- Prabir Ghosh
Infobox_Person
name = Prabir Ghosh
imagesize = 250px
caption = Ghosh at a book fair in Kolkata
birth_date =1945-03-01
occupation = Authorcite news |title=Some legislators are close to Satyananda |url=http://www.the-week.com/25apr17/currentevents_article1.htm#1 |work=The Week |publisher=Malayala Manorama Group |date=2005-04-17 |accessdate=2006-12-19 ]Prabir Ghosh (born
March 1 ,1945 ) is the head of theScience and Rationalists’ Association of India , based inKolkata . He was once referred to in the media as being from the "Rationalist Association of India".cite news |first=Irena |last=Luto |title=Debating Teresa's legacy to Calcutta |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4724931.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=2005-08-04 |accessdate=2006-12-19 ] A "vociferous debunker",cite news |title=What's Mother Teresa Got to Do with It? |url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501021021-364433,00,00.html |publisher=Time Asia |date=2002-10-21 |accessdate=2006-12-19 ] he has "crusad [ed] against soothsayers and godmen in eastern India" and survived "at least 20 attempts" on his life since the mid-1980s. His campaigning style is deliberately provocative and intended to raise public awareness of the rationalist cause. The documentary film "Guru Busters" [http://www.eagletv.co.uk/home/guru.htm] features several of his confrontations with charlatans and quacks in the Kolkata area.He is the author of a number ofBengali language books disputing supernatural claims.$50,000 miracle challenge
On behalf of the
Science and Rationalists' Association of India , Prabir currently offers INरू2 million (US$50,000) "to anyone who claims to possess supernatural power of any kind and proves the same without restoring (sic) to any trick in the location specified by Prabir Ghosh."cite web |url=http://www.srai.org/sra.htm#challenge |title=The challenge by Prabir Ghosh |accessdate=2006-12-19 |publisher=Science and Rationalists’ Association of India ] The association states::We don’t have the challenge money 20lakhs with us. But our supporters and well-wishers have committed to help us out in case we need it. But we are confident we will never need the money. The rationalist will win all the challenges.Major works (in Bengali)
*"Aloukik noy Loukik" (English title: "Nothing is Supernatural" in five volumes)
*"Pinky O Aloukik Baba, Aloukik Rahasya Sandhane Pinky, Aloukik Rahasya Jaale Pinky" (youth fiction series debunking various paranormal phenomena)See also
*
Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations
* The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge
*List of prizes for evidence of the paranormal
*Narendra Nayak
*Basava Premanand References
External links
* [http://nirmukta.com/2008/09/04/know-your-gurus/#more-207 Prabir's essay on Swmai Ramdev]
* [http://www.prabirghosh.tk Prabir's homepage] – Official website
* [http://www.thefreethinker.tk The Freethinker, online magazine for freethinking minds edited by Prabir]
* [http://www.srai.org/ Science and Rationalists' Association of India] – Official website
* [http://www.srai.org/sra.htm#prabir Biography from SRAI]
* [http://www.uniqueebook.com Prabir's books in English]
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