Irreligion in India

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Part of a series on
Irreligion
Irreligion
Atheism
Forms and variations
Aspects
Agnosticism
Deism
People
Books
List of irreligious organizations
Related topics

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 (0.24% of India's population) at an average annual rate of 15%.[1][2][3] 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,[4] while a demographic study by Cambridge University Press in 2004 found that around 2-6% of Indians identified as atheists or irreligious.[5]

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.[6][7][8] Doubt has been ingrained even in Indian spiritual culture.[9]

India has produced some notable atheist politicians and

social reformers.[10]

History

Ancient India

See also: Śramaṇa

Several śramaṇa movements are known to have existed in India before the 6th century BCE (pre-Buddha, pre-Mahavira), and these influenced both the āstika and nāstika traditions of Indian philosophy.[11][12] Martin Wiltshire says that the Śramaṇa tradition grew in India over two stages: the Paccekabuddha stage was the tradition of the individual ascetic, and the Savaka stage was the tradition of the disciples. Buddhism and Jainism eventually grew out of these two stages as different religions.[13] These traditions drew upon already established Brahmanical concepts, states Wiltshire, to formulate their own doctrines.[13] Reginald Ray concurs that Śramaṇa movements already existed and were established traditions in pre-6th century BCE India, but disagrees with Wiltshire that they were nonsectarian before the arrival of Buddha.[11]

Schools of Philosophy

See also: Indian philosophy

In

Cārvāka, and Ājīvika.[15]

Charvaka
Main article: Charvaka

There is no heaven, no final liberation, nor any soul in another world, Nor do the actions of the four classes, orders, etc., produce any real effect.

— from the Sarvadarśanasaṅ̇graha, attributed to Brhaspati[16][17]

The Cārvāka school originated in India around the 6th century BCE.

Madhavacarya (13th century) are considered important secondary Cārvāka texts.[21]

Samkhya
Main article: Samkhya

Sāṃkhya is an āstika school but has some atheistic elements. Sāṃkhya is a radically

Samkhya Karika (c. 350 CE) is the earliest known systematic text of this philosophy.[24]

Mīmāṃsā
Main article: Mīmāṃsā

Mīmāṃsā (meaning exegesis)[24] is also an astika school. They believed the Vedas to be author-less and self-authenticating. They did not accept the Vedas as being composed by any ṛishi (saint), they considered them to not be authored by anyone (apauruṣeya). They accepted the minor deities of the Vedas but resisted any notion of a Supreme Creator. They only concentrated on upholding the ṛta (order) by following the duties of the Vedas. The foundational text of this school is the Mīmāṃsā Sutra by Jaimini (c. 200 BCE – 200 CE).[24]

Ājīvika
Main article: Ājīvika

Ājīvika is yet another nastika school with an atheistic outlook. None of their scriptures survive, and there is some question as to whether or not the accounts of them in secondary sources (often hostile) are accurate. They believed in a naturalistic atomic theory and held that the consequences of natural laws led to a deterministic universe. They denied karma, but upheld the atman. They lived in ascetic communities and existed in southern India until at least the 14th century.

Buddhism and Jainism
See also:
God in Buddhism and God in Jainism

Kevala Jnana (pure infinite knowledge),[28] and perfect peace. However, these qualities of a soul are subdued due to the karmas of the soul. One who achieves this state of soul through right belief, right knowledge and right conduct can be termed a god. This perfection of the soul is called kevalin. A soul thus becomes a liberated soul—liberated of miseries, cycles of rebirth, the world, karmas, and finally of the body as well. This is called moksha
.

suffering.[32][33] Buddhism instead emphasises the system of causal relationships underlying the universe, pratītyasamutpāda, which constitutes the dhamma
and source of enlightenment. No dependence of phenomena on a supernatural reality is asserted in order to explain the behaviour of matter.

