Sanal Edamaruku | |
---|---|
![]() Sanal Edamaruku in Finland | |
Born | Thodupuzha, Kerala, India | 26 May 1955
Alma mater | Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi |
Known for | President of the Indian Rationalist Association and founder-President of Rationalist International |
Parent(s) | Joseph Edamaruku Soley Edamaruku |
Sanal Edamaruku (born 26 May 1955) is an Indian author and rationalist. He is the founder-president and editor of Rationalist International , [1] the president of the Indian Rationalist Association and the author of 25 books and other articles. [2] In 2012, after examining an alleged miracle at a local church in Mumbai, [3] he was charged under India's blasphemy law, causing him to voluntarily exile to Finland. [4]
Edamaruku was born in 1955 in Thodupuzha, Kerala, India to Joseph Edamaruku, an Indian scholar and author, and Soley Edamaruku. [5] Born in a Christian-Hindu mixed marriage, he was brought up without any specific religious influence. At his parents' insistence, he was the first student in India whose official school records listed "no religion". [6]
He became a rationalist-atheist activist at the age of 15, after seeing a neighbourhood athlete's death when her family refused medical treatment because they believed in faith healing. [7]
Edamaruku has been active in the Indian Rationalist Association (IRA) from the age of 15. Before becoming the president in 2005, he served as the General Secretary beginning in 1983, [8] and has been the editor of its publication Modern Freethinker. His many books and articles deal mainly with rationalistic thoughts and against superstition in India. His writings in Rationalist International are translated into English, French, German, Spanish, and Finnish. [9]
In February 2011, Edamaruku was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. [10] (USA) and is an Honorary Associate of New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists and Rationalist Association of UK (formerly Rationalist Press Association). [11]
Edamaruku conducted investigation and campaigns in Indian villages, targeting mystics, god men and practices he deems superstitious. [5] He refers to this as "Rationalist Reality Theatre." [5] The documentary film Guru Busters shows Edamaruku and a team of rationalist campaigners on the road in Kerala demonstrations of how to perform supposedly supernatural stunts. [12] He has helped in building Indian Atheist Publishers, which is now Asia's largest atheist publishing house. He convened the three International Rationalist Conferences held in 1995, 2000 and 2002. [9] In December 2013, Edamaruku launched a new quarterly English language magazine The Rationalist on his blog. [13]
On 3 March 2008, while appearing on a panel TV show, Edamaruku challenged a tantrik to demonstrate his powers by killing him using only magic. [5] The live show on India TV where the tantrik chanted mantras and performed a ceremony received a large boost in ratings. 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. [14] [15]
In March 2012, Sanal Edamaruku investigated a report that a crucifix at Our Lady of Velankanni church in Mumbai was dripping water from the feet. [5] This incident, though not recognised by the Catholic Church as a miracle, [16] was believed by locals to be one. Sanal Edamaruku was invited to investigate by TV9 of Mumbai with the consent of the church authorities. He went with an engineer to the site where the alleged miracle had happened, and traced the source of the drip to the rear side. Edamaruku found that the water was seeping through the feet because of capillary action and faulty plumbing. [17] [18] Moisture on the wall where the statue was mounted seemed to be coming from an overflowing drain, which was in turn fed by a pipe that issued from a nearby toilet. [19]
During a television show held to discuss the investigation, Edamaruku accused Christian priests of regularly scamming devotees and defrauding miracles to make money, and build bigger and newer churches and convents, [20] and the Pope of being "anti-science" and scoffed at Christians for worshipping the cross. [21] A Catholic lawyer asked Edamaruku to apologise whilst on television, which he refused to do. Such defamatory statements lead to the Catholic Secular Forum filing First information reports under Section 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code in April 2012. [21] [22] [5] [23]
The All India Catholic Union said the law was being applied incorrectly. [24] Colin Gonsalves, the founder of the India Center for Human Rights and Law, stated his opinion that no criminal offence had been committed. [25] Vishal Dadlani, [26] and James Randi publicly spoke in Edamaraku's defense [27] while others accused Edamaruku of being "as much of a missionary seeking converts for his particular “ism” as the Church is for its own belief." [21] The Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay, which was not associated with the criminal charges, called for Edamaruku to apologise and for the prosecution to drop the charges. [15] [28] Edamaruku refused [15] and on 31 July 2012 moved to Finland. [28]
Edamaruku is a frequent critic of Hindu astrology and other practices he deems superstititious. [29] He also has accused Indian Godmen of mostly being charlatans amassing wealth and property from supposed miracles. [30]
Edamaruku also has been a critic of Mother Teresa, publicly attacking her legacy in Kolkata. [31] He has spoken out against the Catholic Church's veneration of Mother Teresa and the miracle cure of Monica Besra, who was reportedly cured after a medallion was placed on her by nuns. Edamaruku said that her cure could be reasonably ascribed to the treatment she received in a government hospital in Balurghat and the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. After investigating her care record the former health minister of West Bengal, Partho De, has agreed her recovery was attributable to her months of medical care. Edamaruku describes the miracle as an "obvious fraud." [32]
