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.[1][2] 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.[3]
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6 % of Indians stated that they had no religion.[4]
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Atheistic schools are found in Hinduism, which is generally mistaken as an inherently theistic religion. It may be better defined as a collection of religions.[5] 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.[6]
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.[7] However, unlike other atheist schools of thoughts, it did not deny existence of all things transcendent.[8] The rejection of a personal creator God is also seen in Jainism and Buddhism, both of which originated in the Indian subcontinent.[9]
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (1879–1973), the leader of self-respect movement was a vocal critic of rituals, supersition and the concept of God. His words
| “ | There is no god, there is no god, there is no god at all. He who invented god is a fool. He who propagates god is a scoundrel. He who worships god is a barbarian. | ” |
are written on his statues in various parts of Tamil Nadu.[10]
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao, better known as "Gora", expounded the term "positive atheism" in his book Positive Atheism (1972).[11] 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.[12]
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
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the president of Hindu Mahasabha and the founder of the Hindutva movement, was also an atheist.[16] He did not define "Hindutva" by religion, and used to publicly advertise lectures on atheism and non-existence of God.[17]
Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather of Windsor and Maidenhead, the first Hindu woman in British politics, described herself as a "Hindu atheist".[18]
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.
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6 % of Indians stated that they had no religion.[4]
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