Swami Ramdev

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Swami Ramdevji
File:Babaramdev.jpg
Born Ramkishan Yadav
Haryana, India birth year 1955[citation needed]
Nationality Indian
Occupation Yogi
Known for Efforts in proliferation of Pranayama, Yoga and Ayurveda. Leading the Bharat Swabhiman Andolan (Mission) to eradicate corruption from India and restore prosperity in the country.

Swami Ramdev (Hindi: स्वामी रामदेव), also known as Baba Ramdev, is an Indian Hindu swami. He is particularly well-known for his efforts in popularizing Yoga as it is enunciated in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. He is also one of the founders of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments.

His camps are attended by a large number of people. Over 85 million people[1] follow his yoga camps via TV channels, and video. His yoga teaching sessions are for the masses and free for all. His stated principle in life is to be of help to all.

Contents

[edit] Background

Gunnu' Ramkishan Yadav' in Said Alipur in the Mahendragarh district of Indian state of Haryana[citation needed]. As a child he suffered from paralysis. He has stated on air[citation needed] that it was through yoga that he was able to regain the full functionality of his body again.

He attended school till the eighth grade in Shahbajpur. He then joined an aarsh gurukul in Khanpur village to study Sanskrit and Yoga. Eventually, he assumed Sanyas (or monastic living), taking his present name. He then moved to Jind district and joined the aarsh gurukul Kalba and started offering free Yoga training to villagers across Haryana.

[edit] Work

In 1995, Swami Ramdev established the Divya Yog Mandir Trust with Acharya Karamveer and Acharya Balkrishna. Acharya Karmaveer is well-versed in Yog and Veda while Acharya Balkrishna is a physician with a degree in Ayurveda[2]. (However now Acharya Karamveer has left the Divya Yog Mandir Trust and is practising his mission individually and separately at Mumbai.)

Swamis Ramdev's TV programs and Yog camps have proved to be immensely popular. Attendance at his yog camps has been quoted as being up to 20,000 people.[3] Among the many locations, Swamiji was invited and has conducted a yog camp at the Rashtrapati Bhavan - the residence of the President of India also.[3]

His TV program is broadcast in several continents including Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe and America. Executives at the TV channel carrying Swami Ramdev's program have reported immense demand for the show.[3] Viewership is quoted as being 20 million regular viewers.[3]

Followers of these programs have claimed relief from a variety of ailments such as blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, spondylitis, hepatitis and obesity.[3]

One of the factors that differentiates Swami Ramdev is his emphasis on teaching and making available the practice of Pranayama for the masses.[3] This is different from other yoga teachers who place more emphasis on asanas (yog postures).[3] Comprehensive video demonstration of Pranayam The practice of 'praanaayaama' and 'pratyaahaara' (specific diet) for providing health, which Baba Ramdev demonstrates, is well-established in Indian traditions.[4]

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a world-renowned spiritual leader is quoted as saying "If an individual can be credited with reviving yog in this country (India), it is solely Swami Ramdev. Yoga can cure even fatal diseases and Swami Ramdev has definitely proved it time and again. Swami Ramdev has spread yog to such an extent that sooner or later, one has to embrace it."[3]

[edit] Patanjali Yog Peeth

The Patanjali YogPeeth
Charak Monument in the campus

Swami Ramdev's flagship project, the Patanjali Yogpeeth (PYP) Trust, was inaugurated on August 6, 2006. Its aim is to build the world's largest center for Ayurveda and Yoga that includes facilities for treatment, research and a teaching university[3][5]. The trust, most notably, offers free treatment to those who cannot afford. For all other, the treatment is at lesser costs than hospitals elsewhere.

Through PYP, Swami Ramdev continues to work with various institutions and medical organizations in an effort to study and improve yoga's effectiveness in working against diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.

[edit] National Issues Raised

Swami Ramdev has raised a number of national issues through his yog camps (yog shivirs). Most of the issues raised by him demand change in governance policies of India and the life style of common people. Some of the most emphasized issues are :

[edit] Malpractices in the agricultural sector

Swami Ramdev says that the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides has led to increased profits for those in trade, but it poses a big threat to the health of the common man since fruits and vegetables are increasingly becoming contaminated with disease causing chemical compounds.

