Jump to content

Ramdev

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 117.254.149.176 (talk) at 04:25, 17 April 2011 (→Indian black money in Swiss banks). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ramdev
Swami Ramdev Yadav.
Born
Ramkishan Yadav

Haryana, India
NationalityIndian
OccupationYogi

Shri Ramkishan Yadav , (Template:Lang-hi), is an Indian Hindu Guru popularly known as swami Ramdev, who is working now to eradicate corruption from Indian Politics and have started a campaign under Bharat Swabhiman Andolan for the same. A political philosophy Ramdevism is named after Baba Ramdev and the philosophy consists of Ramdev's policy stands on different matters. Baba Ramdev was born as Ramkishan Yadav in 1965, in Alipur in the Mahendragarh district of Indian state of Haryana. He attended school till the eighth grade in Shahjadpur. He then joined a gurukul [Arsh Gurukul, under Archarya Pradumnaji] in Khanpur village to study Sanskrit and Yoga. Eventually, he renounced worldly life and entered into Sanyas (monastic living) - taking his present name.[1] He then went to Jind district and joined the Kalva gurukul and offered free Yoga training to villagers across Haryana. Ramdev spent many years undertaking the study of ancient Indian scriptures. At the same time, he also practiced intense self-discipline and meditation.He is 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 headquartered in Haridwar, that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments. The New York Times calls him an "Indian who built Yoga Empire", "a product and symbol of the New India, a yogic fusion of Richard Simmons, Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey, irrepressible and bursting with Vedic wisdom".[2] His camps are attended by a large number of people.

Eventually, he joined politics by announcing Bharat Swabhiman Trust, and office of the trust is located in the premises of Ramdev's non-political and non-profit organization Divya Yog Mandir Trust[3]

Institutions founded

Charak Monument on the campus
The Patanjali YogPeeth

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.[4][5] The trust primarily offers free treatment to those who cannot afford to pay. For others, treatment is provided at a lower cost than at hospitals.

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

Swami Ramdev has acquired a Scottish isle for about £2 million to set up a wellness retreat. The Little Cumbrae Island, off the fishing town of Largs in Scotland, will also serve as the guru’s base overseas, where his teachings of yoga as a means to cleanse the body and mind are gaining popularity. The acquisition itself was carried out by a Scottish couple of Indian origin, Sam and Sunita Poddar, who saw recession and the resultant fall in property prices as an opportunity to expand the base of Patanjali Yogpeeth — the institution founded by Ramdev for scientific research and treatment in yog, spiritualism and ayurveda. The island property has been inaugurated in September 2009 with a ‘Yagna or 'Yagya’(a Vedic Sanatan Dharm prayer in the presence of a purifying fire), will be administered by the Patanjali Yogpeeth (UK) Trust.[6]

National Issues Raised

Main article: 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement

Swami Ramdev has raised a number of national issues through his yoga camps (yog shivirs), which is considered as violation of the saintism by many Hindus. Most of the issues raised by him demand change in the governance policies of India and the lifestyle of the common people, which is considered by many Hindus as interference in personal matters by him. Some of the most emphasized issues are:

Bharat Swabhiman Campaign

Swami Ramdev has initiated a movement named Bharat Swabhiman under Bharath Swambhiman Trust, with the help of activist and social promoter intellectual Rajiv Dixit who gives speeches with the intention of eradicating corruption, crime, poverty from India with an aim to transform it into a World Power.[7]

The five goals[8] of campaign is

  1. 100% voting
  2. 100% nationalist thought
  3. 100% boycott of foreign companies, adoption of ‘swadeshi’
  4. 100% unification of the people of the nation
  5. 100% yoga-oriented nation

And also it has five vows[9]

As a part of campaign, Baba Ramdev has been organising yoga camps across India & also creating awareness among people against corruption & black money.

Malpractices in the agricultural sector

Swami Ramdev says that the use of fertilizers and pesticides has led to undue load on and poverty of farmers and increased profits for large business houses involved in this trade. These pose a big threat to farmers and to the health of the common man since the farm land is increasingly becoming barren and contaminated with harmful chemicals. The farm produce like grains, fruits and vegetables are contaminated with inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.

Consumption of fast food and soft drinks

At most of his yog shivirs (yoga 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 must not be eaten. Swami Ji says that aerated drinks are harmful for children as well as adults.

Exploitation of farmers

Swami 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.

