Atheism in India

Though followed by a minor portion of the Indian population, atheism has a strong tradition in India.
== History ==
=== Ancient India ===
Atheistic schools are found in Hinduism, which is generally considered a theistic religion. The anti-theistic philosophical Cārvāka School originated in India around 6th century BCE. It is classified as a heterodox system and is not considered part of the six orthodox schools of Hinduism, but it is noteworthy as evidence of a materialistic movement within Hinduism.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore. A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy. (Princeton University Press: 1957, Twelfth Princeton Paperback printing 1989) pp. 227–249. ISBN 0-691-01958-4.
Other Indian philosophies generally regarded as atheistic include Classical Samkhya and Purva Mimamsa. Samkhya, though a school in the Orthodox (Astika) variety of Hinduism, denies the existence of God or any other exterior influence. However, unlike other atheist schools of thoughts, it did not deny existence of all things transcendent. The rejection of a personal creator God is also seen in Jainism and Buddhism, both of which originated in the Indian subcontinent.
=== Modern India ===
Bhagat Singh, one of the most well-known figures in the Indian independence movement, was an atheist.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (1879-1973), the leader of self-respect movement was a vocal critic of rituals, supersition and the concept of God. His words are written on his statues in various parts of Tamil Nadu.Atheism in South India
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao, better known as "Gora", expounded the term "positive atheism" in his book Positive Atheism (1972). Positive atheism entails such things as a being morally upright, showing an understanding that religious people have reasons to believe, not proselytising or lecturing others about atheism, and defending oneself with truthfulness instead of aiming to 'win' any confrontations with outspoken atheophobes.
Gora organized the First World Atheist Conference in 1972. Subsequently, his Atheist Centre has organized several World Atheist Conferences in Vijayawada.
Other notable Indian atheists include
* Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
* Beechi, the Kannada humourist-philosopher, whose 'positive atheism' is similar to that of Douglas Adams.
* Kamal Haasan, filmmaker and actor, known for making films having themes of both Atheism and Brahminical Hinduism.
* M. Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Anti-Hindu rhetoric nothing new for atheist DMK chief
* H. Narasimhaiah, freedom fighter and socialist.
* Adithya, Actor
* Abraham Kovoor
* S. Nijalingappa, former chief minister of Karnataka.
* Debashis Chatterjee, secretary of Science and Rationalists' Association of India.
* Vijay TendulkarMaharashtra Times - a famous Marathi writer and dramatist who was also known to be an atheist.
*Dr. Shriram Lagoo, notable actor and rationalist activist.
*Ram Gopal Varma, film director.Jaya Bachchan in Sarkar Raaj?, India Times, 18 April 2008 (accessed 21 April 2008)
*Poornachandra Tejaswi, prominent Kannada writer
*Irfan Habib 
*Romila Thapar
*Mr.Kasthala Venakata Vijaya Babu-Political Science,Andhra Loyola College
==== Hindu atheists ====
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the president of Hindu Mahasabha and the founder of the Hindutva movement, was also an atheist. He did not define "Hindutva" by religion, and used to publicly advertise lectures on atheism and non-existence of God.
Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather of Windsor and Maidenhead, the first Hindu woman in British politics, described herself as a "Hindu atheist".BBC News
==Atheism in Kerala==
thumb|align=left|200px|The Yukthivadi was the first atheist/rationalist magazine published in Malayalam.
There is a sub-group of atheists in Kerala who are members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). There are others who support atheism because of rationalist ideals: these include supporters of the Indian Rationalist Association. Some notable atheists from Kerala include Sahodaran Ayyappan V. S. Achuthanandan, A.K. Antony, Sreeni Pattathanam, Abu Abraham, A. K. Gopalan, Mookencheril Cherian Joseph, Joseph Edamaruku, Sanal Edamaruku, and Abraham Kovoor and Johnson Eyeroor.Sanal Edamaruku the founder-president of Rationalist International and the president of the Indian Rationalist Association is an atheist from Kerala. The Kerala Yukthivadi Sangham is an organization that supports atheism and rationalism in the Malayali community throughout Kerala. The Yukthivadi was the first atheist/rationalist magazine published in Malayalam.The atheists and other non-religious groups such as agnostics only make 1% of the population in Kerala.
== Demographics ==
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Japan Research Center (2006), 6.6 % of Indians stated that they had no religion. http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~honkawa/9460.html English source requested
== See also ==
* Atheism in Hinduism
* Atheism in Kerala
* Indian atheists
== References ==
== External links ==
* Atheism in India
* Atheist Centre, India
Category:Religion in India
Category:Atheism
Category:Irreligion by country
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