Sanal Edamaruku
Encyclopedia
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.
He was born in 1955 in Thodupuzha
, in Kerala
, India
to Joseph Edamaruku
and Soley Edamaruku. In 1977, he obtained a Master's Degree
in Political Science
from the University of Kerala. Afterwards, he received an M.Phil Degree from the Department of South Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University
, New Delhi
in International Studies. While writing his thesis towards his doctorate
, he began working for the Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organization. He gave up his job in 1982 to focus more on the Indian Rationalist Association and publishing his own works. He also has a diploma
in Journalism
.
Edamaruku has been active in the Rationalist Association from the age of 15. He has been the General Secretary of the IRA since 1983, and has been the editor of its mouthpiece Modern Freethinker. He has authored many books and articles which deal mainly with rationalistic thoughts and anti-superstition prevalent in India. He has carried out investigations which have helped expose many frauds, mystics and 'godmen' as well as campaigns against superstition in Indian villages. His activities have attracted the attention of print and television media. The documentary film "Guru Busters" features Edamaruku and a team of rationalist campaigners on the road in Kerala giving public demonstraions of how to perform supposedly supernatural stunts. He is a regular TV commentator on various Indian TV channels on superstitions and blind belief and is a major voice in defense of reason and scientific temper in India. He has also delivered lectures in various countries including the US and many European countries. He has helped build the Indian Atheist Publishers, which is now Asia's
largest freethought publishing house.
He convened three International Rationalist Conferences in 1995, in 2000 and in 2002.
In February 2011 Edamaruku was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is an Honorary Associate of Rationalist Association
of UK (formerly Rationalist Press Association.) Great names from the past Honorary Associates of Rationalist Association include Bertrand Russell, HG Wells, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Francis Crick. Sanal Edamaruku is also an Honorary Associate of New Zealand Association of Rationalists & Humanists.
to demonstrate his powers on him by killing him using only magic. The tantrik chanted mantras and performed a ceremony to kill Sanal Edamaruku on live TV. India TV
received a large boost in ratings while this was occurring. 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.
The Australian writer Greg Egan
has used the story of Sanal Edamaruku, Indian Rationalist Association and the Tantra Challenge in his novel Teranesia
. Sanal Edamaruku also appears as a character in Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's novel French Lover. Angela Saini
's book Geek Nation has a chapter namely Chariot of Gods that describes the work of Sanal Edamaruku elaborately.
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...
. He is the editor of the internet publication Rationalist International, author of 25 books and numerous articles.
He was born in 1955 in Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha is a town and a municipality in Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 35.43 km2. It is 62 km from Ernakulam. Geographical Classification of Thodupuzha Region is Midland or Idanad....
, 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....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to 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...
and Soley Edamaruku. In 1977, he obtained a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from the University of Kerala. Afterwards, he received an M.Phil Degree from the Department of South Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University, also known as JNU, is located in New Delhi, the capital of India. It is mainly a research oriented postgraduate University with approximately 5,500 students and a faculty strength of around 550.-History:...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in International Studies. While writing his thesis towards his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
, he began working for the Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organization. He gave up his job in 1982 to focus more on the Indian Rationalist Association and publishing his own works. He also has a diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
.
Edamaruku has been active in the Rationalist Association from the age of 15. He has been the General Secretary of the IRA since 1983, and has been the editor of its mouthpiece Modern Freethinker. He has authored many books and articles which deal mainly with rationalistic thoughts and anti-superstition prevalent in India. He has carried out investigations which have helped expose many frauds, mystics and 'godmen' as well as campaigns against superstition in Indian villages. His activities have attracted the attention of print and television media. The documentary film "Guru Busters" features Edamaruku and a team of rationalist campaigners on the road in Kerala giving public demonstraions of how to perform supposedly supernatural stunts. He is a regular TV commentator on various Indian TV channels on superstitions and blind belief and is a major voice in defense of reason and scientific temper in India. He has also delivered lectures in various countries including the US and many European countries. He has helped build the Indian Atheist Publishers, which is now Asia's
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
largest freethought publishing house.
He convened three International Rationalist Conferences in 1995, in 2000 and in 2002.
In February 2011 Edamaruku was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is an Honorary Associate of Rationalist Association
Rationalist Association
The Rationalist Association, originally the Rationalist Press Association, is an organization in the United Kingdom, founded in 1899 by a group of free thinkers who were unhappy with the increasing political and decreasingly intellectual tenor of the British secularist movement...
of UK (formerly Rationalist Press Association.) Great names from the past Honorary Associates of Rationalist Association include Bertrand Russell, HG Wells, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Francis Crick. Sanal Edamaruku is also an Honorary Associate of New Zealand Association of Rationalists & Humanists.
Great Tantra Challenge
On 3 March 2008, while appearing on a panel TV show, Sanal Edamaruku, challenged a tantrikTantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
to demonstrate his powers on him by killing him using only magic. The tantrik chanted mantras and performed a ceremony to kill Sanal Edamaruku on live TV. India TV
India TV
India TV is a Hindi news channel based in Film City, Noida, India. It is a news channel that has appealed to the Indian masses for its unique style of presentation that is targeted at the common man and not at the elite unlike most news channels...
received a large boost in ratings while this was occurring. 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.
The Australian writer Greg Egan
Greg Egan
Greg Egan is an Australian science fiction author.Egan published his first work in 1983. He specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness...
has used the story of Sanal Edamaruku, Indian Rationalist Association and the Tantra Challenge in his novel Teranesia
Teranesia
Teranesia is a 1999 science fiction novel by Greg Egan. The novel won the 2005 Ditmar Award for Best Novel but Egan declined to accept the award.-Plot summary:...
. Sanal Edamaruku also appears as a character in Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's novel French Lover. Angela Saini
Angela Saini
Angela Saini is a British science journalist and author. Her first book Geek Nation: How Indian Science is Taking Over the World was published on 3 March 2011 by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, and by Hachette in the Indian sub-continent in April 2011.She has been published in Science, Wired, The...
's book Geek Nation has a chapter namely Chariot of Gods that describes the work of Sanal Edamaruku elaborately.
External links
- യുക്തി ജയിച്ച രാത്രി
- Sanal Edamaruku at the Rationalist International
- Indian Rationalist Association
- Sanal Edamaruku on the Rationalist Agenda for the 21st Century
- Sanal Edamaruku on Why Rationalism
- New Humanist article on the work of Sanal Edamaruku and the Indian Rationalists
- TIME article about the monkey-man mania in Delhi, mystery explained by Sanal Edamaruku
- How Sanal Edamaruku closed down a Mantra Healing Centre at Delhi Medical College? Article in International Humanist News
- How Sanal Edamaruku exposed Saibaba in the TV during his 70th birthday at Delhi