My mom became an atheist in 1990, without being influenced by any individual, book, or media. She chose that path because my grandmother once told her not to enter the kitchen during her period and imposed several other restrictions.
One day, she decided, “What if I don’t follow any ritual or practice?
Let me live like this for a few months and see what happens.”
After a year, she felt freer than ever before, less worried about things that had little real importance in life, such as fasting for her husband or rituals.
It’s been 35 years now, and she still lives that way.
What I admire most about her is that she isn’t preachy and never tries to impose her beliefs on others. In fact, when I do something out of my own choice, she always acknowledges it as just that a choice.