Born in 1941, Desai lead an active life since his student days. He was even jailed in 1984 while organising a trade union rally. However, following protests by Surat Municipal Corporation, bank and telecom employees over his arrest, he was released.

He became more active after he joined college as a lecturer in 1965. Today, Desai is serving as vice-principal of the MTB Commerce College. He is also the co-ordinator for Secular Democracy and secretary Satya Sodhak Sabha (SSS).

SSS was formed in 1979 to popularise science among people and fight superstitions. The Sabha's bi-monthly magazine, Satyaanveshan, published since 1984, is one of the most popular magazines.

Over the past 19 years, SSS has brought out about 15 pamphlets and numerous other small booklets on various subjects against blind faith. `Crushing of Cane and of Cane Labourers' and `Kutine kedia' (Along the path of revolution) became so popular that they are running into fourth edition. While the former highlights the plight of migrant tribal labourers working in cane fields, the latter deals with various aspects of marriage. In fact, this book is considered a text book for newly married couples and gifted to them during mass marriage ceremonies.

Desai was honoured with the Swarn Chandrak award at the hands of film actor Shriram Lagoo last October for his contribution to rational thinking. In 1966, Desai joined the Praja Samajwadi Party, which later merged with the Congress Party in 1969, after Indira Gandhi abolished privy purses and nationalised banks. However, he was soon disenchanted with the Congress. ``After I saw vested interests capturing the party in Gujarat, I resigned in 1971. In fact, at that time people were joining the Congress,'' Desai says.

Desai then came in contact with noted sociologist I R Desai of Bombay University, who was a Trotskyite. ``I also became a follower of Leon Trotsky'', he says, adding that the disintegration of erstwhile Soviet Union only proved that Trotsky's theory was right.

In his book Humanism at the Time of Death, Desai has advocated that if a man decides to die, he should have the right to die and the doctor should help him. Every day hundreds of people kill themselves in a crude fashion, he says, elaborating that if a man is suffering from any incurable disease and feels that his existence has lost meaning and has become a burden on others, his wish to die should be honoured.

Analysising communalism in the context of incidents of recent communal clashes in some parts of Gujarat, Desai alleges that the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to have given a free hand to VHP and Bajrang Dal to engineer communal disturbances at taluka and village level. ``It is become the saffron party wants to consolidate Hindu votes.'' However, the party has adopted a different strategy in cities after realising that without the backing of Muslims they cannot come to power, and hence are wooing Muslims, he alleges. ``This is what I am trying to expose and fight against,'' he claims.