Joseph Edamaruku (7 September 1934 – 29 June 2006), popularly identified by his surname ''Edamaruku'', was a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and rationalist from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. He was the Delhi Bureau chief of the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

magazine ''Keralasabdam'' for more than twenty years, and the founder-editor of ''Therali'', a rationalist periodical in Malayalam. He was president of the

Indian Rationalist Association The Indian Rationalist Association is a voluntary organisation in India whose 100,000 members Bedi, Rahul." ''The Irish Times.'' 2009-07-13. Retrieved 15 August 2009 promote scientific skepticism and critique supernatural claims. It publishes b ...

from 1995 to 2005. Edamaruku influenced a generation of freethinkers in 1970s and 1980s. His books were best-sellers in Kerala during those times. As a rationalist and an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, he wrote over 170 books on various subjects ranging from religion to philosophy to miracles. His autobiography, ''The Times that Raised the Tempest'', won a Kerala Literary Academy award. He also translated and published in Malayalam the complete works of

Abraham Kovoor Abraham Thomas Kovoor (10 April 1898 – 18 September 1978) was an Indian professor and rationalist who gained prominence after retirement for his campaign to expose as frauds various Indian and Sri Lankan Godman (Hindu ascetic), "god-men" and ...

. His son,

Sanal Edamaruku Sanal Edamaruku (born 26 May 1955) is an Indian author and rationalist. He is the founder-president and editor of '' Rationalist International'', the president of the Indian Rationalist Association and the author of 36 books and other articles ...

, is an Indian rationalist and president of the

Rationalist International Rationalist International is an organization with the stated aim to represent a rational view of the world. External linksRationalist International Homepage Rationalist groups based in India Organizations established in 1995 Atheist organizat ...

, who is currently in exile in Finland.

Selected publications

* * * ''Upanishathukal: Oru Vimarsana Patanam'' (Upanishands: A Critical Study) *''Chuvanna Theruvukal Chuvannath Engane?'' * ''Quran: Oru Vimarsana Patanam'' (Quran: A Critical Study) * ''Yukthivada Rashtram'' (Rationalist Nation) * ''Kovoorinte Sampoorna Krithikal'' (Complete Works of Abraham Kovoor: Translation) *''Jaina Matham'' *''Naveena Brahmana Matham'' *''Ivar Matha Nishedhikal'' *''India Gazetteer and Bhoomisasthra Nighandu'' *''Kodumkattuyarthiya Kalam'' *''Samsarikkunna Kuthira''

Awards

* Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Biography and Autobiography (1999)

References

External links

Indian Atheist Publishers

Obituary at www.newkerala.com

Stauch Rationalist - The Hindu
* Remembering Joseph Edamaruku by Sanal Edamaruku

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edamaruku, Joseph 1934 births 2006 deaths Indian sceptics Indian rationalists Indian materialists Activists from Kerala Malayali people Journalists from Kerala Indian atheism activists Malayalam-language journalists Indian male writers 20th-century Indian journalists

Selected publications

Awards

See also

References

External links