Show god and take away Rs.100,000!

IANS

BHUBANESWAR: A group of rationalists in Orissa has offered a reward of Rs.100,000 to anyone who can show them god.

The Anti-Caste Marriage One Child Family Organisation of India (Amofoi) has made the announcement in a book, "God Does Not Exist", it has brought out.

According to Amofoi president who sports a peculiar name, Biswanath Ramachandra Champa Swapnaji Taslima Voltaire: "Anybody in the world who says he has seen god will be invited here and asked to prove his claim. If he succeeds he can claim Rs.100,000.

Amofoi has been promoting inter-caste, dowry-free and love marriages since 1980.

In April, it launched a political party with an equally bizarre name: Lovers' Green-Globalist Godfree-Humanist Party of India. Amofoi claims only those who believe in love can bring about changes in society.

"All existing political parties are misusing power in the name of religion. That is what prompted us to launch a party to provide secular minded people a platform," he said.

Ramachandra, 58, has so far solemnised 1,693 love marriages.

A retired government college lecturer, he was earlier called Ramachandra Senapati. He changed his name to Biswanath Ramachandra in 1966. His mother's name, Champa, and wife's name, Swapna, were then added to his name.

The names Taslima, after the Bangladeshi rebel writer Taslima Nasreen, and Voltaire, the French revolutionary, came later. The new name is basically meant to confuse people so that his religion can't be identified.

"All the members of our organisation are supposed to change their names," he said.