Vote for Baba Ramdev? Why not? We need a change from the Grandmom-Dad-Mom-Son-Daughter Gandhis and, of course, Caesar’s wife.
Neeraj Malhotra, New Delhi
When all hope is lost, people will clutch at straws. That is where Baba Ramdev comes in.
Jeff Stewart, New Delhi
If Baba Ramdev has the fire in him to do something better for the country and has the support of the people of the country, then who are we to discourage him from achieving his aims for the future?
Shashi Yadav, Shahjahanpur, UP
I appreciate Baba Ramdev’s intentions of bringing back the black money. But, for starters, would he like to spend the Rs 2,900-plus crore wealth he has for the public directly? When I say directly, I don’t mean for food parks, or universities, but directly for bpl?
Javeeth Ahamed, Chennai
I do not doubt the good intentions of Baba Ramdev but unless he has the ideological sophistication to take on our corporate behemoths, he will end up as a martyr. Will he be able to stand up to the mighty American empire which wears the mask of democracy but can punish its whistle-blowers so openly and ruthlessly? Will the baba be ever able to stop liquor production or tobacco cultivation? Let him not underestimate the strength of the dark forces in the country. Nevertheless I wish him well.
Laxminarayana V.N., Mysore
If parties or individuals are feeling threatened by Baba Ramdev adding his voice to the millions screaming for a corruption-free government, what is stopping them from grabbing the same platform? The question is: are they free of the very corruption that they want to fight against?
Kondala Rao, San Francisco
A person getting used to a captive audience cannot be blamed for getting ambitious and setting his sights higher. The story of Ram Kishan Yadav aka Baba Ramdev is one such. But electoral politics is a different kettle of fish. The problems confronting a country the size of India do not respond as easily to the expensive placebos he prescribes or the physical contortions he resorts to. The voters have to be wary of such neo-liberators who promise the moon but drag the believers through mud.
Narendra Nayak, President, Federation of Indian Rationalist Assocns, Mangalore
Babas like Ramdev come and go in this world. He organises camps outside India for which the organisers charge a lot of money in the name of yoga. His oratory can hold the illiterate people of India spellbound but not people who know better.
Vijai Lugani, Munich
How many of the baba’s followers have vowed never to take or give bribes, undertake all transactions in cheque (not cash) in their daily lives, or pay all their taxes dutifully? Gandhi’s followers put him on a pedestal and called him the Mahatma, but they themselves were corrupt to the core. This could be a similar bubble floating on the water.
J.N. Manokaran, Chennai
At least Baba Ramdev has succeeded in improving the physical health of the people of this country. Our economist leaders have done nothing for their material well-being.
Deviprasad Mishra, Pune
My first reaction to your cover poser Vote for Baba Ramdev? would be: yes, why not? But not the manner in which he is moving. It is clear that the man in question is ambitious and in a hurry. Corruption is a way of life in our society and every one of us is aware of it. Baba Ramdev, however, seems to hold only the present government responsible for all the black money stashed in foreign countries and wants it to be brought back. He is not addressing the root of the problem, which is the corruption embedded in our society and the huge parallel economy that is running in the country. We would like to see that no bribes are given or taken, no black money is involved in huge transactions, there is no hoarding of rations, no unauthorised construction is allowed or substandard roads or infrastructure approved.
Ishver Sharma, Dehradun
It took a sage in the south, Vidyaranya, to influence two feudal chiefs in the 14th century to establish the Vijayanagara empire, which went on to scale the heights it did. There is nothing wrong with Baba Ramdev entering politics for the good of the country.
Shankara Swamy, on e-mail
With this story, I am finally convinced that the English-language media is completely out of touch with reality. It has no idea of the mass appeal that Baba Ramdev has, and not just for his yoga, but also for his desire to cleanse the country.
S.K., Hamden, US
Let us not underestimate Baba Ramdev. He may yet turn out to be the wily Chanakya who managed to dethrone the Nanda kings and instal Chandragupta Maurya in their stead.
Ramakanth Sharma, on e-mail
Going by his statements, Baba Ramdev seems to be just a lot of hot air. He will, most probably, go the way of that other yoga preacher, Dhirendra Brahmachari. At least, Brahmachari was not into active politics and was content giving closed-door yoga lessons to Indira Gandhi. Ramdev isn’t going to go anywhere.
G. Natrajan, Hyderabad
Even if it only shakes up the old-fogey establishment a bit, Baba Ramdev’s entry into politics would have served a useful purpose.
Anwaar, Dallas
If Rahul baba can be given the raj simhasan on a platter, what is the harm in Baba Ramdev trying his hand at politics?
Taklubaba, Bangalore
Baba Ramdev can’t be any worse than the current crop of politicians!
Maha, New Jersey
Will Baba Ramdev’s be another Sheikh Chilli story?
R.K. Mahajan, New Shimla
We read with great interest the cover story on Baba Ramdev (Vote For Baba Ramdev?, Mar 14). We feel it’s politically naive to think that Baba Ramdev’s jump in that direction is a sudden phenomenon. It’s well-known that he is the bjp’s creation, the strategy being to keep him as an associate and not have him merge with the party. Having burnt their fingers over Hindutva, the bjp is trying their hand at Vedic ways of healing, etc. This has the advantage of being absolutely secular. With his political acumen and leadership qualities, Ramdev might well be a hit at the next elections. An electorate fed up with corruption and scams of every shade may just find him a cleaner alternative.
Rajiv Lochan, Nalini Vishal, Frankfurt
I think Baba Ramdev would be well-advised not to jump into the cesspool of politics. instead, he should play the role of a catalyst for cleaning up our political system. He should play the role of a Chanakya, or Gandhi.
S. Shankar Singh, New Delhi
It’s not that Indians don’t know yoga, so Baba Ramdev should thank the reach of the electronic media for his popularity across the country. He rightly says that he shouldn’t be compared to other sadhus. Truly, no sadhu has his keen business sense. He should be a successful politician.
