Sanal Edamaruku

Sanal Edamaruku is the founder-president of Rationalist International and the president of the Indian Rationalist Association. He is the editor of the internet publication "Rationalist International".

He was born in 1955 in Thodupuzha, in Kerala, India to Joseph and Solly 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" [http://www.eagletv.co.uk/home/guru.htm] features Edamaruku and a team of rationalist campaigners on the road in Kerala giving public demonstraions of how to perform supposedly supernatural stunts. 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.

On 3 March 2008, while appearing on a panel TV show, Sanal Edamaruku, challenged a tantrik 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 was an atheist. [cite web |url= http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/25/skeptic-giggles-on-i.html|title= Skeptic giggles on Indian national TV as mystic totally fails to curse him to death|accessdate=2008-03-25] [cite web |url= http://www.rationalistinternational.net/article/2008/20080310/en_1.html|title= The Great Tantra Challenge|accessdate=2008-03-25] [cite web
url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2008/04/india_tvs_great_tantra_challen.html
title=India TV's Great Tantra Challenge
publisher=National Public Radio
accessdate=2008-05-06
last=
first=]

Controversy/ Hoax

Believers in Tantra analyze the whole episode on India TV as stage managed show and hoax to boost new television channel ratings and promote Rationalist International. There seems to be many loopholes in the episode like credibility of 'Pandit Surinder Sharma'. He was advertised as 'India's most powerful tantrik'. He does not has any web presence, he has not been seen on any TV channels. Tantrik was reciting 'life giving' mantras instead of life taking mantras.

References

External links

* [http://www.rationalistinternational.net/home/sanal_edamaruku.htm Sanal Edamaruku at the Rationalist International]
* [http://www.indianrationalist.org Indian Rationalist Association]
* [http://indianrationalists.blogspot.com/2006/05/sanal-edamaruku-on-rationalist-agenda.html Sanal Edamaruku on the "Rationalist Agenda for the 21st Century"]
* [http://indianrationalists.blogspot.com/2006/05/why-rationalism-reflections-on-new.html Sanal Edamaruku on "Why Rationalism"]
* [http://www.newhumanist.org.uk/printarticle.php?id=1796_0_39_0_C New Humanist article on the work of Sanal Edamaruku and the Indian Rationalists]