CHARVAKA DESK
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Business of Faith
Ram Puniyani Our society has seen severe turmoil’s in the name of religion during last three decades in particular. While on one side we see that issues related to religion’s identity are trying to occupy the center stage, we also are witnessing the emergence of thousands of self proclaimed ‘Godmen’, supposed to be having divine…
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Who Killed Narendra Dabholkar?
Ram Puniyani The brutal killing of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar (20th August 2013) is a big jolt to the social movement against blind faith and superstitions. During last few decades the tendency for promotion of rational thought parallel to social change came up as Popular Science movement. In Maharashtra it took shape in the form of a movement, Andh Shraddha Nirmoolan…
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Modi Phenomenon: an Attack on Indian Democracy
Ram Puniyani Currently (August 2013) Narendra Modi is trying to dominate the media, print social and TV through his carefully constructed propaganda machinery and his potential of being nominated as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate by RSS-BJP. Modi has openly used the words like puppies dying under the car wheel, while referring to the victims…
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Jawaharlal Nehru: Three Letters on Ayodhya
Jawaharlal Nehru To GB Pant New Delhi April 17, 1950 My dear Pantji, Thank you for your letter about Shahjahanpur. I am quite sure that your Government has taken strong and effective action during these recent troubles in the U.P. I am glad to learn that as a result of that action as well as…
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Resist Anti-Scientific Temper Forces: A Statement by Intellectuals & Activists
We the scientist, rationalists, educators and intellectuals of the country learnt with shock and anger the brutal and inhuman murder of Dr Narendra Dabholkar. This murder is part of the series of attacks that have been perpetrated by anti scientific temper forces in the country. The attacks on artists, intellectuals and rationalists, all over the…
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Materialist Philosophy in Chāndogya Upaniṣad
Chandogya Upanisad (viii. 7-9) As one of the principal Upaniṣads, the text is usually viewed as pre-Buddha, and hence, might have belonged to c. seventh century BC. Since in the extract quoted here we have the earliest reference to a view identifying the body with the self, which is reminiscent of one of the typical…
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Kandhamal Violence -5 Years Later
Ram Puniyani This August 25, 2013, it will be five years, since the biggest anti Christian, violence, biggest communal violence in the Adivisi area, will complete five years. What has been the plight of the victims of the violence after this ghastly tragedy? What is the state of justice to the victim? Kandhamal violence began…
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The Spirit of Science
Jawaharlal Nehru In the course of less than four months, we have put up, declared open or are going to declare open three national laboratories. I suppose before this year is out some more national laboratories will also be started. This is a great venture testifying to the faith which our scientists and, I hope,…
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Religion, Atheism and Secularism
Ram Puniyani Last three decades have seen an unprecedented presence of religion in social and political space. Somewhere the acts of terror, somewhere communal violence and somewhere the political influence of religious right on society and political processes, all these phenomenon have overshadowed the deeper inequities in the society, the aspirations of people for dignity…
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Evil, Freedom, Suffering and Sport
AN Moorthy Rao Let us consider how some people explain the existence of evil: “God bestowed on man, right at the time of creation, all the powers and qualities that man needed. He does not want man to be a puppet in His hands. He has, therefore, given man freedom of will. Man is free…
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Jawaharlal Nehru on Secularism
Jawaharlal Nehru I shall now come to the proposal which touches upon the exchange of population. In the present context this can only mean a forcible exchange of population. As far as voluntary exchange is concerned, it is already taking place. The doors are open and people come and people go. In fact, it taking…
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The Decline of Buddhism In India
DD Kosambi The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Chuang (830 A.D.) saw images that had sunk into the damp Indian soil, and was told local prophecies to the effect that thereligion of the Teacher would vanish completely when the image had sunk out of sight altogether. Shashanka, king of Bengal who had systematically destroyed Buddhist religious structures,…
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Science versus Miracle: Assorted Miracles in Temples
B Premanand At Tirupurakundram in Tamilnadu, two eagles come to the temple exactly at 12 noon to partake in the prasad offering of the god in the temple. Garuda is believed to be the vahana (vehicle) of Vishnu whose idol is installed in the temple. Experiment: 124 Courtesy: Wikipedia Effect: Eagle appearing at 12 noon…
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Communal Violence: Who is to be blamed?
