Pune sees a gathering of rationalists, who, despite their differences are firm believers on the right to ‘unbelieve’ God or religion

Pune: Revolutionary Bhagat Singh’s ‘Why I am an Atheist’ provided the springboard for the fourth edition of the ‘Atheists’ Meet’ (Nastik Melava in Marathi) which was held at the S.M. Joshi hall here on Sunday to thought-provoking speeches, impassioned poetry recitals and incisive social criticism.

“We organize this conclave on the eve of Martyrs Day (Shahid Din) when iconic revolutionary Bhagat Singh was martyred. We are a group of rationalists, who, despite our differences are firm believers in the right to ‘unbelieve’ in God or religion,” Smitesh Joshi, one of the organisers, told The Hindu.

A prime objective of the meet was to dispel misconceptions associated with atheism, he said.

“Bhagat Singh’s principle ‘There is no arrogance in my atheism’ forms the cornerstone of our forum. At the same time, we are neither rude nor ignorant, but aim to disseminate our thoughts through constructive discussions held on this platform,” Mr. Joshi said.

While our Constitution permits an individual the freedom to reject religion, it seldom translates in practice, said noted city-based lawyer Asim Sarode.

“India, by its very nature, does not follow secularism in practice. It is vital to distinguish religion as faith or religion as ideology,” Mr. Sarode said.

Dwelling on Articles 25 to 30 of the Constitution which deal with the right to Freedom of Religion, Mr. Sarode said the important rider here was ‘freedom of conscience’

“The Constitutional mandate involved maintaining a ‘principled distance’ between religion and state. The question that arises here is whether only so-called religious leaders or political parties possess the authority to define this ‘principled distance’. We are not mindlessly excluding religion, but diluting it from public affairs,” he said.

Pointing out the court’s reluctance to re-visit the contentious 1995 verdict defining ‘Hindutva or Hinduism as a way of life’, Mr. Sarode said that it needs to be defined clearly as to what is the country’s official secular policy?

“Furthermore, one can exercise freedom of conscience subject only to public order, morality and health. Here, the main culprits are often found to be political parties, who encroach not only on the right to public health with their noisy propaganda rallies, but infringe on public morality as well,” he said, adding, “Article 26 stipulates the ‘freedom to manage religious affairs’, but as often happens, this is dictated by religious outfits or godmen. Governments must come up with legal obstacles to curb these outfits. At the same time, a particular government in power cannot take a stance on whether they’ll build a temple just because it is politically expedient.”

The centrepiece of the event was a spellbinding two-hour performance by artistes from the Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), who until recently, had been accused by the Maharashtra ATS of purveying ‘objectionable’ literature and carrying out Naxal indoctrination.

The KKM, with their traditional verve and trenchant social criticism, belted out poetry and songs on blind faith, Bhagat Singh, caste divide and atheism.

At the end of the event, the 500-strong audience filled up forms pledging to donate their organs.

The concept of an ‘Atheists’ Meet’ began in Pune with the first one inaugurated in 2013 by renowned theatre and film artiste Dr. Shriram Lagoo. Coincidentally, later that year, on August 20, rationalist-atheist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, was shot dead.

Two more sessions of the conclave are scheduled at Nashik and Mumbai on March 26 and April 9 respectively.