V. Kumaresan
Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, a staunch fighter against superstition was shot dead at point plank range on 20th August 2013 while he was on his morning walk in Pune, Maharashtra. Subsequent to his assassination, three more prominent activists who propagated against superstition, religious hatred and fanaticism, namely, Com. Govind Bansare, Prof Galburgi and Journalist Gauri Lankesh where shot dead in the same modus operandi.
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10 years have passed by since the assassination of Dr Narendra Dabholkar. When the modus operandi is similar in all the four assassinations the culprits have not been arrested so far even in a single case and not much action has taken place. The law and order authorities may furnish many a reason for the delay in investigating and prosecuting the case. No justice has been rendered to the family members of the assassinated. The horrific incidents brought a challenge to the activists who contribute to the great cause of eradication of superstitions and development of scientific temper and reform. All these public tasks and reformative services are not extraneous.
The Indian Constitution specifies the fundamental duty of every citizen of the country as follows
Article 51 a (h) says
“It shall be the fundamental duty of every citizen of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”
There was no follow-up by the authorities after the horrible crime in broad daylight. Is this the reward to all the anti superstition activists who were cruelly shot dead? But the mission of scientific temper continues organizationally throughout the country. The Federation of Indian Rationalist associations has declared 20th August, the day Dr. Narendra Dabholkar was assassinated, as ‘National Scientific Temper Day.’
The Rationalists’ Forum founded by Thanthai Periyar and presently led by Asiriyar Dr. K. Veeramani planned for the celebration of National Scientific Temper Day throughout the State of Tamil Nadu. The Rationalists’ Forum has got 70 organizational districts in Tamil Nadu. Invariably in all such headquarters National Scientific Temper Day was celebrated on 20th August 2023 itself. The propaganda meets were conducted before the end of the month, in a few districts.
Many of the meetings were conducted with large participation of college and school students. The background of the false belief and the superstitions was disputed with scientific evidences, demonstration and explanation. The need of scientific approach which is nothing but spirit of inquiry was stressed for easy understanding of the audience.
Scientists are not duly tempered!
Scientists have to be tempered scientifically but many of them are not so. The erstwhile USSR sent for the first time a man to the space through the spacecraft in 1961. The first space journey of human was commented thus by the notable Indian scientist Sir CV Raman, Nobel laureate in physics.
“Humans should not travel in the space with the mortal body; the space belongs to God. Only after death man can enter the space of God.”
What a retrograde thought and expression from an internationally acclaimed scientist! What is the reason? The scientist had not tuned his mind to scientific temper to the extent of the knowledge he had gained in physics. So the spirit of enquiry in understanding and accepting anything by theory or by practice has to be cultivated in all humans.
Science and technology have developed, by disputing with proof many of the existing belief and practices. The influence of religion was more through its holy texts and rituals in every false belief and superstitious practice.
Earth was ‘Flat’!
Before the 16th century the shape of the earth was thought to be flat. It was believed as per the religious dogmas and puranas. Besides, all the planets including the Sun were believed to be revolving around the Earth. The position and movement of planets in the galaxy was perceived ‘geocentric’ i.e. all of them revolved around with the Earth as the centre. But scientists like Bruno, Copernicus and Galileo found out the contrary with scientific proof. They found ‘heliocentric’ nature i.e. all the planets including the Earth revolves around the Sun. Now it is easy for everyone to be supportive of it but the scientists who found out ‘heliocentric’ nature were tortured by religious clergies and were succumbed to tortures. Only a few were aware of the facts; all others were ignorant of the scientific facts. But today all the people have to believe the astronomical facts. The degree of ignorance has come down but not fully eliminated.
Occurrences of eclipses are very common in the galaxy.Earth, Moon and Sun fall in straight line thereby either the light waves emanating from the Sun or reflected light waves from the Moon get obstructed for a few minutes when viewed from Earth. After the occurrence of the eclipse everything becomes normal. For these astronomical occurrences religious touch with puranas is favoured and ultimately the knowledge of such occurrences remains superstitious. Emission of light waves is obstructed due to the ‘swallowing’ by mythical snakes – Rahu and Kedhu. Without any basis many people would not consume food when eclipse occurs. Besides, pregnant women would not be allowed to come to open space during the eclipse. It is the false belief that if the women are exposed, child would be born with certain organ deficiency at the time of delivery.
Mass feasting during Eclipse
All these superstitious practices have been exposed as meaningless by The Rationalists’ Forum functionaries and members through mass feasting in the open space at the time of eclipse. Pregnant women members would also join dining. During the next eclipse, the child – hale and healthy and grown up, born to those mothers, would also join the mass feast. These are superstition breaking demonstrations. People aware of them through print and electronic media would realise the false belief about the lunar and solar eclipses.
Thus there are many superstitious practices being followed by the people simply being followed as faith and by tradition. All these superstitious practices must be exposed systematically to people by continuous propaganda. It is the duty of every rationalist organisation and science forum to propagate for the development of scientific temper. Celebration of Scientific Temper Day must become a cultural festival not only in our country but in the entire world.