Ram Puniyani A friend with dogged determination to show that the BJP is a lesser culprit of communal violence and that Congress is the major party to be blamed, listed the major communal riots in India and showed that most of the time when violence took place, it was Congress which has been the ruling…
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The Scientific Attitude and Religion
DD Kosambi In what follows, some social aspects of religion are considered in so far as they serve to keep India a backward country. The methods of cure suggested are by legislation, education and improved social conditions, with a brief example or two to bring out the basic idea in each case. Reports by great…
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Science versus Miracle: God’s Spirit on a Wick and Spirit within a Coconut!
B Premanand God’s spirit leaves the oracle and enters a wick which dances when it is lit. This phenomenon occurs in a village temple in South Kanara. The Oracle gets possessed by the god and after the ceremony, it leaves his body and he falls down unconscious. The spirit then enters a wick which when…
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Hindu Nationalism versus Indian Nationalism
Ram Puniyani The debate around Hindu Nationalism and Indian Nationalism is not a new one. During colonial period, when the rising freedom movement was articulating the concept and values of Indian nationalism, the section of Hindus, keeping aloof from freedom movement asserted the concept of Hindu Nationalism. The debate has resurfaced again due to the…
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An Open Letter to Dr K Kasturirangan
Madhav Gadgil Date: Fri, May 17, 2013 9:39 pm Dear Dr. Kasturirangan, JBS Haldane, the celebrated 19h century scientist and humanist who quit England protesting its imperialistic invasion of Suez to become an Indian citizen has said: Reality is not only stranger than we suppose, but stranger than we CAN suppose! I could never have…
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Indian Muslim Youth: Groping for Equity and Security
Ram Puniyani In most communities youth have a serious struggle on hand to look beyond the present for the future, especially their careers, longing for dignity and a decent existence. While this applies to all the youth, the struggle of youth from marginalized and discriminated against communities are much more. It is on this terrain…
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Science versus Miracle: Telling a Number or the Name of any Flower a Person Thinks of.
B Premanand When people come to the Tantrik to get their problems solved, he asks the person to write a number between 1 to 20 or the name of a flower. The Tantrik, after concentrating on the person, writes something on a piece of paper and puts it in his pocket. Then he asks about…
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Bodh Gaya Blasts: Terrorist Violence and Political Agenda
Ram Puniyani Since last two decades terrorist violence has been added on to the weapons for polarizing communities along religious lines. In Mumbai for example, we first witnessed the major blasts in the wake of 92-93 post demolition violence, then blasts in the aftermath of Gujarat carnage of 2002 and then 26/11 2008 attack from…
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Sex and Salvation
Margaret Bhatty There was a time when we depended on little green men from Mars for a world-view. After Mars probes debunked them, we now have ETs – computerised caricatures of ourselves. If these voyagers from outer space are as perceptive as Martians were, they too must marvel that as a species we call ourselves…
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Science versus Miracle: God’s Name Appears on the Body when Ash is Rubbed On
B Premanand To prove that he is a true devotee of god, a man takes a bath, makes a fire in front of him, chants mantras and then smears the ash from the Yajna Kunda on his body. The name of the god appears all over his body Experiment: 119 Effect: God’s name appears on…
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Sleeping with the Enemy: Should minorities get lured by the invitations of Modi And Company?
Ram Puniyani From 2002 Gujarat carnage Gujarat in particular and India in general has seen the rise of Narendra Modi on the political firmament. His propaganda machinery has given him the image whereby he is regarded as the ‘development man, non corrupt, strong and all that. A substantial section of society has bought this propaganda…