Atheism in India
Encyclopedia
Western concept of Irreligion
is not very relevant when dealing with Indian religions, since Hinduism
, Jainism
and Buddhism
consider atheism
, agnosticism
, nontheism
etc. to be valid. This incongruity arises from the fact that Indian religions do not fully conform to western definition of religion. The elements that form the concept of irreligion has a strong tradition in India and among Indian religions.
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6 % of Indians stated that they had no religion.
are found in Hinduism
, which is generally mistaken as an inherently theistic religion. It may be better defined as a collection of religions. The anti-theistic philosophical Cārvāka
School originated in India around 6th century BCE. It is classified as a heterodox
system and is not considered part of the six orthodox schools of Hinduism, but it is noteworthy as evidence of a materialistic movement within Hinduism.
Other Indian philosophies generally regarded as atheistic include Classical Samkhya
and Purva Mimamsa
. Samkhya
, though a school in the Orthodox (Astika) variety of Hinduism, denies the existence of God or any other exterior influence. However, unlike other atheist schools of thoughts, it did not deny existence of all things transcendent. The rejection of a personal creator God is also seen in Jainism
and Buddhism
, both of which originated in the Indian subcontinent.
(1879–1973), the leader of self-respect movement
was a vocal critic of rituals, supersition and the concept of God. His words are written on his statues in various parts of Tamil Nadu
.
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao
, better known as "Gora", expounded the term "positive atheism" in his book Positive Atheism (1972). Positive atheism entails such things as a being morally upright, showing an understanding that religious people have reasons to believe, not proselytising or lecturing others about atheism, and defending oneself with truthfulness instead of aiming to 'win' any confrontations with outspoken atheophobes
. He also founded Atheist Center.
Atheist Centre is a social change institution founded by Gora (1902-1975) and Saraswathi Gora (1912) in the year 1940 at Mudnur village in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. On the eve of the Independence to the country, Atheist Centre was shifted to Vijayawada
in 1947 and since then it has been the hub of activity for promotion of atheism, humanism and social change.
Gora organized the First World Atheist Conference in 1972. Subsequently, his Atheist Centre has organized several World Atheist Conferences in Vijayawada
.
Other notable Indian atheists include
, the president of Hindu Mahasabha and the founder of the Hindutva
movement, was also an atheist. He did not define "Hindutva" by religion, and used to publicly advertise lectures on atheism and non-existence of God.
Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather
of Windsor and Maidenhead, the first Hindu woman in British politics, described herself as a "Hindu atheist".
There is a sub-group of atheists in Kerala
who are members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
. There are others who support atheism
because of rationalist
ideals: these include supporters of the Indian Rationalist Association
. Some notable atheists from Kerala include Sahodaran Ayyappan
V. S. Achuthanandan
, A.K. Antony, Sreeni Pattathanam
, Abu Abraham
, A. K. Gopalan
, Mookencheril Cherian Joseph
, Joseph Edamaruku
, Sanal Edamaruku
, and Abraham Kovoor
and Johnson Eyeroor.Sanal Edamaruku
the founder-president of Rationalist International
and the president of the Indian Rationalist Association
is an atheist from Kerala
. The Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham
is an organization that supports atheism and rationalism in the Malayali community throughout Kerala
. The Yukthivadi
was the first atheist/rationalist magazine published in Malayalam.The atheists and other non-religious
groups such as agnostics only make 3% of the population in Kerala.
Indian atheists
Irreligion
Irreligion is defined as an absence of religion or an indifference towards religion. Sometimes it may also be defined more narrowly as hostility towards religion. When characterized as hostility to religion, it includes antitheism, anticlericalism and antireligion. When characterized as...
is not very relevant when dealing with Indian religions, since Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
consider atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, agnosticism
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
, nontheism
Nontheism
Nontheism is a term that covers a range of both religious and nonreligious attitudes characterized by the absence of — or the rejection of — theism or any belief in a personal god or gods...
etc. to be valid. This incongruity arises from the fact that Indian religions do not fully conform to western definition of religion. The elements that form the concept of irreligion has a strong tradition in India and among Indian religions.
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6 % of Indians stated that they had no religion.
