Gora
From Philosopedia
Gora (Goparaju Rama-chandra Rao) (1902—1975)
The first editor of The Atheist and founder and head of the Atheist Centre in Vijayawada, India, Gora developed a social, political, and economic program there. He fought not only superstition but also the system of castes.
For him,
- "Faith is an expression of the slave mentality” and “The essence of atheism is freedom of man. . . . Its objective is equality, its method sincerity, its instrument political action, its motor moral freedom.”
Gora in 1975 founded the Atheist Centre with his wife, Saraswati Gora, herself an important figure in Indian atheism.
Gora is included by Jose M. F. Santana in the Swedish Uskonnottomien Kalenteri (The Non-Believer’s Calendar, 1983).
According to Govind Naratab Deodhekar,
- The reforms Gora fought for, such as the abolition of the caste system, with its inhumane system of untouchability, were also championed by theists such as Gandhi. But Gora’s challenge was more fundamental. The root cause of social ills for Gora was the belief in God, which implied subordination of man to the divine will or karma or fate. He fearlessly and persistently demanded the uprooting of this unfounded belief, thus restoring self-confidence and free will to men and women.
In 1990, on its Golden Jubilee, the Atheist Centre was visited by a number of foreign dignitaries - from England there were Barbara Smoker, President of the National Secular Society; Dr. Harry Stopes-Roe, former Chairman of the British Humanist Association; Eric Stockton, Editor of the Scottish Humanist; and Jim Herrick. The celebration was presided over by Prof. Sir Hermann Bondi, President of the Rationalist Press Association. Said Bondi,
- The Atheist Centre is an example which humanists throughout the world can quote from morn to night to demonstrate that our attitude can produce beneficial results. It’s the best known example in the world of what unbelief can do for mankind.
Gora was a founding member of the Indian Rationalist Association.
Mark Lindley's Biographical Notes
An account of Gora's life has been compiled in English and includes information about Arthik Samata Mandal (ASM), the largest of the social-work organizations of the Atheist Center.
(See entries for Ramendra and for G. Vijayam.)
{New Humanist, May, 1990; EU, Govind N. Deodhekar; FUK; HNS2; PK}
