Agni-V test scheduled for December

NEW DELHI: India finally plans to test its most ambitious strategic missile Agni-V, with near ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities, this December after some delay.

With high road mobility, fast-reaction ability and a strike range over 5,000 km, Agni-V would even bring China's northernmost regions within its nuclear strike envelope if it is ever required.

The armed forces are already inducting the two-stage 3,500-km Agni-III after completion of its developmental and pre-induction trials last year, having earlier operationalised the Pakistan-specific Agni-I (700-km) and Agni-II (over 2,000-km) missiles.

The Agni-V, in turn, is meant to add some much-needed credible deterrence muscle against China, which has a massive nuclear arsenal with missiles like the 11,200-km Dong Feng-31A capable of hitting any Indian city.

For one, it will be quite easy to store and swiftly transport the 17.5-metre tall Agni-V by road since it's a canister-launch missile system, unlike the earlier Agni missiles. If fired from the North-East, for instance, it would be able to hit China's northernmost city of Habin.

For another, Agni-V would also carry MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles) payloads being concurrently developed. A single MIRVed missile can deliver multiple warheads at different targets even if they are separated by long distances.

"We have tested the three (solid-propellant composite rocket motor) stages of Agni-V independently...all ground tests are now over. The integration process is now in progress. We want to test the missile in December, not let it spill over to 2012," DRDO chief V K Saraswat told TOI on Friday.

This came after defence minister A K Antony, addressing the annual DRDO awards ceremony, asked defence scientists to "demonstrate" the 5,000-km missile's capability "at the earliest".

With a "launch mass" of around 50 tonne and a development cost of over Rs 2,500 crore, Agni-V will incorporate advanced technologies involving ring laser gyroscope and accelerator for navigation and guidance. It takes its first stage from Agni-III, with a modified second stage and a miniaturized third stage to ensure it can fly to distances beyond 5,000 km.

An ICBM, incidentally, usually denotes a missile capable of hitting targets over 5,500 km away, and has largely been the preserve of the Big-5 countries till now.

DRDO is also gearing up for another test of its two-tier BMD (ballistic missile defence) system, designed to track and destroy hostile missiles both inside (endo) and outside (exo) the earth's atmosphere, around this August with a new interceptor missile called PDV to add to the existing ones.

Antony, on his part, said, "The interceptor missile development programme has taken India into an elite club of nations that possess the capability to demonstrate and deploy missile defence. DRDO should now also work towards developing a credible BMD for our country."

toi

Baba Ramdev begins fast against black money

NEW DELHI: Baba Ramdev launched his indefinite fast against corruption and blackmoney here this morning after the government failed to persuade him to call off his protest.

The yoga guru began the protest along with thousands of his followers at the Ramlila maidan here as he was joined by Swami Sadhavi Ritambhara and other religious leaders from the Sikh, Jain and Muslim communities.

Before launching the fast, Ramdev held a yoga and 'bhajan' session during which he told the gathering that the protest was intended to save the country from corruption and ensure that the poor get a good life.

"Nothing is impossible, everything is possible and we are not going to be defeated," the saffron-clad Baba seated on on an elevated platform, told the gathering, referring to bringing back of black money stashed in tax havens abroad.

Ramdev arrived at the stage at around 0450 hrs today to a huge round of applause from his followers.

Union ministers Kapil Sibal and Subodh Kant Sahay had held a marathon meeting yesterday with Ramdev to persuade him to not go ahead with his indefinite fast. However, the talks failed to reach any breakthrough with the yoga guru insisting that all his demands be met with completely.

Ramdev reiterated that his fight was against black money and he would carry his campaign to its logical conclusion. He warned his followers against making any personal attacks on individuals and urged them to remain focussed on the issue.

The yoga guru also hinted that there was a conspiracy against him, which he would reveal at a later stage.

Ramdev announced to his supporters on Friday that the government had agreed on 90 per cent of his demands.

There are indications that Ramdev may end his fast early.

toi

Baba Ramdev’s followers prepare ground for protest

Baba Ramdev’s followers in the city are busy making preparation for the yoga guru’s indefinite hunger strike that commences in New Delhi on Saturday. Arrangements are being made at Azad Maidan to accommodate thousands of his supporters. On Friday, waterproof pandals with high platform for seating and roof cover were being installed.

“We have arranged for 1.5ft high platforms to seat people so that if it rains the water would flow out without affecting the protesters,” said Suresh Naik, Mumbai president, Bharat Swabhiman. “Also, we have made arrangements for tarpaulin roof covers to make it rain and sun proof.”

According to Naik, though they have received permission to accommodate 1,000 people, they are expecting a crowd of nearly 3,000 to 4,000 supporters.

