Indian Humanists/Atheists/Rationalists/ etc.

Students may choose any of the humanists listed below to research. Afterward, they should write a 1-page essay and email it to HumanistMutualAid@gmail.com. In the essay, please highlight the three most important ideas or contributions of the humanist and share your own reflections, thoughts, and reactions to their views. You can write about as many of the humanists as you wish.

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Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (1879–1973) - A revolutionary social activist and politician, founder of the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. A vocal atheist and critic of superstition, he believed that dismantling religion was necessary to eradicate caste.

Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) - India’s first Prime Minister and a self-described scientific humanist. In his autobiography Toward Freedom, he explicitly critiques religion and superstitious belief.

Bhagat Singh (1907–1931) - Revolutionary icon who eloquently laid out his atheism in the powerful essay “Why I Am an Atheist” written from jail before his execution.

Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (“Gora”) (1902–1975) - Social reformer and founder of the Atheist Centre (with his wife, Saraswathi Gora), advocating “positive atheism” as a way of life. Organized the first World Atheist Conference in 1972.

Basava Premanand (1930–2009) - Legendary rationalist who exposed “godmen” scams and led tours across India promoting scientific thinking. Founded the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations and published The Indian Skeptic.

Abraham Kovoor (1898–1978) - Professor-turned-rationalist icon best known for his book Begone Godmen. Founded the Sri Lanka Rationalist Association and inspired the rationalist movement in India.

Sanal Edamaruku (b. 1955) - President of the Indian Rationalist Association and founder of Rationalist International. Notably, he debunked a “crying statue” miracle, drawing legal harassment under blasphemy laws.

Narendra Nayak (b. 1951) - Rationalist, skeptic, and godman debunker from Karnataka. He’s the head of FIRA (Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations) and frequently appears in national media promoting secular humanism.

B.R. Ambedkar – He did not explicitly call himself an atheist, but he was a strong critic of Hinduism and organized religion. In 1956, when he converted to Buddhism along with hundreds of thousands of followers, he embraced a non-theistic form of Buddhism (Navayana), which rejects belief in God. Many scholars classify his worldview as secular, rationalist, and effectively non-theistic.