Claiming to be cured of childhood paralysis by practicing yoga, celebrity yogi Swami Ramdev of India has grown his mega-million-dollar yoga empire into a household name and now wishes to pursue politics. Exclaiming on the US-version of his foundation’s website, “Good health is the birthright of all human beings,” Ramdev intends to use his influence to cure India of its corruption and bring reforms that will help realize a healthy lifestyle for all. He plans to have his party contest every seat, 500+, in the next election.Swami Ramdev could win over India's minds on his yoga platform alone, but there are closeted concerns--aren't there always? A recent Reuters article, in which the swami’s political aspirations were revealed, cited his claim to have a cure for cancer and his belief that homosexuality is a disease of the mind. The latter makes him sound like a bigot and a crackpot. Is that who will run as India's future leader? Isn’t yoga about being mindful, open and loving? How can this yoga guru lead a nation, when he obviously doesn’t accept people for who they are?
As a yoga teacher, travel-book editor, and emergency-room hospital volunteer, I'm interested in looking at the intersection of yoga and other life pursuits. (This is the 1st of 4 assignments for MediaBistro's online "Intro to Multimedia Journalism" course.)
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