Philosophers and ancient texts

Digha Nikaya in the Payasi Sutta. He did not believe in rebirth or karma. He debated Kassapa, a disciple of Buddha, and lost according to Buddhist sources.[35][36]

Jabali's speech from the Ramayana
See also: Jabali

In the Hindu epic Ramayana (Ayodhya Khanda), when Bharata goes to the forest to convince Rama to return home, he was accompanied by a sophist[37] called Jabali ("जाबालिः"). Jabali uses nihilistic[38] reasoning to convince Rama. He also says that rituals are a waste of food and scriptures were written by smart men so that people will give alms. But Rama calls him a deviant from the path of dharma ("धरमपथात"), refuses to accept his "nastika" views and blame his own father for taking Jabali into service.[39] He also equates the Buddha to a thief.[39] On hearing Rama's retort, Jabali retracts his statements, saying that he was merely arguing like a nihilist.[38] However, these verses referring to the Buddha[40] are considered a later interpolation, as those verses use a different metre.[40][41]

The Carvaka incident in the Mahabharata

A character described as a Carvaka briefly appears in the

Carvaka philosophy.[43]

Medieval India

In the 9th century CE, Jain philosopher Jinasena wrote the Mahapurana. The book contains the following often quoted words,[44]

Some foolish men declare that a creator made the world. The doctrine that the world was created is ill-advised, and should be rejected. If God created the world, where was he before creation? If you say he was transcendent then, and needed no support, where is he now?

This quote was also featured later in Carl Sagan's book, Cosmos.[45] In the 14th century, philosopher Madhavacarya wrote the Sarvadarśanasaṅ̇graha, which is a compilation of all Indian philosophies, including Carvaka, which is described in the first chapter.[17]

Modern India

19th century

Between 1882 and 1888, the Madras Secular Society published a magazine called The Thinker (Tattuvavivesini in

Madras. The magazine carried articles written by anonymous writers and republished articles from the journal of the London Secular Society, which the Madras Secular Society considered itself affiliated to.[46]

20th century

rationalist magazine published in Malayalam
.

Twentieth century India too experienced multiple spiritualism activism trends which weighed in favor of spirituality over religion and rituals.[9]

Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (1879–1973) was an atheist and rationalist leader of the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.[9]
His views on irreligion are based on the eradication of the caste system, thinking religion must be denied to achieve its obliteration.

cow worship as superstitious.[48]
Being Hindu, for him, was a cultural and political identity.

Toward Freedom (1936), about his views on religion and superstition.[50]

Saha equation
, used to describe chemical and physical conditions in stars.

Bhagat Singh (1907–1931), an Indian revolutionary and socialist nationalist who was hanged for using violence against British government officials, was a staunch atheist. He laid out his views in the essay "Why I Am an Atheist", written in jail shortly before his execution.[51]

positive atheism as a way of life.[52] He later wrote more about positive atheism in his 1972 book, Positive Atheism.[54] Gora also organised the first World Atheist Conference in 1972. Subsequently, the Atheist Centre has organised several World Atheist Conferences in Vijayawada and other locations.[53]

Khushwant Singh (1915–2014), a prominent and prolific writer of Sikh extraction, was avowedly non-religious.

Founded in 1984

Punjab, India.[9][55]

Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti ( Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith, CEBF) is an organisation dedicated to fighting superstition in India, particularly in the state of Maharashtra. It was founded by Narendra Dabholkar in 1989.[56]

In 1997, the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations was founded.[57]

21st century

atheist schools in Hinduism, the Lokayata.[59][60][61]

Sunday Sapiens, the successor of Maharashtra Rationalist Association,[62] is actively involved in developing scientific temper and eradicating superstition.