Naik said 51 people, of which 22 are women, would also be going on an indefinite hunger strike from Saturday. “More than 400 people had offered to fast, but we requested them not to as it would be difficult to manage so many people if anything went wrong,” he added.

Arrangements for food, sanitation and drinking water have also been made by the organisers. The first day of fast will start with yoga shibir at 5am on Saturday and the fasting will start from 10am.

“As a student I always wanted to stop corruption, but didn’t know how to,” said Sachin Bidwai, a resident of Nagpur who will be participating in the hunger strike. “Baba once told me that 80% of the Indian population earned only Rs20 per day and that according to a survey an Rs400 lakh crore was in the foreign countries that is saved and invested illegally. I was shocked and then decided to join the movement.”

the hindu

Music, humour and yoga at Ramlila Grounds

Devotional and patriotic songs on Saturday reverberated across the Ramlila Grounds, the site of yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s hunger strike against black money, as his discourse was laced with humour and demonstration of ’asanas’

A music-filled morning greeted the thousands of people who poured into the sprawling site to see and listen to Baba Ramdev.

At 4:50 am, the yoga guru came on the dais accompanied by saffron-clad monks and he was joined by radical Sangh Parivar leader Sadhvi Ritambara and Muslim and Sikh religious leaders.

One-man show

It was almost a one-man show by Baba Ramdev who conducted the proceedings, interspersing yoga demonstration, discourse and music with a bit of humour to spice up the proceedings.

Whenever religious leaders came on the dais, Baba Ramdev would introduce, apparently to project that his movement was not sponsored by RSS or any other organisation.

Baba Ramdev continuously addressed the gathering and was followed by Sadhvi Ridambara who lavished praise on the Baba saying “if there were more Vallabbhai Patels, then there was no need for a sanyasi to sit on satyagraha.”

Maulvi Rizvi complimented the Sadhvi for her speech and said “this is not Mullah Omar’s Taliban. This is Hindustan,” drawing thunderous applause.

Message for the Obese!

Baba Ramdev was at his humorous best when he told his followers that the hunger strike will help them in two ways.

“Hamara mota bhai aur moti baheno ke liye yeh satyagrah health benefits dega aur desh ke liye wealth mil jayega” (while the hunger strike will help slim obese brothers and sisters, it will also bring wealth to the country)”.

He said support from politicians is welcome but they cannot make speeches.

“They can support us but they cannot make speeches because it leads to controversy,” he said.

The yoga guru then gave instructions to those who were fasting along with him, saying “we have arranged for water and lemon juice but don’t drink in large quantities.”

“By making this call, we can awaken the country. We have received more than 55 lakh missed calls already.

Sometime, we will cross a record one crore mark to remove corruption,” he said, referring to his campaign.

the hindu

About Swami Ramdev

Swami Ramdev is a Hindu Yogi, also known as Baba Ramdev. Swami Ramdev has gained popularity for his teachings of Yoga and Pranayama, and for his public stance on a number of political and medical issues, who has in the recent past taken on the role of a "sage soldier" (yoddha sanyasi) in a peaceful stance against corruption.

Early life

He was born 25 Dec 1965 as Ram Krishna Yadav to Gulabo Devi and Ram Nivas Yadav in the village Ali Saiyad Pur of Mahendragarh district in Haryana state of India. He was inspired by the portraits of Ram Prasad 'Bismil' and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose that were hung in his room. As soon as he grew up and read the autobiography of Ram Prasad 'Bismil', his mind was totally washed. After completing middle education (eight standard) from Shahjadpur Haryana, he joined Aarsh (Arya) Gurukul, Khanpur and studied Sanskrit and Yoga under the guidance of Achary Pradumn.

Eventually when he came in the contact of another saint Achary Baldevji, he renounced worldly life and entered into Sanyas and changed his original name Ram Krishna to the present one of Swami Ramdev.

In Kalva Gurukul of Jind district in Haryana India he offered free training of Yog to villagers for some time. Then he moved to Haridwar and spent several years to study ancient Indian scriptures at Gurukul Kangari where he read another rare book of Aurobindo Ghosh- Yogik Sadhan which was translated from Bangla into Hindi by Ram Prasad 'Bismil'.After reading this small booklet he went to the caves of Himalaya and practiced intense self-discipline and meditation.

Contemporary life and fame

He shot into prominence when he started the Divya Yog Mandir Trust with the company of Achary Bal Krishna. In 2003, Aastha TV began featuring him in its morning yoga slot. Within a few years, he had gathered a cult following.He is known for his efforts of popularizing yoga. The New York Times called him "an Indian, who built Yoga Empire, a product and symbol of the New India, a yogic fusion of Richard Simmons, Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey, irrepressible and bursting with Vedic wisdom".His yog-camps are attended by a large number of people in India and abroad.

