Indian Rationalist Association

India's largest rationalist organisation. Founded in 1949. Fights for scientific temper, secularism, freedom of thought and expression. Defends reason and science. Exposes superstition, blind belief, obscurantism, paranormal claims caste-based social divisions and guru-politics nexus. Strives for a post-religious society. President: Sanal Edamaruku Contact: edamaruku@gmail.com Phone: + 91-11-6569 9012, +91-11-64630651

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Great Tantra Challenge

“Reason has won the day”
Now click & watch

the Great Tantra Challenge online!

The story of Sanal Edamaruku challenging India’s top tantrik Surinder Sharma on live TV to demonstrate his magic powers on him raised enthusiasm and curiosity all around the world. Our website got nearly two million hits in two weeks. We received hundreds of appreciative letters and congratulations every day. One of the first reactions came from James Randi: “Sanal! My congratulations for this excellent demonstration of rationality over superstition”, he wrote, “reason has won the day”.

The story appeared on SWIFT (web page of the James Randi Educational Foundation) and on Richard Dawkins’ website, to name the two most prominent. Meantime it has been overtaken by hundreds of sites and blogs and is touring the Internet in many languages.




2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

While this organization might be doing good in some way I find it very sad that IRA is trying to wash off the beliefs we have in our culture and is endangering India's heritage. If you really want to challenge the power and belief of religion and spirituality, you should talk to the right people. And, the right people do not show off what they have got on TV, like Pandit Surendra Sharma did.

I watched your show with Surendra Sharma trying to "kill" you and, in no way I felt he was actually a learned Pandit. He could not speak the mantras properly and looked like have been consuming some intoxication too. And lastly, if he was a true pandit with wisdom, power & knowledge, he wouldnt have accepted you challenge to show it off on TV.

I have seen many live cases of "Spiritual Power" healing the people, cases of re-incarnation/ re-birth.

All I would say is you cannot change the beliefs of people who have experienced such things in life and you are simply trying to cut off the Golden roots of our culture which is very harmful for the generations to come.

11:31 PM  
Anonymous Pandu Ranga said...

I came across this website after I googled for Indian rationalists. You did a great job exposing that tantric hoaxer on TV. He ended up looking like a fool. I do hope he gave up tantra after that public humiliation.

2:15 PM  

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