Sanal Edamaruku

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Sanal Edamaruku
Sanal Edamaruku.jpg
Born (1955-05-26) May 26, 1955 (age 57)
Nationality Indian
Known for President of the Indian Rationalist Association and President of the Rationalist International

Sanal Edamaruku is the founder-president of Rationalist International.[1] He is also the president of the Indian Rationalist Association. He is the editor of the internet publication Rationalist International, author of 25 books and numerous articles. In 2012 he was charged with hurting religious sentiments for his role in examining a claimed miracle at a local Catholic Church.

Contents

Life [edit]

Early life [edit]

He was born in 1955 in a non-religious family at Thodupuzha, in Kerala, India to Joseph Edamaruku, famous Indian scholar and author and Soley Edamaruku.[2] Born in a Christian-Hindu mixed marriage, he was brought up naturally without any kind of childhood indoctrination, he did not receive any indoctrination as anti-theist. He became a rationalist-atheist activist at the age of 15 after seeing a neighborhood athlete succumbing to death as her family believed in faith-healing and refusing medicine to her. In 1977, he obtained a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Kerala. Afterwards, he received an M.Phil Degree from the Department of South Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in International Studies. While writing his thesis towards his doctorate, he began working for the Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organization. He gave up his job in 1982 to focus more on the Indian Rationalist Association and publishing his own works. He also has a diploma in Journalism.

Rationalist activism [edit]

Edamaruku has been active in the Rationalist Association from the age of 15. Before becoming the President of Indian Rationalist Association(IRA)in 2005, he has been its General Secretary of the IRA since 1983, and has been the editor of its mouthpiece Modern Freethinker. He has authored many books and articles which deal mainly with rationalistic thoughts and anti-superstition prevalent in India. He has carried out investigations which have helped expose many frauds, mystics and 'godmen' as well as campaigns against superstition in Indian villages.[2] His activities have attracted the attention of print and television media. The documentary film "Guru Busters"[3] features Edamaruku and a team of rationalist campaigners on the road in Kerala giving public demonstrations of how to perform supposedly supernatural stunts. He is a regular TV commentator on various Indian TV channels on superstitions and blind belief and is a major voice in defense of reason and scientific temper in India.[2] He has also delivered lectures in various countries including the US and many European countries. He has helped to build the Indian Atheist Publishers, which is now Asia's largest free thought publishing house.

He convened three International Rationalist Conferences in 1995, in 2000 and in 2002.

In February 2011 Edamaruku was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.[4] He is an Honorary Associate of Rationalist Association of UK (formerly Rationalist Press Association.)[5] Great names from the past Honorary Associates of Rationalist Association include Bertrand Russell, HG Wells, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Francis Crick. Sanal Edamaruku is also an Honorary Associate of New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists.

Great Tantra Challenge [edit]

On 3 March 2008, while appearing on a panel TV show, Sanal Edamaruku challenged a tantrik to demonstrate his powers on him by killing him using only magic.[2] The tantrik chanted mantras and performed a ceremony to kill Sanal Edamaruku on live TV. India TV received a large boost in ratings while this was occurring. After his attempts failed the tantrik reported that Edamaruku must be under the protection of a powerful god, to which Edamaruku responded that he is an atheist.[6][7]

Blasphemy Case [edit]

In April 2012, Edamaruku stated that the Catholic Church in Mumbai had filed a complaint under u/s 295 of Indian Penal Code to several police stations around the city, which states that persons can be arrested and charged on the allegations of hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community.[2] Edamaruku had previously exposed the “miracle” of the dripping Jesus in Mumbai, confronted Church leaders on a live TV channel a month earlier and has suggested that he might be arrested any moment.[8] On July 31, 2012, it was reported that Edamaruku had moved to Finland.[9][10] At present he is travelling in European cities campaigning in Defense of Free Speech and against blasphemy laws.

In fiction [edit]

The Australian writer Greg Egan used the story of Sanal Edamaruku, Indian Rationalist Association and the Tantra Challenge in his novel Teranesia. Sanal Edamaruku also appears as a character in Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's novel French Lover.

In non-fiction [edit]

Angela Saini's book Geek Nation has a chapter "Chariot of Gods" that describes the work of Sanal Edamaruku elaborately.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Rationalist International". 
  2. ^ a b c d e Schafer, R (March / April 2013). "Blasphemy, Free Speech, and Rationalism: An Interview with Sanal Edamaruku". The Humanist. Retrieved 2013-02-23. "Blasfemia, libertad de expresión, y el racionalismo: Una entrevista con Sanal Edamaruku". The Humanist/Europa Laicismo. March 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-23. 
  3. ^ "Eagle & Eagle". Eagletv.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-06-15. 
  4. ^ "CSI announces new Fellows". Retrieved 2011-08-07. 
  5. ^ "Rationalist Association (UK) Board of Directors and Supporters". 
  6. ^ "The Great Tantra Challenge". Retrieved 2008-03-25. 
  7. ^ "India TV's Great Tantra Challenge". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-05-06. 
  8. ^ Doctorow, Cory. "Indian skeptic charged with "blasphemy" for revealing secret behind "miracle" of weeping cross". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2 June 2012. 
  9. ^ Intialaisskeptikko pakeni Suomeen
  10. ^ http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/rationalist-in-forced-exile-over-jesus-miracle_814520.html

External links [edit]

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