In 2008, the website Nirmukta was founded. It later became an organisation aiming to promote

free thought and secular humanism in India.[63]

In 2009, historian

globalisation.[64]

In March 2009, in Kerala, a pastoral letter addressing the laity was issued by the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council urging the members to not vote for political parties which advocate atheism.[65][66] In July 2010, another similar letter was issued.[67]

On 10 March 2012, Sanal Edamaruku investigated a so-called miracle in Vile Parle, where a Jesus statue had started weeping and concluded that the problem was caused by faulty drainage. Later that day, during a TV discussion with some church members, Edamaruku accused the Catholic Church of miracle-mongering. On 10 April, Angelo Fernandes, President of the Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum, filed a police complaint against Edamaruku under the Indian Penal Code Section 295A.[68] In July while on a tour in Finland, Edamaruku was informed by a friend that his house was visited by the police. Since the offence is not bailable, Edamaruku stayed in Finland.[69]

On Friday 7 July 2013, the first "Hug an Atheist Day" was organised in India by Nirmukta. The event aimed to spread awareness and reduce the stigma associated with being an atheist.[70][71]

On 20 August 2013, Narendra Dabholkar, a rationalist and anti-superstition campaigner,[72] was shot dead by two unknown assailants, while he was out on a morning walk.[73]

According to Sultan Shahin of progressive New Age Islam, more Indian Muslims are now questioning their own religion, some consider themselves just cultural Muslim and some consider themselves even as ex-Muslims.[9]

Nastik Nation, an organization was started in the year 2015. This organisation has translated and published the international bestseller,

God Delusion and The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins in many Indian languages.[74]

On 17 March 2017, H.Farook, an ex-Muslim atheist, was murdered by Muslim radical group in Coimbatore. The murders of Farook joined their close and hidden ex-Muslim organization pretending to be ex-Muslims who has understood the hollow falsehood of Islam and Quran. Later one day they called Farook saying that one of their bikes was out of petrol and needed him to come with some. They attacked in a group and murdered him. It is reported that the group involved practiced thefts and plundering at night and distributed a share of it to the nearby slums like what Mohammed had done in sixth century.[75]

On 9 January 2021,

E.A.Jabbar, freethinker, atheist, and rationalist from Kerala and Islamic preacher M.M. Akbar were engaged in a debate on the Quran.[76] Both sides claimed to have defeated the other debater even as there was no clear verdict.[77]

In August 2021, Abdul Khader Puthiyangadi, an Indian citizen and rationalist from Kerala, was arrested by the UAE police in 2021 without bail and sentenced to prison in the UAE for three years for criticizing Islam on social media in his native language Malayalam.[78][79]

On 10 January 2022, ex-Muslim rationalist Aneesh Jasy from Tamil Nadu was arrested without bail over his Facebook posts against Islam.[80]

Rise of ex-Muslims of Kerala

In 2021 in Kerala, several ex-Muslims formed an organisation called Ex-Muslims of Kerala.[81] It is an organisation founded in 2021 by E. A. Jabbar, Liyakkathali CM, Arif Hussain, and a few others who left Islam in Kerala.[81] The organisation gives support to those who left Islam, a minority that is facing persecution from the Islamic community because of their leaving.[82] The organisation conducts debates with Islamic scholars and fundamentalists on various topics.[81] Ex-Muslims of Kerala observe 9 January as ex-Muslim day as the remembrance of E. A. Jabbar's debate with Islamic preacher M. M. Akbar, by conducting seminars on atheism and Islam.[82]

Legal status, rights and laws

See also: Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties of India

Atheism and irreligion are not officially recognised in India.[discuss] Apostasy is allowed under the right to freedom of religion in the Constitution.[63] According to advocate Asim Sarode, along with constitutional freedom religion and conscience, freedom of expression helps protect atheists in India.[55] Sarode says, Article 51A (h) of Indian constitution expects all Indian citizens a duty to inculcate “scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform.”[55] The Special Marriage Act, 1954 allows the marriage of people with no religious beliefs, as well as non-religious and non-ritualistic marriages. However, there are no specific laws catering to atheists and they are considered as belonging to the religion of their birth for administrative purposes.[63] The box in which the 'caste' and 'religion' are to be filled is still present in a lot of forms. Some of these boxes on forms are also compulsory, and one does not always have the option of leaving them empty. The closest option one gets is 'Choose not to say' or 'Other' as an answer to these boxes.[83]

