Har Har Ramdev

Before you go by the title, let me make it clear – I am not religiously ignorant. I know the correct chant is ‘Har Har Mahadev’, but now this is what will be heard. And why not, if the spiritual idol of the nation Baba Ramdev has finally decided to take centre stage and reveal his political aspirations, be it the determination to change the system, or the serious attempt at absorbing back the lump of black money stored like unused materials in the Godowns (Swiss Bank) in Europe.
But what it actually makes us think – when it comes to politics and religion, which do people prioritize? In our country religion has always been ‘The Weapon’ brandished by Politicians to sway circumstances and votes in their favour, and thus the two go hand in hand. So, does that give Baba Ramdev an upper hand given his credibility and huge ‘fan’ base (remember, even the most orthodox and radical Muslim clerics of Deoband honoured him by inviting him to their rally)?
Having made his intentions clear that he himself has no political aspirations and will stand up as nothing more than a mentor to his partymen, does he feel that will be enough to bend people’s faith away from the party they’ve been rooting for since generations? He cannot guarantee that just because his partymen shall comprise of his disciples, first, they won’t tread the path of dishonesty or corruption, and second, entry into the political arena will not fuel the hunger for power. And third, they actually will have the caliber to tackle the already established best-in-the-business category of leaders. So, isn’t it clear it’ll be compromise of merit once again?
But looking at the bright side, people do want a leader who is the icon for the youth and an icon for change. And a little bit of convincing from the Guru might just do the trick. This sure is not Football, but mind games do play a big part. And comprehension of the Indian psychology (as usual, being influenced by external factors) will pave way for the long awaited change. And if they do it for the right cause I shall support them any day.
For instance, when Rahul Gandhi made the trip to Bhaidas a month ago, leaving the Sena factor aside, we witnessed the large number of students who had flocked for a few minutes of interaction with the new icon of ‘Young India’. But how many of these were actually Gandhi supporters? Answer: Not many. May seem weird, but true. The reason – they comprised of anti-Sainiks, hungry for a chance to defy Sena and break through the protests, obviously to prove that – “We are not scared of you hooligans so hands-off!” – and members of NSUI.
No one did actually think of that, but went by the numbers. ‘One Up’ for Congress, isn’t it? Now, Baba Ramdev will have to come up with a similar strategy if he were to swing the political scenario in his favour. But it will not be an overnight job and given the never-ending hurdles in Indian Politics there is a doubt how far he can go. But one thing is certain; his concept of breathing in and out will not help him on this field. He’ll have to do much more than that if the chant of ‘Har Har Ramdev’ has to become a possibility.