Baba Ramdev “ from 'Yoga guru' to 'self-styled economist'

New Delhi: It's difficult to describe Baba Ramdev in one word. He started off his career as a Yoga teacher but very soon metamorphosed himself into a crusader against corruption and black money. A few days back, Baba Ramdev surprised everybody by giving a making demands that is only expected from economists of repute. Ramdev demanded the abolition of all kinds of taxes and said there should be only one kind of tax - Bank transaction tax. As on today, he is openly backing Narendra Modi's candidature for PM in 2014 elections although he has made it conditional a few days back. He has now asked Modi to clarify whether he agrres with his suggestions on abolition of taxes and bringing back India's black money.Narendra Modi , on his part , has agreed to look into all his suggestions.Baba Ramdev has made the defeat of Congress led UPA in 2014 his single point agenda. How and why did it happen?After he took on the Congress led government on issues of corruption and black money, he was served with several notices relating to tax evasion.His opponents allege that Ramdev is asking for abolition of all taxes because he feels harassed by a hostile government over tax evasion charges.A closer look at his early life and upbringing, that we'll do later on in this article, makes it clear that he was very fond and proud of ancient Indian culture and philosophy. He was always a nationalist and a patriot in his outlook. After achieving success as a Yoga guru of repute, it seems he thought of trying his hands at purging the system and using his popularity to force the govt for taking action against corrupt elements. But it was a miscalculation on his part as he could not foresee the response of a government that had to compromise at every step to ensure its survival.The profession of ‘Yoga teacher' gave Baba Ramdev everything - name, fame and money. To his credit, he succeeded in making Yoga, the ancient Hindu discipline and one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, a household name not only in India but across the world.Ramdev was having a dream run as a Yoga guru till the time he decided to launch a crusade against black money and corruption. His political preferences also made him an eyesore for the ruling establishment.When Baba Ramdev decided to launch an ‘anshan' against corruption and black money at Ramlila maidan in June 2011, the Congress govt at the centre got nervous at first and sent senior ministers at airport to buy peace through striking a deal with him. When the deal failed to materialize for a number of reasons, the central government decided to deal with him sternly and the Delhi Police raided the Ramlila ground at the midnight to disperse the supporters of Ramdev.The police brutality resulted into serious injury for a number of Ramdev supporters who were sleeping. Rajbala, one of the die-hard supporters of Ramdev, finally succumbed to her injuries. Baba Ramdev got so scared that he tried to flee wearing female clothes although he was caught before he could escape from the Ramlila ground. Baba Ramdev accused the government of hatching conspiracy to get him eliminated although the government stoutly refuted his accusations.The police action at Ramlila ground made Ramdev a bitter enemy of Congress party. He always had a soft corner for BJP but after this incident he came out openly in support of the party.In june 2012, Baba Ramdev once again launched his fast at Delhi's Ambedkar stadium asking the government to bring back the black money stashed abroad. The then BJP president Nitin Gadkari and JD(U) president Sharad Pawar also extended their support to Ramdev's demand and shared dais with him at Amdedkar stadium.Baba Ramdev called off his six-day fast on 14 August 2012 as the government refused to pay any attention to his demands. An angry Ramdev asked his supporters to defeat Congress in 2014 and gave the slogan, “Congress hatao, desh bachao.”Early Life: Baba Ramdev was born as Ramkrishna Yadav to Ram Nivas Yadav and Gulabo Devi in the Alipur village of Mahendragarh district in Haryana. He had a formal education until 8th standard in school. He then studied Indian scriptures, yoga and Sanskrit in various gurukuls. Finally, he adopted the name ‘Ramdev' and renounced the worldly life by becoming a sanyasi.Then he moved to Haridwar, Uttarakhand and spent several years studying ancient Indian scriptures, including Yogik Sadhan written by Aurobindo Ghosh, at Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya. This book was translated from Bengali into Hindi by Ram Prasad Bismil. This book had such an impact on the life of Ramdev that he left for Himalaya to practise intense self-discipline and meditation.He shot into fame after he set up Divya Yog Mandir Trust with the company of Acharya Balkrishna at Kankhal Haridwar. Today, Patanjali Yogpeeth, is his flagship project.He entered prominence when he started the Divya Yog Mandir Trust with the company of Acharya Balkrishna at Kankhal Haridwar. His flagship project is Patanjali Yogpeeth.