A depiction art on Dinkoism where Lord Dinkan advises his devotee. A drawing by Sai Kiran, an atheist from Kerala
History
According to a report in India Today, Dinkoism[4] was established in 2008 in Kerala by a group of rationalists with the intention of ridiculing "the absurdity of blind religious faith".[5] The community planned to become politically active.[6] A report in The New Indian Express said Dinkoism is gaining members through Facebook.[4] The BBC described Dinkoism in 2016 as an atheist movement with significant growth on social media.[7]
The religion purports to worship Dinkan, a comic book character.[8] Dinkoists celebrate the character—a superhero mouse that appeared in 1983 in defunct Malayalam-language children's magazine Balamangalam—as their God for the purpose of exposing superstitions and fallacies and practices of traditional religions.[7][9]
Events and protests
A group of school children campaigning for a school election under a party formed on basis of belief in Dinkoism.
The concept of Dinkoism has spread through social media but the movement has also organised protest events. On January 30, 2016, a group of Dinkoists, under the banner of Mooshikasena (Rat Army) held a mock protest in front of Dhe Puttu restaurant owned by popular actor Dileep alleging his upcoming film Professor Dinkan hurt their religious sentiments, mocking similar protests happening worldwide.[10][11]
Earlier Dinkoism was in news when an expatriate Dinkoist living in California obtained a license plate with the inscription DINKAN for his car, out of his devotion for Dinkan.[12] In 2016, J. Devika wrote an article about the concept of Dinkoism and the logic of the market.[13]
Conferences
Dinkoists of Kozhikode organised a conference at the Sports Council Hall, Mananchira on March 20, 2016. They organised a variety of entertainments with a theme of tapioca. E. A. Jabbar, a prominent rationalist, endorsed Dinkoism.[8]
In April 2016, 25,000 Dinkoists were expected to gather for a convention called a "Dinkamatha Maha Sammelanam" to "present their rights as a minority community".[6] Dinkoists have received threatening messages as well as opposition from believers of other religions.[4]
^ abcdExpress News Service (21 March 2016). "'Dinkoists' Gather Under a Troll Tree". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2020. ...threatening calls and opposition from staunch religious followers... the social media religion, 'Dinkoists' here on Sunday. ... no official registration ... attention entirely through Facebook...
^KC Archana (5 April 2016). "What is Dinkoism? Why are many Keralites worshipping a superhero mouse?". India Today. Retrieved 12 October 2020. ...Dinkoism, a mock religion established by a group of rationalists in Kerela in 2008, aims to ridicule the absurdity of blind religious faith. ... The Dinkoists worship a fictional mouse called Dinkan, ...
^TNN (21 March 2016). "Fans of Mallu comic superhero seek 'minority' tag". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 October 2020. ...The Dinkoists are a group of people that challenge superstition and religious orthodoxy ... popular in social media ... Dinkan is a comic superhero mouse, who first appeared in 1983 in a now-defunct Malayalam children's magazine `Balamangalam'...
^S.R. Praveen; G. Krishnakumar (7 February 2016). "Time to look into Dinkan's ire: A mock protest against a Dileep film takes a potshot at religious groups". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 October 2020. ...So, it was refreshing to see a group under the banner of the fake religion called 'Dinkoism' holding a mock protest in front of actor Dileep's restaurant in Kochi this past week, over his new film 'Professor Dinkan.' The idea of such a religion was floated online sometime ago as a way to take gentle pot-shots at various religious groups that takes offence at the drop of a hat...
