Alwar अलवर
—  city  —
Alwar is famous for its scenic landscape
Alwar
Coordinates: 27°20′N 76°23′E / 27.34°N 76.38°E / 27.34; 76.38Coordinates: 27°20′N 76°23′E / 27.34°N 76.38°E / 27.34; 76.38
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District	Alwar
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	3010 01
Telephone code	+0144
Vehicle registration	RJ-02

Alwar (Rajasthani: अलवर) is a city and administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located around 160 km south of Delhi, and about 150 km north of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan.

India's highest ever recorded temperature of 50.6 °C (123.1 °F) was measured at Alwar on 10 May 1956.^[1]

Alwar was formerly the capital of the princely state of Alwar. It was formerly spelt as "Ulwar" in British India. This placed it in last position in alphabetically ordered lists, so a king changed the spelling to "Alwar" to bring it to the top.^{[citation needed]}

Neemrana

History[link]

The princely state of Alwar was founded by Pratap Singh, a Rajput of the Kachwaha lineage, in 1770. His son, aided the British against the Marathas. After the battle of Laswari (1803) Alwar became the first state of Rajputana to sign a treaty of 'Offensive and Defensive Alliance' with the British East India Company.^[2] A few years later, Bakhtawar Singh ventured an armed incursion into neighbouring Jaipur, the senior Kachwaha state, and the erstwhile overlord of his predecessor. Bakhtawar Singh was defeated; a fresh engagement was made with him by the HEIC, prohibiting him from political intercourse with other states without British consent. During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Raoraja Bane Singh sent a force consisting mainly of Muslims and Rajputs, to relieve the British garrison in Agra. The Muslims deserted and the rest were defeated by the rebels. Pran Sukh Yadav, who fought beside Rao Tula Ram of Rewari in 1857, settled along with the kinsmen of dead soldiers at Village Nihalpura, Behror Tehsil, of Alwar District. Following the independence of India in 1947, Alwar acceded unto the dominion of India. On March 18, 1948, the state merged with three neighbouring princely states (Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli) to form the Matsya Union. This union in turn merged unto the Union of India. On May 15, 1949, it was united with certain other princely states and the territory of Ajmer to form the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan.

Rulers of Alwar state[link]

• Pratap Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1775–1791) Rao Raja of Alwar
• Bakhtawar Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1791–1815) Rao Raja of Alwar
• Bane Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1815–1857) Maharao Raja of Alwar
• Sheodan Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1857–1874) Maharao Raja of Alwar
• Mangal Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1874–1892) Maharaja of Alwar
• Jai Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1892–1937) Maharaja of Alwar
• Tej Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1937–1971) Maharaja of Alwar (titular Maharaja from 1971–2009)
• Jitendra Pratap Singh Prabhakar Bahadur, Maharaja of Alwar (titular from 2009-)

Geography[link]

Alwar is located at 27°34′N 76°36′E / 27.57°N 76.6°E / 27.57; 76.6.^[3] It has an average elevation of 271 metres (889 feet).

Mineral Resources[link]

Alwar is fairly rich in mineral wealth. It produces marble, granite, felspar, dolomite, quartz, lime stone, soap stone, barites.

Metallic Minerals^[4]

• Barytes
• Soap Stone
• Copper Clay
• Copper Ore
• Pyrophylite
• Silica Sand
• Fels par
• Quartz
• Red Okar
• Dolomite

Villages in Alwar[link]

The full list of all villages in Alwar district can be seen at http://alwar.nic.in/alwar-c-2001.htm

Agriculture[link]