[edit] Consumption of fast food and soft drinks

At most of his yog shivirs (yog camps) Swami Ramdev has raised the issue of increased consumption of fast foods, packed foods and soft drinks by common people. He says that these products are disease causing junk and are far from anything to be eaten. He says that soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi are no better than pesticides or toilet cleaners and this is enough to explain what effect it has on the human body.

[edit] Exploitation of farmers

Baba Ramdev blames the corrupt governance practices for the miserable conditions of the farmers and other backward parts of the society. He says that agriculture is the biggest contributor to India's economy and yet the farmers are the most poverty stricken class of people. He says that for the economic prosperity of the country it is an issue of utmost importance to bring welfare to the farmers.

[edit] Poor condition of indigenous industries

Baba Ramdev blames failure of government policies for the state of the Indian industries with the Indian market being flooded with foreign made or foreign brand goods. Baba Ramdev says that indigenous industries must be supported and promoted to reduce the dependency on foreign made goods and for this both the government and the consumers have to be aware.

[edit] Indian black money in Swiss banks

Baba Ramdev has publicly raised the issue of Indian money stashed away illegaly in Swiss bank which is estimated to be between 1-1.5 trillion USD. He says that the government must take concrete action and bring back the money as it belongs to the people of India and has been taken out of the country illegally [1]

[edit] 84 Crore (840 Million) People living on Rs. 20 a day

Official surveys indicate that at least 84 Crore (840 Million) people (nearly 75% of the population) are living with a capacity to spend Rs.20 or less in a day. Baba Ramdev has started the Bharat Swabhiman Andolan the first aim of which is to bring prosperity to these 840 million people.

[edit] Bharat Swabhiman Andolan

Bharat Swabhiman Andolan is a mass movement campaign launched by Baba Ramdev to eradicate corruption from India. The Andolan promotes protest against corruption in every government sector, and claims that the nature of this corruption is that Indian officials illegally broker deals to allow foreign companies to enter every Indian social sector and hamper the indigenous system in every sphere. Government estimations show that nearly 84 crore (840 million) people in India, which is nearly 75% of the total population, are living with a capacity to spend only Rs. 20 (1 dollar ~ Rs. 45) in a day, and the Bharat Swavhiman Andolan claims that fighting government corruption is the first step to changing this state of poverty.

The organization aims to accomplish its goal by reviving forgotten parts of Indian culture among all Indians, and Baba Ramdev says this would be the first step towards making India a superpower. Swadeshi Shiksha (education system based on Indian principles) and Swadeshi Chikitsa (medical system based on Indian principles) are two of the most important aims of this mission. Establishment of Hindi and all regional(Bhartiya-Indian) laguages as the primary language in government-sponsored activities like education and the judiciary is part of the agenda of this movement. Baba Ramdev draws attention to the fact that in terms of population Hindi is the second most spoken native language after the Chinese language and yet in its own country it gets secondary status to English. He also sees a problem in the fact that no modernized country in the world uses a foreign language for official purposes except India

[edit] Controversies and criticisms

Over the years Swami Ramdev's name has been a part of several controversies.

[edit] Minimum wage

In March 2005, about 113 employees of the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust started an agitation for minimum wages, coverage under the Provident Fund and Employees' State Insurance schemes. At a tripartite meeting, an agreement was reached between the workers, management and the district administration. However, some agitating workers were dismissed by the Trust after being charged for alleged sabotage. Their case was taken up by a trade union controlled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). They are yet to be reinstated.[6][7]

[edit] Allegations of unlawful manufacturing practices

In January 2006, the Indian Member of Parliament Brinda Karat accused the Divya Yog Mandir Trust Pharmacy, owned by Ramdev, of using human and animal bones in their medicines. Samples of the medicines Kuliya Bhasm and Yauvanamrit Bati purchased from Brahmakalp Chikitsalay, the Trust's hospital at Haridwar, were allegedly tested at government labs which later confirmed the presence of animal materials in the sample. She exhibited the prescription and cash receipt obtained from the medicine counter in support of her claim.[7][8].

