I was never a supporter of Baba Ramdev. I don’t even do yoga. I am too lazy and lethargic for those complex shirshasans ( head-stands )and the various varieties of breathing exercises. I know that Baba Ramdev has a lot of followers around the world including my parents. I was however always unclear on what I thought about those “saffron-clad babas”. I just thought they were all “dhongi-babas”.
After a few years, with a little more worldly experience and forcibly listening to his show, my outlook changed a tad. I thought that he was doing a great social service by bringing in Yoga and encouraging people to become health conscious. My own family members observed change in themselves after a few years of vigorous yoga. Of course, Yoga suddenly becoming modern and fashionable may have something to do with my change of outlook. Further an American company asking for patent rights for yoga just increased my support for what baba ramdev was doing. No other country had any claim over our precious “asanas”, I thought.
The Yogic (Baba Ramdev) was good, Yoga was our property. But then came along Baba’s fast against corruption and black money. It again got me in a tough position. I liked yoga and everything: it was our “thing” and it improved heath. But what about Baba’s politics?
I consider myself a vigilant citizen. My blood boils when I hear about the successive scams and the tax-payers money filling the private coffers of those who govern us. I am as much concerned about that black money stashed away in Swiss Banks as the second Indian. Some people stated that Ramdev was a yogic and should concentrate only on doing yoga. This obviously was the most ridiculous view I ever read. I mean I am a student . Does that mean I am not allowed to do anything else other than study and be a student? And isn’t democracy the rule of the people. The last time I saw Baba Ramdev , he was one of our species who walked on two legs. Next I heard that he was disrupting the democratic system by forcing the government to make laws that takes its natural time. This came from the congress- the big mouth of Digvijay Singh and Kapil Sibal. Anything that comes from the party so involved in corruption just doesn’t go in well. Maybe they are just trying to protect their “partners in crime”. No one can trust what they have to say. Then I read Seema Goswami’s article in my favorite weekly magazine Brunch. She went on explaining how by following a man who teaches yoga (a spiritual action according to her) India has reverted back to being a nation of sadhus and snake charmers- both in our eyes and the whole world. This obviously unsettled me. We were not following a half naked fakir (which by the way the British called Gandhi) we are fighting against corruption. So I don’t think Baba Ramdev’s dress and make-up stylist should be accused of pushing the country backwards. Khushwant Singh , critical of Babas saffron robes and long beard goes on by saying that Baba Ramdev could not have earned crores of rupees just by teaching yoga. So before going behind government he should do some more head stands and get a clear picture of himself in Indian Politics. I would have like this view and even adopted it. But somehow I don’t think that a yogi can’t be a businessman. He turned yoga into ha business. There is nothing illegal in that. So I apologies to my favorite writer and reject his view.
Eventually I did evolve a viewpoint. Let it be Baba Ramdev or Anna Hazare,; they are doing the job of leaders. We have learnt in history that without leaders any movement is baseless. So we do need them. We need to fight against the corruption in Government. Baba Ramdev must be a yogic, but one doesn’t always have to be a social reformist to fight for the money and prestige that has been stolen from the country by the very those whom we have elected. By those who represent us as a nation in front of the entire world. I don’t care if Baba Ramdev has political ambitions like many accuse him of; I am going to support any group that fights against corruption. I don’t care if the group is filled with half naked yogics or Raymond- suited smart men. I think that accusing such groups to be communal and corrupt is just the governments typical way of diverting from the main issue. However Congress should now understand that the issue is not so trivial that it can be ignored or left for the future. The time for change is now. Please don’t go back again to accusations and prejudices. It’s the entire country breaking its laid-back attitude and fighting for a clean system.
No comments:
Post a Comment