Dinkoism

Dinkoism

Dinkoism (/ˈdɪnkɔɪzəm/), or the Dinkoist religion, is a parody religion and a social movement that emerged and evolved on social networks[1] organized by independent welfare groups in the Indian state of Kerala. Although adherents describe Dinkoism as a genuine religion, it is described in media as a parody religion.

History

According to a report in India Today, Dinkoism[1] was established in 2008 in Kerala by a group of rationalists with the intention of ridiculing "the absurdity of blind religious faith".[2] The community planned to become politically active.[3] A report in The New Indian Express said Dinkoism is gaining members through Facebook.[1] The BBC described Dinkoism in 2016 as an atheist movement with significant growth on social media.[4]

Description

The religion purports to worship Dinkan, a comic book character.[5] 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 the fallacies and practices of traditional religions.[6][7]

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 been spread through social media but the movement has organized events at protests. 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.[8][9]

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.[10] In 2016, J. Devika wrote an article about the concept of Dinkoism and the logic of the market.[11]

Conferences

Dinkoists of Kozhikode organized a conference at the Sports Council Hall, Mananchira on March 20, 2016. They organized a variety of entertainments with a theme of tapioca. E.A. Jabbar, a prominent rationalist, endorsed Dinkoism.[12]

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".[3] Dinkoists have received threatening messages as well as opposition from believers of other religions.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Express News Service (21 March 2016). "'Dinkoists' Gather Under a Troll Tree". New Indian Express. Retrieved April 14, 2016. ...threatening calls and opposition from staunch religious followers... the social media religion, ‘Dinkoists’ here on Sunday. ... no official registration ... attention entirely through Facebook....
  2. ↑ KC Archana (April 5, 2016). "What is Dinkoism? Why are many Keralites worshipping a superhero mouse?". India Today. Retrieved April 14, 2016. ...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, ...
  3. 1 2 "Dinkoists gear up for 'Maha Sammelanam': 25,000 followers of comic superhero to meet on Sunday in Kozhikode". Deccan Chronicle. March 19, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016. ...Around 25,000 Dinkoists, the followers of comic superhero Dinkan, will hold a convention, ‘Dinkamatha Maha Sammelanam,’ ... actively involve themselves in politics, ahead of the Assembly polls....
  4. ↑ BBC, 11 April 2016, BBC Trending, The mouse messiah bringing salvation to India's atheists, Retrieved August 12, 2016
  5. ↑ "They gather in the name of great 'Dinkan': Dinkoists throng Kozhikode to show strength of new 'religion'". Deccan Chronicle. March 21, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016. ......
  6. ↑ "The mouse messiah bringing salvation to India's atheists". BBC News. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  7. ↑ TNN (March 21, 2016). "Fans of Mallu comic superhero seek 'minority' tag". Times of India. Retrieved April 14, 2016. ...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'....
  8. ↑ http://www.onlookersmedia.in/latestnews/protest-upcoming-dileep-film-named-professor-dinkan
  9. ↑ "Time to look into Dinkan's ire: A mock protest against a Dileep film takes a potshot at religious groups". The Hindu. February 7, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016. ...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....
  10. ↑ http://www.marunadanmalayali.com/scitech/cyber-space/dinkan-car-license-plates-i-got-a-special-license-plate-in-the-name-of-my-god-36456
  11. ↑ J Devika. "If You Can't Beat Them, Join 'em – Or, Ente Dinkeswara!". Kafila.org. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  12. ↑ http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/210316/they-gather-in-the-name-of-great-dinkan.html
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