Pinak Pani Pandey, on e-mail
gram samiti will play a big roll to change our contry as manniye baba ram dev like my sapno ka bharat
i support baba ram dev and anna hazare
please make registered gram samities as soon as possible
The issues brought out by Baba Ramdev with the support of whichever organisation say RSS or Muslim League or Shiv Sena; holds good though some of them impractical. The Goebels tactics of our Government only deepen the mistrust the people feel about Sonia & company. Nobody is asking for the actual networth of Gandhi family which is the root of India's problems. If Baba Ramdev has say support of RSS, doesn't Vatican & Christian organisations in India & abroad support Congress.
hi.
m harsh singh from lucknow . m always need to know about the corruption . there were many corporates and pilticians r coming to plow the corruptin tree . day by day , baba ramdev has doing his great job to get rid out dis in india . M wid u baba . JAI HIND
instead of blaming baba ramdev we should think that the person who already has a big followers cannot do this just for getting attention..he is not very good in politics thats why he has been fooled by the goverment of india..its high time for all the indians to stand for our rights and these basic issues of corruption and black money..many big personalities including bollywood,politicians,industrialists are not standing for this just because they are also involved here how can we forget ..they will definitely have black money in their pockets how cn we forget that those who are not suppourting are also involved in this black money issue..its a big joke..among us there are many public figure who are also equally responsible as our politicians are...
INDIAN PM IS A DUMB HEAD MORON WHO IS MANIPULATED BY TWO BITCHES , SONIA ,AND PRATIBHA. NOW THEY SHOULD ALL DIE AND LET THE ENVIROMENT OF INDIA BE CLEAN FROM THEIR DIRTY PRESENCE.
TO HELL WITH ALL THE CONGRESS LEADERS , THEY ALL BELONG TO SAME RELIGION - GREEDY BASTARDS ! :)
We are with you Babaji,to fight against the bureaucrats. I must say Congress is the worst political party india have ever seen. They are the ones who are responsible for 1984 sikh riots, killing so many innocent people and yet not giving their left over families financial support.Congress people are black spot on the face of humanity.I think they should all die and get fried in hell till they come out with the truth that ----They are nothing but greedy basterds ! and lastly if any indian vote for them (Congress ), then they are Hijras !
look we cant say that baba ramdev is not trustworthy or he is..but the fact is whatever he is saying that black money should be declared national income or parllel economy should be stopped..is absolutely right because we cannot make decisions just by sitting at home infront of television..here the question arises that why goverment is not accepting this proposal? isn't it strange ?..why goverment is not ready to give punishment to all those corrupt politicians...because of whom large mass of our country is still deprieved of one meal food in a day..goverment is doing nothing ..goverment of india has a double face...on one hand they promise to do all these things for the sake of common people of india by showing their fake consolation to them and on the other hand they are playing games ...and doing nothing towards the improvement of our society...we all know that after sometime all these satyagrah will stop and goverment will continue to do what they are doing since from the very beginning but this time i seriously wish that this satyagrah will stop after getting written statement from the goverment which will be the first step of all the indians towards the better and improved india......
"aaj mujhe lag raha hai jald hi mere bharat mai ramrajya ki sthapana ka sapna pura hone wala hai kyonki bharat mata ki kokh se bhagwan ka avtar ho chuka hai " - Chandrashekhar
Aap kis khet ke namune ho? Aap kya Mangal-grah ke praani ho?Aap ke charanspars ke liye mera mann vyakul aur tatparit hai.
In a forum chokeful of funny guys, you bring a lot of variety!!
aaj mujhe lag raha hai jald hi mere bharat mai ramrajya ki sthapana ka sapna pura hone wala hai kyonki bharat mata ki kokh se bhagwan ka avtar ho chuka hai ........................................................jay hind, jai bharat ,vande mataram,bharat mata ki jai.
jai shree ram
I for one fully agree with Baba Ramdev regarding death penalty for corrupt politicians and those with black money abroad.
For 60 years these people have robbed India because there was no accountability or punishment. The threat of long jail terms or losing their life will make them think twice before indulging into practices detrimental to the country.
Good luck to the campaign of Baba Ramdev.
I 100% believe media person are responsible for spoiling swami Ramdev image , while on other hand media person focuses on rahul hassan ali even dawood etc knowing that these people are good for nothing for people or country all 100% corrupt even media is a puppet of ruling party and corrupt politics if they want a good goverment then atleast for a minute why they dont highlight people like ramdev anna hajare
what you think of todays politicians service to nation meance service to their kin and kiths to grab the money .baba ramdev is not have any such agenda he work 18-20 hours a day for country we are not able to do the 1% of service which he is doing. curing lacs of people freely(by advising yoga) he is not only critisising politisians he also breaking the loot of so called multinational companies who loot crores of rupees every year he suppllying the ayurvedic medicines by the lowest rate of history(300rupees/gm motipisti today avalable by30rupees/gm) i am confident that he will burry the all thugs,looters in power and he dont have any soft corner to any of presnt political party because most of them are corrupt
baba,s messge is reaching all indians including muslims who are earlier used for only voting purpose they definately follow baba
Some comments here are so infantile questioning or challenging the intent and conviction and most imp the sacrifice of this man. For starters he does not have to PAY to get an audience like Congress or BSP leaders have to. People have faith in his convictions and here is a man who wants to do something for the country that has gone completely to the dogs with total ANARCHY around. Instead of encouraging him we sit here in judgement? Is a Lalu or a Mulayam or a Mayawati or a Raj Thackeray better who have divided the country in smaller factions instead of making it a united power? Is Manmohan better under whose regime we have seen record inflation and masive corruption with him under the auspicies of Maino madame...Or is Advani better who had so much opportunity to throw the corrupt congress out but mostly faltered because of bad luck or bad strategy?
We need many more like him and Narendra Modi to SAVE this country. People dont be i*iots - wake up and smell the coffee!!
Appreciate Baba Ramdev's intentions of bringing back the Black Money. But, for starters would he like to spend the 2900+ Crore wealth he has for the public directly? When i mean directly, not the food parks or Universities but directly to the BPL people. After all he too cares for the "Mango People" only. Will this mango ripe?
It may be better to vote for the likes of Baba Ramdev and Katrina Kaif (if she chooses to stand) because the professional politicians have all showed how dishonest they are!
he will not loot and plunder the country like congress, BJP, DMK, ADMK, SAMAJWADI, BSP ETC
Did you forget Congress and NCP and JD(S) by accident or design? Rather than list corrupt parties it would be easier to list those which still have a reputation for being free from corruption. Haven't heard of CPM or Trinamool; being leaders in the corruption stakes. Their forte seems political violence directed at each other.
