6 My Indian Heroes Modern Yogi Swami Ramdev WYSIWYG
6 My Indian Heroes Modern Yogi Swami Ramdev WYSIWYGanandjee
5 min - May 16, 2008
I bow my head to the knowledge, courage and wisdom of the greatest Indian of my time. What You See Is What You Get - WYSIWYG no mincing words, no tricks no vascillation. He is like Arjun and his Gandiv bow pointing forever in one direction. In 1995, Baba 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. Swami 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