Edamaruku considers the Indian rationalist movement an "inspiring example for many western rationalists to awaken, activate and rejuvenate their own organisations", with India's rationalists being "on the frontline of the battle between science and superstition". [33]
Edamaruku has been critical of India's blasphemy laws, describing them as "relics of colonial legislation" which have been abused to "hound and silence" intellectuals and artists who question religious beliefs. He considers it dangerous that any person may register a complaint of blasphemy against another, leading to an arrest and prolonged imprisonment until the suspect is acquitted by a court of law. Edamaruku argues that the real danger here is less the verdict and more the "pre-trial punishment". [34]
In 2020, Indian authorities issued an Interpol Red Notice for Sanal Edamaruku, residing in Finland. The Red Notice, a request to locate and provisionally arrest individuals pending extradition or prosecution, was sought by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after Edamaruku was accused of defrauding a government employee, Prameela Devi, of 15 lakhs. [35] Devi, also a rationalist, alleged that Edamaruku had promised her a visa, job, and residence permit in Finland in exchange for the money, even pressuring her for a bank loan to acquire the sum. [36] [37] The Alappuzha North Police registered a case against Edamaruku in 2018 for cheating and breach of trust after Devi reported that Edamaruku had ceased communication and blocked her calls after receiving the funds. The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Alappuzha subsequently issued an arrest warrant for Edamaruku. Devi sought extradition to complete legal proceedings in India. [38] In response to the allegations, Sanal Edamaruku clarified via his blog that he had indeed offered a job to Prameela Devi following an online interview, but she declined the position. [39] He contested the fraud charges, asserting that the money received from Devi over a three-year period constituted contributions to the rationalist movement, not payment for a job or visa in Finland. Furthermore, Edamaruku stated a Quashing petition filed against the charges was accepted by the Kerala High Court in September 2018, halting proceedings in the lower court. According to him, legal stasis remained unbroken and the issuance of the Interpol Red Notice was new to him. Edamaruku further alleged the involvement of the Church in the issuance of the Red Notice in his blog without any substantial evidence. [40]
Basava Premanand was an Indian skeptic and rationalist from Kerala, India. He organised many tours around rural India for the promotion of scientific thinking, exposing alleged miracles and scams carried out by various charlatans and godmen while spreading awareness of dangerous superstitions. Premanand was the founder of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, the convener of Indian CSICOP, and the owner-publisher-editor of the monthly magazine The Indian Skeptic, which investigates paranormal claims in India.
Abraham Thomas Kovoor was an Indian professor and rationalist who gained prominence after retirement for his campaign to expose as frauds various Indian and Sri Lankan "god-men" and so-called paranormal phenomena. His direct, trenchant criticism of spiritual frauds and organized religions was enthusiastically received by audiences, initiating a new dynamism in the Rationalist movement, especially in Sri Lanka and India.
The Happy Human is an icon that has been adopted as an international symbol of secular humanism. Created by Dennis Barrington, the figure was the winning design in a competition arranged by Humanists UK in 1965. Various forms of it are now used across the world by humanist organisations of all sizes including Humanists UK, Humanists International and The American Humanist Association (AHA).
Joseph Edamaruku, popularly identified by his surname Edamaruku, was a journalist and rationalist from Kerala. He was the Delhi Bureau chief of the Malayalam magazine Keralasabdam for more than twenty years, and the founder-editor of Therali, a rationalist periodical in Malayalam. He was president of the Indian Rationalist Association from 1995 to 2005.
The Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA) is an umbrella body of 83 rationalist, atheist, skeptic, secularist and scientist organisations in India.
Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham is a rationalist organization based in Kerala, India. The organization says it stands for rationalism and humanism. It is the initiator of the umbrella organization for rationalism and humanism, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations.The Rationalist Movement in Kerala had started with the Sahodara Sangham, formed by K. Ayyappan on May 29, 1917 at Cherai, in Ernakulam. This fraternity forum propagated 'Mishra Bhojanam', which was unthinkable as well as very revolutionary at the time. These movements paved way for a rationalist organization which started functioning in 1967. Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham is the continuation of this parent avatar. The organization started functioning in 1967. It has units in all the districts in Kerala and in the Union Territorial district of Mahi. Yukthirekha, a monthly in Malayalam, is the official magazine of Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham, which has been in circulation since 1983. KYS has a youth wing, Humanist Youth Movement, and a parallel wing, Kerala Misra Vivahavedi, a sub-organisation for the cause of inter-religious and inter-caste married lives. KYS also manages A T Kovoor Trust and Pavanan Institute. KYS is an associate organization of International Humanist Ethical Union, now Humanist International, headquartered in London.
