While flipping through the channels on May 28, 2021, I happened to stumble upon this news which caught my eye. Apparently, The Dehradun state office of the Indian Medical Association had called Baba Ramdev, the yoga guru to the ring regarding his unmindful comments on allopathy medicine being fruitless and unnecessary science. The statement in itself seemed to be very selfish to me because it disregarded the belief systems and trusts of millions of people just to establish that Ayurveda is above all forms of science. Ramdev baba being a highly influential figure in the Ayurveda scene of India surely disrupted the harmony between the worlds of Ayurveda and Allopathy. The Medical Association however wanted to hold a peaceful and informative debate with him to re-establish the faiths of millions of people which got shaken because of his single inconsiderate statement.
The IMA further urged Baba Ramdev to provide proof on how many hospitals and medical facilities had benefitted from his Patanjali products so that they can assess whether his claims are rational or not. All of this was included in the letter they addressed to him on 28th May 2021. Before this feud, The IMA had addressed a letter to PM Narendra Modi regarding the spread of misinformation by Baba Ramdev and asked him to take immediate steps regarding his false campaigns. In a letter dated May 26, 2021, the IMA stated how false statements regarding the death of thousands of doctors and citizens even after taking both the doses of the injection being a failure on allopathy medicine were rapidly spreading because of Baba Ramdev. Apparently, the yoga guru had claimed in a video circulating the internet that the IMA had no power whatsoever to charge him and that “even IMA’s fathers and grandfathers can’t arrest me” in rash Hindi. Even after trying to actively reach out to the yoga guru, he refused to establish contact. No wonder he was charged for spreading misinformation amidst a raging pandemic.
In the yesteryears, the yoga guru has never stepped down from presenting his harsh opinions in front of the media without judging how it might affect the people who keep faith in him and the study of Ayurveda. This time, the IMA has had enough of his false claims and chesty threats and finally wanted to settle the feud for once and all but the yogi never reached out. The IMA finally asked him to issue a formal written apology within the upcoming 15 days or face a defamation notice which will set him back by 1000 crore INR. Nothing really has ever stopped Ramdev baba from spreading deceiving news and I won’t be surprised if he ends up in big trouble because of his rash statements. A single statement from him, dismissing the effectiveness of modern medicine made millions of his blind followers ditch their overall rationality and criticize modern medicine. The prolonged exposure to his lies not only makes people regressive but also makes them reject rationality.
My aunt has been a devoted follower of baba Ramdev for the past 5 years. She has ditched all products all only relies on and used Patanjali. Since the recent outbreak of the video all over the internet where Ramdev baba called modern science and allopathy a sham, she has become overly skeptical of any medicine which isn’t ayurvedic. She is a sugar patient with high BP and in the initial days refused to take any of her prescribed medicines. It was a troublesome and hard time for her family. I can only imagine the impact it had on millions of other people and how they must have suffered and are still suffering. On June 11, out of the blue, the Patanjali owner claimed that his fight isn’t against the healthcare workers, it is against artificial substances in drugs. He also stated how he is readily willing to take the vaccine now even though he questioned the efficiency of the covid vaccine in the past. He also talked about how important it is for everyone to get vaccinated. His double-faced nature and contradicting statements are the reason most people, other than his devoted followers don’t find him reliable. He indeed is a revolutionary when it comes to Ayurveda and yoga in India but his personality is what makes him dislikeable. I believe Ayurveda and modern medicine should go hand in hand in India for the betterment of the people. These disputes not only shake a stable ground of harmony but also affect the people vastly.