If all sorts of crooks, thugs, criminals, gangsters can be in politics, why cannot someone like Baba Ramdev, atleast he will not loot and plunder the country like congress, BJP, DMK, ADMK, SAMAJWADI, BSP ETC
>In a span of 4 days, my eyesight became normal, by practicing his yoga, but deteriorated again, when I stopped.
That is a dangerous optical illusion. For disturbance in refraction one would be well adviced to see a proper eye-surgeon.
SKC,
Does it mean "Sachin's crowd pulling aura or fans fanatism on SRT can be a bankable electoral vote bank????
We won't know unless SRT decides to stand for political office. If actors like MGR, NTR with no background of public service can win elections on the basis of star appeal why doubt SRT. Even Rajnikanth who doesn't stand for election can swing millions of votes by indicating his political preferences.
When Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar gets out, the stadium turns out to be half empty. Does it mean "Sachin's crowd pulling aura or fans fanatism on SRT can be a bankable electoral vote bank???? Come on guys! Throng for a person is like birds whitling over water bodies during weather changes. It does not mean those birds will die over the wateries for life time.
"A saffron seduction for senseless souls"
I did practice Ramdevji's Yoga, and was benefitted greatly in health. I plan to continue the practice, which I stopped, and not only for a short period. Ramdevji teaches yoga, with genuine enthusiasm. In a span of 4 days, my eyesight became normal, by practicing his yoga, but deteriorated again, when I stopped. I practiced yoga watching his 'Yoga for beginners of all ages', DVD. I have not actually met the gentleman.
Who has a grudge against a man, who is such a sincere teacher of yoga? I feel he is sincere, because he has the rare ability, to heal a person, in my case, I could see without my spectacles, and I was admittedly not cured of a great illness. I personally feel, that for India's politics to improve, the voter needs an incentive to improve for the better. However, perhaps, if I was Ramdevji, I would not join politics.
One cannot wonder, that there are so many politicians who are determined to 'serve' India, but they only get themselves, and other Indians embroiled in controversy. I can give Ramdevji my sincere wishes, and tell him, that he really does not need to enter politics. The people who vote for politicians, will make them change for the better. It is already happening, I presume.
Politics and power to serve people is meant for mortals. If BABA is considered to be one of the immortals, his own money will be suffice to serve the needy people - not the so-called power and publicity.
We can vote for Baba, if he is ready to publish his funds and fund raising sources. Money makes both devil and diety dance nowadays. Another heor worshiping; another hope of sprituality. If Baba can sell himself in South Indi, then there going to be a real political fun.
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When all hope is lost, people will clutch at straws. That is where this Baba comes in
Dear Sir,
I am sure, BABA is going to change the future of India forever. He has been raising the black money issue since long. And the likes of Ram Jethamalani are also rasing the issue, Congress knows that it has no place to hide its face. Hence they want to put dirt on BABA. But the dirt will come back and will stick on Congress face.
MMS is a liar. The mask of honesty is broken and sooner or later he would be disowned by congress (sonia) for whom he did all wrongs. His fate seems to be similar that of Narsimha Rao (his earlier mentor). Congress would say that it did not know that this man was so dishonest and immoral as he does not belong to GandhiF.
Now I firmly believe that the English media has no touch with reality in India. Ramdev is soooo popular, everyone except the English media knew that all along.
The political brokers like Digvijay Singh, Laloo are already indicating that Baba's campaign has started yielding results. The people are willing to hear him at the moment may be they may also turn out to vote for him, who knows. There is nothing wrong if that happens. So far as the disappointment if high expectations are not meeted, the indians are now accustomed to the schoking they regularly receive from garibi hatao to Amm admit movement.
Sandilya,
You can ask your friend with Salivary Gland tumor to contact Congress.. finally they can nail Ramdev Baba and then India can rest in peace in the lap of eternal escapism..
How can cong boys put fingurs on others,when they are the most corrupted, " jinke ghar kach ke haote hai yo dusro pe patthar nahi pheka karte." At least babaji is improving the phisical health of india when economic guys are hopeless.
Political Science needs to be raised to a higher level in Moral,Spiritual ratings.Indian sociological approach specializes in it. Integral sociology as explained by Kishore Gandhi a disciple of Mahayogi Aurobindo. Ramdeo Baba is attempting it as a Hath yogi. Good,yet,it needs full understanding of Divine Integral cosmic Integral and dialectic realities..Yeshwant Sane.Email:saneyr@mtnl.net.in 8-3-2011
There is no reason to doubt the good intentions of Baba Ramdev. Even if he succeeds in his mission unless he has the ideological sophistication to tacle the corporate empire that is presently ruling the world he is bound to end up as a martyr. Let him see the fascist face of America wearing the mask of democracy and human rights that is out to punish the whistle blowers so openly ans so shamelessly This dying world is managed by mafia. Let Baba Ramdev drive a movement to to stop liquer production and tobacco cultivation( not prohibition and smoking that is 'injurious to health' he will surely understand the strength of the dark forces of this country. Like cricket these industries are embedded in the very people who follow him in crores. Mobile industry is another people friendly devil that has occupied the good hearts of millions of people today. Nevertheless I wish him well.
Indra Ghosh,
It is pravachan and not pravochan. Baba is definitely better than the commies who sold their soul to chinese and Mao. Any kolkatan when starts to live in US gets over his leftist brainwashing and become normal.
if i click on dislike it does not show in the respective blocks. and this has started happenning recently. Is there any mystery or sth else, outlook?
Well he can't be any worse than the current corrupt politicians like Rajas, Kalmadis we have.
Baba Ramdev must be praised for making awareness regarding Yoga and herbal medicines in common people. But like many others fame overwhelmed him. Megalomania caught him long back. His reason is no more "Yoga spreading" but only personal ambitions.
Ohh so now Babaji is a Rascal huh..What about our honourable PM or Home minister, who are themselves stuck into corruption fraud for PJ Thomus and are being stamped by SC of India for whole of their life as CORRUPT . Do u have anything to prove that Baba is doing anything illigal...Think...Its a big NOOOOOOO. So now still if u somebody is doing unethical then it must be You yourself not Baba.....
Vijai,
I was wanting somebody say that Baba is not what he seems. No doubt he is propogating Yoga and to that extent its all fine. But he has gone beyond and forayed into medical domain which surely is not his domain. Neither he is trained nor qualified in medical sciences. He collects hefty fee from desperate patients for urgent consulations, and distributes supposedly herbal medicines as cure even for cancer. This came under attack and Brinda's allegations on that was all news some time back. Cure for cancer and HIV is a serious claim and must be substantiated by specialists in that field. But unfortunately such claims even if they are bogus go unpunished in our great country. thanks to the gullibility of public and poor enforcement of law.
