Earlier this year, I visited India to understand better the work of Indian Humanist groups and of how IHEU is supporting them. India is important in IHEU's strategic plan and accounts for nearly twenty percent of IHEU's member groups. I was met in Hyderabad by IHEU’s International Director, Babu Gogineni, and my visit ended in Bangalore.

Both cities are growing rapidly with much of the growth being IT based and many western companies in evidence. English language newspapers often refer to India's integration into the global economy, describing India as a knowledge-based economy. "Significant progress has been made, but there is another side to the story", Babu cautioned me. "It’s true that many IT related jobs are being generated but there are also many social problems, such as a high suicide rate in the countryside and high levels of illiteracy associated with a religious revival in India." We were driving to the media conference Babu had arranged for us to publicise the first Ramamurthy Memorial Humanist Lecture, Atheism and Humanism in Ancient India, to be delivered by the distinguished Professor of Philosophy D.D. Bandiste. The lecture was delivered the next day by Prof. Bandiste at the Telugu University in Hyderabad (see IHN May 2008 for the full text of the lecture –Ed.) and as I listened, I began to appreciate the rich Humanist heritage in India.

The lecture was attended by Ms. Avula Manjulatha, the Vice Chancellor of the Telugu University, Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Harinarayana, as well as many Humanist activists and leaders of IHEU's Member Organisations. I met several of these leaders, including Ancha Bappa Rao, who runs the Viveka Teacher Training College and Mr. P. Subba Raju, President of the Netradana Protsahaka Sangham Society for Eye Donation, and we discussed the work they are doing with IHEU's support.

At a dinner hosted by the Malladi Subbamma Trust, I met many illustrious Humanists, including a top government official Mr. C.L.N. Gandhi, Mr. Nageswara Rao, head of the Eenadu School of Journalism (linked to 13 national TV channels and Eenadu, the most widely circulated Telugu language newspaper), Mr. Sambasiva Rao of IHEU MO Manava Vikasa Vedika, Mr. Muralidhar of IHEU MO Hyderabad Rationalist Forum and Mr. Murahari Rao, Treasurer of the Rationalist Association of India. I learned something of their activities and told them about the priorities of IHEU.

The next day we travelled 130 kilometres to Suryapet, visiting schools where IHEU is supporting science training. The pupils are mostly poor and the region is plagued by superstition. Mr. Chandraiah, a popular magician, works in a number of schools introducing teachers and children to the principles of science. In the Vemulavada school, the children themselves demonstrated some of the tricks behind the so-called miracle claims of godmen. TV and press reporters covered the work of Mr. Chandraiah and interviewed both Babu Gogineni and me.

Later that day, we visited a leadership training course attended by about a hundred Dalit youth, organised with IHEU help. I spoke of the importance of empowering Dalit communities through knowledge and leadership skills and had time to greet everyone individually before rushing back to Hyderabad for Babu Gogineni to lead in a recording of a TV discussion, The State of Science. After the recording, I had the great pleasure of having dinner with Babu, his wife Sahana, their little Humanist son Arun, and Babu’s father in their home in Hyderabad. Two days later, the broadcast discussion was watched by millions on ETV2's flagship discussion programme, Pratidhvani. In it, Babu agreed that India should take pride in its progress in technology but criticised the inadequate support for education and scientific research that contributed to superstition continuing to flourish.

After Hyderabad, we flew to Tirupati, the site of the richest temple trust in India. We were met there by Prof. Narendra Nayak, an outstanding scientist who collaborates closely with IHEU. Together we participated in a seminar entitled "Scientific Temper in 21 Century India" in the Padmavati Women's University where IHEU has been working with the Dr. Ambedkar Center for Dalit Studies for some time. The lecture hall was crowded and after the welcome from the Dean, I emphasised the importance of education and the scientific temper in combating superstition - always being ready to ask ‘how?’, and ‘why?’ Prof. Nayak then gave an amazing demonstration of many of the tricks used by miracle mongers and godmen to impress the gullible. He held a piece of burning camphor in his hand without any sign of a burn, made vibuthi, the sacred ash, appear as if from nowhere and he demonstrated how, with some concentration, a heavy weight can be lifted by just two fingers when four people lifted my 80 kilos with their fingers. Prof. Nayak explained the scientific principles behind the tricks and encouraged everyone to ask questions, be rational and challenge dogma.

We then drove for three hours to Punganur where I met Prof. Venkata Reddy for the first time. Prof. Reddy, a retired Professor of English, is a remarkable man and it was a privilege to meet him and his family. His organisation Parivartana (Social Change) is bringing about a Humanist transformation of the rural areas, working closely with IHEU. Two years ago, IHEU's President Sonja Eggerickx and British Humanist Jim Herrick participated in several activities with Parivartana. One recent success of Prof. Reddy was arranging for untouchable and higher caste communities to cook for each other and eat together, breaking taboos thousands of years old. This was sensational and received full page coverage in regional newspapers!

At nearby Miniki village, the entire Dalit colony had left their houses fearing the village was haunted by a ghost. We saw the house where Prof. Reddy and Parivartana's officials slept a night to counter superstition by showing that they came to no harm. A man there believed that he had lost his sight because he had dared to look at the ghost but a doctor confirmed that cancer had caused his blindness. At the village community hall we participated in another programme contrasting the scientific approach with superstition. Our visit, Prof. Nayak's demonstration and publicity of the work of Prof. Reddy and Parivartana have all helped the villagers gather the courage to return to their homes.

Our next meeting was at Rayalaseema High School in Punganur where nearly 300 pupils greeted us and then we visited the Annie Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalli that was established by the British activist Annie Besant in 1915. Six hundred students were present for our meeting in the magnificent hall of the College. As always, the theme was the need to challenge superstition and religious dogma, ask questions and follow the rational scientific method. Prof. Reddy, Prof. Nayak, Babu Gogineni and I tried to give an integrated view of Humanism, human rights and scientific thinking. The responses we got suggested that we succeeded.

But there was little time for evaluation as we left at six am the next day on a four-hour journey to join the celebration of India’s National Science Day that marks the birthday of Sir C. V. Raman, who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1930 at the Sri Krishna Devaraya University in Anantapur. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rama Rao, a Dalit by birth, has previously addressed Dalit Humanist meetings with Babu Gogineni. A demonstration by Prof. Nayak was the highlight of the day. During my speech I said that the world was facing enormous problems. There were attacks, commonly based on religious dogma, on human rights. These were often directed against women and against those who were seen as being "different", in much the same way as fascists had done seventy years before. I also spoke about climate change and said that the survival of humankind required everyone to work to promote education to combat superstition and to generate a rational scientific approach to finding solutions. Babu Gogineni and I then left for Bangalore to meet Dr. Balasubramaniam, an impressive scientist who was a main trainer at the IHEU supported Humanist leadership course in December 2007.

My visit left me with wonderful memories of the inspiring work being undertaken by Humanists in India, often with help from IHEU. This was my first extended visit to India and it was a humbling experience. Everyone, from the Humanists I met at formal meetings in Hyderabad to the children and students I met during our meetings, made me feel so welcome. I became aware of how much more we might all do to help but I also felt some satisfaction in seeing that IHEU's support involves all levels of society and is having a positive effect. IHEU is helping through supporting Humanist education and activism amongst the Dalit groups, through spreading the Humanist and scientific approach to social change, through supporting practical action through the agency of IHEU's Member Organisations and through bringing all this to the notice of the general public through the media. Babu Gogineni is doing a great job for Humanism in India in promoting an integrated approach that is clearly working within the resource limitations of the Humanist movement.

Jack Jeffery is First Vice President, IHEU