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Tohana: For 33-year-old Ravi, a resident of Tohana tehsil at Fatehabad in Haryana, a protracted legal battle to be officially declared an atheist ended last month.

On 29 April, the Haryana government handed Ravi a certificate officially declaring that he belongs to no caste and no religion, making him among the very few Indians with that distinction. According to reports, Tamil Nadu lawyer Sneha was the first Indian to be officially handed such a certificate.

Ravi told ThePrint that the fight for the ‘no caste, no religion’ certificate, issued by the tehsildar’s office in Tohana, was the result of an over two-year legal struggle and one that has come at a heavy price.

Not only has he lost his job but he has also had to contend with social discrimination.

“I was working at a government veterinary hospital on a contract basis in Samain village. It is a Jat-dominated village. Within six months of my joining, several buffaloes lost their lives,” he told ThePrint. “The villagers began alleging that this was happening because I was an atheist. They had the support of some people associated with the RSS. After all this, I quit the job and returned home,” he said.

“The situation had worsened to such an extent, that people even refused to drink the water served by me,” he added.

The road to atheism

Ravi told ThePrint that his journey to atheism began when he was a four-year-old caught up in a brawl with some of his neighbours.

“My grandfather was a firm believer in Lord Krishna and always told me that Krishna helps those under duress. That day I kept praying to Lord Krishna but those four kids thrashed me brutally,” Ravi said.

“Another incident that led to my final disenchantment with God happened on Diwali,” he added. “There is a saying that if you keep your doors open, Goddess Laxmi will come to your home and bless you with prosperity. One Diwali, I kept vigil all night but no Goddess visited us; only a mouse entered our home.”

The desire to be officially declared an atheist was also prompted by the caste discrimination he faced.

“I found out about my caste for the first time when my school teacher asked me,” he said, adding that his time at IG College in Tohana, was no better. “The situation did not change a bit in college. There too no one cared about studies; all they were interested in was caste dominance and discrimination.”

A few years ago, Ravi discovered that Shaheed Bhagat Singh was also an atheist, and then decided to follow suit

But when he approached a lower court to be officially declared an atheist in 2017, his family refused any financial help and threatened to expel him from the household.

Ravi says he persevered nevertheless and tasted his first legal victory in January 2018 when a Tohana court allowed him to prefix his name with nastik (atheist). The certificate, he added, is the final declaration of his victory.

“I have also got a certificate for being a social change maker, just like Anna Hazare. I want to completely eliminate the caste-based system,” Ravi said.

Disillusioned with Kejriwal

Atheist Ravi is also annoyed with politicians who invoke God and religion for electoral gains. He told ThePrint that he was once associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but has now grown disillusioned with party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“About a week ago, I sent a legal notice to Arvind Kejriwal. In 2014, he led a revolutionary campaign just like Shaheed Bhagat Singh,” Ravi told ThePrint. “Now he is saying that AAP would not have got 67 of the 70 seats without divine intervention. These people are misleading the public. It is the public who voted for them, not the Gods.”

He is also writing a book to catalogue his struggle but wants to devote himself to social service. His mobile ringtone perfectly sums up his intentions — Jeena isi ka naam hai (This is how life is).

Also read: India’s caste problem has a silver lining: urbanisation, and inter-caste marriage

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