Baba Ramdev: the yoga of anti-corruption

BANGALORE, INDIA: As anti-corruption crusades have been fast evolving the 'in-thing' in democratic India, Babe Ramdev, a yoga preacher, and now a social activist, is expected to gather around one lakh people across the region and country for his fast (not unto death) against corruption with a special focus to get the Indian money lying in foreign accounts.

This number, if reached, would gross over the total mass support gathered by Anna Hazare for the Jan Lokpal Bill.

According to a media report, Baba Ramdev will observe 14 hours (7am-9pm) fast at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi on June 4, which means that it is not a fast-unto-death, as said earlier.

Considering his claim to his followers that he meditated for five years in the Himalayas in his 20s, the fast for 14 hours seems like a child's play and the fast may end bit too fast.

Also read: Hazare's 'freedom struggle' rocks cyberspace

His aides, Swami Sampoornananda and around 1000 of his disciples and believers will join him from 624 districts in the country.

It is hard to understand the rationale and motivation behind the fast by Baba Ramdev — inspirations from Ram Prasad Bismil or the political inclination? But the outcome is interesting on real and virtual world.

Interestingly, the so-called crusade has also invited criticism from political as well as social circles. Even as the Congress leadership is trying to persuade the yoga preacher to retract from the fasting threat, some Congress leaders are not so happy with this act of appeasing. Even some celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan are of the opinion that it is a politically motivated gimmick.

But for the netizens this is another opportunity to celebrate for sure.

In social media platform, #baba #Ramdev is among the top trending words. Google Trends ranks it at number four placing at the 'Spicy' category. The news around fasting has not only given people a new topic to talk about and debate over, but it has also become a business and marketing opportunity for many!

A snack brand (@HelloMeHippo) tweets, “Hippo say, Dear Baba Ramdev uncle, Bhookh-asana never be a solution to anything.”

People have started talking about #fastingbill2011. Though started with a different intention, this has taken up as a parody for the new fashion of fasting against the government machinery. While the initiator of it (@Acorn) justifies his stance with his tweet (“I started #fastingbill2011 to mock the tendency to use the methods of what Ambedkar called "grammar of anarchy", not Ramdev”), people have gone beyond the core to mockingly say how this should be the next bill in the parliament session.

Tweets like this show that mocking approach only: 'No fast shall be deemed to have been broken unless certified by the National Fasting Authority. #FastingBill2011".

“I thought our Parliamentarians would introduce #Cantfasttodeathbill2011 to counter-act the C+ (corruption) in their blood”

“Need Fasting Regulatory Authority of India (FRAI), that will, inter alia, co-ordinate/ schedule all public cause fasts ”.

Of course, there are serious campaigns too but when too many people make it to anti-corruption crusade, humour seems to prevail over the cyber space than seriousness.