Later, four samples were sent to the government-recognized Shriram Institute of Industrial Research in Delhi. The report from this institution declared that the samples did not contain objectionable ingredients and were purely herbal. Swami Ramdev was subsequently cleared of the charges[9]. Notably people's response was so huge that subsequent to these allegations, sales of the Trust's ayurvedic medicines have soared[3].

[edit] Opposition to Homosexuality

In July 2009, in the wake of the Delhi High Court decriminalizing homosexuality in India, Ramdev told the press "The verdict will encourage criminality and sick mentality. This kind of thing is shameful and insulting. We are blindly following the West in everything. This is breaking the family system in India. Homosexuals are sick people, they should be sent to hospitals for treatment. If the government brings this law, I will take to the streets of Delhi in protest."[10]

[edit] Claims of curing AIDS

In December 2006, press reports claimed that Swami Ramdevji had made claims of being able to use Yoga to cure AIDS. A website promoting his products states that the CD4 cell count in some AIDS patients has improved after practising Yoga[11]. This statement was translated by certain journalists as claiming a cure for AIDS[12]. As a consequence of these press reports he was sent a cease and desist order by the Indian Union Health Ministry and threatened legal action from medical NGOs[13]. Ramdev responded by saying that he had been misquoted[14]. His position was that Yoga and Ayurveda together can alleviate the suffering from AIDS, not cure it[15].

[edit] Claims of curing cancer

Other press reports quoted[citation needed] him as claiming to have a cure for cancer of the breast, liver, prostate, uterus, pituitary gland, brain tumors and leukemia by practicing the seven breathing exercises.

In a residential camp held in Yog Gram, Haridwar during 19-25 June 2008, several cancer patients stepped forward to recount first-hand stories of their successful bouts with blood, prostate and breast cancer using Pranayam or breathing exercises[16].

Swami Ramdev has claimed having documented proof of his successes.

[edit] Awards and recognitions

  • January 2007 - Honorary Doctorate, KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa) at the hands of scientist and Nobel laureate Richard R. Ernstin recognition of his efforts at popularizing the Vedic science of Yoga.[17]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Ramdev's yog brand launched in America". http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1107155. 
  2. ^ "Swami Ramdev". knowyoga.org. http://knowyoga.org/tiki-index.php?page=Swami%20Ramdev. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Life Positive". http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/Swami_Ram_Dev/The_Messiah_of_Yoga72006.asp. 
  4. ^ Shankaracharya's "Bhajagovindam Stotra".
  5. ^ "Patanjali Yog Peeth - Introduction". http://www.divyayoga.com/introduction.htm. 
  6. ^ "Frontline In the name of Ayurveda". The Hindu. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20060210002604200.htm&date=fl2302/&prd=fline& Frontline. 
  7. ^ a b "How Karat-Ramdev War began". ExpressIndia.com. http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=61019. 
  8. ^ "Guru accused of 'human bone' drug". bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4580846.stm. 
  9. ^ "Yogi cleared of animal parts row". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4786114.stm. 
  10. ^ "Gay is bad, chorus maulanas, saffron brigade & Church". DNA. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gay-is-bad-chorus-maulanas-saffron-brigade-and-church_1270429. 
  11. ^ "Ayurvedic Herbs for control of HIV, AIDS & any Sexually Transmitted Diseases". yogapranayama.com. http://www.yogapranayama.com/hiv_medicine.htm. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 
  12. ^ "Baba Ramdev’s website claims AIDS is curable". dnaindia.com. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1071418. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 
  13. ^ "Yoga effect on AIDS? Baba has 'proof'". moneycontrol.com. http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/newsarticle/stocksnews.php?cid=1&autono=30049&source=ibnlive.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 
  14. ^ "I made no claims of curing AIDS: Ramdev". expressindia.com. http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=78569. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 
  15. ^ "I never claimed I can cure AIDS: Ramdev". dnaindia.com. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1071141. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 
  16. ^ "I'll stay away from politics: Ramdev". ibnlive.com. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/ill-stay-away-from-politics-ramdev/top/30024-3.html. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 
  17. ^ "Doctorate degree for Yoga Guru Ramdev". punjabnewsline.com. http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/2664/39/. Retrieved 21 March 2007. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Ramdev"