Ancient India
Atheistic schoolsAtheism in Hinduism
Atheism or disbelief in God or gods has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the orthodox and heterodox streams of Hindu philosophies...
are found in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, which is generally mistaken as an inherently theistic religion. It may be better defined as a collection of religions. The anti-theistic philosophical Cārvāka
Carvaka
' , also known as ', is a system of Indian philosophy that assumes various forms of philosophical skepticism and religious indifference. It seems named after , the probable author of the and probably a follower of Brihaspati, who founded the ' philosophy.In overviews of Indian philosophy, Cārvāka...
School originated in India around 6th century BCE. It is classified as a heterodox
Nastika
Āstika exists") and Nāstika are technical terms in Hinduism used to classify philosophical schools and persons, according to whether they accept the authority of the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures, or not, respectively...
system and is not considered part of the six orthodox schools of Hinduism, but it is noteworthy as evidence of a materialistic movement within Hinduism.
Other Indian philosophies generally regarded as atheistic include Classical Samkhya
Samkhya
Samkhya, also Sankhya, Sāṃkhya, or Sāṅkhya is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible...
and Purva Mimamsa
Mimamsa
' , a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" , is the name of an astika school of Hindu philosophy whose primary enquiry is into the nature of dharma based on close hermeneutics of the Vedas...
. Samkhya
Samkhya
Samkhya, also Sankhya, Sāṃkhya, or Sāṅkhya is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible...
, though a school in the Orthodox (Astika) variety of Hinduism, denies the existence of God or any other exterior influence. However, unlike other atheist schools of thoughts, it did not deny existence of all things transcendent. The rejection of a personal creator God is also seen in Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, both of which originated in the Indian subcontinent.
Modern India
Periyar E. V. RamasamyPeriyar E. V. Ramasamy
Erode Venkata Ramasamy , affectionately called by his followers as Periyar , Thanthai Periyar or E. V...
(1879–1973), the leader of self-respect movement
Self-Respect Movement
The Self-Respect Movement was founded in 1925 by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu, India. The movement has the aim of achieving a society where backward castes have equal human rights, and encouraging backward castes to have self-respect in the context of a caste based society that...
was a vocal critic of rituals, supersition and the concept of God. His words are written on his statues in various parts of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao was an Indian atheist leader.-Early days:Gora was born into a Telugu Brahmin family in India. He wrote in his autobiography, We Become Atheists, that he grew up "conventionally orthodox and superstitious." He pursued a botany degree, eventually earning his Master's in...
, better known as "Gora", expounded the term "positive atheism" in his book Positive Atheism (1972). Positive atheism entails such things as a being morally upright, showing an understanding that religious people have reasons to believe, not proselytising or lecturing others about atheism, and defending oneself with truthfulness instead of aiming to 'win' any confrontations with outspoken atheophobes
Discrimination against atheists
Discrimination against atheists includes the persecution and discrimination faced by atheists and those labeled as atheists in the past and in the current era...
. He also founded Atheist Center.
Atheist Centre is a social change institution founded by Gora (1902-1975) and Saraswathi Gora (1912) in the year 1940 at Mudnur village in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. On the eve of the Independence to the country, Atheist Centre was shifted to Vijayawada
Vijayawada
Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...
in 1947 and since then it has been the hub of activity for promotion of atheism, humanism and social change.
Gora organized the First World Atheist Conference in 1972. Subsequently, his Atheist Centre has organized several World Atheist Conferences in Vijayawada
Vijayawada
Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...
.
Other notable Indian atheists include
- Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, the first Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of India. - BeechiBeechiBeeChi was a well-known humorist in the Kannada language. His real name was Rayasam Bheemasena Rao. He preferred to write his pen name bilingually as ಬೀchi. He was also known as Karnataka's George Bernard Shaw.-Early life and career:...
, the Kannada humourist-philosopher, whose 'positive atheism' is similar to that of Douglas AdamsDouglas AdamsDouglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
. - Kamal HaasanKamal HaasanKamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...
, filmmaker and actor, known for making films having themes of both Atheism and Brahminical Hinduism. - SathyarajSathyarajSathyaraj is a Tamil film actor and media personality in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. A Tamil activist and a political influence, he has acted in over 150 films, ranging from action and drama to comedy. In 2007, he played the role of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in the Tamil Nadu government-sponsored...
