Letter to BS: Complaints from an Indian atheist

This refers to “Complaints from an Indian atheist” (June 23) by Devangshu Datta. It is a delightful reading if only for the hop-step-and-jump that the article does from subject to subject. It begins with Pythagoras via Stonehengers reaches Indian atheists. I choose the atheists to discuss as I am one. The author believes that Indian atheists have a complaint. I have none. If he wants to conjure some complaint, the one he has thought of, is not worth serious debate. He says that while the Indian Constitution guarantees the right to profess any religion, it does not guarantee to profess no religion. This is indeed some innovative thought. Atheism is having no religion. Practising religion being guaranteed, obviously means practising no religion is automatically guaranteed. Thinking anything else and writing an article on this non-subject probably shows that the writer is running short of controversy to dwell upon. As a practicing atheist for more than six decades, when I walked out of Hinduism into which I was born, I have never found any problem or complaint. If you tell a Hindu that you are an atheist, he simply does not bother. My   mother’s reaction to my atheism was a typical one like all Hindus. When I used to tell her that I had become an atheist, mainly to provoke her, she used to tell me, “Do what you like, but do not bother me”.

Sukumar Mukhopadhyay  New Delhi

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Devangshu Datta responds: 

• “He believes that Indian atheists have a complaint. I have none.”

— The writer can only speak for himself. Other Indian atheists, including the 249,000 atheists, who use that blocked Facebook page referred to in my column as an online community resource, do have complaints.

• “Practising religion being guaranteed, obviously means practising no religion is automatically guaranteed.” 

— This is not true. A few examples of official discrimination against atheists are given below: 

1) Until the 2011 Census, citizens were not allowed to state “No religion” on the Census response.

2) Birth certificates in India do not allow a parent to register the faith as “None” or simply leave the religion box blank.

3) FIRs start with a statement of the complainant’s identity, mandatorily including his or her religion. “No religion” is not acceptable at the local police station when filing an FIR.

4) Government school admission forms have a mandatory “religion” box. There is no “No religion” option. 

5) Other Facebook pages, which propagate various religions, are not blocked by the Indian government. Atheist pages are. 

• “If you tell a Hindu that you are an atheist, he simply does not bother.”

— Again not true. At least four well-known rationalists — Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, Professor M M Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh — have been murdered in the recent past by Hindu militant groups. There is official discrimination against atheists, including the blocking of atheist websites and online resources by the government.