Swami Ramdev

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Swami Ramdev

Born Ramkishan Yadav
1953
Haryana, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Yogi
Known for Efforts in proliferation of Yoga and Ayurveda.

Swami Ramdev (Hindi: स्वामी रामदेव 1953 - ), also known as Baba Ramdev, is an Indian, Hindu swami. He is particularly well-known for his efforts in popularizing Yoga. His yoga (pronounced as Yog in Hindi/Sanskrit)camps are attended by a large number of people. People follow his yoga camps through TV channels and video. His yog teaching sessions are for the masses and free for all. His stated principle in life is to be of help to all and as such the sessions are conducted free of charge. He is also one of the founders of the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments.

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[edit] Background

Swami Ramdev (Baba Ramdev) was born as Ramkishan Yadav in 1953, in Said Alipur in the Mahendragarh district of Indian state of Haryana. He attended school till the eighth grade in Shahjadpur. He then joined a aarshgurukul in Khanpur village to study Sanskrit and Yoga ("YOG" "योग" - Ramdev encourages it to be called YOG). Eventually, he entered into Sanyas (monastic living) - taking his present name.

He then went to Jind district and joined the aarsh gurukul Kalva and offered free Yoga training to villagers across Haryana.

As a child he suffered from paralysis and has stated on air that it was through Yog that he was able to regain the full functionality of his body again.

Across various parts of India and other countries, there have been reports of thousands of people who have been cured. People who have been following his session over the television and practicing at home form the major constituent of this crowd.

To prove the veracity of the claims, Baba Ramdev insists on old medical records taken on a periodic basis to be submitted to the trust. These reports are conducted independently and are open to the public for scrutiny.

[edit] Work

In 1995, Ramdev established Divya Yoga Mandir Trust with Acharya Karamveer and Acharya Balkrishna. Acharya Karmaveer is well-versed in Yoga and Veda while Acharya Balkrishna is a physician with a degree in Ayurveda[1].

Ramdev has helped establish Gurukuls in Kishangarh, Ghashera, and Mahendragarh in India.

His educational shows are broadcast on the TV channels He has been regularly conducting yoga camps all over India and even abroad.

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These TV programs and Yoga camps have proved to be immensely popular. Attendance at his yoga camps has been quoted as being as high as 20,000 people. Among the many locations, Swamiji has conducted a yoga camp at Rashtrapati Bhavan - the residence of the President of India and for British lawmakers at the House of Commons in London, UK. [1]

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

Many followers of these programs have cited major relief from a variety of ailments such as blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, spondylitis, hepatitis and obesity. Participants at such 'shivirs' (camps) are those who have usually been following the program over television and practicing the yog taught by Baba Ramdev at home. There are heartening stories of miraculously cured people narrated by the patients themselves. Doctors are known to have attended the camps and certified the accuracy of claims of their patients along with medical reports.

One of the factors that differentiates Swami Ramdev is his emphasis on teaching and making available to the masses - the practice of Pranayama (See demonstration). This is different from other yoga teachers who place more emphasis on asanas (yoga postures).

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a world-renowned spiritual leader is quoted as saying "If an individual can be credited with reviving yoga 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 yoga to such an extent that sooner or later, one has to embrace it."

Swami Ramdev's flagship project is the Patanjali Yog Peeth. The project was inaugurated on Aug 6, 2006 and is well underway. Its aim is to build the world's largest center for Ayurveda and Yoga that includes facilities for treatment, research and a teaching university.PYP

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Currently, Swami Ramdev is working with various institutions and medical organizations to study and prove YOG's effectiveness in alleviating diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and other diseases.


[edit] Awards and recognitions

  • In January 2007, KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology), during a ceremony presided over by the respected scientist and Nobel laureate Richard R. Ernst, awarded Swami Ramdev with an Honorary Doctorate degree in recognition of his efforts at popularizing the Vedic science of Yoga.[2]

[edit] Controversies

Over the years Swami Ramdev has been involved in 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 Communist Party of India (Marxist)(its a political party); they are yet to be reinstated. [3][4].

[edit] Allegations of unhealthful manufacturing practices

Building on the labour demands, New Delhi based Brinda Karat, a CPI(M) leader and wife of CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat, called a press conference alleging unhealthful manufacturing practices in the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust pharmacy. She also accused the pharmacy of using animal and human parts in the manufacture of their ayurvedic medicines[4]. Though ayurvedic texts allow the uses of such substances in the manufacture of some of the ayurvedic medicines, this violated, according to Brinda Karat, the laws related to proper labeling of medicines.

[edit] Use of bones in medicines

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. She based her accusations on a report produced an Indian health ministry laboratory. She also claimed that a sample of the medicine (Kuliya Bhasm and Yauvanamrit Bati, purchased from Brahmakalp Chikitsalay, which is the Trust's hospital at Haridwar) was 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[5].

Four samples sent to the government-recognized research center (Shriram Institute of Industrial Research, Delhi) were reported as indicating that the medicines contained no objectionable ingredients and were purely herbal. Swami Ramdev was subsequently cleared of these charges[2].

Interestingly, subsequent to these allegations - sales of the Trust's ayurvedic medicines have soared.[3]


[edit] Comments on Mahatma Gandhi

In 2006, Swami Ramdev made the following comment

I am a follower of penance, sacrifice, non-violence and truth. But I am also a follower of revolutionaries. I live a simple life. I don't do what everyone else does. But I believe that the freedom of our country is because of the sacrifice of martyrs. If somebody says that the country achieved independence without arms, without bloodshed, I believe that is an insult to the country's martyrs.

These statements sparked a rage in Gandhi's followers,. They charged Ramdev with insulting the Father of the Nation. Youth workers burnt posters of Ramdev and shouted slogans against him.[6]

[edit] Claims of curing AIDS

In December 2006, press reports claimed that Ramdev 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.[7]. This statement was translated by certain journalists as claiming a cure for AIDS[8]. 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[9]. Ramdev responded by saying that he had been misquoted[10]. His position was that Yoga and Ayurveda together can alleviate the suffering from AIDS, not cure it[11].

[edit] 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 tumours and leukaemia by practicing the seven breathing exercises. He has claimed to have documented proof of his successes[12].

[edit] Ramdev's 'Putravati' medicine under scanner

Its alleged that a ayurvedic medicine branded 'Putravati' has been made by Swami Ramdev's Hardwar based Divya pharmacy.This medicine miracle is supposed to help women to give birth to sons , which again reitarates that thru yoga & auyurved you can do things which genetics can't. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1094928

[edit] References

  1. ^ Swami Ramdev. knowyoga.org. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.
  2. ^ Doctorate degree for Yoga Guru Ramdev. punjabnewsline.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.
  3. ^ Frontline In the name of Ayurveda. The Hindu.
  4. ^ a b How Karat-Ramdev War began. ExpressIndia.com.
  5. ^ Guru accused of 'human bone' drug. bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ Baba Ramdev invites wrath of Indore Gandhians for remarks on Mahatma Gandhi. Webindia123.
  7. ^ Ayurvedic Herbs for control of HIV, AIDS & any Sexually Transmitted Diseases. yogapranayama.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.
  8. ^ Baba Ramdev’s website claims AIDS is curable. dnaindia.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.
  9. ^ Yoga effect on AIDS? Baba has 'proof'. moneycontrol.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.
  10. ^ I made no claims of curing AIDS: Ramdev. expressindia.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.
  11. ^ I never claimed I can cure AIDS: Ramdev. dnaindia.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.
  12. ^ I'll stay away from politics: Ramdev. ibnlive.com. Retrieved on 21 March 2007.

[edit] External links