Alwar has an important place in Agriculture production in Rajasthan. Total geographical area of the district is 7,83,281 hectares which is about 2.5 percent of the State. In the year 2010-2011 the net cultivated area is 5,07,171 hecters from which about 83 percent area viz. - 4,51,546 is irrigated and remaining 17 percent area viz. - 82,903 is unirrigated. Double cropped area is 2,52,049 hectares of which 32,230 hecter (12%) area is irrigated and remaining 2,19,819 hecter (88%) area is unirrigated. Thus, the total cropped area of the district is 8,12,873 hecters. In Kharif season Bajra, Maize, Jowar, Karif pulses, Arhar, Sesamum, Cotton, Guar etc. are sown in about 3,29,088 hectare (42%) and in Rabi season Wheat, Barley, Gram, Mustard, Taramira, Rabi pulses etc. are sown in about 4,52,527 hectare (58%). The main source of irrigation are wells and Tube Wells. By 26064 Tube Wells about 192861 hectare area is being irrigated and by 57196 Wells about 265169 hectares area is irrigated. By other sources like canals, tanks about 404 hectares area is irrigated. About 35470 electric motors and 66502 Diesel pump sets are being used for Irrigation purposes. The normal rainfall for the district is 657.3 mm. The average rainfall in last ten years in the district is 724 mm. The rainfall distribution in the district is uneven and scattered which resulted some times flood problems and some time draught position which affect the Agriculture production as well as cropping pattern in Kharif & Rabi season. Thus, the Agriculture in the district by and large depends on rainfall distribution. The average rainfall in the year 2011 up to sep. is 217 mm.

Demographics[link]

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[5] Alwar had a population of 160,245. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Alwar has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the males and 41% of females literate. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Ethnicity[link]

The Residents of Alwar are from different communities. The principal communities are the Rajputs, Yadavs, Gujjars & Meos& JATs

Local attractions and excursions[link]

Alwar contains many interesting and historical monuments. The city has a beautiful lake and a picturesque valley. The Sariska Tiger Reserve is located in the Aravalli hills only a few kilometres away from Alwar. The sanctuary, which is a Project Tiger reserve, also boasts of many other species, including rare birds and plants. The military cantonment of Itarana lies on the outskirts of Alwar. Hill Fort Kesroli now a heritage hotel is also near by.

Fairy Queen[link]

Fairy Queen is the oldest working engines in the world and one of national treasure (cultural artifacts) of India. The engine was built in the year 1855 and acquired by the Eastern Indian Railways from a British firm. Now the train is used for tourism purposes that departs from the Delhi encampment and reaches its destination at Alwar, in Rajasthan.

Tourism[link]

An image of the Sariska Palace^[6] within Sariska Tiger Reserve

Siliserh Lake is wonderful tourist place surrounded by green Aravalli Hills

• The Alwar fort (Bala Quila)
• Sariska Tiger Reserve
• Siliserhlake
• Jagannath Temple
• Narayani Mata
• Ajabgarh
• Bhangarh
• Naldeshwar
• Karni Mata Temple
• Pandupole
• Bharathari
• Taal-Vraksh
• Jaysamand Lake
• Saagar
• Barrod - Fort and Rundha, Old Sikar Gaha
• moti dungri
• itarana

See also[link]

• Pinangwan

Schools in alwar[link]

• chinar school,alwar
• kendriya vidyalaya Moti Dungri
• kendriya vidyalaya itarana
• APS ,Alwar public school
• Bal Bharti School, Arya Nagar
• Bal Bharti School, Gandhi Nagar
• St. Anslems School
• Adinath Public School, Gandhi Nagar
• Monalisa Secondary School, Alwar

References[link]

• Powlett, P. W. (1838). Gazetteer of Ulwur (Alwar). London : Trübner & co.. http://www.archive.org/stream/gazetteerofulwur00powliala#page/n5/mode/2up. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alwar

• Official website
• Brief history of princely Alwar
• History of District Alwar
• Brief History and Coins of Princely State: Alwar
• Alwar Information
• Gazetteer of Ulwur
• Alwar and Sariska National Park

To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, the introduction of this article may need to be rewritten. Please discuss this issue on the talk page and read the layout guide to make sure the section will be inclusive of all essential details. (April 2012)

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (May 2012)

Swami Ramdev
Baba Ramdev
Born	January 1965 (age 47) Ali Saiyad Pur (Alipur), Mahendragarh, Haryana, India
Birth name	Ram Krishna
Guru	Acharya Pradumn
Philosophy	Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam[1]