Strictly speaking, to indulge in medical practice without a qualification and make tall claims tentamounts to quackery and therefore he has breached the law of land.
I am aware of one patient with a Parotid ( salivary gland) tumor who baba promised cure and collected hefty fee. When no improvement came even over a year, he approached a surgeon who finally operated and cured him of the disease. He told us the tales of baba.
Unfortunately in politics reality does not matter . In politics all that matters is what appears to be real, which is purveyed by the media as real for the gullible to buy. And as long as there are gullible, politicians wedded to this philosophy can thrive. We have no dearth of them for long to come.
"The problem is the empty space between belly & the vertebral system , the rustic & philistines call it hunger. The trick is to make the stomach disappear"- Manish
Wow!! very well said.
baba is using pious words yoga for his popularrty and and vadic mantrras to make him rich. they orgagnise camps outside india and his organisers charge lot of money on the name of yoga. his oratry can only attract illitrate people of india not educated persons in india. bhagwan rajnish has also attracted lot of people in world and later he was exiled from india and u.s.a and died in nepal. such babas come and go in this world.
By now it is wellknown that Commissars are generally rascals. Not much is known about Yogis except for their 96 Rollsroyces & private jets & that when commissars are under thrall of Yogis, rogues have a field day. What happens when Yogi himself is the Commissar?
I have two comments, one on article, another on the title. It is a bit strange that the article already take him as a politician and then asks the question, should he join the politics?
Some of the pronunciations are really distasteful; ".... few took him seriously, ridiculing him as a PT instructor ...." Perhaps these were the same people from Sheela's close friend-circle, who told about the Kargil martyre that they are paid to be killed. You should apologies dear.
Before reading this article I had no idea that Baba Ramdev is from a "Yadav" family. I am sure some time in the future Sheela (nothing personal) will write long article condemning the caste politics. Thanks for stopping short from condemning "Brahmin" advisors behind Ramdev's politics (which is a commonplace in Outlook).
Amar Singh is really misplaced here.
Now; "Should Baba Ramdev be in Politics?" No! As Dr Nandy say, ".... like VP, Ramdev may have an impact on political culture without leaving any lasting impact on the polity."
Baba will eventually lose anyways (small gain is lose itself, given the expectation); the re-introduction of Yoga will lose enormously, that is my bigger worry.
The remedy of "Bad Politics" is "Good Politics"; not moral, spiritual, etc. teachings. We need people like Dr JP Narayan (the Andra guy), not Baba Ramdev.
MALE UNBLOCKED from Chennai wrote: "But the issue about corruption is NOT the lack of laws."
Actually, it IS the lack of laws that's causing the corruption to flurish unchecked. First, the current laws don't allow for recovering the public's money from the crooks (e.g. A. Raja can never be made to return the 3,000 crores he is said to have made in the 2G scam.) Second, the current laws put the power of prosecuting the corrupt in the hands of the executive -- the very executive that is at the core of corruption!
Pl. read about the Jan Lokpal Bill (proposed by India Against Corruption) and how it'll curb corruption at http://indiaagainstcorruption.org.
should this man be in politics?
when will outlook as a similar question about sonia gandhi, karunanidhi, laloo, mulayam etc
or are crooks preferred over traditional yoga instructors in 'modern secular' india?
"Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."
@ Anwaar
For once, I agree with you on this. All the politicians have taken us for granted since we do not have any option left. This sense of security among them should go and they should be afraid of losing everything if they mess up things. No one except Modi (Though many like you dont like him) seem to have the ability to successfully deliver.
Today I watched on TV an interview with baba. He was asked if he could handle the problems as a FinM being a middle school dropout. Emphasis was on middle school dropout. This middle school dropout is the best organizer. You will not find no other such big gatherings where people pay and join and not brought. And these gatherings are not crowd. He is the front of lyngdohs, hazares, kiran bedis, prashant bhushans, agniveshas, kejriwals, govindacharyas, subramaniam swamis and many other intellectuals, economists, sciencists, socialites, politician who are fed up with this corrupt system.
What makes you think i hate brahmins? lol ! you are really funny mate !
UPA govt is so neck deep in corruption that people are disgusted to the marrow, but peole are helpless. Everybody knows that millions of crores of public money looted by this govt's favourite supporters and the looters will never be punished. Why are they so hesitant to take action against Hasan Ali, why are they so hesitant to probe A Raja, why are they always ready to give 6 months+ time to the criminals to hide their crimes ? Answer is simple, UPA is corruption and corruption is UPA. Manmohan Singh is an honest man, but he doesn't have any control, The brainless monalisa and her coterie control everything.
I hope Ramdev will continue his jehad agains corruption. But he should not devote more than 50% of his time on this, as people are more interested in taking yoga lessons from him. I also started practising yoga after watching his programmes on tv.
Sudarshan,
You need to shed your emotional baggage and stop the HATE MONGERING over Brahmins... You are no better than the the new age Mullahs or Jihadis...
Shame on people like you who carry the name of Sudarshan (Vishnu) yet have no courage to move on in life...
Hate Mongerer Sudarshan...
India is the biggest democratic country vandalized by our Corrupt Politicians right in the name of democracy thereby mockering the very name of it.
What is democracy?
Buying the voting power of the poor people by corrupt politicians? Politicized and corrupt police force favouring the rich and corrupt and not upholding the rule of the law? Directionless state with no clear implementable future plan?Clueless state whose growth is propelled by the private sector inspite of several hurdles? Watching with belief during every election display of muscle power? Watching with disbelief that tainted candidates have an upper hand in the election? Seeing India grow as a software power for the outside world but having no plan to tap the same for the benefit of the state? Creating an unparalleled black economy rivalling the white one? Inable State to provide quality health, education and infrastructure spend but having superpower ambitions? Having only choices to elect corrupt incumbent vs corrupt during last rule? Silently seeing every independent institutions which are supposed to be pillars of democracy slowing getting politicised and eroded (like Presidency, CVC, Media)? Jusifying coalition politics as an excuse by the highest political office? Creating unequal growth where rich grow richer and poor growing poor? Providing Middlemen to corner a big share of state spend? A state where the courts are not given adequate funding (in other words,delaying justice thereby creating orderliness in the society)? Ministers having no time to govern and only concentrate on politics and looting? Seeing uneducated Ministers governing(?) so called Modern India!?
