In The Guardian, Randeep Ramesh goes to Haridwar to meet Yoga evangelist Swami Ramdev:
At 5am beneath the Shivalik hills in northern India, Swami Ramdev sits cross-legged swaddled in saffron robes commanding the rapt attention of 500 devotees of his brand of yoga. The crowd is made up mostly of middle-class Indians, many suffering from chronic conditions for which traditional medicine has little to offer but comfort.
Each “patient” has paid 7,000 to 40,000 rupees (£90 to £500) to be among the first to spend a week at the swami’s newest venture: a village of 300 bungalows offering spiritual retreat in the shadow of eucalyptus trees.
Swami Ramdev’s pitch is that pranayama, the ancient Indian art of breath control, can cure a bewildering array of diseases. “Asthma, arthritis, sickle-cell anaemia, kidney problems, thyroid disease, hepatitis, slipped discs – and it will unblock any fallopian tubes,” he tells his audience in the yoga village, who line up to have their blood tested and receive herbal remedies.
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sir my brother is suffering from fungal granuloma a disease in brain.3 times operated in sathya sai hospital in bangalore.he may be cure.but dont know when.my brother want to take ayurvedic medicine n also want to do yoga.for that he want to meet with baba ramdev.can u send me address of baba where he is staying on my email.when we can meet with him?we r frusteted.pls help us in this situation we wil always remain thankful to u.