Swami Ramdev (born as Ramkrishna on 11 Jan 1965 in Haryana)^[2] alias Baba Ramdev is a spiritual leader known for his ventures in yoga, ayurved and agriculture. Baba Ramdev is best known for popularizing yoga among health conscious Indians through his mass yoga camps & TV shows. Since last year he has become more controversial for his continued advocacy on Indian political issues.^[3]

Early life[link]

Ramdev was born as Ramkrishna Yadav to Gulab Devi and Ram Nivas in the Alipur village of Mahendragarh district in Haryana state of India.He had a formal education till 8th standard in school. He then studied Indian scriptures, yoga and Sanskrit in various gurukuls. Eventually, he became sanyasi, renouncing worldly life & took present name as Baba Ramdev.^[4] While living in Kalva Gurukul of Jind district in Haryana, he offered free yoga training to villagers for some time. Then he moved to Haridwar, Uttarakhand and spent several years studying ancient Indian scriptures at Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya. This included a rare book of Aurobindo Ghosh, Yogik Sadhan,^[5] translated from Bengali into Hindi by Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil. After reading this small booklet योगिक साधन he went to the caves of Himalaya and practised intense self-discipline and meditation.

Beginning of Public Life[link]

He entered prominence when he started the Divya Yog Mandir Trust with the company of Acharya Balkrishna at Kankhal Haridwar. In 2003, Aastha TV began featuring him in its morning yoga slot. Within a few years, he had gathered a huge following.^[6] The New York Times called him "an Indian, who built Yoga Empire, a product and symbol of the New India, a yogic fusion of Richard Simmons, Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey, irrepressible and bursting with Vedic wisdom."^[7]

A large number of people and many celebrities in India and abroad have attended his yoga camps.^[8] He has taught yoga to many actors including Amitabh Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty.^[9] He has also taught yoga in the British Parliament,^[10] at the MD Anderson Cancer Center affiliated to the University of Texas^[11][12] and at the seminary of Muslim clerics at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, becoming the first ever non-Muslim to publicly address the deobandi Muslim clerics.^[13]

Apart from making Yoga a household word in India, he has also taught Yoga in Britain, USA and Japan among other countries. Soon after getting popular outside India, he was invited by Kofi Annan in 2006 to deliver a lecture on poverty alleviation in a United Nations conference.^[14][15]

Patanjali Yogpeeth and Research on Yoga[link]

A view of Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar (Uttara Khand) India

The flagship project of Baba Ramdev is Patanjali Yogpeeth. Since its inauguration in 2006, it has been one of the largest centers for research on Yog and Ayurved in India. The vision of the research institution as mentioned on the Patanjali Yogpeeth website is "To evaluate the physiological and clinical effects of Yog and Pranayam as taught by Swami Ramdevji and the Ayurvedic medicines formulated by Acharya Balakrishanji".^[16] Apart from running free yoga classes and providing free ayurvedic consultancy in the premises of the yogpeeth, the Patanjali Yogpeeth website claims to run 20,000 free yoga classes and 2000 chikitsalayas all over the country.^[17] The facilities at the Yogpeeth comprise a 300-bed multi specialty hospital, a yoga research center,^[18] a university,^[19] an ayurvedic pharmacy^[20] and a food park.^[21]

Patanjali YogPeeth has acquired a Scottish Island for about £2 million which was donated by Mr.Sam and Mrs. Sunita Poddar, originally from India and living in Scotland for 25 years, have been running the UK branch of the Patanjali Yoga Peeth Trust.^[22] The Little Cumbrae Island, off the fishing town of Largs in Scotland, will also serve as the Patanjali Yog Peeth's base overseas, where yoga will be taught. This project will be run by Patanjali Yogpeeth (UK) Trust.^[23] They have plans to set up a wellness retreat there.

Political and social campaigns[link]

Ramdev has clarified that he has no political ambitions and is not interested in starting a political party, but feels it's his obligatory duty to reform social and political ambiguities apart from popularising yoga and thus strengthen the country.^[24][25]

He has raised a number of political, social and economic issues through his yoga camps (in Hindi Yog Shivir). Most of the issues raised by him demand a drastic change in the governance policies of India.

