Indian Swami takes the fizz out of Coke.

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viji <viji123

Sun Jan 29, 2006 5:49 pm

Indian swami takes the fizz out of Coke

 

 

Indian swami takes the fizz out of Coke

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HA28Df03.html

 

By Siddharth Srivastava

NEW DELHI - Swami Ramdev may not be known to the West yet, but he is giving

the jitters to many multinationals operating in India, where his enterprise,

which revolves around yoga, is valued at more than US$50 million and is said to

have touched 100 million people.

 

The swami is open in his derision of cola drinks, packaged and fast food, and

pharmaceutical companies selling allopathic drugs,

 

even as he seeks to generate health consciousness through spiritual and simple

breathing exercises (called pranayam) claimed to be particularly useful in

dealing with lifestyle diseases (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac

problems, arthritis, cholesterol, overweight, kidney disorders, cancer) and

aging.

 

His take on cola giants Pepsi and Coca-Cola is that such carbonated drinks

should be used to clean toilets, not consumed. The swami's mantra is that most

diseases can be controlled by proper breathing and diet (essential tenets of

yoga) and Ayurvedic medicines, although regular drugs are essential to cure some

diseases and during emergencies. He has even spoken out against french fries.

 

Such is the impact of Ramdev, who appears on television to reach his dedicated

followers, that yoga classes have mushroomed across India alongside new-age

avatars such as cyber-cafes, gymnasiums, coffee shops and glitzy retail outlets

of foreign brands such as Nokia, Nike and Reebok. It is said that Ramdev has

revolutionized the way of life of Indians and drawn them away from junk food,

non-vegetarianism and has made millions, including youngsters, wake up early in

the morning to listen to his sermons on TV. Indian advertising guru Alyque

Padamsee has said the advertising mantra of the yogi rivals David Ogilvy's.

 

Ramdev's live pranayam sessions (he holds more than 150 a year) could put any

rock star to shame, filling up the biggest stadiums. The swami has an earthy

narrative style that connects with people, even as he coaxes them to continue

with their deep inhalations while he talks. During his shivirs (live

gatherings), many exult on camera the benefits of his exercises, though some

yoga practitioners have criticized Ramdev for being simplistic.

 

Nobody, however, doubts that Ramdev is India's first tele-guru and has been

called the Amitabh Bachchan (Bollywood's mega-star) of spiritual TV. Ramdev's

sermons sit on top of a slew of similar shows on exclusive channels such as

Aashtha (with Ramdev as the mascot), Zee Jagran, Quran TV, God TV (beamed from

Israel) and Sanskar that have gained remarkable popularity in the recent past,

with advertising revenues crossing $2 million. Surprisingly, television ratings

show that people in the 15-35-years age group make up more than 35% of the

viewers, even as these channels have begun peppering discourses with movies,

music, discussions and comedies to retain the eyeballs and compete with

youth-oriented programming on MTV and Channel V.

 

Not much is known about the guru, except that he originates from the state of

Haryana and has lived in Haridwar, a holy city on the banks of the River Ganges,

for the past decade while learning his art. Pictures show him to be a man

probably in his late 30s or early 40s. The swami's Divya Yog ashram at Haridwar

has a huge herbarium and a drug-manufacturing unit (for Ayurveda medicines)

backed by a team of doctors. A new factory is being built close by. The swami's

dream project is a 120-hectare Ayurvedic ashram near Delhi, which Ramdev has

said will rival the World Health Organization. Revenues are generated through

brisk sale of medicines, registration fees for his live sessions, books, video

discs, television and of course donations, especially from non-resident Indians,

from across the world.

 

Recently, an unseemly spat ensued between a prominent leftist-party leader,

Brinda Karat, and the swami. Karat, angered by allegations of labor-law

violations at a drug-manufacturing unit run by the guru, said some of the

medicines being manufactured by Ramdev used human or animal body parts. Ramdev

lashed out at Karat, accusing her of " championing multinational drug companies

to undermine comparatively cheaper Ayurvedic medicines " .

 

Though many multinational marketing and sales executives privately relished

the controversy, Karat had to beat a hasty retreat when politicians across the

spectrum, including her own party, spoke in favor of Ramdev. The Bharatiya

Janata Party sought to give the incident a swadeshi (indigenous) versus videshi

(foreign hue) slant. Union minister and Bihar political satrap Laloo Yadav said:

" If herbal medicines help, it hardly matters if they contain bones, whether

human or demon.'' Karat finally had to sing the virtues of Ayurveda and yoga

publicly.

 

Indeed, it is to the credit of Ramdev that he has not only managed to teach

the virtues of yoga to so many, but also turned it into a selling proposition.

" He is a fitness guru with an Indian twist. He uses the Indian religious

language to sell the idea of fitness to [the] masses, " Santosh Desai, president

of ad firm McCann Ericson, said in a recent interview with Economic Times.

 

Yoga is already a $30-billion-a-year business in the United States, with

Western followers familiar with the meditation techniques of Deepak Chopra, Sri

Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living, and Bhagwan Rajneesh, who appealed to his

audience through a modern interpretation of Buddhist philosophy. Maharishi

Mahesh Yogi and Sri Satya Sai Baba also have large, loyal followings, but the

numbers do not compare to Ramdev's.

 

It is said of Ramdev that he has moved beyond the abstract ministrations of

the mind propounded by the above mentioned to actual physical exercises that are

seen to provide succor to increasingly stressful lives associated with the

advent of consumerist lifestyles and the proverbial rat race in India.

 

It is estimated that close to 20 million Americans practice yoga, with most

fitness clubs offering instruction. Retailers such as Wal-Mart and REI stock up

on yoga accessories, including video discs, apparel, mats and other equipment.

The average yoga practitioner's annual expenditure for enlightenment turns out

to be $1,500. It was indeed ironic that the benefits of yoga, which owes its

origin to India traditions that are 4,000 years old, has been so successfully

packaged in the West and not in India.

 

That is, until the unlikely Ramdev brand emerged.

 

Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist.

(Copyright 2006 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us

for information on sales, syndication and republishing .)

 

 

 

 

 

 

" Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest

of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Excellent Jag! Thankyou!

 

Yoga SHOULD be simplistic - Coke SHOULD be used to clean toilets - certainly

here in hospitals we use it for cleaning tubing LOL - this man is a genius! A

revolution!

 

Best,

 

Jane