So What type of Democracy are we???????
The last faith of the common man is courts and movements like these. It is really heartening to see these awakenings at least now.
How many of his followers have owed not to take bribe, give bribe and do only cheque (not cash) transactions in their daily life? How many of his followers have decided not to take or give dowry (as dowry is done in cash)? How many have decided not to evade tax and pay honest taxes? Usurping political power is the motive or reforming Indians is his motive?
Gandhi followers put him in pedestal and called him 'Mahatma' but they were corrupt to the core. This also could be a similar bubble floating in the water.
Public awakening on a issue like corruption is different than politics.So long as Swami Ram Dev connects himself honestly with the people of India on this burning issue without positioning himself politically everyone will stand with him as it would be a yeoman service to the country.Donot forget that a person like Manmohan Singh our present Prime Minister having jumped into politics is sinking with the boat of corruption now despite his integrity.How far Swami Ram Dev drives himself accross the sea of corruption and awakens the people would ultimately multiply the strength of common sufferer to rise up against it and linch the corrupt openly.
Vin- You need urgent medical attention. You are hallucinating. Consult a Pschologist as soon as possible
The agony expressed by Ramdev with the existing political establishment connects him with the common people; the issue of ‘corruption’ he identified for his proposed political journey is simple and direct. The people are already convinced that corruption is the major reason for their economic sufferings. At the moment the public perception of politicians’ integrity is at the lowest and time is ripe for social and political movement. But public awakening on any issue is different from electoral politics in a democracy specially in Indian democracy where political behavior is guided by multitude of forces. The political power achieved on issue based political movement earlier failed in delivering the promises, examples are ‘Sampoorn kranti’ and Ram Mandir. The organizational structure also matter in politics, Mahindra singh tikait,Sharad Joshi and Nanjudaswami pulled more crowd on farm issues that was wider than corruption, got media attention also but failed to exert any influence on electoral politics. The success of Ramdev will depend on his organizational skills and his calculated adjustments with various existing political formations.
About The Yogi & The Commissar
Koestler has no patience with the self-deprecating habit of contrasting a contemplative, spiritual East with a crass, materialistic West. The difference, he says, is not between spirituality and materialism but between Western philosophy—love of wisdom—and Eastern "philousia" (from the Greek word ousia, meaning essential Being), which "prefers intuition to reason, symbols to concepts, self-realization through the annihilation of the ego to self-realization through the unfolding of individuality . . .
"Thus the hubris of rationalism is matched by the hubris of irrationality, and the messianic arrogance of the Christian crusader is matched by the Yogi's arrogant attitude of detachment towards human suffering. Mankind is facing its most deadly predicament since it climbed down from the trees; but one is reluctantly brought to the conclusion that neither Yoga, Zen, nor any other Asian form of mysticism has any significant advice to offer."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874206,00.html#ixzz1FoV2i6E8
Swami ramdev is nt kurmi but yadav. Yadavs are not really dalits. The king of bikaner and king of maharashtra Yadavs of devgiri, aurangabad were yadavs. But some yadavs are now part of rajpoots and ramdev is from peasant yadav community.
Ramdev is just face of movement which wants anti corruption laws, stopping of mauritus route kept open for black money. Ramdev is fed information by group of eminent economists, lawyer and officers.
I remember outlook mods deleting every comment related to Ramdevs swabhiman rally as against against outlook policy. In that rally 3 politicians were named but none of indian media including every news channel suppressed it. The huge gatherings in remote assam has displayed peoples angst against the gvernment and its chamcha media. Remember ahok chavan giving 1.5 crores for buses to bring people for sonias rally.
The dishoesty on outlook/sheela reddys part if getting comments from people like nandi and Amarsingh. Amar singh who started as liason man and is the real beneficiary of corruption facilitatng deal making. Ashis nandi as leftist commentator who was massacred by outlook readers for his earlier article when he called hindu middle class as right wing lynch mob.
It is not alone ramdev but the group with people like kiran bedi, anna hazare, agniwesh, ram jethmalani, JM lyngdoh who were part of delhi rally which outlook choose to snuff out. There is talk of another agitation starting from 5th april when anna hazare will start fasting and which is also supported by pan IIT community apart from the significant people mentiond above. Indian people are fed up of coalition of politicians, civil services, buinessman and media. There is no doubt that these people will have to leave india soon abandonng there billion dollar houses. A revolution is brewing and is waiting to explode the way it did in Egypt.
Baba Ramdev's foray into politics has to be encouraged-if not for anything at least for trying to get rid of the widespread corruption of UPA! While some of his ideas like buying only Indian products or stopping foreign banks from operating in the country are simplistic, his zeal against general corruption and money stashed in foreign banks is to be admired..Chief Justice Kapadia of the Supreme Court and a few senior judges are also playing a more actiive role in cleaning the system by putting pressure on the Government on corruption issues!With Sri Sri Ravi Shankar lending his considerable influence among the educated youth to this issue a movement for a better political system may start sooner than later. The well wishers of India and also the youth who sincerely want a better future for everybody should get involved and help punish the corrupt politicians!Imagine how economically well off the country will be if all the wealth looted by the politicians and bureaucrats, from the very people they were supposed to serve, was brought back and used properly! Congress has been badly exposed as a corrupt party. If BJP had shown some honesty in its own dealings with various issues of national importance it would have earned the right to govern the country! Hope Baba Ramdev succeeeds in awakening the sleeping conscious of the nation!
Why Outlook bothers ? ,really I do not know.
Everyone has a right to join politics. Outlook or any one else should bother ,if and if at all Baba Ramadev's Yoga practice is faulty and a scientific explanation of an asana is missing. So, the author should have , concentrated on Yoga practices as tought by RamaDev and if the author is ignorant then she should keep quiet. I dont know if Ramadev's money is bothering these people. The time is not faraway before these magazines would look for scandals and cooked up stories about this Yoga guru.
My first impression about Baba Ramadev was that he was innocent person,poorley educated, and has a very funny way of looking events around him.