On agriculture and dietary practices[link]

In many yog shivira (yoga camps), he has raised the issue of increased consumption of fast foods, packed foods and soft drinks by the people. According to him these products can cause diseases and so they must not be eaten. He has also claimed that commercially available aerated drinks are harmful to due to the presence of phosphoric acids, preservatives, unknown chemicals and emulsifiers. He claims that these drinks are very harmful to the entire body and especially the stomach lining if consumed. He has also made statements along the lines of "Coca Cola means Toilet Cleaner" and has claimed that these cold drinks are as effective at cleaning toilets as the commercially available toilet cleaners.^[26] He urges people in his public meetings to pledge not to consume commercial aerated drinks, to protect individual health as well as to avoid Indian wealth being transferred to multinational companies. Instead he advices the public to consume hot water, milk or traditional Indian juices which keep them in good health.

He has also claimed that the use of fertilizers and pesticides has led to an undue economic load on farmers and increased the profits of large business houses involved in the business. He also claims that these practices are harmful to the general public, since the farming produce is contaminated with inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.^[27] Due to this practice, the farming land is also becoming barren. He also blames corrupt practices for the miserable conditions of the poor farmers and other backward class of the society. He says that although agriculture is the biggest area which can contribute enough to India's economy yet it's farmers are the most poverty stricken class of the country. He says if villages improve then there will be a completely different India^[28]

Protests against black money[link]

Baba Ramdev raised the issue of black money publicly in Ramlila Maidan on 27 Feb 2011^[29] Estimations indicate a total of Rs. 400 lakh crore, or nearly 9 trillion USD, of Indian black money outside the country. It is claimed but not proven that this is so much money that every Indian constituency could get up to 50 thousand crore for development. The money has been pulled outside the country via physical and technical means, with hawala, under/over invoicing being some common methods. Money laundering started on a large scale since 1990.

In April 2011 Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, confirmed that there are Indian names on Swiss bank accounts.^[30] Switzerland is not the only tax havens where Indian black money is stashed. Other tax havens include Dubai, Liechtenstein, USA, UK, and others.^[29] Switzerland has officially rejected any "fishing expeditions" by the Indian government but are willing to be more cooperative in investigations where specific evidence is provided. An approach had been made by Indian government but was refused on the basis that it was a fishing expedition without any evidence. Baba Ramdev has said that most of the money belongs to the ministers, government officials and bureaucrats.^[29]

Apart from this, there is an estimated Rs. 100–150 lakh crore of black money in India's internal economy. India's total GDP is in the range of 60 lakh crore and at least twice of this amount is circulating in black, which is roughly between 100 and 150 lakh crore.^[29] Ramdev has suggested many measures to curb the amount of black money circulating inside the internal economy. Baba Ramdev pointed out that total currency note circulation in India is 10 lakh crore. If the GDP is 60 lakh crore, then currency note circulation should be 1/50 of that amount, which is only 2 lakh crore. A common thumb-rule of macroeconomics is that a currency note can travel 50 to 100 transaction points over a year. Hence if RBI has circulated 10 lakh crore of currency then the total Indian economy should be at least 50 × 10 lakh crore = 500 lakh crore. This clearly indicates that there is huge amount of black money circulating inside the internal economy and an equally high amount of unaccounted wealth is being siphoned out of the country every year by corrupt ministers and bureaucrats.

Swami Ramdev has been associated with the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement and was involved in the Jan Lokpal agitation^[31]

In February 2011, he gave the following steps for eradication of black money:^[32]

1. Declare all Indian wealth lying outside the country as national wealth.
2. Agree to and accept the U.N. Convention against Corruption – pending since 2006.
3. Access, monitor and disrupt payment gateway servers enabling corrupt people to manage money in tax havens.
4. Scrutinizing accounts of people having credit/debit cards of foreign banks without any foreign work/relation.
5. Disabling operations of any bank from a tax haven country.
6. Withdrawal and demonetizing of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes – so as to avoid misuse of unaccounted money and quick arrest of the entire locally circulated black money, bribing, and fake note traffic.
7. Death penalty provision for the corrupt persons in Indian Penal Code.

