Happy 2010!!!

Obituaries can be found here. (http://nirmukta.com/2009/10/04/basva-premanand-17-february-1930-04-october-2009-the-passing-of-a-great-man/)

This is his testimonial he signed fews days before his death mainly to pre-empt the rumors of his deathbed conversion after he is no more.

Salute to the man of great courage and character!!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TO WHOMEVER IT MAY CONCERN

Declaration of attitude and temperament

I, B. Premanand s/o late Sri Basava Prabhu, 80 years of age resident Chettipalayam Road, Podanur, sound of mind though suffering from physical complications caused by metastases in many organs caused by carcinoma of the stomach herein solemnly wish to place on record the following:

I have been closely associated with the rationalist movement from 1975 onwards and have been a rationalist of full conviction since then and continue to be so.
It is common for the purveyors of superstitions and such anti rational forces to start spreading rumors about rationalists turning to god and other supernatural forces at the end of their lives and becoming devotees of gods and god men of various types.
It is also claimed that at times of crises that we staunch rationalists through the major part of our lives, turn to spiritualism and religion.
I wish to clarify that as on today the twentieth of September,2009 I remain a staunch rationalist and wish to place on record the following:

a. I continue to be a rationalist of full conviction.
b. I do not believe in any supernatural power. All the powers that we encounter are in the realm of nature and nothing exists beyond that.
c. I do not believe in the existence of the soul or rebirth.
d. I have not turned to any religion, god or any sort of spiritual pursuits.
e. When I pass away I shall be leaving only my body which is to be donated to a medical college and no spirit or soul to cause problems for the living.

I want to convey to all that the struggle against the exploitation by god men and so called supernatural forces is a long and hard one but the ultimate victory will be ours.

My very survival has been a challenge to astrologers and their so called “science” of astrology, as they had all predicted that I would die soon after birth and refused to cast a horoscope for me.
I wish to convey to my colleagues of the rationalist movement to continue the work that I have been doing with renewed vigor and that will be the best of tributes for me.

Abhirami Hospital

Podanur
(B. Premanand)

Witnessed by: Dr. Maya Prabhu and Suneera
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Happy Diwali…..

Rajdeep got it right!

Yet, the grip of superstition is so strong that any dream of fair and just society remains a distant illusion.
This same theme is best captured in this half an hour video by Henrik Thomé.

In a landmark judgment, the Delhi High Court on Thursday struck down the provision of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalised consensual sexual acts of adults in private, holding that it violated the fundamental right of life and liberty and the right to equality as guaranteed in the Constitution.

So Indian law dictates terms on who you should sleep with? So gays were not even allowed to have sex in India? India really needs substantive social reforms ahead of any economic reforms I guess.

Well, this is a small but important step in the direction of gay rights. I am not sure, how many more light years away India is from legalizing Gay Marriages? I was really curious if any other country’s law punishes your sex life unless you are under contractual agreement of matrimony and found this.

I believe law needs to draw a clear line between crime and sin. Sin is perceived social, religious or ethical misbehavior, crime is violation of human rights. As long as there is no violation of human rights involved, it can not be a crime.

“Yes. You are right. Science can not answer these questions. Let me tell you why.”

“Why?”

“Because these are non questions. Whatever you mean by metaphysics, it can not answer these question satisfactorily anyway. Why universe exists, why life exists, what is the purpose of life are all incorrect questions based on wrong premise.”

“How so?”

“Because your question assumes intentional design. You assume that somebody has intentionally designed the life the way it is. As if superintelligent mighty genius created first cell, created this exactly fitting nature, designed laws of physics and then set that cell free to evolve in today’s life on earth.
Unless you make this assumption, there is no reason for you to struggle to find the purpose behind life’s existence. Life exists and that is the fact. So stop going nuts over finding the answer to your whys and start living in the present.”

“You sound such a materialist. My Guruji told me to stay away exactly from your kind of people. You ignorant people will never understand the higher purpose and eternal goal of our life”

“Ok, great. So you go and listen to your Guruji’s down to spine boring discourses trying to make your non-existent afterlife peaceful and I go and watch Mr.Bean on Pogo making my today evening wonderful. Ciao!”

—-
While life is yours, live joyously;
None can escape Death’s searching eye;
When once this frame of ours they burn;
How shall it ever again return?

– Rishi Carvaka

Overall, this is the best one could have hoped for ….

To me it is like saying - 
I am not superstitious like some rural construction worker, I do not perform all the rituals blindly the way prescribed by the books, but I thoroughly believe in religion and wholeheartedly worship (or fear?) god.
I do not paint my body with colorful powders and ashes, but I prefer to a carry a signature of my belief on my forehead in rather aesthetic way.
I do not listen to mythological dumb folklore stories, but I am generally overwhelmed by the talk of some suave sadhubaba, living in five star aashrama having commode toilets and A/C meditation halls, preaching banal discourses on life, sufferings, happiness, austerity and pseudo-science of metaphysics.
I do not participate in religious processions where people are coarsely singing religious hymns, beating the drums to add to the cacophony and wildly dancing on that tune half drunk, half naked. But I proudly carry the CDs of stotras, bhajans, prayers, mantras in my car and occasionally listen to them as a mark of my spirituality.

So if that is spirituality, then is it just not an uptight, upscale, presumptuous version of gross religiosity?