Joseph Edamaruku Biography 
Joseph Edamaruku, fondly called Edamaruku was a well-known journalist and rationalist from Kerala. He was an author of several books belonging to religion, miracle and philosophy genres. He published over 170 books on various subjects. He was a rationalist and an atheist. His autobiography, Kodungaattuyathiya Kaalam (The Times that Raised the Tempest) won Kerala Sahitya academy award. His son Sanal Edamaruku is a prominent Indian rationalist who currently serves as the president of the Rationalist International. Joseph also translated and published full works of Abraham Kavoor, a major rationalist of the 20th century. He passed away on June 29, 2006.
He was born into a Catholic family of Idukki district, Kerala on September 7, 1934. Later the family got converted into Yacoba Sabha. During his younger days, he was a religious person who was engaged in religious speeches and also served as a scholar and teacher of Christianity. At the age of 19, he published a book – Christu Oru Manushyam, which irked many. He was disowned from church as well. In 1954 he married an Ezhava Hindu girl, Soly without the permission of his family, and he was disowned from his family as well.
Later he became a member of revolutionary party and later joined revolutionary communist party, and served as its state secretary and committee member. But in 1955 he ended his political journey and started a rationalist movement in Kerala. He served as the general secretary of Kerala unit of Indian Rationalist Association and later became its vice-president. During 1995-2005 he served as its President. He was an atheist and in 1978 he received International Atheist Award. He was a prominent journalist too. He was the founder-editor of Therali, a rationalist periodical in Malayalam. He has worked with leading dailies of Kerala.
Published: N/A
Updated: September 22, 2017