Many countries like USA, Germany and other smaller African countries have attempted to adopt certain steps to recover their black money yet at the same time they have retained their own havens, for example, the USA has Delaware, the UK has the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, France has Monaco. However in India the government calls Ramdev's idea as impractical as many of Indias largest corporations trade in Switzerland and much needed investment into India from overseas funds is routed through Mauritius. The practicality of such steps has been called into question.^[24]

He has raised the issue of Indian money stashed away illegally in Swiss banks, which is estimated to be anywhere between 1 and 1.5 trillion USD. He says that the government must take immediate action and bring back the money as it belongs to the people of India. Not only this, he openly charges that this black money has been taken out of the country illegally and also very strongly demands a capital punishment to all those Indians or non-resident Indians, who acquire, handle and stash black money.

He suggests that Mauritius route is a tax haven for black money operators in India and this route should be cut effectively by the Indian government but ignores the fact that all UK and US funds use Mauritius to invest in the Indian stock-market and in India. He had also demanded (as early as September 2009) the removal of currency of denominations of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000, saying that this would curb corruption, black money and terrorism.^[33][34]

Anti-corruption rally on 27 February 2011 at Ramlila Maidan[link]

On 27 February 2011 Baba Ramdev held a large rally of over 1 lakh people at the Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi to protest against corruption. Those present at the rally included Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, Ram Jethmalani, Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and many others.^[35] All members spoke and explained how corruption was rampant in the country and how the government itself was indulging in it. The most highlighted topic was Indian black money lying in tax havens of Switzerland. A striking feature of this rally was that all the major media houses boycotted it.

Bhrashtachar Mitao Satyagrah 4 June 2011 at Ramlila Maidan[link]

Preface[link]

Baba Ramdev launched the Bhrashtachar Mitao Satyagrah which was held at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi on 4 June 2011. Key demands were:^[36]

1. Declare all illegal wealth/black money lying in foreign countries, which belong to Indians as National Property.
2. Declaring money laundering as a National Crime and should be punishable.
3. Investigate and shut down the Mauritius route of foreign investment.
4. Sign and ratify the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, pending since 2006
5. Recall Rs. 1000 and Rs. 500 notes to curb corruption, bribery and illegal flow of money in the internal economy of the country.
6. Enact a strong Lokpal bill.
7. Establish infrastructure to deliver medical and engineering education in Indian Languages.
8. Enact Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act to enable all citizens to avail government/public services easily and quickly
9. Enact the Kisan Vetan Ayog to establish standards for payment of wages to farmers and classify farming as skilled labour.

Protest at Delhi[link]

Baba Ramdev declared to go on an Anshan (indefinite fast) on June 4, 2011 at Ramlila Ground Delhi^[37] to pressure the Central Government to root out corruption from India and bring back the black money stashed away in various financial institutions abroad. After this declaration the government was said to have set up a panel to suggest steps to curb black money and its transfer abroad, in an apparent bid to placate Ramdev.^[38]

When Ramdev arrived at Delhi airport on June 1, four senior ministers of the UPA government met him on the airport and tried to persuade him by telling of the government's initiative on corruption.^[39] On 4 June morning 65,000 followers of the yoga teacher had gathered at Ramlila Ground^[40] By noon queues extending up to 3 km from the entry point of Ramlila Grounds and were seen chanting 'Vande Mataram'. In the evening a press conference was organised by Kapil Sibbal made public a letter from Ramdev's camp to call off their agitation. Ramdev took it as a betrayal of the Government and hardened the position by declaring not to take back his Satyagrah until a proper government ordinance is announced in place of forming a committee.