Ravi Kumar, an atheist from Haryana is another person who is struggling and fighting to be officially and legally irreligious and caste-less in India. He went to court to declare him officially atheist and he got one certificate in which it was mentioned that he had "No Caste, No Religion, & No God". Later, Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa of the Punjab and Haryana High Court said they had exceeded their authority and asked him to return the certificate; he refused to do so. The Fatehabad district authorities who issued the certificate withdrew it in April 2019. Kumar plans to continue his quest to be officially declared an atheist.[84][85]

Sneha Parthibaraja, a lawyer from Vellore was the first citizen in India to get an official 'no religion, no caste' certificate.[86] She won this right on 5 February 2019, after a nine-year court battle.[87][83] Indian actor Kamal Haasan, who is known for his atheism, congratulated her on Twitter for this achievement.[83]

Hate speech laws and irreligion

Main article: Hate speech laws in India

Notable verdicts

On 29 October 2013, the Bombay High Court judged in favour of an atheist school teacher from Nashik.[88] Sanjay Salve had been employed by the state-funded Savitribai Phule Secondary School since 1996. In June 2007, during a prayer session, Salve did not fold his hands during the pledge or prayer. The school management called this indiscipline and refused him a higher pay grade in 2008 when Salve became eligible for it. Salve sought legal recourse citing the article 28 (a) of the Constitution which states "no person attending any educational institution recognised by the State or receiving aid out of State funds shall be required to take part in any religious instruction that may be imparted in such institution or to attend any religious worship that may be conducted in such institution".[89][90] The court ruled in Salve's favour and directed the school to release his dues by 31 January 2014.[91]

On 23 September 2014, the

Jesus Christ but they do not follow Christianity or any religion. Responding to the petition, the Maharashtra and the central governments had stated that "no religion" cannot be treated as a religion on official forms. The court cited the Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees right to freedom of conscience, while passing the verdict.[92][93]

Persecution and attacks

See also: Discrimination against atheists

According to Jaswant Zirakh of the Tarksheel Society, Indians are usually comfortable with atheist concepts, but usually it's popular religious leadership and godmen tend to attack atheism since they tend to worry about losing their power and income.[55] Among Indian Muslim communities, atheists worry of backlash, they and their families may face social boycott and ostracism including stopping them in participation of funerary rites of their dear ones.[55]

Hindu milk miracle, forcing him to call the police.[95]

On 15 March 2007, a bounty of

FIR was filed against Nasrin in Bareilly by a cleric named Hasan Raza Khan, for hurting religious sentiments. Nasrin had allegedly tweeted on Twitter that "In India, criminals who issue fatwas against women don't get punished." Raza Khan said that by accusing clerics of being criminals, Nasrin had hurt religious sentiments.[98]

On 2 July 2011, the house of U. Kalanathan, secretary of the

Vallikunnu after he suggested on television that the temple treasures of Padmanabhaswamy Temple should be used for public welfare.[99] On 20 August 2013, Narendra Dabholkar, a rationalist and anti-superstition campaigner, was assassinated.[73]

On 16 February 2015, rationalist

Gita.[103][104]

In March 2017, 31-year-old A Farooq, an Indian Muslim youth from Coimbatore who became an atheist, was killed by members of a Muslim radical group.[105][106]

Demographics

Indian government census

The Indian census does not explicitly count atheists.

agnostics.[63]

The religion data from

2011 Census of India was released in August 2015. It revealed that about 2,870,000 people had stated no religion in their response, about 0.27% of the nation's population.[107] However, the number included atheists, rationalists and also those who believed in a higher power. K. Veeramani, a Dravidar Kazhagam leader, said that it was the first time the number of non-religious people was recorded in the census. However, he added that he believed that the number of atheists in India was actually higher as many people do not reveal their atheism out of fear.[108]

Different surveys

World Values Survey (2006)

According to the 2006 World Values Survey, conducted by the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6% of Indians stated that they had no religion.[109]

WIN-Gallup Global Index of Religion and Atheism

According to the 2005 Global Index of Religion and Atheism report from WIN-Gallup, 87% of Indians were religious and 4% called themselves atheists.[110] According to the 2012 report by the same organisation, 81% of Indians were religious, 13% were non-religious, 3% were convinced atheists and 3% were unsure or did not respond.[4] A 2022 Gallup survey found that 18% of Indians did not believe in God, equating to around two hundred million of the population.[111]

