Power Yoga - Part -2

His Royal Highness , Most Respected Swami Baba Ramdev broke his 9 day fast today. So Today was the appropriate day to conclude my write up about this circus currently involving Individuals not Issues. Since I concluded my last post by mentioning Ramdev's remarks about the media. First focus on the Media. Media is responsible too for creating this mess. Electronic channels in today's context tend to focus on 'Sound Bytes' than 'Reality Bites'. First they gave us minute by minute update on How 4 top ministers of the Government went to lure Baba (including the cabinet secretary) . How Baba ordered special Rasgullas from Chandini Chowk. How both the parties danced to each others tunes in a 5 star hotel and How Baba had assured his followers that the GOI has agreed to 99% of his demands . Then they bring in some loudmouth commentators to dissect the whole thing with sometimes very ludicrous arguements. The circus doesn't stop here, Each of the protagonists and wannabe protagonists continue to provide sound bytes and further sound bytes and plays to the gallery. In all of this the real issue of "Corruption" (yes that is the REAL issue !) vanishes undeneath the din of this tamasha.

India is a land of contradictions. Yes this is a fact. Everyday in some corner , in a village comes a Baba who prays and preaches, the villagers give him food, listen patiently to him provide him with respectable hospitality in awe. But when the same Baba dupes them , they make it a point to kick him out of the village. This is what happened with his highness Baba Ramdev. The Government of India cajoled him , listened to his demands, but when Ramdev started to show his real colours , they simply kicked him out.

Critics of the Government point out and ask why did they rolled out a red carpet for the "Dhongi" Baba . The answer lies in a simple cross question- If the Government was silent on Baba's demands the same critics would have accused the Government of being indifferent to People's Voice- The Aam Aadmi.

Politics - Which Baba Ramdev was playing demanded -All Kinds of Tools- Saam, Daam, Danda, Bhed to be used against him . Yes indeed Ramdev was playing Politics. Ramdev has never hidden his political ambitions . His Bharat Swabhiman Trust (or Movement or Party) is active on the cyberspace. He announced that he would field candidates in each Lok Sabha Constituency , but would not fight elections. In Feburary, he went into a PR offensive accusing a Congress MLA from Arunachal Pradesh for calling him a "Bloody Indian" (This is absolutely incorrect, as the records of the incident show) Of course when he sits with Sadhvi Rithambhara, Ashok Singhal and when Sushma Swaraj comes to visit him in Hardiwar. He no longer remains a Spritual Guru.

When Baba announced his plans to enter, his fellow companions of the Sant Samaj- clearly were not happy- They tried to expose him (click for link) but the mainstream media ignored this, because that wont bring any TRP's !

The subplot of this incident has been the item number provided to us by none other than India's Leader of opposition- Hona'ble Sushma Swaraj. Sushma Swaraj clearly had the courage of dancing at the Samadhi of the Father Of the Nation. Her Thumkas with young party leader Anurag Thakur (son of Himachal CM-Prem Kumar Dhumal) added to the drama and nautanki, a trademark of the Bharatiya Janta Party. Sushma aunty in her defense pointed out many great Congress leaders had danced previously.

But clearly she got her facts all wrong- Great Congress leaders like Smt. Indira Gandhi , Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had danced. No doubt. But with Tribals, But with Army Jawans , But with Aam Aadmi. Never on Someone's Samadhi.

If Tomorrow, Atal Bihari Vajpayee dies and we have his Samadhi- Would the BJP allow anybody to dance at his Samadhi even on a patriotic number?

India is the Vibrant land of culture, of song and dance , of melas and tamashas ! But clearly when we are not serious when we talk of National Issues like Corruption and Black Money. We make a song and dance out of it. Clearly we miss the point.

You Decide.