Dr. PV Bhandary is a practicing psychiatrist based in Udupi, Karnataka. He is regularly invited to speak at seminars on mental health and the taboos, superstition, and pseudoscience associated with mental illness. In this interview for Bangalore Atheists, Dr. Bhandary speaks about the rationalists who have inspired him, people’s irrational beliefs about pathologies of the mind, and why atheists/rationalists/humanists should adopt a tolerant attitude towards the religiously devout.
00:00 – Who is Dr. PV Bhandary?
04:10 – Why I Became an Atheist
09:28 – Superstitions Around Mental Health
21:21 – Live And Let Live Policy
25:12 – Superstition Eradication
28:30 – Section 295A versus Freedom of Speech
31:42 – Is India becoming anti-Science?
39:56 – Message for Rationalists
*** Music Credit ***
TimTaj on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/users/timtaj-1648/
*** Related ***
Dr. Bhandary’s interview for Babelfish: https://www.buzzsprout.com/244587/2971786
In the news: https://www.pingara.com/post/mangalore-dk-rationalist-association-and-federation-indian-rationalist-associations-invites-you-workshop
About Dr. G Rajashekar: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2022/jul/21/udupi-based-progressive-thinker-g-rajashekar-no-more-2479073.html
Documentary about Haji Abdullah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgbzD0Oad1U
Interview conducted and edited by Ambar Nag of Bangalore Atheists
Get updates on monthly atheist meetups: facebook.com/BangaloreAtheists
Check out the Bangalore Atheists blog on Medium: https://bangalore-atheists.medium.com/
source
I too was agnostic, sceptic since 20s but confidently became atheist at 45. Courtesy Richard Dawkins, Chris Hitchens, and our own Javed Akhtar.