Mudra Rakshasa
Yoga as an approach towards health improvement is a more than two millennium old practice in India. However historically it was never practised by the common man because the common man, one who indulged in physical labour and physical hard work was essentially the untouchable, kept deprived of all resources of the society. Historically, none of the castes barring the Shudra, engaged in physical labour and thus health has always been an issue for them. The condition is not much different today. It has always been difficult for the so called upper castes to ward off ailments because of their lack of physical labour. It was for the health of these upper castes that the Hindu ritualistic exercise (yoga) was invented. However it needs some serious thought as to how much health benefit yoga has imparted to the country
Can the Yogis of India claiming to cure cancer through yoga, tell the nation how many players and athletes through yoga have been made capable (health wise) of succeeding in Olympics like the Gold medallist athletes of economically backward Ethopia, who are not even remotely concerned with the practice of Yoga? Why couldn’t Baba Ramdev who earned Crores in the name of imparting Yoga training even for running and swimming competitions make anyone fit enough to win?
The Yoga billionaires should be asked why their camps are filled only by the people of middle and upper classes with protruding bellies which keep increasing in size despite fat balanced diet.
Has anyone ever seen a labourer or a rickshaw puller with a protruding belly? The middle class and upper class with white collar jobs and not used to working out in Gym find Yoga easy as well as spiritually satisfying. By practicing a little yoga they get the much needed immediate gratification of health and religious benefits by which cannot be availed by working out in a gym.
This discussion on yoga is important here because even the big wigs of politics are unaware of the reality of this meaningless exercise meant to please the upper classes. They tend to have imbibed a spiritual apprehension of it. Since after the 8th Century this country has been made intensely scrupulous and just as its people are apprehensive of other religious rituals they learn the spiritual fear of yoga too. The Hindu women of this country just as they find gratification in Kathas of Satyanarayan, find the same kind of gratification in Yoga camps. If the camp fees happen to be high the middle class woman also gets the satisfaction of class distinction.
All of it has not been analysed from a critical point of view. At a time Brinda Karat had raised a bitter debate over the transparency of Ramdev’s business but even then she had not raised any questions on yoga. Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh has initiated a challenge to this business. Hopefully one day all of this will be examined and explored with neutrality.
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Shri Mudra Rakshasa won amny awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to Indian theater as a playwright. This article has been translated from Hindi by MuslimMirror.com
Another jealous convert; u keep on practice nomadic traditions imported from Arab land
@VARUN….does “indigenious traditions” have any social or moral merit n respect…ask a shudra/harijan what he to say about oppresive n regressive vedic varnas…..hell to hindutwaad.
What the kinds of Exercise of a Dog nature.
There are modern Body exercise Does not need to call OM.
Hindu culture & nothing else. A silly way of attracting & earning money.