Goparaju Ramachandra Rao
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (born November 15, 1902 , † 1975 ), Gora for short , was an important exponent of atheism in India.
Origin, education and marriage
Gora came from a high Hindu caste . His education was, as he in his autobiography We Become Atheists ( are we atheists ) describes "conventional, orthodox and superstitious" coined. He received his master's degree in botany from Presidency College, Madras . In 1922 he married Saraswathi, a girl who was only ten years old. Orthodox Hinduism, to which both families belonged, required a girl to marry before puberty until the Child Marriage Restraint Act came into force in 1935.
Stand up for atheism
Gora dedicated his life to spreading atheism. In 1940 he and his wife Saraswathi Gora founded the Atheist Center in the small village of Mudunur in the Krishna District . On the eve of India's independence in 1947, they moved the headquarters of the center to Vijayawada .
Gora has authored numerous books, such as Atheism Questions and Answers , An Atheist Around the World , An Atheist with Gandhi , The Need of Atheism and Positive Atheism , which have not yet been translated into German. From 1949 onwards he wrote a column on the subject of atheism and has published the monthly magazine The Atheist since 1969 . His atheistic attitude led Gora to an initiative to abolish the caste system, especially the social exclusion of the "untouchables", the idea of "karma" and divine providence. Gora died in 1975.
The Atheist Center continued to operate under the leadership of his widow Saraswathi after Gora's death. The center's offerings include counseling, intercaste and non-caste weddings, help for prostitutes, single mothers and oppressed women ("vulnerable women"), sex education and family planning. The belief in paranormal phenomena is countered in the form of fire walking demonstrations and other "miracle" revelations. In addition, the center is involved in the fight against belief in witches and magic.
Stamp
In 2002 the Indian Postal Ministry issued a stamp worth 5 rupees on the occasion of Gora’s 100th birthday .
Web links
- Website founded by Gora Atheist Center (English)
- Writings of Gora (English)
- Atheism in India (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ramachandra Rao, Goparaju |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gora |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Indian representative of atheism |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 15, 1902 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1975 |