The Indian Rationalist Association is a voluntary organisation in India whose 100,000 members promote scientific skepticism and critique supernatural claims. It publishes books and magazines, organises seminars and lectures and its representatives regularly appear in television and print media exposing superstitions. The present president of Indian Rationalist Association Sanal Edamaruku was elected in 2005. He was the General Secretary of the association from 1984 till 2005.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay is a particular church celebrating the Latin Rite of worship, centred in the Bombay (Mumbai) city of the northern Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The archdiocese has been a Metropolitan see since its elevation, by Pope Leo XIII on 1 September 1886.
Mookencheril Cherian Joseph, popularly known as Yukthivadi M. C. Joseph, was an eminent rationalist from Kerala, India. He was one of the very significant figures of Kerala Renaissance too.
Narendra Achyut Dabholkar was an Indian physician, social activist, rationalist and author from Maharashtra, India. In 1989 he founded and became president of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti. Triggered by his assassination in 2013, the pending Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Ordinance was promulgated in the state of Maharashtra, four days later. In 2014, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri for social work.
The Great Tantra Challenge was the challenge put forward to Surinder Sharma, a tantrik, by Sanal Edamaruku, the president of Rationalist International to kill him on live TV using only the magical powers he claims to possess. The challenge ended after several hours, with Edamaruku surviving unharmed. The event was broadcast live on India TV in March 2008.
Atheism and agnosticism have a long history in India and flourish within the Śramaṇa movement. Indian religions like Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism consider atheism to be acceptable. Doubt has been ingrained even in Indian spiritual culture. India has produced some notable atheist politicians and social reformers. Around 0.7 million people in India did not state their religion in the 2001 census and were counted in the "religion not stated" category. They were 0.06% of India's population. Their number has significantly increased four times, from 0.7 million in the 2001 census to 2.9 million in the 2011 census at an average annual rate of 15%. According to the 2012 WIN-Gallup Global Index of Religion and Atheism report, 81% of Indians were religious, 13% were non-religious, 3% were convinced atheists, and 3% were unsure or did not respond, while a demographic study by Cambridge University Press in 2004 found that around 2-6% of Indians identified as atheists or irreligious.
The hate speech laws in India aim to prevent discord among its many ethnic and religious communities. The laws allow a citizen to seek the punishment of anyone who shows the citizen disrespect "on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or any other ground whatsoever". Section 153A of the Indian penal code prohibits citizens from creating disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups of people.
There is a small community of Indians in Finland consisting mainly of Finnish citizens of Indian origin or descent as well as expatriates from India.
Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) is a Mumbai-based Catholic institution. As of 2008 the General Secretary was Joseph Dias, who believes that “India is not yet culturally or socially ready for such freedoms that West or Americas have [sic].”
Superstition refers to any belief or practice that is caused by supernatural causality, and which contradicts modern science. Superstitious beliefs and practices often vary from one person to another or from one culture to another.
esSENSE Club is a club promoting atheism and science based in Kerala, India. Founded in 2016, the club emphasises propagating freethinking and rationalism among the Malayali community all over the world.
Maharashtra Rationalist Association was an organisation dedicated to spreading rationalism and humanism in Maharashtra, India, and was an integral part of the rationalist movement in Maharashtra. The organisation is succeeded by Mumbai Rationalist Association, which in turn has paved the way for Sunday Sapiens.
The Weeping crucifix in Mumbai is a statue of the crucified Jesus in Mumbai (Bombay) which attracted widespread attention in 2012; when a constant stream of water began to seep from its feet. Some of the local Catholic Christians believed the incident to be a miracle; a skeptic-rationalist and atheist author by the name Sanal Edamaruku, provided evidence that the water stemmed from a faulty sewage system, which seeped due to capillary action. However, Edamaruku also accused Latin Christian priests of regularly scamming devotees and defrauding miracles to make money inorder to build bigger and newer churches or convents, and mocked the Pope as "anti-science". A church representative admitted Edamaruku had the "right to doubt" and Christian activists said that the backlash was not for debunking the alleged "miracle", but for the defamatory statements made on live television. After which he became subsequently subject to multiple first information reports (FIR) under blasphemy laws. A Catholic lawyer and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay called for him to apologise for the comments. He migrated to Finland to avoid being arrested under the blasphemy law.