, actor. - M. KarunanidhiM. KarunanidhiMuthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. - H. NarasimhaiahH. NarasimhaiahHosur Narasimhaiah was a physicist, educator, freedom fighter and rationalist from Karnataka, India. He was popularly known as HN. He was conferred Padma Bhushan by Government of India in 1985.-Early life:...
, freedom fighter and socialist. - Bhagat Singh, one of the most well-known figures in the Indian independence movementIndian independence movementThe term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, was an atheist. - Narendra NayakNarendra NayakNarendra Nayak is a well known rationalist from Mangalore, Karnataka, India.He is the founder of Dakshina Kannada Rationalist Association and has been its Secretary since 1976...
, president of Federation of Indian Rationalist AssociationsFederation of Indian Rationalist AssociationsFederation of Indian Rationalist Associations is an umbrella body of more than 75 rationalist, atheist, skeptic, secularist and science organisations in India... - AdithyaAdithyaAdithya , is an Indian film actor who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He is an atheist.- Filmography:-External links:...
, Actor - V.S. Achuthanandan, the former Chief MinisterChief MinisterA Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions.... - Abraham KovoorAbraham KovoorAbraham 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...
- S. NijalingappaS. NijalingappaSiddavanahalli Nijalingappa was a senior Congress politician and the Chief Minister of Karnataka between 1956 and 1958 and once again between 1962 and 1968...
, former chief minister of KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. - Debashis, Vice President of Rationalists' and Humanists' Forum of India.
- Vijay TendulkarVijay TendulkarVijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi...
– a famous MarathiMarathi peopleThe Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
writer and dramatist who was also known to be an atheist. - Gopinath MuthukadGopinath MuthukadGopinath Muthukad is a magician, escapologist, and stunt performer from Kerala, India. He employs magic as a medium to convey his messages to society....
, A notable magician. - P. L. Deshpande, A notable MarathiMarathi peopleThe Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
writer and artist. - Baba AmteBaba AmteMurlidhar Devidas Amte, popularly known as Baba Amte was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy....
, A notable social activist. - Dr. Shriram LagooShriram LagooDr. Shreeram Lagoo is an Indian film and theatre actor, in Hindi and Marathi. He is known for his character roles in films. He has acted in over 100 Hindi and Marathi films, over 40 Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati plays, and has directed over 20 Marathi plays. He is considered one of the greatest...
, notable actor and rationalist activist. - Ram Gopal VarmaRam Gopal VarmaRam Gopal Varma is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer...
, film director. - Poornachandra TejaswiPoornachandra TejaswiKuppali Puttappa Poornachandra Tejaswi was a prominent Kannada writer and novelist who has made a great impession in "Navya" period of Kannada literature and inaugurated the bandaya or "protest literature" with his short-story collection Abachoorina Post Offisu.At early stages of his writing...
, prominent KannadaKannada languageKannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
writer - Irfan HabibIrfan HabibIrfan Habib is an Indian Marxist historian, a former Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research and a Padma Bhushan awardee. He is a Professor Emeritus at Aligarh Muslim University. He has served in the Indian History Congress for many years. Irfan Habib and R.S...
- Romila ThaparRomila ThaparRomila Thapar is an Indian historian whose principal area of study is ancient India.-Work:After graduating from Panjab University, Thapar earned her doctorate under A. L. Basham at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of London in 1958...
- Amol PalekarAmol PalekarAmol Palekar is an Indian actor of the 1970s and a director of Hindi and Marathi cinema.-Theater career:Palekar began in Marathi experimental theatre with Satyadev Dubey, and later started his own group, Aniket, in 1972 [citation needed]...
, famous Bollywood and MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
film actor. - Javed AkhtarJaved AkhtarJaved Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
, famous poet, lyricist and scriptwriter. - Narendra DabholkarNarendra DabholkarNarendra Dabholkar is a rationalist from Maharashtra, India and author of several books. He is the founder president of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti an organisation set up to eradicate superstition.-Life:...
, founder president of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti.
Hindu atheists
Vinayak Damodar SavarkarVinayak Damodar Savarkar
Vināyak Dāmodar Sāvarkar was an Indian freedom fighter, revolutionary and politician. He was the proponent of liberty as the ultimate ideal. Savarkar was a poet, writer and playwright...