Worldviews and Opinions of Scientists in India (2007)

In 2007, a survey was conducted by the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and culture of the

Y. S. Rajan commented on this saying that most Indians do not feel there is a conflict between science and religion.[113] Other the hand, Innaiah Narisetti, chairman of Centre for Inquiry (India) and Pushpa Bhargava, the former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, pointed out the lack of scientific temper among Indian scientists.[114]

Religion Among Scientists in an International Context (2014)

In a survey conducted by Elaine Howard Ecklund of Rice University, it was found that:

India United Kingdom
Scientists who identified as nonreligious 6% 65%
Scientists who attend religious services on a regular basis (once a month or more) 32% 12%
Scientists who never attend religious services 19% 68%
Scientists who believe that there are basic truths in many religions 73% 49%
Scientists who believe in God 27% 11%
Scientists who believe in a higher power of some kind 38% 8%

The ongoing study has surveyed 1,581 scientists from UK and 1,763 from India.[115]

Notable Indian Atheists

See also: Category:Indian atheists

See also

References

  1. ^ Daniyal, Shoaib. "People without religion have risen in Census 2011, but atheists have nothing to cheer about". Scroll.in. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  2. 2011 Census of India. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. Archived from the original
    on 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015. Percentages are calculated from population figures for individual religions in this word document by dividing them from total population of India.
  3. ^ "All India Religion Census Data 2011". Government of India. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Global Index of Religion And Atheism" (PDF). WIN-Gallup. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  5. ISBN 9780521842709
    .
  6. ISBN 978-81-208-0899-7
    . Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  7. JSTOR 1397540
    .
  8. ^ Cohen, Signe (7 April 2019). "There are 2.9 million atheists in India and it's been around in Asia for centuries". ThePrint. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e Bharath, Deepa (5 October 2023). "Nonreligious struggle to find their voice and place in Indian society and politics". AP News. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-0-313-35182-2
    . Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  11. ^
    OCLC 24211851
    .
  12. OCLC 881368213
    .
  13. ^
    OCLC 22207705
    .
  14. OCLC 706614801
    .
  15. OCLC 43575765
    .
  16. ISBN 978-0-85728-433-4
    .
  17. ^ a b Mādhava (1908). The Sarva-darśana-saṃgraha. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  18. ^ "Not scared of God, but man". The Times of India. 15 March 2015.
  19. ISBN 0-691-01958-4
    .
  20. ISBN 978-0-231-13399-9
    .
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8191-6640-1
    . Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  22. ISBN 978-81-208-1251-2
    .
  23. ISBN 978-0-8191-6640-1
    . Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  24. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7486-0954-3
    .
  25. ISBN 978-81-208-0412-8
    .
  26. ISBN 978-81-208-1293-2
    .
  27. ISBN 978-0-231-52642-5
    .
  28. ^ Sangave 2006, p. 164.
  29. ^ Thera, Nyanaponika. "Buddhism and the God-idea". The Vision of the Dhamma. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. In Buddhist literature, the belief in a creator god (issara-nimmana-vada) is frequently mentioned and rejected, along with other causes wrongly adduced to explain the origin of the world; as, for instance, world-soul, time, nature, etc. God-belief, however, is placed in the same category as those morally destructive wrong views which deny the kammic results of action, assume a fortuitous origin of man and nature, or teach absolute determinism. These views are said to be altogether pernicious, having definite bad results due to their effect on ethical conduct.
  30. ISBN 1-928706-19-3
    pg 129
  31. ^ Bhikku Bodhi (2007). "III.1, III.2, III.5". In Access To Insight (ed.). The All Embracing Net of Views: Brahmajala Sutta. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society.
  32. ^ Thanissaro Bhikku (1997). "Acintita Sutta: Unconjecturable". AN 4.77. Access To Insight. Conjecture about [the origin, etc., of] the world is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.
  33. ^ Thanissaro Bhikku (1998). "Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta: The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya". Access To Insight. It's just as if a man were wounded with an arrow thickly smeared with poison. His friends & companions, kinsmen & relatives would provide him with a surgeon, and the man would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know whether the man who wounded me was a noble warrior, a priest, a merchant, or a worker.' He would say, 'I won't have this arrow removed until I know the given name & clan name of the man who wounded me... until I know whether he was tall, medium, or short... The man would die and those things would still remain unknown to him. In the same way, if anyone were to say, 'I won't live the holy life under the Blessed One as long as he does not declare to me that 'The cosmos is eternal,'... or that 'After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,' the man would die and those things would still remain undeclared by the Tathagata.
