Philosophy:Dinkoism
Dinkoism (/ˈdɪnkɔɪzəm/), the Dinkoist religion, or Dinkamatham[1][2] is a parody religion and social movement that emerged and evolved on social networks[3] organized by independent welfare groups in the Indian state of Kerala. Adherents describe Dinkoism as a genuine religion.
History
According to a report in India Today, Dinkoism[3] was established in 2008 in Kerala by a group of rationalists with the intention of ridiculing "the absurdity of blind religious faith".[4] The community planned to become politically active.[5] A report in The New Indian Express said Dinkoism is gaining members through Facebook.[3] The BBC described Dinkoism in 2016 as an atheist movement with significant growth on social media.[6]
Description
The religion purports to worship Dinkan, a comic book character.[7] 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.[6][8]
Events and protests
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.[9][10]
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.[11] In 2016, J. Devika wrote an article about the concept of Dinkoism and the logic of the market.[12]
Dinkan's image have been used in various protests. In 2026, Dinkan posters were spotted in NEET paper leak protests.[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.[7]
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".[5] Dinkoists have received threatening messages as well as opposition from believers of other religions.[3]
See also
- Church of the SubGenius
- Discordianism
- Dudeism
- Evolution as fact and theory
- Existence of God
- Fideism
- Flying Spaghetti Monster
- Intelligent falling
- Invisible Pink Unicorn
- Mighty Mouse
- Out Campaign
- Parody religion
- Reductio ad absurdum
- Religious satire
- Theological noncognitivism
References
- ↑ Harish Pullanoor (22 March 2016). "Praise the squeaky lord, a new religious minority is born in India!". Quartz India. https://qz.com/india/643968/praise-the-squeaky-lord-a-new-religious-minority-is-born-in-india/.
- ↑ "The Curious Case of Lord Dinkan". Graphics Shelf.com. 23 November 2017. https://graphicshelf.com/curious-case-lord-dinkan/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Express News Service (21 March 2016). "'Dinkoists' Gather Under a Troll Tree". The New Indian Express. http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Dinkoists-Gather-Under-a-Troll-Tree/2016/03/21/article3337791.ece. "...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. https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/dinkoism-kerala-mock-religion-superhero-mouse-316378-2016-04-05. "...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, ..."
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Dinkoists gear up for 'Maha Sammelanam': 25,000 followers of comic superhero to meet on Sunday in Kozhikode.". Deccan Chronicle. 19 March 2016. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/190316/dinkoists-gear-up-for-maha-sammelanam.html. "...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..."
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The mouse messiah bringing salvation to India's atheists". BBC News. 11 April 2016. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-36001999.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "They gather in the name of great 'Dinkan': Dinkoists throng Kozhikode to show strength of new 'religion'.". Deccan Chronicle. 21 March 2016. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/210316/they-gather-in-the-name-of-great-dinkan.html.
- ↑ TNN (21 March 2016). "Fans of Mallu comic superhero seek 'minority' tag". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Dinkoists-seek-minority-status/articleshow/51488716.cms. "...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'..."
- ↑ "Protest against upcoming Dileep film named Professor Dinkan". 30 January 2016. http://www.onlookersmedia.in/latestnews/protest-upcoming-dileep-film-named-professor-dinkan.
- ↑ 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. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/time-to-look-into-dinkans-ire/article8205071.ece. "...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..."
- ↑ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in Malayalam). 18 January 2016. http://www.marunadanmalayali.com/scitech/cyber-space/dinkan-car-license-plates-i-got-a-special-license-plate-in-the-name-of-my-god-36456. - ↑ "If You Can't Beat Them, Join 'em – Or, Ente Dinkeswara!". http://kafila.org/2016/02/08/if-you-cant-beat-them-join-em-or-ente-dinkeswara/.
- ↑ Siby, Subin (2026-06-14), English: Dinkan poster in NEET paper leak protest, Freedom Park, Bengaluru. 2026 June 14., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dinkan_poster_in_NEET_paper_leak_protest,_bengaluru.jpg, retrieved 2026-07-23
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