Malpractices in indigenous industries

Tax evation, lack of minimum wage for workers and educated empolys, careless ejection of pollutants in to air and river etc. are issues that need strict law enforcements and law making according to swami Ramdev [10]

Indian black money in Swiss banks

Swami Ramdev has publicly raised the issue of Indian money stashed away illegally 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 and demands capital punishment to Indians who acquire, handle and stash black money and to retrieve all the blackmoney in foreign banks. [2]

Mauritius route

Mauritius route is tax heaven for black money operators in India and this route should be cut effectively by the government, according to swami ramdev [11]

Currency of higher denomination

Currency of higher demnomination, accourding ro swami ramdev is the root cause for enabling convenient bribing and handling of black money and thus should be withdrawn[12].

Illegal Mining

There is permission for only 200 mining leases but one lakh illegal mines are operational in the country[13]. According to a rough estimate, 18 per cent of the iron ore exported from Goa comes from illegal mines. The state has 100-odd legal mining leases. Swami Ramdev describes illegal mining in India as one of the major social issues that need sudden ban.

Controversies and criticisms

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

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 still to be reinstated.[14][15]

Allegations of bone usage in manufacturing

In January 2006, senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader 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 and the presence of animal materials in the sample was not proved. She exhibited what she claimed to be the prescription and cash receipt obtained from the medicine counter in support of her claim.[15][16] Her controversial remarks have drawn strong condemnation from some in North India, including reprimands from politicians like Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ambika Soni, and Narayan Dutt Tiwari[17] Subsequently she received a legal notice on the behalf of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Faridabad.[18]

Later in 2006, 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.[19]

Opposition to Homosexuality

In July 2009, in the wake of the Delhi High Court decriminalizing homosexuality in Delhi, Baba 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."[20]

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.[21] This statement was translated by certain journalists as claiming a cure for AIDS.[22] 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.[23] Ramdev responded by saying that notice was not applicable to him since he never made claim to cure it,[24] and that he has been misrepresented by media.[25]

Claims of curing cancer

Other press reports quoted 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.[26]

Swami Ramdev has claimed having documented proof of his successes.

Awards and recognitions

  • January 2007 - Honorary Doctorate, KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa) in recognition of his efforts at popularizing the Vedic science of Yoga.[27]
  • March 2010 - Honored with Degree of Doctorate of Sciences by Amity University
  • April 2010 - Honored with honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Dr D Y Patil Deemed University.
  • January 2011 - Honored with Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award by Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.yogpranayam.com/page.html?id=1
  2. ^ Polgreen, Lydia (18 April 2010). "Indian Who Built Yoga Empire Works on Politics". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Office of political entity Bharat Swabhiman Trust".
  4. ^ "Life Positive".
  5. ^ "Patanjali Yog Peeth - Introduction".
  6. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/Baba-Ramdev-buys-Scottish-island/Article1-458920.aspx
  7. ^ "Bharat Swabhiman trust". Bharat Swabhiman.
  8. ^ http://bharat-swabhiman.com/en/about/
  9. ^ http://bharat-swabhiman.com/en/about/
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ http://expressbuzz.com/cities/bangalore/baba-ramdev-seeks-sufficient-powers-for-lokpal/265436.html
  12. ^ Currency in Higher Denominations
  13. ^ Illegal Mining
  14. ^ Frontline "In the name of Ayurveda". The Hindu. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  15. ^ a b "How Karat-Ramdev War began". ExpressIndia.com.
  16. ^ "Guru accused of 'human bone' drug". bbc.co.uk. 4 January 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  17. ^ Pawar appreciates work of Ramdev The Hindu - 9 January 2006
  18. ^ Legal Notice over Ramdev Issue
  19. ^ "Yogi cleared of animal parts row". BBC News. 8 March 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  20. ^ "Gay is bad, chorus maulanas, saffron brigade & Church". DNA.
  21. ^ "Ayurvedic Herbs for control of HIV, AIDS & any Sexually Transmitted Diseases". yogapranayama.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  22. ^ "Swami Ramdev's website claims AIDS is curable". dnaindia.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  23. ^ "Yoga effect on AIDS? Swami Ramdev has 'proof'". moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  24. ^ "I made no claims of curing AIDS: Ramdev". expressindia.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  25. ^ "I never claimed I can cure AIDS: Ramdev". dnaindia.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  26. ^ "I'll stay away from politics: Ramdev". ibnlive.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  27. ^ "Doctorate degree for Yoga Guru Ramdev". punjabnewsline.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  28. ^ http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20110122/1672259.html

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Ramdev&oldid=424474114"