Satyagrah was going on even in the night of 4 June 2011. Sources informed Baba Ramdev that a huge police force can try to clear Ramlila Ground and if it is not done they can also kill him in a fake encounter or set fire in the tents.^[41] At midnight, a huge team of 10,000 officers of the Delhi Police and RAF raided the ground when most of the Satyagrahis were sleeping on the and Ramdev was also sleeping on the dias along with his core group.^[42] A large police force lobbed tear gas shells and lathicharged to evict the crowd from 1a.m. to 4 a.m. The tent was set on fire at many places. Cold water was thrown over power generators to create complete darkness to prevent any video recording of the whole attack. However most media persons recorded what was going on.

Police had arranged buses to drop supporters at railway stations and bus stands in advance; had ammunition ready and all the policemen were in battle-gear wearing vests and helmets and kept some ambulances on standby. Ramdev was arrested while attempting to disguise himself in women's clothing.^[43]

Delhi Police forcefully detained Ramdev at Safdargunj Airport in complete isolation for a few hours and then deported him to his Ashram in Haridwar via helicopter.^[44] Police fired tear gas, lathcharged people who were reportedly peacefully fasting. 53 persons were injured and treated at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital, AIIMS trauma center, and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.^[45][46][47] Government stopped media person or anybody to enter the hospital to check the injured. Protesters huddled near the Metro station, bus depots and railway stations. Many walked down to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and other nearby Ashrams.^[48] According to New Delhi railway station authorities, supporters continued to leave in batches through the course of the day. While several supporters spent the day in a park near Ramlila Maidan, others took shelter in Arya Samaj at Paharganj.^[49]

Baba Ramdev was taken by police out side Delhi and was banned from entering Delhi for 15 days. After being banned from entering Delhi for the next 15 days, Union Home Secretary G. K. Plillai said the Baba was on his way to his Ashram at Haridwar under police custody.^[50] On reaching Haridwar, Swami Ramdev declared in a press conference that his fast unto death will continue.

About 5,000 supporters were still missing according to Baba Ramdev.^[51] Dr. Jaideep Arya, a key advisor of Ramdev’s team, said that about 19 girls students from the Chotipur Gurukul, who were seated near the dais, are estimated to be still missing.^[52] Suman, women’s representative of the Trust, said many of these girls were roughed up when the police tried to reach Swamiji and were crying since police officials were pulling their hair, dragging them badly and their clothes were torn. Police, however, said no one was missing.^[52] A senior police officer reported that they were forced to retaliate after Baba Ramdev's supporters started throwing stones and flower pots at them.^[53] Police also released CCTV footage to prove that no woman was beaten by them.^[54] TV channels were telecasting the footage of the scene in Ramlia Ground. Rajbala, who suffered a crippling spinal injury and was undergoing treatment at G. B. Pant Hospital died following cardiac arrest. The hospital authorities refused to give a death summary and other relevant papers, and even asked to file an RTI application. Baba Ramdev, in a statement, said “Her sacrifice is an irreparable loss to the whole organisation…..and her death will not go in vain. We will continue to fight for a corruption-free India.^[55]”

Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare and yoga guru Baba Ramdev will jointly sit on a day's token fast in Delhi on 3 June 2012 to press for a strong Lokpal Bill and to mobilise opinion against black money.^[56]

Aftermath of the Delhi protest and fast unto death[link]

Ramdev accused the government of cheating him, and alleged that there was a conspiracy to kill him and that he was threatened during a meeting with senior ministers.^[57] All political parties other than the Congress Party condemned the police action, called it undemocratic and naked fascism,^[58] deplorable and shortsighted.^[59][60] It was even compared it with the Emergency^[58] and the Jalianwala.^[58] Apart from politicians, he was also supported by civil societies as well. Activist Anna Hazare termed the crackdown of the agitation a strangulation of democracy. He said: "There was no firing otherwise the eviction was similar to Jallianwala Bagh massacre".^[61] He boycotted his lokpal panel meeting with the government on 6 June and decided to go on a one day fast on 8 June. His allies RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal, former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, and Swami Agnivesh also criticised the police action to evict the hunger strikers forcefully^[62] Protests were held in many different parts of the country.^[63] Protest were held in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jammu and Lucknow as well as among other several cities of India.^[64]

