Lavanam was the second child of Gora & Saraswathi Gora, world renowed Atheist Social Reformers and founders of Atheist Centre. He was born during the Salt Satyagraha Movement in 1930, Oct 1, and was named as Lavanam, meaning Salt, as a tribute to the movement. At a very early age, Lavanam, joined Gora & Saraswathi Gora in strengthening the cause of atheism, humanism and social change. At the age of 12, he was involved in civil disobedience through Nehru Bala Sangham and led hundreds of children to hold demonstrations for national liberation and social reform and even got arrested. This incident furthered his cause for social movements. In the mid–1940s, Gandhi invited Gora to bring his family to Sevagram, to discuss on atheism and Lavanam accompanied them.

In 1955, at the age of 25, Lavanam was asked to translate Vinoba Bhave’s speeches from Hindi to Telugu when he toured Andhra Pradesh during his nationwide Bhoodan March, to solicit donations of land from the rich to the poor. Vinoba was a long-time disciple of Gandhi and continued the tradition of constructive work and cooperation. Gora, Lavanam and Atheist Centre were actively involved in the movement. Lavanam at an young atheist influenced Vinoba to move from 40-minute pre-meeting prayer to a 5 minute silence. Until his death in 1982, Vinoba adhered to silence as his only form of public prayer. Lavanam’s association with Vinoba, ‘The Walking Saint of India’, furthered his intellect and opportunity to interact with theists and Gandhians.

Lavanam along with his father, Gora edited journals and books and participated in constructive programs and civil disobedience marches across the country, advocating for partyless democracy and urging governments to shed pomp and to live modestly. Lavanam was involved in campaigns to spread adult education in the villages and dalit slums and expose superstitions and blind beliefs. In 1960, Lavanam married, Hemalatha, daughter of a well-known Telugu Dalit Poet, Gurram Joshua, in Sevagram Ashram. It was a casteless and a religionless marriage. Hemalatha, along with Lavanam continued the journey for the cause of social justice and reform, unto the last. Together they fought for the dignity of the human being and challenging structures and beliefs that degrade and dehumanize the individuals. They charted the humanist and atheistic approach in social reform through secular social work programs, youth clubs, rural development, cyclone relief, criminal reformation, rehabilitation of Joginis (a remnant of Devadasi System), promotion of inter-caste, casteless and inter-religious and religionless marriages and many more.

In the year 1974, Lavanam initiated Criminal Reform Movement along with his wife Hemalata in Stuartpuram and Sitanagaram settlements in Guntur district and Kapparalatippa settlement in Nellore District and changed more than 500 criminals transforming them from culture of crime to culture of civility. This was the first Criminal Reform Movement for its quantity and quality in the world. This was fully supported by Andhra Pradesh State Government.

Lavanam along with Hemalatha, during the last three decades have been working in Criminal Reform and Jogini Reform movements which are considered to be highly successive and qualitatively one of the best social reform movements in post independent India. Lavanam is Chairman of Samskar, a voluntary organization that has been working for the reform and rehabilitation of the socially abandoned in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions. Lavanam and Hemalata have led in various towns and villages the Nasthika Mitra Mandali (“Atheist Friends’ Association”) sponsors meetings where young men and women can learn about and discuss the serenely were held and morally active type atheism, that is positive atheism. In 1962, with the aid of Dr. George Willoughby, a Quaker from the USA, Lavanam received a scholarship to study social change in America in 1966–1967, with particular focus on civil-rights campaign. Lavanam had the privilege of meeting Martin Luther King Jr., when he visited India in 1959 along with his wife, Coretta Scott King and Bayard Rustin. Martin Luther King Jr. had a conversation with Lavanam, on Gora’s book An Atheist with Gandhi and showed keen interest on how the Gora family fought for the eradication of untouchability. Both of them met again in 1966–67 during the anti-Vietnam War Movement.

In 1977 when there was big tidal wave in Krishna district in which thousands of people died, tens of villages washed away and large-scale destruction took place. Lavanam’s efforts in relief and rehabilitation helped disaster management to evolve in India. In the succeeding cyclones in Andhra and also in the super cyclone in Orissa, Lavanam, Hemalata, Veeraiah, Vijayam, Samaram and others from Atheist Centre played their part in relief and rehabilitation

Lavanam took the mantle of spreading Gora’s Positive Atheism as a way of life to across the world through his international tours. George Willoughby introduced him to various social-change movements in North America and humanist and rational-minded groups: the American Humanist association, the American Rationalist Association, the Freethinkers of America, the United Secularists of America, the American Ethical Union and the International Humanist & Ethical Union (IHEU).

He had close association with eminent atheists, humanists, freethinkers, skeptics, like Joseph Lewis, Howard Radest, Paul Kurtz and Eva Ingersoll Wakefield (who edited the works of her grandfather, the famous agnostic, Robert Ingersoll). The American Humanist Association arranged his lectures pan USA. He also visited the Canadian Humanist Association and met Dr. Henry Morgantaler. He travelled to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand to speak on atheism, humanism and social change. In Bangkok, he met Indians who worked with Subhas Chandra Bose, in his Indian National Army, fighting the British on the Eastern front. Lavanam’s international tour helped to place Atheist Centre on the global map of humanism and atheism and to strengthen the bondage of friendship with like-minded organizations, which have continued relationship for generations. He was involved in all the eight world Atheist Conferences conducted by Atheist Centre and many more seminars and conferences in India and globally.

From 1995–2005, Lavanam was the Secretary of All India Serva Seva Sangh (Sarvodaya Movement) and Joint Secretary of Gandhi Smarakh Nidhi and was involved in various conversations with the governments, peoples representatives and masses on strengthening secularism and to build a society on scientific temper and move towards a post religious and casteless society. Lavanam stood to promote knowledge, human service and fellowship. He said “We consider it invaluable to show the world, as my dear father showed Gandhi, that to do good and to be good, god and religion are unnecessary. “

Since 2005, Lavanam has involved himself in the Naxalite problem and addressed open letters to both Naxalites and the People’s Representatives. Lavanam asserts that Revolution without violence and Democracy without corruption are inter-related. He believes that humanity is progressing towards a post religious, post national universal human stage. He strongly believes the power does not come either from the barrel of gun or from the baskets of money. Power comes from the will of the Revolutionary. Lavanam and his wife Hemalatha (d. 2008) have been a social reform force in India and globally. He fought for the Telangana people and for their rights for over three decades.

Lavanam received many laurels for his yeoman service. In 1991, he received Atheist of the Decade Award from The Atheists United at Los Angelos, USA. In 2006, he received Mahatma Gandhi National Award for his social work given by Maniklal Balakishandas Gandhi Memorial Trust at Nagapur. In 2009, he received Life Achievement Award from International Service Society of Vaishnava Centre for enlightenment, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. In the year 2009, Lavanam received the prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Award, which is given to exceptional Indians for promoting Gandhian values, social work and social development.

As a journalist wrote hundreds of articles to different journals and also edited Sangham and Arthik Samata in Telugu, The Atheist in English, and Insaan in Hindi. A magnanimous personality who lived his life to the full, for the masses, by sowing seeds of wisdom, critical thinking, tolerance, social justice, atheism as a way of life, to build a better tomorrow.

True to his atheistic ideals, his eyes are donated to Swetcha Gora Eye Bank, Vijayawada. His body is going to be donated to the Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA …. You can send you condolence messages to positiveatheist[at]gmail.com

Obituary Written by Vikas Gora