The Real Baba dies

[achilles]

It is such a shame that only The Indian Express has covered this saintly man's fast, coming to the end that it did. Sheesh! What kinda country do we live in?

[Mariyam]

G92, This is not a game of "will the Real Baba" please stand up, please stand up, please stand up. Why can there be only one real Baba? Why does every such sect have to be so exclusive? The questions you put forth are valid, and I don't have an answer to all of them because I am not in the know about many things. However, they are unrelated to the topic. Furthermore, I am not arguing pro Baba Ramdev. My arguement is that even if satan ( and Ramdev isn't that bad) lends his efforts to a good deed, it still stays a good deed. And in the balance sheet of life it gets added on to the column that says Punya. Some key points: 1) Its the media, English and mainly the Hindi language media who have highlighted Baba Ramdev and neglected the other Baba. If anything, they are the ones who should be blamed for this transgression more than Baba himself. A day after the Ganga warrior Baba passed away, a local newspaper had a big article on Sachin's favourite hangout joints in the city and a small obituary on this Baba. Is Tendulkar to blame for that? 2) Beetle ji had mentioned that he ran companies and invested in some firms. I would never hold that against him. Doing that and doing charity are not exclusive. You can do both. Also, in one of your points, you mention why he isn't donating to charities etc etc. It would benefit the needy more if he can provide them with employment instead of handing them loaves of bread every day. And if he makes money in the process, so be it. Its a win win game.

[gaurav92]

G92, This is not a game of "will the Real Baba" please stand up, please stand up, please stand up. Why can there be only one real Baba? Why does every such sect have to be so exclusive? The questions you put forth are valid, and I don't have an answer to all of them because I am not in the know about many things. However, they are unrelated to the topic. Furthermore, I am not arguing pro Baba Ramdev. My arguement is that even if satan ( and Ramdev isn't that bad) lends his efforts to a good deed, it still stays a good deed. And in the balance sheet of life it gets added on to the column that says Punya.

How is this unrelated ? Did he not brag about his wealth in open ? Did he not say he cares for the poor ? Did he not say that he will sacrifice his life for the better of the country ? Did he not polished the facts related to Black Money and misguided people ? Did he not play politics with the innocent people of India ? He did. Fair enough if your cause is noble, but one has to back their words with some deeds that supports their stand, and AFAIK Baba Ramdev has done nothing apart from bragging about silly things. As a Yoga Guru, he has been sensational, I do believe no one can do what he has done through his Yoga, none of the Yoga Gurus earlier could spread the art as well as he has done. So credit to him for that. But when it comes to politics, my opinions change because the man is not true to his words.

Some key points: 1) Its the media, English and mainly the Hindi language media who have highlighted Baba Ramdev and neglected the other Baba. If anything, they are the ones who should be blamed for this transgression more than Baba himself. A day after the Ganga warrior Baba passed away, a local newspaper had a big article on Sachin's favourite hangout joints in the city and a small obituary on this Baba. Is Tendulkar to blame for that? 2) Beetle ji had mentioned that he ran companies and invested in some firms. I would never hold that against him. Doing that and doing charity are not exclusive. You can do both. Also, in one of your points, you mention why he isn't donating to charities etc etc. It would benefit the needy more if he can provide them with employment instead of handing them loaves of bread every day. And if he makes money in the process, so be it. Its a win win game.

No 1) The media will be there no matter how good or bad you may be. A good Baba would stay away from it as much as possible and only supply the requisite message to the public rather than hogging the limelight and blabbering venomous speeches against the Government and making Big statements/promises all day, seeking empathy and sympathy from others (sympathy by voice modulation and oration in a low pitch - Baba has done that many a times, if you look at the videos). So its not entirely media that is to be blamed here. Baba loved publicity isn't it ? :P 2) I again disagree with paying money in the form of employment. tell me how many % of employment will be for people BPL (Below Poverty Line) ? Barely 1-2% as other jobs will be technical. And if you have assets worth thousands of crore, you must have a Non profit motive when you are bragging about doing something good for the poor. I haven't seen them donate anything or invest any money in some development programmes initiated by the Government. They invest them in other securities that fetch them returns. This cannot be a noble cause ? Its like saying I care for the poor, and even if I have Gazillions of rupees, I wont invest an inch out of it on them, but yeah, I want poor to get their food.

[saneindian]

Gaurav, let me ask you a question. Have you ever been to any center of Patanjali Yogpeeth either in Haridwar or any if its centres spread across India? Free medical services and medicine to thousands of patients from the weaker section who go to these centres Free lodging facitility for thousands of pilgrims visiting Haridwar Langars organised nearly all the time for thousands of pilgrims across many centers in Haridwar and Rishikesh I do not quite agree with many of the things Ramdev and his trust does, but you cannot deny the benefits being given to thousands of people in that area. If that is not charity , I wonder what else is. What Ramdev needs to do though is to invest more of that money for the upliftment of the weaker sections.

[beetle]

Beetle, I am not sure I understand your stance here. So what if Baba Ramdev has amassed wealth form donations? These are voluntary donations from his followers world over. Completely legal money ( at least from the looks of it), he hasn't gotten the money from indulging in criminal activities. There is no question of comparing him to Lalu Yadav or Mayawati, For all practical purposes, their money was earned by dubious methods and spent even more dubiously. Why should you hold it against a Baba if he invested in food parks or ran transportation businesses? He is generating employment doing that. And does it contravene the Yogi code of conduct? What exactly is wrong in what he is doing? Irrespective of his flaws, the cause that he stood up for is a noble one. That much credit Baba Ramdev deserves.

The man has got these donations advertising himself as a yogi which he is not.I wonder how much donations he would receive if he declares that he would be using it to run transport companies.He has numerous cases of land grabbing against him and his trusts in various places.That makes him a fraud not a baba. If he declared himself a business man and then got his donations ,then I would have some respect for him.Besides does he make sure that the donations he gets from people are all white and not black.This is the least expected from a man who claims to be a crusader against black money. He has been openly claiming that he can cure cancer and AIDS.A claim which if correct would have made a big splash in the medicine world . The fact that he gives false hope to people who are the most desperate is unforgivable.There is no one worse than a person who abuses people when they are most vulnerable.His claims of cure for homosexuality are well known. A man who is not clean himself cannot be honest in his so called crusade against corruption.He is just misusing the goodwill that he has earned as yoga guru(I give him full credit for that ...he has done an excellent job in promoting yoga amongst masses)to get more power .I am not going to support him in that .