The politician and the baba
What starts off as a spiritual connect manifests itself in other areas. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has always been a fitness buff and a yoga enthusiast. Having celebrated his 65th birthday recently, Naidu surprises everyone around him with his boundless energy. A large part of this is the bland diet that he follows which is high on protein, nuts and fibre content.
The catch is that sometimes Naidu takes the fitness obsession a bit too far. In January, 2015, his party MLAs and bureaucrats underwent a crash course in Inner Engineering conducted by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Yoga Centre. The session seems to have left a deep impact on the CM who is now taking his association with the turbaned Jaggi Vasudev further.
The AP government is granting 400 acres of forest land at Trilochanapuram at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada to Sadhuguru to set up an institute. The proposed site for the foundation is also close to the State's Capital region. Realtors estimate that each acre out here costs Rs 2 crore. It is rich in flora and fauna and its forest wealth supports many people living in the area. Naidu's eagerness to grant such a huge land tract has astonished many and the Opposition leaders are not amused. The CPI has already begun staging protests. Leaders are waiting to see if Naidu can actually wrangle clearances from the Union government to gift this land to Jaggi Vasudev.
About six years back, this correspondent met the Sadhguru for an interview. Sipping some iced tea, the 'Inner engineering' master spoke in length about married people having affairs and about the falsehoods in society in general. He combined wit with spirituality to buttress several points. Reforestation is a pet subject with the guru and he claims to have done that to a large extent in Tamil Nadu by planting 114 million trees so far.
Sadhguru does not demonstrate his yoga skills at the drop of a hat like Baba Ramdev. He projects an uber cool image, one of playing golf and being a motorcycle enthusiast. But he is no stranger to boasting and says he had a sudden spiritual awakening at the age of 25. What was more interesting, however, was the fact that Sangeeta Reddy, Executive Director of Apollo Hospitals played host to Sadhguru, as he lounged around in their sprawling Jubilee Hills residence. She was the one serving him refreshments and fussing over him as several other richie rich disciples trooped in for a darshan.