Opinion Baba Ramdev in Goa: Yoga lessons during Carnival times

The Baba offered his sagely views on a range of topics, in particular, the sorry state of affairs of Indian society. But first, he promised that he would teach yoga to rid the faithful of an array of afflictions, including diabetes, hypertension, asthma and thyroid imbalances. I must admit that I was a tad disappointed that bigotry and hatred, afflictions which are spreading with viral efficiency, were not on this list. He also proclaimed that cancer had increased “a lot” during the pandemic and “people have lost their eyesight, their sense of hearing…”. He did not specify the sources for these alarming observations, but then only boring people bother with tedious details like facts.

Clearly, the Baba had bounced back from the onslaught of criticism he had received for remarking that his concoctions could cure Covid-19. He went on to claim, without the tiniest hint of self-doubt, that despite being in his mid-50s, he looked like he was in his 20s. I think he is right: Having inspected his image closely (unavoidable as his image was plastered on dozens of lamp-posts in Panaji), he reminded me, as some aficionados of Russian history and Boney M discography have observed, of Rasputin, that ageless monk who was rumoured to be the Tsarina’s lover.

Ominously, he also promised to make Goa free of alcohol and drug “addiction”. Many of my physician colleagues and the state’s vibrant booze sector prayed that the camp would be a damp squib, but the government, in a zealous effort to ensure that there would be no embarrassing vacant spaces because the debauched citizenry preferred to indulge in the revelry of the Carnival, issued a circular instructing government teachers to be present at the yoga camp. No doubt, these hapless attendees will, one day, look back in gratitude to our wise state government when they live to a ripe old age while all those who indulged in sinful Carnival activities kick the bucket prematurely.

Of course, as one would expect from a man who has devoted his life to the worship of god and of gold, sin was a central theme in his preaching. He went on to assail the “vulgarity” which has spread in the country and was “evoking lust in people”. I hoped he would follow up this accurate observation with an all-out attack on the casinos which have metastasized on the Mandovi river, blighting Panaji’s historic waterfront and which, if one was to believe Goa’s abundant conspiracy-theorists, was essentially a conduit for money-laundering. I was so naive. After all, with both the casinos and the yoga camp being sponsored by the same government, he wasn’t going to bite the hand that feeds him. One thing I took away from this: This god-man is much smarter than many libtards think.

The Baba was concerned about the lack of “spirituality” in our people, not referring to the aberrant inclinations towards greed, corruption and lynching, but referring to “porn films” and “vulgarity”” in our films and TV serials. He went on to argue that “man is not a social animal”, which he said was being erroneously taught in schools, but “is a divine representation of the Almighty”. I am not an expert in theological matters and cannot comment on the latter statement. But as a scientist (a term which I know does not exist in the dictionary of the Baba or millions of his most ardent fans), I wish to point out that man is, indeed, a social animal. The best evidence for this is summarised brilliantly in The Good Life, published last month.

This book chronicles the findings of the longest study of physical and mental well-being in adults ever conducted. The study began 85 years ago and involved tracking over 700 men in the Boston area, to find out what determined their long-term well-being. The book’s author, Robert Waldinger, a Harvard psychiatrist, recently spoke about their most surprising finding — rather than smoking or drinking or a variety of other sinful activities, happy relationships were the strongest predictor of long-term health. He said “It’s very well established that interpersonal connectedness, and the quality of those connections, really impact health, as well as happiness.”

Waldinger made the critical observation that “our social life is a living system, and it needs maintenance too. One of the ways you can do it is through tiny actions.” These “tiny actions” occur when we reach out to others in our communities to build relationships and to work in solidarity towards our common good and shared futures. Instead of expending our energies only in self-centred pursuits devoted to one’s divine fulfilment, for example, through yoga, hugging cows or donating gold to god-men, engaging in activities which bring collective happiness, such as dancing with strangers in the Carnival parade, might offer a better chance for long-term well-being.

The writer is The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at Harvard Medical School