An Indian movie star who is also a leading activist for secularism in his country is the guest on the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Freethought Matters” TV show this Sunday.
Sushant Singh is a well-known Indian movie and TV actor and presenter. He’s done an array of roles, including in period dramas such as “Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar” (about the father of the Indian Constitution) and “The Legend of Bhagat Singh,” where, in his perhaps most famous part, Singh played the freethinking radical Indian freedom fighter’s comrade Sukhdev. Singh identifies as an atheist and has been in the forefront of protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism. He was the host from 2012-19 of the very popular true crime show “Savdhaan India” till he was fired after speaking at a rally against Modi’s policies. At FFRF’s next convention, Singh will be receiving the Avijit Roy Courage Award of $5,000, which goes to an individual working for rational and logical discourse in the face of obstacles.
“The ritualistic part of religion somehow never sat well with me, because if there is God, then he’s omnipotent, everywhere,” Singh explains to “Freethought Matters” co-host Annie Laurie Gaylor and guest host Amitabh Pal why he’s an atheist. (He was interviewed sitting in his parked car late night on a busy Mumbai street after his acting shoot.) “So I don’t need a particular place to worship that God. Nature is created by that God, everything in this universe is created by God. Wherever I am, I am with that God. So why do I need a particular place or particular symbol?”
If you don’t live in the quarter-plus of the nation where the show broadcasts on Sunday, you can already catch the interview on FFRF’s YouTube channel. You can also receive notifications when we post new episodes of Freethought Matters by subscribing to FFRF’s YouTube channel.
This is the fall/spring season’s 28th episode of “Freethought Matters,” airing in over a dozen cities on Sunday, March 7.
Coming shows include interviews with Congressional Freethought Caucus member Rep. Jerry McNerney and author, atheist and humorist Malachy McCourt, brother of Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes).
“Freethought Matters” airs in:
- Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 a.m.
- Denver, KWGN-CW (Ch. 2), Sundays at 7 a.m.
- Houston, KUBE-IND (Ch. 57), Sundays at 9 a.m.
- Los Angeles, KCOP-MY (Ch. 13), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- Madison, Wis., WISC-TV (Ch. 3), Sundays at 11 p.m.
- Minneapolis, KSTC-IND (Ch. 45), Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
- New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- Phoenix, KASW-CW (Ch. 61, or 6 or 1006 for HD), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- Portland, Ore., KRCW-CW (Ch. 32), Sundays at 9 a.m. Comcast channel 703 for High Def, or Channel 3.
- Sacramento, KQCA-MY (Ch. 58), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- San Francisco, KICU-IND (Ch. 36), Sundays at 10 a.m.
- Seattle, KONG-IND (Ch. 16 or Ch. 106 on Comcast). Sundays at 8 a.m.
- Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50 or Ch. 23 or Ch. 3), Sundays at 8 a.m.
Previous guests from the fall season include: pundit Eleanor Clift, whose interview you can watch here, actor and FFRF After-Life Member John de Lancie of “Star Trek” “Q” fame, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Linda Greenhouse, the country’s leading analyst of the U.S. Supreme Court, and legislative stalwart and feminist and civil rights pioneer U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton. One of the most eminent public intellectuals in the world, Professor Steven Pinker, was interviewed a few episodes ago talking about his new course on rationality. Legendary TV host, actor and singer John Davidson was the guest in early December. Recently, the show featured Ann Druyan, the co-creator of “Cosmos,” possibly the most acclaimed TV series of all time. A.C. Grayling, a prominent British philosopher and the author of about 30 books, grappled on the show with philosophy and the pandemic, and discussed how he himself dealt as a nonbeliever with a personal tragedy. And a couple of weeks ago, the show interviewed Robert P. Jones, the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute who is an expert on the intersection of religious and racial extremism.
Watch previous seasons here, including interviews with Ron Reagan, Julia Sweeney and Ed Asner, as well as U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin, co-chairs of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.
Please tune in to “Freethought Matters” . . . because freethought matters.
P.S. Please tune in or record according to the times given above regardless of what is listed in your TV guide (it may be listed simply as “paid programming” or even be misidentified). To set up an automatic weekly recording, try taping manually by time or channel. And spread the word to freethinking friends, family or colleagues about a TV show, finally, that is dedicated to providing programming for freethinkers!