End of hunger strike[link]

Baba Ramdev ended his fast on the ninth day by drinking a glass of juice at Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun, where he was recuperating from the seventh day of his fast. After repeated request from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and various other activisst he ended his fast.^[65] Political reactions came in from all major parties expressing their happiness about ending the fast. BJP Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said they have a "sense of satisfaction" that the fast has ended. Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy said that the fast was "successful" and termed the government as "monstrous". While the ruling party Congress spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi gave a reaction by saying it as "good".^[66]

Allegations of corruption and tax evasion[link]

Hours after 4 June, the Congress-led UPA government started a massive campaign against Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna and Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust. Multiple allegations were raised against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna.

Some of them being:

1. Baba Ramdev is involved in tax evasion.
2. Baba Ramdev exports products that are banned in the United States.
3. Donations received by Baba Ramdev consist of black money.
4. Acharya Balkrishna has fake passport.
5. Acharya Balkrishna is a Nepali criminal who fled from Nepal to India.
6. Acharya Balkrishna has violated the Arms Act, 1959.

The Indian National Congress lead United Progressive Alliance launched a booklet to criticise and expose Ramdev during its election campaign in Uttar Pradesh for the 2012 elections.^[67][68] Acharya Balkrishna was later cleared of fake passport charges.^[69]

It is said^{[by whom?]} that there are a maze of companies that are run and maintained by Ramdev´s key men. Over 200 businesses^{[citation needed]} from broadcasting companies to food parks are run by his allies Acharya Balkrishna and Swami Muktanand. Baba Ramdev is also facing charges of land grab as it was reported^{[by whom?]} that Patanjali Yog Peeth had grabbed government land. In 2011, a report released by India Today cited some of the firms running under the guidance of Baba Ramdev as being scanned by government authorities for the above mentioned allegations.^[70][71]

Controversies and criticisms[link]

Involvements in activities prohibited for non-profit in USA[link]

Ramdev and his non-profit firms are alleged to involve in activities prohibited for non-profit tax-exempt organisations in USA.^[72]

Links with RSS and BJP[link]

Lalu Yadav said in a press conference- "Sadhvi Ritambhara was the first one to share the stage (with Ramdev at ramlila protest). She was the one who was responsible for the Babri Masjid demolition".^[73] Digvijay Singh, Congress general secretary alleged that all the five-star arrangements at Ramlila ground protests were done by right activist group RSS and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).^[74] Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said-"Some people with vested interest are hijacking and remote controlling the protest by RSS and BJP". It is said that he is also been financed by RSS. Ramdev has responded to these allegations by saying that, every patriot and well-wisher of the nation is supporting him, if RSS is one of them, so be it.

Initially RSS leader Ram Madhav made distance on this issue.^[75] But later on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said- "The RSS was not behind the stir launched by Ramdev seeking repatriation of the black money stashed illegally in foreign banks but have extended all support to it (agitation)." He added- "RSS cannot remain a mute spectator to the social revolution taking place against corruption and black money. Therefore, it has asked its cadres to join the agitation"^[76]

Labour law violations and animal parts in medicines[link]

In March 2005, 113 employees of Divya Yoga Mandir Trust, Haridwar started an agitation for minimum wages and employees's rights such as coverage under the Provident Fund and Employees' State Insurance schemes. After a tripartite meeting, an agreement was reached between the workers, management and the district administration. However, some agitating workers were dismissed by the Trustees after being alleged to be responsible for sabotage. Their case was taken up by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). They are still to be reinstated.^[77][78]

Brinda Karat, a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was involved with the protesters and was told by disgruntled workers that animal parts were used in the manufacture of some medicines. In January 2006, she accused the Divya Pharmacy, owned by Divya Yog Mandir Trust for using human and animal bones in their medicines. Samples of the medicines Kulya Bhasm (Mixture) and Yauvanamrit Vati purchased from Brahmakalp Chikitsalaya- the Trust's Hospital at Haridwar were tested at government labs and the presence of animal materials in the sample was confirmed.^[77] However, the source of the samples was disputed, as these had been supplied by Karat to the labs and not procured by government officials. Karat produced what were claimed to be the prescription and cash receipt obtained from the medicine counter for the samples provided.^[77][78][79]

