The K M Bashir Memorial Lectures are organised by VMFT and to generate new thinking to promote the all-round social, economic, political and spiritual progress of the people of Kerala and India. The Memorial Lecture was instituted to honour the memory of the Founder of Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust, Shri K.M. Bashir, who believed in the power of knowledge ideas to transform human society. A distinguished statistician by profession, Shri K.M. Bashir became intimately familiar with the abject socio-economic conditions and deep poverty of the Indian people, as he travelled across the rural areas of India while working with the National Sample Survey Organization.
He believed that a modern society, that can ensure progress for all its people, could be built by ensuring gainful employment for men and women, advancing education to reduce inequality, using scientific knowledge and technology to foster socio-economic development and promoting communal harmony and inter-religious understanding. Above all, such a society requires leadership and vision, infused with profound values.
The K.M. Bashir Memorial Lectures focus on these areas that are still priorities for contemporary society. The topics and speakers of K M Bashir Memorial Lectures are given below.