From the ancient philosophical school of Charvaka, through the Radical Humanism of M N Roy, to the secular ideals at the heart of its Constitution, India has a diverse and distinctive humanist heritage. How did these traditions emerge, flourish, and organise? What were their driving forces, and how were they opposed? In this panel discussion, hear from three experts, who will explore this history and examine the challenges faced by humanists in India today.

About the speakers

Johannes Quack is an associate professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Zurich, and author of Disenchanting India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India (OUP, New York 2012), the ‘first ethnographic study of the contemporary rationalist (atheist, humanist, or freethinking) movement in India’.

Barathy MG is a PhD Scholar in History at Ashoka University, India. His doctoral thesis explores the evolution of modern rationalist thought in India’s Tamil country between 1870 and 1930 by analysing the operation of an atheist association called The Madras Secular Society (MSS). His work explores the public culture and debates that emerged in the wake of an atheist association in colonial India.

Madhvi G. Potluri is a staunch humanist and human and animal rights advocate, and a strong proponent of free speech and free thought. Dr Madhvi is Secretary of the South Asian Humanist Association, of which she was a founding member, and has participated in many humanist activities catering to the South Asian diaspora. She lives and practices in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Chaired by Alavari (AJ) Jeevathol. AJ serves as a director and trustee of Humanists International. He is a founding trustee of the National Multifaith Youth Centre in the UK. He also serves as national coordinator of Young Humanists UK, and a committee member of Central London Humanists. His particular focus is on young humanists, on dialogue between religion and belief groups 'based on a shared humanistic spirituality', and on supporting non-religious people seeking asylum and refuge. He also strives to work on issues of ecological sustainability for future generations. AJ was born and raised in a Dravidian family, in south India, and is now based in London, UK.