Alwar, Rajasthan: At 4.30am, the streets are thronged. Silent and purposeful, grandmothers and grandchildren, recluses and couples, those with plenty and those with none, make their way toward the town centre.
They arrive at a stadium where, clad in saffron robes and elevated on a platform, sits Baba Ramdev, a hirsute guru they may have previously only encountered on his daily yoga show on Aastha TV, dutifully watched by 20 million Indians at 5.30am, and countless more in different time zones.
Charismatic, and as ready with a quip as a social mantra or medical cure, the guru is in town to host one of his famed shivirs, or yoga camps, where all but the poorest pay a mandatory “donation” up to Rs1,100 each for instruction from their swami over six days.
From humble beginnings as the son of illiterate peasants in Haryana, the man born as Ramkishan Yadav has spawned an impressive movement rooted in yoga, natural healing and breathing techniques. But, concealed under the ascetic exterior is a savvy businessman; besides the television show, there are books, CDs, DVDs, oils, medicines, clinics, camps such as this one. Later this month, he will launch an eight-day yoga and meditation package on the SuperStar Virgo Cruise from India to Hong Kong and Xiamen in China, then onto Halong Bay, Vietnam. After being subsidized by a corporate sponsor, the price tag to cruise with the swami: Rs80,000.
Baba Ramdev alternately charms, humours and hectors his followers, offering tips on eating habits to child rearing with dry wit, in between yoga poses (Photo b y: Harikrishna Katragadda/ Mint)
As his empire has grown, so too has Ramdev’s reach—moving from his trademark thoughts on health and fitness to more controversial areas, such as sex education and economic liberalization. He has his share of critics, many of whom accuse him of overstepping bounds, of making false promises, even of using animal parts in his medicines.
But, undeniably, Ramdev has played a role in injecting new life into yoga among the masses in India, mainly through his advocacy of pranayama, or breathing exercises. His entry into the mainstream reflects the pendulum swinging back to traditional healing, a return to ancient practices and a more holistic way of life. His support base includes politicians and celebrities, business leaders and housewives, eagerly trading his remedies over tea and biscuits, wine and cheese.
Among the 10,000-strong crowd swelling before the swami in the pre-dawn light is Vijay Data and his family. The managing director of food products company Vijay Solvex, Data has foot the entire bill, about Rs20 lakh, including ground’s rental, publicity and advertising. For this week, Ramdev and his entourage are put up at Data’s Alwar mansion, outfitted with baby-blue Jacuzzi bathtubs. “We see it as a type of charity and a cause for society,” Data says.