Why I am Not a Hindu & Why I do not want Ramrajya Dr. Ramendra, Second expanded edition,1995, pp.54, Price Rs.15 (US$ 2) Inspired by Bertrand Russell's Why I am not a Christian . In this long, critical and scholarly
essay, I have given my reasons for rejecting Hinduism, the
religion of my birth. While philosophically criticizing Hinduism, I have concentrated on the doctrine of the infallibility of the Vedas and the varna-
vyavastha or the fourfold division of Hindu society in different varnas , namely, Brahmin , Kshatriya , Vaishya and Shudra . In the concluding section, I have also discussed Hindu doctrines like moksha , karma and avatarvada. I have rejected varna-vyavastha on the ground that it conflicts with the
democratic and human values of liberty, equality and fraternity.
"Why I am not a Hindu" was first
published in the Radical
Humanist , founded by M. N. Roy and edited by V. M. Tarkunde at that time. It was reproduced in several Indian humanist journals. It was first published as a booklet by Bihar Rationalist Society in 1993.
Later, it was published electronically on the
Secular Web where any one can read it for free. In the second printed edition published in 1995, I also added one more essay "Why I do Not want Ramjrajya". In this essay I have tried to show that "Ramrajya" as depicted in Valmiki's Ramayan cannot be considered an ideal from a secular and democratic point of view
The print version can be obtained through the website of the Buddhiwadi Foundation.