About his Yoga asana , I found fault with Dhanurasana posture which he was exhibiting on TV and also observed that he had no knowledge to explain the benefit of this asana in a scientific manner which needs a primary knowledge of human anatomy. If you do not anatomy and circulation system , you can not explain exactly how an asana (posture) benefits a practitioner. He is poorly educated. But this should not be surprising when we consider some educated graduates belonging to other branches like commerce,engineering have total zero knowledge about a human body including digestive system. Such people surprise us with their ignorance and it is some times shocking. I came from science back ground to comp.engineering , so I have an experience of these shocking people.
If Baba Ramadev joins politics, how does it matter ? if he cries against curruption how does it matter ? Ramdev belongs to Kurmi caste but Hindu society always allowed any person of any caste to become saints,this included thieves and bandits as well !!!. If ever you talked to a monk he would simply say,that the moment you take sanyas ,caste do not exist for you. It is simply because caste is associated with one's profession.
VIN GTA, CANADA
I sincerely appreciate and admire your understanding of Indian caste system. May your tribe grow more on this forum. It is the arrogance of borrowed knowledge of the left leaning psuedo intellectuals which did much damage to the reputation of Hinduism. Time we eliminated caste barriesrs to suit moderrn society and make Hinduism a truly liberal religion.
Caste or class systems existed and still exists in all societies and Hinduism is no exception.Only thing is that we have made it water tight over few centuries when it was not so to begin with.
Even today, UK is a class ridden society. Didn't the other Europeans practice slavery? Its worse than untouchability.Children were separated from their parents and sold. Millions of tribes in South America were killed by Spaniards as they saw them pagans unworthy of living.
By that account I am not trying to justify casteism. It is has to be seen in the historical and socio-economic perspective and the circumstances prevailing then. There is no need for self flagellation now if we choose to loosen those water tight compartments. ( Children in our families have married girls of other castes).
The once hermit, Valmiki became our venerated Maha Rishi by giving us the greatest Epic Ramayan. We whole heartedly worship him and also Vyasa, another low caste by birth.It proves caste alone is not the criterion. They eleveted themselves to Gods level through sheer power of knowledge which is not any one particular caste's right and they proved it. A truly learned is THE Brahman !! Why, our Gods- Ram & Krishna are not higher caste.But as you have said," Hinduism always segregated Kshatriya Dharma from Brahman Dharma...CASTE SYSTEM is most genius creation of any Society which if followed correctly (i.e by occupation and not birth rite) will breed a SPECIALITST and COMPETETIVE race... by motivating specially the lazy and less priviliged people of to do better and achieve higher goals .."
Here I am impelled to add the following interesting observation to point out the emerging of specialists in the caste system.
So far, there are only three Nobel Prize winners in science of pure Indian origin-CV Raman, Chandra Sekhar, VenkataRaman-all of them are Brahmins !! ( I am not a Brahmin and I do not know if H.Khurana, NL in Chemistry is a Brahmin) .
The richest Indians- Mittals- Laxmi Mittal & Sunil Mittal, Ambanis and Birlas are all Vysyas- the business caste!!
Is it sheer coincidence or nurturing or embeddiment of superior qualities and skills in the genes acquired by their respective clans over centuries ?
Apparently, media starts covering a person/topic once the "big boys" feel threatened and NOT based on the merits of the person's message or how that person is able to grasp and articulate what people are asking for. That's quite a pity.
Secondly, if parties/individuals etc are threatened by Ramdev adding his voice to the millions screaming for a corruption-free government, the solution is quite simple: They should try and grab that same anti-corruption platform. Obviously, Baba Ramdev doesn't have any exclusive rights to that platform!! Now, if they can't do that because they are neck-deep in corruption and don't have the credibility to do so -- it's their problem and not Ramdev's.
The revered Yoga and Spiritual Guru Baba Ramdev has astonishingly large number of followers. The support stems from his exceptional teachings on Yoga. Certainly he does not draw huge crowds for political reasons. His star value is as a spiritual rather than political. If he chooses to join politics, he will be grossly overestimating his political strength. Admittedly, the Spiritual Guru never cloaked his political affiliations towards the right wing parties and never shied away from overtly acknowledging his political aspirations. In the past too, he effortlessly picked up gauntlet against political stalwarts and stood to his ground bravely on a couple of times. Ideally, the Spiritual Guru must also refrain from entering into avoidable controversies and spawn hate politics. It is a well acknowledged fact that Politics is a highly contaminated cesspool. Moreover, any efforts to politically cash in on his stature as an admired spiritual Guru by converting his popular spiritual movement into a socio-political organisation is seriously fraught with the danger of losing his mass support and popular base. In short, this will result in forfeiture of his USP.
For all those who use various platforms for Hindu bashing based on Caste basis, This is a golden example to shut their mouths were millions are following a Dalit Baba Ramdev.
To start with, I am a Dalit of Kurmi caste and I am noticing nowadays this Dalit Bogey is being raised with Malafide intentions and going on since quite some time to defame Hinduism, especially hearing from some muslims who have treated their own Ahmadis, Shias, Sufis to annihilation and also have worst form of brutal caste system of Ashraf/Ajlaf and Arzal of all. By their logic Ahmadis, Shias, Sufis , Arzals and Ajlaf should revert from Islam. Atleast Hindus didnt kill us or stone us to death.
Now, I will tell you since time immemorial til date the Hindus who have uplifted Dalit/Downtrodden from within the Hindu Society, I will give you many such personalities in Hindus here who were dalits or campaigned for Dalts:
1. Lord Ram : Eating Shabaris pre-tasted berries, kevat encounter and his message of loving the outcasts...
2. Krishna : Born and raised by Dalit Yadavas....
3. Shiva : Himself was an outcast aghori, revered to the core and father of Yoga....
4. Buddha : Hismself of highercaste and worked to emancipate the dalits.....
5. Maharishi Valmiki who wrote Ramayan.....
6. Maharish Veda Vyasa was born of and raised by a fisherwoman and Parashara caste....
7. Mahavira the Jainis worship: He also uplifted the downtrodden...
8. Mirabai, Kabir, Tulsidas, Kalidas etc all campainged for equal rights
9. Thiruvalluvar : was a low caste the great south indian shaivite saint....
10. Raja Ram Mohan Roy of Brahmo Samaj movement and many other in the early 19th century...
11. Narender Modi/ Baba Ramdev/Maharishi Mahesh yogi/Amdedkar etc...
12. After independence Hindus empowerd Dalits to the extent of annihilating this land by empowering one of the most corrupt people like Mayawati, Lalu Prasad, Mulayam, Ram vilas Paswan etc.. .....the list is endless...
