Rationalist Association of India

Rationalist Association of India (RAI) is an Indian rationalist organization that was established in 1930.[1] Dr. D' Avoine was the President of the Rationalist Association of India (RAI) from 1938 to 1944.[2] It is a full voting member of International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU),[3] a global representative body of the humanist movement, uniting a diversity of non-religious organisations and individuals.

India’s first blasphemy protection happened in 1933 when Dr. D’ Avoine published an article entitled, "Religion and Morality" in the September 1933 issue of "Reason", the official journal of RAI at that period. The Bombay Police confiscated all the copies of "Reason" and arrested Dr. D’Avoine and charged him under IPC 295A. On 5 March 1934 Sir H.P. Dastur, the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Bombay, dismissed the case by saying that "The accused may be wrong...But the article merely represents the writer’s view."[4]

Current officials of RAI
  • Chairman : Ravipudi Venkadari
  • Vice Chairman : Sreeni Pattathanam (co-founder of Nastik nation, an online forum for atheism and freethought)
  • President : Kura Hanumantha Rao
  • Vice President: Gumma Veeranna
  • Secretary : Meduri Sathyanarayana
  • Joint Secretary : Kannan Sivaram (founder of Nastik Nation, an online forum for atheism and freethought)[5]

See also

References
  1. Dr Ramendra. "Rationalism, Humanism and Atheism". Rationalism, Humanism and Atheism In Twentieth Century Indian Thought.
  2. "Urgent action to protect life of Malayalam writer and eminent rationalist leader Mr. Sreeni Pattathanam in Kerala".
  3. "Our members IHEU". iheu.org. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  4. http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Religion-communalism/2004/pattathanam.htm
  5. "Our members IHEU". iheu.org. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
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