-
Expanding Rationalism Across Bihar, UP, and Beyond
This article highlights the rapid expansion of rationalist training networks in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and across North and East India. Collaborating with Science for Society, the movement conducts workshops to debunk superstitions, train youth, and cultivate scientific temper to counter pervasive fatalism, calling for introspection to sustain a larger national campaign.
-
Yogi in Politics
This critique examines the rise of Baba Ramdev, dismantling his pseudoscientific health claims, unproven Ayurvedic concoctions, commercial hypocrisy, and labor controversies. The author exposes his political ambitions as a strategic bid to expand his commercial empire, evade financial scrutiny, and act as a remote-controlled kingmaker within right-wing political alignments.
-
A Trying Time for Religious Forces
This monthly commentary reviews clerical sex scandals in the Vatican and Indian godmen, while charting the rationalist movement’s growth among Indian youth through Nirmukta and college workshops. The author highlights legal persecutions of rationalists, discusses strategy for the 2011 Census regarding atheist categorization, and critiques state appeasement of religious fundamentalism.
-
Bhaskar Shetty’s “Asstrological” Challenge
This article documents rationalist Narendra Nayak’s public challenge to astrologer Bhaskar Shetty, offering one million rupees for accurate astrological predictions under controlled, double-blind conditions. After Shetty repeatedly evaded scheduled tests in Bengaluru, Nayak outlines strict empirical protocols and deadlines, exposing astrology as an unscientific, media-hyped fraud.
-
Sex, Lies and Religion
This article critiques the pervasive hypocrisy surrounding religious celibacy, linking enforced sexual suppression across different faiths to clerical scandals, child abuse, and moral double standards. The author advocates stripping religious figures of special legal and social privileges, arguing for treating them as ordinary mortals subject to standard legal frameworks.
-
Rationalism at the Grassroots: Working with Madhya Pradesh Tribals
This field report details rationalist outreach among Adivasi and Dalit communities in Madhya Pradesh. The author describes conducting workshops in Itarsi, Betul, and Indore to debunk local healers like Bhagats and Padeyars, train indigenous youth in scientific temper, counter religious proselytization, and challenge social prejudices against Denotified Tribes.
-
Of Rebirth and Quackery
This comprehensive essay refutes rebirth and past life regression therapy as unscientific quackery exploited by media TRP ratings and uncredentialed practitioners. The author exposes biological absurdities, child exploitation cases like Shambhavi, and how reincarnation dogma serves as a deceptive tool to justify social inequalities, caste oppression, and personal misdeeds.
-
Basava Premanand – A Great Skeptic & Human Being
Honouring B. Premanand (1930–2009), the legendary leader of the Indian rationalist movement, this tribute and 2008 interview document his relentless crusade against spiritual fraud. From offering monetary challenges to expose pseudo-miracles to filing court petitions against prominent godmen, Premanand dedicated his life to scientific temper, critical thinking, and unyielding atheism.
-
Premanand in Abhirami Hospital, Coimbatore
This document records a visit to pioneering rationalist B. Premanand at Abhirami Hospital, Coimbatore, during his terminal illness. Facing false deathbed conversion rumours spread by religious reactionaries, Premanand formally signed a legal declaration reaffirming his lifelong rationalist conviction, rejection of supernaturalism, and pledge to donate his body to science.
-
Ayesha Yasmin in Sri Venkataramana Swami College!
This article analyzes the burkha controversy at S.V.S. College, Bantwal, exploring the friction between institutional dress codes, individual expression, and religious symbols. The author examines the rationalist dilemma regarding state neutrality, questioning whether strict secularism, like the French model banning all religious symbols in public institutions, is achievable in India’s complex communal environment.
-
All Quacks Love a Good Pandemic
This article critiques the widespread panic, media sensationalism, and quackery surrounding the A H1N1 swine flu outbreak in India. The author exposes how profiteers, faith healers, and state officials relied on unproven alternative remedies and religious rituals, emphasizing rationalist efforts to promote evidence-based medical facts and combat public misinformation.
-
In the Name of Curing Cancer
Narendra Nayak exposes predatory quackery targeting cancer patients and their families. Prof. Narendra Nayak details personal experiences with fraudulent miracle healers, astrologers, and godmen like Sathya Sai Baba, while systematically debunking unverified alternative treatments such as RFQMR therapy through expert medical consensus, highlighting the urgent need for regulatory legal action.
-
Premanand in Mangalore
Pioneer rationalist B. Premanand’s 2009 visit to Mangalore despite severe health struggles with cancer. The piece highlights his interactions at Canara College, his critiques of commercial yoga, rebirth claims, and religious exploitation, while showcasing his lifelong, defiant rejection of astrological predictions through his octogenarian survival.
-
Astrology Flops Again
This article documents the outcome of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations’ 2009 Lok Sabha election prediction challenge. Prof. Narendra Nayak details how 400 entries—including predictions from astrologers, religious zealots, and divine claimants—failed miserably to meet the 80% accuracy threshold, once again proving astrology to be unscientific guesswork.
-
One Million Rupees to Predict Election Results!
This official handout from the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations details a one-million-rupee challenge for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Aimed at astrologers and claimants of supernatural powers, the competition required participants to accurately answer twenty-five specific election outcomes with at least eighty percent accuracy to earn the reward money.
-
Inauguration of the Museum on Method of Science
Press release announcing the inauguration of B. Premanand’s Museum on the Method of Science in Podanur. Despite facing terminal cancer, financial setbacks, and historical sabotage of the exhibition materials by political and religious vested interests, Premanand successfully revived the 19-panel educational project to foster scientific temper among the public.
-
Premanand – A Life in Search of Miracles
In this May 2008 interview, rationalist leader B. Premanand reflects on his lifelong journey—from a teenage seeker in Rishikesh to exposing fraudulent godmen like Sathya Sai Baba. Conducted shortly before his passing, Premanand discusses atheism, science, yoga, and his unyielding quest to demystify miracles and empower critical thinking in India.
-
Abraham Kovoor
The Militant Rationalist Who Took On the SupernaturalIn an era dominated by blind faith and unquestioned dogmas, Abraham Kovoor championed scientific temper with fearless conviction. From confronting high-profile godmen to issuing his legendary unclaimed challenge, he proved that rationalism belongs in the public square. On the anniversary of his passing, Kovoor’s crusade remains a vital testament to critical thought.
-
Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
A Tool of Imperialism or Empowerment?Human rights are no longer a shield for the oppressed; they have been weaponized by imperialist powers to justify wars, destabilize nations, and destroy indigenous cultures. Bureaucratized, foreign-funded NGOs now manage dissent and depoliticize genuine struggles worldwide, transforming a universal ideal of human liberation into a sophisticated tool of global hegemony.
-
Testing the Paranormal: Rs.2 Lakh Election Challenge
Ahead of the Karnataka election results, Prof. Narendra Nayak challenges astrologers, palmists, and all forecasters claiming supernatural powers. Offering a ₹200,000 cash prize, the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations invites predictors to accurately forecast upcoming election outcomes, party seat counts, and candidate vote tallies under strict testing conditions.
-
From Cradle to Crushed Bananas
A Skeptic at Halu RameshwaraCan a murky temple well truly grant your deepest desires, popping up miniature cradles and cooked meals on command? Or does standard natural science offer a simpler explanation? Join a skeptic’s firsthand journey to Halu Rameshwara in Hosadurga to examine the legend, observe the surroundings, and evaluate extraordinary claims through critical thinking.