The cast system by Manu was meant to be based on the occupation and not birth rite. A Brahmins son could be a sudra if he didnt have a tendency to do research on Spiritualismor to Fight(kshyatriya) or be a businessman(Vaisya)......
Always remember that every society has discriminated against the poor, even the west. I agree that Brahmins did some wrong by trying to hold onto power that they acquired, it happens in every society till date, and this does not demean Hinduism at all......
I and many Dalits like me feel very luck to be born in this greatest land called BHARAT ...we dont kill each other in the name of God or philosophy or caste..
Infact Islam could conquer India cause major Hindu empires the Kushan,Ashokan Dynasties (present day Afghan/Pakistani) adopted Buddhism and became less aggressive.
Buddha taught to present the other cheek when hit on one. While his philosophy is good for spiritualism but not good for the State and its subjects who need protection. .. Imagine what would happen if Indian Army Generals follow Buddhist/Jaini Dharma doggedly....by that standard if China/Pakistan nuke India, the Indian generals would tell them to nuke us again..
Hinduism always segregated Kshatriya Dharma from Brahman Dharma... if a khsatriya wants to be a saint he must renounce the throne and pass it over to another able Kshatriya thereafter leave for the jungles..
I think the Hindu CASTE SYSTEM is most genius creation of any Society which if followed correctly (i.e by occupation and not birth rite) will breed a SPECIALITST and COMPETETIVE race... by motivating specially the lazy and less priviliged people of to do better and achieve higher goals .. its like having an ambition to become a Manager/VP/CEO by virtue of hard work...
I have not read the article except for your rhetoric cover story question.. "Should this man be in politics"....
My answer is.... NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS OUTLOOK!!!...... It is his choice.....
If a people like Rahul Baba. can be given the nation's chair on a platter, whats wrong in Baba Ramdev trying out his hand in politics.
He has the organizing capability and atleast takes on problems head on. Definately does not chicken out like the other Baba.
Outlook had always a soft spot for everything anti Hindu.
Are you also sniffing the threat? Have you also joined hands with Diggy Raja? The subtle snide remarks against the Baba can not be missed in this article. I am no supporter of his & not sure if he will be able to achieve anything but I wish him luck. I remember Jai Gurudev also launced a party. I wonder where is he now.
Corruption is so deep rooted in our country that not many want it out of the society. The Executives, Bureaucracy, Judiciary, Media...tell me who is not corrupt? Why will the clerck who takes bribe to do his job, the teacher who prefers tution, the railway TT who charges money to allow travel without ticket( the list is endless) want order in the society? More is the chaos , better for them.
In history there are examples when saint took part in politics . Right from chanakya (a teacher), M K Gandhi to Jai Prakash . By nature all these were saints. They joined politics to achieve a goal after achieving they withdrew. Why can't baba ramdeo take to politics. Success or failure comes after trying. Come on baba we are with you.
Baba(who?) Ramdev may cause some marginal damage in the cow belt. He is a non entity in the rest of India. The only Baba that people in the south know is the Sai Baba and the only Dev Kapil Dev.
I find his views to be regressive and cliched. Surprised to see that outlook has not come with a conspiracy angle linking the Baba to RSS or Mossad. At the minimum I expected them to cast an aspersion on his Bramachari Status.
The long suffering Indians , at the hands of the corrupt Congress led UPA Govt., may decide at the next General Elections to boot out the corrupt & totally inept UPA Govt.They now have the chance to give Baba Ramdev & his party a chance to cure the cancer of Congress corruption.Nobody will grudge , including Baba Ramdev himself, if his party is kept under constant scrutiny to make sure that his party too doesn't get infected with corruption like the Congress & other pseudo-secular parties.
All black money must be recovered & the culprits are locked up ,fast.Those behind massive scams must be caught & punished.They are ruthless criminals who have looted the country while over 400 million Indians live in grinding poverty.Enough is enough.
I will vote for him or his party. The other day I saw the meeting at Ramlila Grounds and the people who were sitting on the stage itself says that Baba Ramdev's fight is for the nation.
Baba Ramdev is fraud,he get the popularity only because T.V. Channel given him too much publicity.How can yoga cure cancer, heart attack or diabetes?Those who take part in his yoga classes they are tried by chronic diseases. As autosuggestion can give temporary relief same effect people get in his yoga teaching. On this .popularity he want to be political leader but his ambition never be fulfil.because his personality is not suitable for political leader
@G.NATRAJAN: Never heard of Dhirendra Brahmacharya. I doubt there's anyone in the country who has not heard of Ramdev.
@THE IRREVERENT INDIAN: why would non-muslims and muslims that voted for congress not vote for ramdev? Congress and BJP mearly promises, this guy gives you the steps he will take to better this country. going by elections in gujarat and bihar, even the person at the bottom of the pyramid wants out of this mess. Unless they are scared or brainwashed into voting on basis of religion, it wont happen. Looking @ support from muslim leaders to ramdev, and the presence of dozens of national level hindu saints and organisations, I think the message is quite clear. Enough of voting on basis of religion.
<Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh came down heavily on Baba Ramdev, warning him not to point fingers at others unless he wanted to bring his own yoga empire under the scanner.>
If Diggi Raja has really said this, there can be no clearer admission that the the ruling party is ready and willing to use government agencies to harass and silence its opponents. Surely if those at whom fingers are being pointed have nothing to hide or fear wny should they take objection.
<Why will, for instance, Dalits forsake Mayawati for Baba Ramdev?>
They will if he can convince them that Mayawati is working only to enrich herself and her cronies and is doing nothing for the Dalit population.
<They can have his substantial votebank in exchange for the terms he’s setting, including fielding only those candidates who have no record of corruption or black money, and include his agenda to stop corruption and bring back black money in their election manifestos.
It’s an offer that’s apparently tempting enough for both the Congress and the BJP>
Not sure how either the Congress or BJP would qualify. For a start, the Congress would have to dump the DMK and the BJP Yeddy.
The problem is the empty space between belly & the vertebral system , the rustic & philistines call it hunger. The trick is to make the stomach disappear. A surfeit of socialism , capitalism , communism , hindutya, neoliberal economism did not work. A desperate mass of hungry billion may think that hocus-pocus , mumbo-jumbo, gift for the gab, vanish-belly trick may do. With superb sense of timing, Baba Ramdev may think this is his the main chance. And who are we mere mortals to make issues with a Yogi?
