RATIONALIST INTERNATIONAL
Bulletin # 39
1 May 2000

Editor: Sanal Edamaruku
Address: P.O.Box 9110, New Delhi 110 091
Telephone: +91-11-2253255 Fax: +91-11-84539526
E-mail: edamaruku@yahoo.com

REMEMBERING JYOTI SHANKAR

By Sanal Edamaruku

Jyoti Shankar, veteran rationalist and editor of the web-based journal "Bubbles Online" died of a cardiac arrest on 16th April 2000 at Atlanta, USA. Living in USA since 1977 Jyoti was well known among the rationalists, atheists and humanists of USA. His life in India and the historical role he played in building up the Indian Rationalist movement, however, is not much known outside India.

I first met Jyoti in 1974, when we organised the First Rationalist Students Conference in Kerala state. He, as the then General Secretary of Indian Rationalist Association (IRA), was invited to Kottayam where we held the conference, to inaugurate it. He visited our home alongwith Gora, who was IRA's president then.

Gora inaugurated the state rationalist meet while Jyoti inaugurated the students meet. I was 19 years old then and the convenor of the Rationalist Student Movement in Kerala. As Jyoti later proudly remembered in his Bubbles journal, thousands of students participated in this conference. And he asked me to take up the responsibility of building up an All India Rationalist Students Movement. It was Jyoti who initiated me to the national level of Indian Rationalist Association. Jyoti was only 30 years when, in 1970, he re-organised the Indian Rationalist Association, from a somewhat chaotic past. The first vice-president of Indian Rationalist Association M N Roy and his wife Ellen Roy, a later president of IRA together with their supporters from their dissolved political party (Radical Democratic Party) controlled Indian Rationalist Association and used it as a recruitment base for their semi-political movement which they called Radical Humanists. They kept the Rationalist movement deliberately at in low profile.

Though it was active autonomously in several Indian states, the national organisation remained inactive under the paralysing embracing of Radical Humanists.  Jyoti effectively and successfully liberated the rationalist movement from the "leadership" of the Radical Humanists and co-ordinated the state units.

Under his influence and the guidance of Gora, Kerala's rationalist movement joined IRA in 1974. He re-organised the Andhra unit under Lavanam's leadership. Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and several other state units joined the national rationalist organisation. That was a resurrection of the Indian Rationalist Association and Jyoti was its architect.

In the late 1950's and early 1960's a series of excellent articles challenging paranormal claims, criticising religion and exposing godmen started appearing in Sri Lankan newspapers. The author was Professor Abraham Thomas Kovoor, an Indian Rationalist settled in Sri Lanka and heading the Sri Lanka Rationalist Association. My father Joseph Edamaruku then leading Kerala's rationalist movement translated and published hundreds of Kovoor's articles in Malayalam, the language of Kerala. These translated articles together with Joseph Edamaruku's own articles, books and powerful speeches paved the ground for Kerala's successful rationalist movement. During his visit in 1974, Jyoti saw the influence of Kovoor's literature in Kerala and invited him to lead a national Miracle Exposure Campaign. Kovoor's lecture series through the breadth and width of India has been, to a great extend, responsible for the growth of Indian Rationalist Association.

The old caucus from whom Jyoti liberated the Indian Rationalist Association did not remain silent. They harassed and attacked him and saw that he was removed from the leadership of IRA. Jyoti was personally frustrated and soon migrated to the US.

Jyoti's migration to the US in 1977 (where he became a programmer analyst and data based administrator working with computers) was a big loss to Indian Rationalist Association. The second loss was Kovoor's death in 1978. But the pace set by both of them could never be stopped. The organisation has ever since been growing and is today the largest and most vibrant freethought organisation in the world.

I moved to Delhi 1n 1977. some months before Jyoti's departure to the US. I met him at Madras at that time. He told me about his future plans and asked me to take forward what he began. He considered me as his discovery and wanted me to take up his mantle. I promised him to do my best. Six years later, in 1983, when I was elected the youngest ever General Secretary of Indian Rationalist Association, Jyoti's words were still echoing in my ears.

We lost contact since he left India. It was only in 1998 that we found each other again. Meanwhile he has been editing Bubbles online and found to my surprise an old photograph that he proudly displayed in his website taken during his 1974 visit to Kerala. We kept regular contact since then and most of the issues of the Rationalist International Bulletin were reproduced in his journal.

Jyoti planned to attend the Second International Rationalist Conference held during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Indian Rationalist Association in Kerala in January 2000. He could not make it. I wanted to visit Jyoti this year at Atlanta. Death has taken him away before that. The Indian Rationalists cherish the fond memories of Jyoti Shankar. It is a consolation that Jyoti died happy and proud on the success of Indian Rationalist Association.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF JYOTI SHANKAR

Born in Vellore, North Arcot District, Tamil Nadu state, India, on May 22nd 1940. Got his High School Diploma 1954, from Nanjappa High School, Tirupur, Coimbatore Dt. Tamil Nadu State, India. (called S.S.L.C. or Secondary School Leaving Certificate.)

Received the Degree of Bachelor of Science from Madras University in India 1959. He taught Science, and Algebra, and Trigonometry, and Geometry f or High Schools from 1960 to 1962. Worked as an accounts clerk in Madras Dock Labour Board for 6 months in 1963, when he stole the Chess Champions hip from the previous holder for 5 years. While working as an architect's apprentice in Madras he became a Graduate of the Indian Institute of Engineers in India, Calcutta in1965. Married Sathy in 1967.  Was a building Engineer and Contractor for the next 8 years. Had been the General Secretary of Indian Rationalist Association from 1970 to 1975 and a vice president from 1975 to 1977.

Migrated to United States in 1977. Became a programmer analyst and database administrator working with computers. Published "Bubbles Online", a web-based magazine from the US.

Photographs attached:

1) Jyoti Shankar in 1998

2) Jyoti Shankar and Gora with the Edamaruku family in 1974 (From left: Sitting- Gora, Jyoti Shankar. Standing- Geetha, Sanal, Soley and Joseph Edamaruku)

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