  34. ISBN 978-81-208-3280-0
    .
  35. ISBN 978-3-447-02285-9
    .
  36. ISBN 978-81-208-0412-8
    .
  37. ISBN 978-81-208-1004-4
    .
  38. ^ a b Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press for the Royal Asiatic Society. 1862. p. 307.
  39. ^ a b Valmiki. "Ayodhya Kanda". Ramayana. p. Sarga 108–109.
  40. ^ a b Mahadev Moreshwar Kunte (1880). The Vicissitudes of Âryan Civilization in India: An Essay, which Treats of the History of the Vedic and Buddhistic Polities, Explaining Their Origin, Prosperity, and Decline. printed at the Oriental Printing Press by N. W. Ghumre. p. 449. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  41. ISBN 978-81-85002-33-0
    .
  42. ISBN 978-0-226-25250-6
    .
  43. ISBN 978-81-208-2738-7
    .
  44. ISBN 978-1-111-83472-2
    .
  45. ISBN 978-0-345-33135-9
    .
  46. ^ "Tracing the history of an unknown radical group". The Hindu. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  47. ISBN 9788185835174
    .
  48. ISSN 0013-0613
    . Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  49. ISBN 978-81-7023-369-5
    .
  50. ISBN 978-1-59884-978-3
    .
  51. ^ "On Bhagat Singh's death anniversary: 'Why I am an atheist'". 23 March 2015.
  52. ^
    ISBN 978-94-6091-577-2
    . Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  53. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-981260-8
    .
  54. ISBN 978-1-4627-1262-5. Archived from the original
    on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  55. ^ a b c d e Torgalkar, Varsha (17 May 2022). "In India, Hindu nationalists embolden challenges to atheism". Religion News Service. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  56. ^ Kakodkar, Priyanka (21 August 2013). "He was not against God but fought exploitation". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  57. ^ "In India, atheism finds its voice". DNA India. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  58. ^ "The Arguing Indian". Cal Alumni Association. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  59. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  60. ^ "News & Broadcast – Amartya Sen Speaks on Culture at World Bank". web.worldbank.org. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  61. ^ "Rediff on the NeT Business News: Market economy not the panacea, says Sen". rediff.com. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  62. ISBN 9780199812608
    .
  63. ^ a b c d "Indian atheists seek recognition in the land of a million gods". The Times of India. 30 June 2012. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  64. Outlook India
    . Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  65. ^ "Don't vote for those who preach atheism: Kerala church body". The Indian Express. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  66. Hindu Business Line
    . 12 April 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  67. ^ "Church blow to 'atheist' parties". The Telegraph. India. 26 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  68. ^ "FIR against rationalist for questioning 'miracle'". Mumbai Mirror. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  69. ^ "Jesus wept … oh, it's bad plumbing. Indian rationalist targets 'miracles'". The Guardian. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  70. DNA India
    . 6 June 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  71. ^ "Give the atheist closest to you a hug". The New Indian Express. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  72. ^ Chishti, Seema (21 August 2018). "Indian rationalism, Charvaka to Narendra Dabholkar". The Indian Express.
  73. ^ a b "Rationalist Dabholkar shot dead". The Hindu. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  74. ^ http://www.nastiknation.org [bare URL]
  75. ^ "Tamil Nadu youth killed for being an atheist, father says he too will become one". 27 March 2017.
  76. ^ "To believe or not?". The Times of India. 23 January 2021.
  77. ^ ""Manoj John elected to international rationalist federation (മനോജ് ജോൺ അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര യുക്തിവാദി ഫെഡറേഷനിൽ)". Mathrubhumi Newspaper. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020". Mathrubhumi daily newspaper. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  78. ^ "Release of Malayali rationalist sought". The Hindu. 19 September 2021.
