration, and motion graphics to the edit table.

Hyder Habib–Video Editor & Cinematographer

He completed a Master's degree in Mass Communication from Jamia Millia Islamia, specializing in cinematography and video editing. In his spare time, he likes to quote Iqbal and daydream about coffee. His list of interests is abstract - just like the kind of films he makes - and his stories revolve around the exploration of philosophy, poetry, and human experiences.

Sameera Masoodi–Researcher & Animator

She is a final year student of Masters in Visual Arts at Ambedkar University. Her field of interest in practice and academia allows her to contribute her ideas through 2D animation and visual research.

Khansa Juned – Researcher and Presenter

She is a freelance journalist and is currently a student of MA (Convergent Journalism) at Jamia Millia Islamia. Her work revolves around development, culture, and marginalization. Her work has been published on TwoCircles.Net, LiveWire, and The Bastion.