I have no particular liking for Ramdev, and chances are that he's just a front for someone else. But the message he's pushing, while unsubtle, is perfectly correct; and the fact is that he is connecting with the people. Why else should our criminal classes (i.e. political parties) be concerned enough even to comment, let alone threaten him as the Gandhi Monarchy's private property, the Congress, is doing?
Whats wrong in having Baba as a politician, its time we need a change from the Gandhis including Ceasar's Wife and ofcourse from all those Dad-Mom-Son-Daughter etc. Its for the people of india to decide.
I think the outlook magazine should be wise enough to take advise or view of amar singh for ramdev baba. when he himself proved to be most ruthless in politics. Some eminent politicans views have been taken compared to amar singh who is known as poonchkatua neta.
Even in discussing this article, in which no one else has brought up communal poison, you just can't help sticking to your nefarious agenda! " Faruki Sahib
You are as usual wrong .I just pointed out that it is very difficult for any Elected Govt to take upon Sadhu ,Sants,Imams or other Religious Heads.Even BJP would have fared no better .
I once again say I am free from any form of communalism or hatered for any body .My vigorous critiicsm is always for the individuals not for any community .Kindly understand once for all sir.
Ghai,
>> when Shahi Imam said in Azangarh that they will repeat 1947 and blood shed if the Indian Mujahidins were harmed ?
Even in discussing this article, in which no one else has brought up communal poison, you just can't help sticking to your nefarious agenda!
Govt can secrutinize Baba's accounts which is the coercive tool in hands of every Ruler .Baba has invited the Sarkar to do so.Digvijay and Haridwar Congressi did try to bring some Sadhus against Ramdev.But the Congi Sadhus soon ran away after making a few speeches before locking the horns.leaving in turn Diggi sulking.
In the end Baba will be able to harm Congress more.By the way what Congress did when Shahi Imam said in Azangarh that they will repeat 1947 and blood shed if the Indian Mujahidins were harmed ? The Govt was brought on its knees when the Shiela Sarkar razed one illegal mosque in Delhi that too under the Court's orders .Sheila was post haste said that Govt will regularize the construction.
Very difficult for the Govt to take upon Babas .Already the Congress is being under watch of the majority community for its stand on 26 / 11 RSS ki Sajish and Digi's drama on the Kukare's death .Congress knows this very well .It will not like to be labelled as anti Majority as Digi has done enough harm to it .
Incidentaly Ramdev is simply saying bring back black money.Even Kiran Bedi the well known ex COP joined the anti black money rally organised by Ram Dev along with many stalwarts.So what wrong in it ??
With daily hammerings the Govt is receiving in each and every case from the Courts or the exposures of weekly Scams I doubt the Govt has if any srenght left to open up some new fronts.An Manipuri Congressi MP did call Baba Ram Dev as an Indian Dog .He appolgised before thousands of chels of Baba Ram Dev in Manipur.The video recording of the event exists.
Better for Congress to ignore Ram Dev otherwise more trouble in store for it.But who knows what Digvijay Singh is scheming ?? If so there are more fire-works in the pipelines .
Frankly speaking people of India are desperate to find a credible alternative to present political players. Congress, BJP, Left all are now appears to be alike. Then what's wrong if people started looking Rmadeb? At least he need too also be tested. In sixty years of democracy people are too matured & do not hesitate to do an experiment in finding an alternative in Ramdeb. After all if Ramdeb finally joins the league of Thugs, public are not in loss because they are already among Thugs.
Again all this analysis of Ramdeb's prospect also shouldbe considered on negetive voting point of view. It should be remembered some times people get mandate due to strong negetive voting against incumbants. BJP came to power only due to negetive votings against National Front coalition & Congress. If a party that has only two members can be main stream political party now, why doubt Ramdeb's prospects.
One can realise what is the power of negetive voting if consider recent Bengal polity. Everybody knows regarding the efficiency of Mamata Bannerjee. But the negetive sentiment against left is so high, it is just a matter of time that Mamata will enter Writer's Building with a huge mandate.
I am sure Ramdeb definitely will get a fair chance to prove his points in the coming decade. However I am equally unsure whether he can deliver what he promises.
If anything, Baba Ramdev will unwittingly end up dividing the anti-Congress votes. The Muslims will stay rock-solid with Congress. They are unlikely to side with Ramdev. And, that combined with other pro-Congress individuals is all that Congress needs to stay afloat.
Wish he is the man to help Usher in Change in Bharat. He is serious & seems to be picking up the right subjects for change. Maybe he will help change the face of politics in India.
Bande Maataram !
Ramdev is doing a good job in teaching Indians to do physical exercise and it is a very good input needed for nation building.But when we need leadership for this great nation which deserves a better ranking in this rapidly globalising world, we need to look beyond a middle school dropout. If his campaign against corruption can help cleanse our political and corporate culture, that would be welcome.
Even if this does not do anything else, if it shakes up the old fogy establishment a bit, it would be worthwhile.
We know Baba ( or anyone else ) will make 1000 times more AFTER they are 'voted' to power.
But the issue about corruption is NOT the lack of laws. It is not even the police attempts at bringing them to book. The REAL problem lies in the Inefficient, slow and corrupt Indian judiciary.
No criminal ( including Baba after he makes money in power ), is afraid of it. ONLY the innocent man is harassed by it.
Sheela Reddy does not know that its not necessary that a Sadhu be a Renunciate...Rishi Munis have been householders and worldly.. Reddy needs to read some Hindu religious books, its not her fault she may have studied in a missionary school or liberal arts. Baba Ramdev is a Sadhu with a mission and Indians are glad that he is in politics...I guess Reddy is paid by Congress to bring him down, already RSS/BJP is too hot for them to handle, I bet Congress would be peeing in their pants at the thought of facing the GREAT BABA RAMDEV... Shame Sheeela you should contact Farah Khan rather than wasting your time in journalism .. ha ha
Going by his statements, Baba Ramdev seems to be just a lot of hot air. He will most probably, go the way of the other Haryanvi Yoga man, Dhirendra Brahmachary. At least, Brahmachary was not into active politics, and was content with giving 'closed door ' yoga lessons to Indira Gandhi. Ramdev isn't going to get anywhere.