Nirmukta

{{IndianPolitics}}
'''Nirmukta''' ([[Sanskrit]]: निर्मुक्त, "liberated", "freed") is an organization in [[India]] founded in 2008 that promotes scientific thinking, [[rationalism|rational thinking]] and [[secular humanism]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=joanna|first1=sugden|title=What do Indian Atheists think|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/06/12/religion-journal-what-do-indias-atheists-think/|accessdate=7 May 2015|agency=Wall Street Journal|date=Jun 12, 2012}}</ref><ref name=workshop>{{cite news|title=In celebration of scientific temper|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/in-celebration-of-scientific-temper/article1456612.ece|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=15 February 2011}}</ref><ref name=trolls>{{cite news|title=Trending: #Trolls|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/the-yin-thing/trending-trolls/article5154299.ece|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

==History and work==
Nirmukta was founded in 2008 by [[evolutionary biologist]] {{wpl|Ajita Kamal}}.<ref name=ajita>{{cite news|title=Free thinking to trounce patriarchy|url=http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/article1432782.ece|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=The New Indian Express|date=24 January 2013}}</ref> It was originally a website and by 2012 it had become an organization with regional groups in 8 major Indian cities.<ref name=crest>{{cite news|title=Godless and Loving it|url=http://www.timescrest.com/society/godless-and-loving-it-5417|accessdate=21 May 2012|newspaper=Times Crest|date=21 May 2011|author=Neha Bhayana }}</ref><ref name=chai>{{cite news|title=Join the rationalists online or over chai|url=http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/join-the-rationalists-online-or-over-chai/article1523406.ece|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=9 March 2009|author=Ankur Pandey}}</ref><ref name=recog>{{cite news|title=Indian atheists seek recognition in the land of a million gods|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-30/science/32483706_1_atheists-religion-beliefs|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=The Times of India|date=30 June 2012}}</ref><ref name=global>{{cite news|title=Atheism in the land of a thousand gods|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/110531/india-atheism-religion-non-believer|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=GlobalPost|date=30 June 2012}}</ref><ref name=church>{{cite news|title=Church of the non-believer|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-church-of-the-non-believer-1869649|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=DNA India|date=4 August 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://nirmukta.com/nirmukta-regional-groups/ Nirmukta Regional Groups]. Nirmukta, seen on 5 February 2015</ref> The online forum ''Indian Atheists'', which has more than 27,000 followers on [[Facebook]], started as an activist arm of Nirmukta.<ref>Poulomi Banerjee, ''[http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-moral-policing-no-communal-violence-please-are-indians-going-the-good-without-god-way/article1-1303180.aspx No moral policing, no communal violence, please: We are Indians]''. Hindustan Times, 4 January 2015</ref> Because of the recent attack on atheists in India,<ref>{{wpa|Irreligion_in_India#Persecution_and_attacks|Attacks on atheists}}</ref> the organization adopts strict checks before allowing new members.

Nirmukta regularly conducts workshops in collaboration with other rationalist organizations to promote scientific temper and create awareness about [[pseudoscience]].<ref name=workshop/><ref name=magic>{{cite news|title=Rationalists strike back, all set to nail the facade of 'religious magic'|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/1504817/report-rationalists-strike-back-all-set-to-nail-the-facade-of-religious-magic|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=DNA India|date=8 February 2011}}</ref><ref name=miracles>{{cite news|title=Rationalist does 'miracles'|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/209385/F|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=4 December 2012}}</ref>
Nirmukta has an annual event called think fest that takes place in January, with past speakers including Prof. Dayanandan, Narendra Nayak, Babu Gogineni (2011), Dr.Thangaraj, S.Anand (2013), Dr.T.V.Venkateswaran (2014), Namit Arora, Kalpana Karunakaran (2015).<ref name="speakers">[http://thinkfest.nirmukta.com]</ref>
The organization also has a blog on the Freethought Blogs network, which was co-founded by [[PZ Myers]].

In May 2011, Nirmukta hosted a rationalist challenge to Indian [[astrologer]] with {{wpl|Narendra Nayak}} to predict the 2011 election.<ref name="election">{{cite news|title=Predict election results, win Rs. 10 lakh|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/06/stories/2009050653470400.htm|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=6 May 2009}}</ref> Nayak is a regular contributor to the website.<ref name="Quack2011">{{cite book|author=Johannes Quack|title=Disenchanting India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=TNbxUwhS5RUC&pg=PA339|date=22 November 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-981260-8|page=339}}</ref> Among the other regular contributors are Srinivas Kakkilaya and Dr. Vinod Kumar Wadhawan, Raja Ramanna fellow at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. In October 2011, Nirmukta organized an eye donation campaign and has been running an organ donation drive on its website.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eye Donation Camp|url=http://nirmukta.com/2011/10/19/eye-donation-camp-organized-by-the-mumbai-freethinkers/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Organ Donation Drive|url=http://nirmukta.com/organdonation/}}</ref> It organized India's first "Hug an Atheist Day" event in India on 7 June 2013.<ref name="hug">{{cite news|title=Think free and hug an atheist this Friday|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-think-free-and-hug-an-atheist-this-friday-1844423|accessdate=5 February 2015|newspaper=DNA India|date=7 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sara|first1=Nelson|title=Hug An Atheist Day 2013|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/07/hug-an-atheist-day-2013-india-facebook_n_3402043.html|publisher=huffingtonpost|date=6 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Janane|first1=Venkatraman|title=Give the atheist closest to you a hug|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Give-the-atheist-closest-to-you-a-hug/2013/06/06/article1621383.ece|agency=newindianexpress|date=7 June 2013}}</ref> It has also been participating in Pride marches in those cities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bangalore Pride Walk 2013|url=http://nirmukta.com/2013/11/30/bangalore-pride-walk-2013/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Somewhere over the rainbows(Mumbai pride march) |url=http://nirmukta.com/2013/03/02/somewhere-over-the-rainbows/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chennai pride march 2014|url=http://nirmukta.com/2014/07/10/chennai-pride-march-photo-essay/}}</ref>

When Nirmukta's founder Ajita Kamal died in January 2012, PZ Myers wrote that Kamal was "A leading promoter of science and freethought in India."<ref>[http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/01/09/ajita-kamal-has-died/ Ajita Kamal has died], Pharyngula, 9 January 2012</ref>

== Positions ==
The organization supports [[social justice]] movements like [[feminism]], [[LGBT|LGBT rights]], and the rights of people with disabilities and has a zero-tolerance policy against harassment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nirmukta anti-harassment policy|url=http://nirmukta.com/nirmuktas-anti-harassment-policy/|accessdate=7 May 2015}}</ref>
They have also taken a strong stand against casteism in India.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Neha|first1=Bhayana|title=Not scared of god but man|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/Not-scared-of-God-but-man/articleshow/46570208.cms|accessdate=7 May 2015|agency=times of India|date=Mar 15, 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:Websites]]
[[Category:India]]
[[Category:Skeptical organizations]]
[[Category:Indian politics]]

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