Her controversial remarks drew strong condemnation from several politicians in North India, like Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Narayan Dutt Tiwari.^[80] Subsequently she received a legal notice on the behalf of a BJP leader in Faridabad.^[81]

A few months later in 2006, four samples were sent to the government recognized Shriram Institute of Industrial Research in Delhi. Negating the report from this institute the Union Health Ministry said to have found animal DNA in the samples, although most of the newspapers carried reports to the contrary.^[82]

Views on AIDS and sex education[link]

In December 2006, Swami Ramdev claimed to improve the condition of patients suffering with AIDS through yoga and ayurvedic drugs sold by his Divya Yoga Mandir Trust. He also went on to suggest that sex education should be replaced by yoga education, as his way to AIDS awareness and prevention.^[83] "Sex education in schools need [sic] to be replaced by yoga education," Ramdev told reporters at the state health minister's residence. As a consequence of these public statements he was sent a cease and desist order by the Indian Union Health Ministry to avoid making such claims in the future, and the civil society threatened legal action.^[84] In response, Ramdev paraphrased his statement and said the claims were not directly his, but those of patients who practiced yoga.^[85]

Views on homosexuality[link]

According to Newsweek magazine, Ramdev "detests gays".^[86] In July 2009, when Delhi High Court gave a verdict under decriminalizing homosexuality in Delhi, the swami called a press conference and said, "This verdict of the court will encourage criminality and sick mentality. ... This is breaking the family system in India. Homosexuality is not natural and can be treated. If the government brings this law, I will take this matter to the streets of Delhi in protest."^[87] In 2011 he petitioned the court to overturn the ruling.^[88] He said that "(Gay sex) is against our Vedic culture."^[89] Ramdev has said that he can cure homosexuals within six months using "yoga, pranayam and other meditation techniques".^[90][91] He has offered to cure Manvendra Singh Gohil, an openly gay prince.^[92] His views have attracted criticism.^[93]

Claims of curing cancer[link]

Other press reports quoted him as claiming to have a cure for cancer of the breast, liver, prostate, uterus, pituitary gland, and brain, as well as leukemia, by practicing breathing exercises. Swami Ramdev claims to have documented curing hundreds of patients.^[94]

Awards and recognitions[link]

• January 2007 – Honorary Doctorate, by Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, in recognition of his efforts to popularize the Vedic system/science of Yoga.^[95]

• March 2010 – Honored with Degree of Doctorate of Sciences by Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh.^{[citation needed]}
• April 2010 – Honored with honorary degree of Doctor of Science by Dr D. Y. Patil Deemed University, Pune, Maharashtra.^{[citation needed]}
• January 2011 – Honored with Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati National Eminence Award by Maharashtra Governor K. Shankaranarayanan.^[96]

Bibliography[link]

1. Yoga Sādhanā evam Yoga Chikitsā Rahasya (Yog Its Philosophy & Practice ISBN 978-81-89235-15-4)
2. Prāṇāyāma Rahasya (Pranayama Its Philosophy & Practice ISBN 978-81-89235-01-7)
3. Aushadh Darshan (Aushadh Darshan ISBN 978-81-89235-24-6)
4. Jeevaniya & Vayasthapan Paudhe (Vitality Strenghtening Astavarga Plants ISBN 978-4-04-980004-3)

The books explain in detail about the basics of a system of yoga and acupressure. The third book describes, among other things, the use of several medicinal herbs in curing some diseases which modern medicine is unable to cure. Ramdev claims to have documented proof of the books' claims.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

• Yoga
• Ayurveda
• Illegal mining in India
• Black Money

References[link]

External links[link]

• BBC Audio Interview with Swami Ramdev in Hindi
• BBC Interview with Swami Ramdev
• BBC News – Yogi cleared of animal parts row – March 8, 2006