  79. ^ "Freethinker from Kerala faces death penalty in Dubai jail as he is trapped into blasphme charges". Nastik Nation. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  80. ^ "Ex-Muslim rationalist Aneesh Jasy arrested by TN cops for Facebook posts on Islam". The News Minute. 9 January 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  81. ^ a b c "Ex Muslims of Kerala – Rights and dignity for who leave Islam". Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  82. ^ a b "Ex-Muslim organisation gathers steam in Kerala". Kerala Kaumudi. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  83. ^ a b c Mukherjee, Raka (16 February 2019). "Tamil Nadu Woman Becomes First Indian To Get 'No Caste, No Religion' Certificate After 9-Year-Long Battle". News18. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  84. ^ "The Atheist". The Indian Express. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  85. ^ "Price this Haryana man is paying for turning atheist – no job & social boycott". ThePrint. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  86. ^ "Meet Sneha, First Indian To Receive 'No Caste, No Religion' Certificate". odishabytes. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  87. ^ "Meet country's first woman to be legally 'caste, religion-less' citizen – M.A. Sneha: A caste and religion less person". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  88. ^ "Teacher cannot be forced to fold hands in school prayers: Bombay high court". The Times of India. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  89. ^ Constitution of India, Section 28 (a). 1950.
  90. ^ "Pray, what wrong did I do, asks atheist teacher". The Hindu. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  91. DNA India
    . 31 October 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  92. ^ "Citizen can declare that he does not belong to any religion: Bombay High Court". India Today. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  93. ^ "Citizen can declare that he does not belong to any religion: Bombay High Court". The Indian Express. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  94. ^ "Rationalists fight superstition with dignity and nunchakus". The Times of India. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  95. ^ "Confrontation in the Twilight zone". Business Standard. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  96. IBNLive. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original
    on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  97. DNA India
    . 15 March 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  98. ^ "Cleric files FIR against Taslima Nasreen's anti-fatwa tweet". The Times of India. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  99. ^ "Rationalist leader's house attacked". The Hindu. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  100. ^ "Rationalist Pansare is dead". Deccan Herald. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  101. ^ "Rationalist Kalburgi Shot Dead in Dharwad". The New Indian Express. 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 31 August 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  102. ^ "Indian Scholar Who Spoke Out Against Idol Worship Is Shot Dead". Time. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  103. ^ "Writer Bhagwan receives threat letter". The Hindu. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  104. ^ "In Karnataka, Another Writer Gets Threat Letter After Scholar MM Kalburgi's Murder". NDTV. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  105. ^ Janardhanan, Arun (27 March 2017). "Tamil Nadu youth killed for being an atheist, father says he too will become one". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  106. ^ Singh, Rashmi (27 March 2017). "As long as gods are used for votes, Indian atheists will get killed". DailyO. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  107. ^ Daniyal, Shoaib (7 September 2015). "People without religion have risen in Census 2011, but atheists have nothing to cheer about". Scroll.in. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  108. ^ "2.87 million Indians have no faith, census reveals for first time". The Times of India. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  109. ^ "World Values Survey (2006) English source requested" (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  110. ^ "More Indians have stopped believing in God: Survey". The Times of India. 27 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  111. ^ https://www.gallup-international.com/fileadmin/_processed_/a/5/csm_07_2a498aad84.jpg. Retrieved 20 October 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  112. ^ "Indian scientists are secular, but religious: Survey". MSN. 16 May 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  113. ^ "Worldviews and Opinions of Scientists India 2007-08". Trinity College. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  114. ^ "God save Indian science". The Telegraph. India. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  115. ^ "Indian scientists significantly more religious than UK scientists". (e)Science News. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.

Further reading

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Irreligion_in_India&oldid=1220908930"