, the president of Hindu Mahasabha and the founder of the Hindutva
Hindutva
Hindutva is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions the concept of Hindutva...
movement, was also an atheist. He did not define "Hindutva" by religion, and used to publicly advertise lectures on atheism and non-existence of God.
Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather
Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather
Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather is a teacher and British politician.She became a life peer for the Conservative party in 11 June 1990 as Baroness Flather, of Windsor and Maidenhead in the Royal County of Berkshire. She was the first Asian woman to receive a peerage...
of Windsor and Maidenhead, the first Hindu woman in British politics, described herself as a "Hindu atheist".
Atheism in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
who are members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
. There are others who support atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
because of rationalist
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
ideals: these include supporters of the Indian Rationalist Association
Indian Rationalist Association
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 TV and print media exposing...
. Some notable atheists from Kerala include Sahodaran Ayyappan
Sahodaran Ayyappan
Sahodaran Ayyappan was a social reformer, thinker, journalist, and politician of Kerala, India. He was one of the outspoken followers of Sree Narayana Guru.-Overview:...
V. S. Achuthanandan
V. S. Achuthanandan
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of the state of Kerala. He had been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India since 1985, and until July 2009, when he was reverted to the Central Committee of the party owing to his...
, A.K. Antony, Sreeni Pattathanam
Sreeni Pattathanam
Sreeni Pattathanam is a rationalist and atheist activist and writer from Kerala, India.Pattathanam was born in Kollam, Kerala in India. He began his career as a police constable, but later took up the job of a primary school teacher....
, Abu Abraham
Abu Abraham
Attupurathu Mathew Abraham , pen name Abu, was an Indian cartoonist, journalist, and author. He was a life-long atheist and rationalist....
, A. K. Gopalan
A. K. Gopalan
Ayillyath Kuttiari Gopalan , 1 October 1904 to March 22, 1977, popularly known as A. K. Gopalan or AKG, was an Indian communist leader and first leader of opposition of India.- Early life and education :...
, Mookencheril Cherian Joseph
Mookencheril Cherian Joseph
Mookencheril Cherian Joseph , popularly known as Yukthivadi M. C. Joseph, was an eminent rationalist from Kerala, India....
, Joseph Edamaruku
Joseph Edamaruku
Joseph Edamaruku , popularly identified by his surname Edamaruku, was a well known 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...
, Sanal Edamaruku
Sanal Edamaruku
Sanal Joseph Edamaruku is the founder-president of Rationalist International. 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....
, and Abraham Kovoor
Abraham Kovoor
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...
and Johnson Eyeroor.Sanal Edamaruku
Sanal Edamaruku
Sanal Joseph Edamaruku is the founder-president of Rationalist International. 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....
the founder-president of Rationalist International
Rationalist International
Rationalist International is an organization with the stated aim to represent a rational view of the world, making the voice of reason heard and considered where public opinion is formed and decisions are made.- Rationalism :...
and the president of the Indian Rationalist Association
Indian Rationalist Association
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 TV and print media exposing...
is an atheist from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham
Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham
Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham is a well known rationalist group based in Kerala, India. It stands for rationalism and dialectical materialism. It is the initiator of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations....
is an organization that supports atheism and rationalism in the Malayali community throughout Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The Yukthivadi
Yukthivadi
Yukthivadi was the first rationalist/atheist journal published in Malayalam. The contribution made by Yukthivadi to the renaissance of Kerala, India is phenomenal....
was the first atheist/rationalist magazine published in Malayalam.The atheists and other non-religious
Irreligion
Irreligion is defined as an absence of religion or an indifference towards religion. Sometimes it may also be defined more narrowly as hostility towards religion. When characterized as hostility to religion, it includes antitheism, anticlericalism and antireligion. When characterized as...
groups such as agnostics only make 3% of the population in Kerala.
Demographics
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6 % of Indians stated that they had no religion.See also
- Religion in IndiaReligion in IndiaIndian religions is a classification for religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent; namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. These religions are also classified as Eastern religions...
- Atheism in HinduismAtheism in HinduismAtheism or disbelief in God or gods has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the orthodox and heterodox streams of Hindu philosophies...
- Atheism in Kerala
Indian atheists