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Goanet joins Noel Rebello to raise money for Daddy's Home (Margao, Goa) Sponsor Noel as he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,882m or 19,298 ft) Make a donation at www.Goanet.org, click on MAKE A DONATION, state "Daddy's Home" in the Donation comments For more information see: http://bit.ly/SupportDaddysHome --------------------------------------------------------------------------- All over ambitious religious readers and there followers should read this and many more extremist versions of religion and be careful not to follow the path http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shinrikyo Kind Regards to all Goanetters Ashish Prabhugaonkar --- On Sat, 11/9/10, Frederick Noronha <fredericknoron...@gmail.com> wrote: From: Frederick Noronha <fredericknoron...@gmail.com> Subject: [Goanet] Baba Ramdev, politics... and Goa To: "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!" <goanet@lists.goanet.org> Date: Saturday, 11 September, 2010, 3:31 AM While passing through Mangalore not long ago, I came across this magazine called Mangalore Today [http://www.mangaloretoday.com] and one article in its May 2010 issue drew my attention. It was Prof Narendra Nayak's "A Rationalist's Thoughts on Baba Ramdev". Prof Nayak, described as a consumer activist and rationalist (nare...@gmail.com), says that Baba Ramdev is "all set to enter the dirty world of politics". More about Baba Ramdev here [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Ramdev] Generally, my view is that religiosity should not be mixed with communalism. However, if accurate, Nayak's views offer some more insights of the links between religion and politics in today's India, which is also relevant to Goa, of course. Two comments from the article: OPENQUOTE Ramdev wants to be the 'C team' of the Hindutva gang. The A team -- the right wing Bharathiya Janatha Party -- has undergone a decline in growth, becoming stagnant. The rabid right wing groups like the Shiv Sena that form the B team are divided and losing their appeal. There is a need for one more team with more appeal to a different constituency, and that is what Ramdev is trying to create! While decrying all politicians as corrupt, he does not mind sharing the stage with the likes of Advani and Co. While mocking the Congress party, he is not averse to taking grants from states run by that party.... Is he the Hindu version of Benny Hinn?.... CLOSEQUOTE And the article also mentions, after referring to the Baba's prediction of cures for AIDS obtained from a combination of Ayurveda and yoga, and opinions on swine flu, the controversy over using powdered human bones in some of his 'medicines', etc: OPENQUOTE I recall a few similar instances, like when the Indian Medical Association branch of Goa 'collaborated' with him, having themselves photographed at his feet. When the national secretary of FIRA (sic) queried the office bearers as to why they were seen in such a position with a position who is opposed to them, the lame excuse was that they were just joining him for his anti-tobacco campaign! ENDQUOTE