Wikipedia.org

Baba Ramdev’s ‘fast unto death’ begins

New Delhi, June 4 (IBNS): India’s most popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev began his anti-graft hunger strike in New Delhi at 7 am on Saturday, after the government failed to convince him that it was doing enough to tackle the “black money” issu.

His main demand, the yoga guru wants Prime Minister’s Manmohan Singh’s government take concrete steps towards repatriating illicit funds of the Indian rich, estimated by him to be around Rs 400 lakh crore, stashed away in offshore banks to avoid taxes.

For the last three days, the government scrambled to win over Ramdev, clearly apprehensive of having a second anti-graft mass protest in two months take shots at its already battered public approval, as it held frantic negotiations with the Baba and his associates.

The ‘fast unto death’ began sharp 7 am at the Ramlila Maidan where thousands of supporters joined Ramdev and many more are expected throughout the day. Former Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Ritambara also shared the stage with him.

Before launching the “satyagraha against corruption”, Ramdev held a yoga and bhajan session during which he told the gathering that his protest intended to “save the country from corruption and ensure that the poor get a good life.”

“Nothing is impossible, everything is possible and we are not going to be defeated,” he said, after he appeared on stage at 4:50 am and was greeted by a huge round of applause from his applause.

The strike to bring back what Ramdev calls “national asset” began after even four hours of talks with top ministers of the Indian government at a five star hotel failed to win him over. However negotiations and “back channel” talks were expected to continue even as the fast went ahead.

Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Subodh Kant Sahay met Baba Ramdev on Friday but failed to arrive at a solution as the yoga guru appeared before his followers at Ramlila ground and announced: "The hunger strike will begin and continue till our demands are met."

"Bharat Mata ki jai [Hail the motherland]" he hollered and his followers echoed.

Some media reports said the Prime Minister is approaching the President of India on the crisis.

Ramdev said the "satyagraha" will continue because it is important to save the country from corruption. He said there would be no revolt against any political party but a peaceful movement and hunger strike will continue.

He also warned the government not to try to suppress the movement which he promised will be peaceful.

Earlier in the day Baba Ramdev said corrupts should be given death sentence.

"My mission is neither politically motivated nor communal, nor do I have any underground agenda. Corrupt people have no religion, they are demons. All corrupt ministers should be given the death sentence,” Ramdev told a massive gathering.

Clarifying his stand, Ramdev said: "I am not crossing the limits of Yoga. Not lying and stealing is also part of yoga and I am trying to bring those who have crossed that limit back within the limit."

He also comment on other political issues, demanded higher education in Indian languages and called land acquisition laws to be reformed.

"Not a single inch of land should be taken from the farmers without their consent," he said, criticizing the old law.

He said his movement was impartial and not communal.

"The arrangements that you see here is not from black money. This is not a foreign company sponsored movement. This is not sponsored by Coca Cola or Pepsi," he said ahead of his fast-unto-death.

"The tents, the ceiling fans revolving are not with money from the Swiss Bank. They are all people's hard earned money and from their toil," he said.

"This is not a communal or political movement. People are against corrupt and the powerful," he said.

Hitting out at Baba Ramdev’s planned fast against black money, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday said he should give up his yoga practices and become a full-time politician.

"If Ramdev wants to do politics, he should give up yoga. He shouldn’t try to balance politics behind the curtains of yoga; better become a full-time politician,” said Singh.

“As it is he is not a guru any more. He has become a businessman now. He charges Rs. 50,000 for teaching yoga,” he said.

Earlier saffron groups started lending support to the movement of Baba Ramdev with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activists gearing up to join the fast of Ramdev.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee cancelled his Kolkata visit and remained engaged in diffusing the situation even as the Congress-led government has come under sharp criticism of the Congress party itself for going all out to placate the Baba.

On Thursday it seemed that the Indian government had taken a harder hand to convince Baba Ramdev to not go ahead with his hunger strike as it denied point blank one of his demands and hinted that it would negotiate with the yoga guru only on their own terms.

This was after on Wednesday the government laid out a red carpet welcome in New Delhi to the bearded, saffron-clad yoga star as he descended from a private jet in the airport as the government’s stalwarts including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Telecoms
Minister Kapil Sibal went to receive him.

The seemingly desperate attempt to appease Ramdev, whose business empire of yoga sessions, televisions shows and ayurvedic medicine generates over Rs 180 crore every year and commands a huge fan following, had apparently generated internal dissent within the Congress party.

Claiming a support of one crore people, yoga guru has placed forth a bevy of demands, the prime of which talk about "quantifiable steps" to repatriate Rs 400 lakh core worth of Indian illicit funds supposedly stashed away in offshore banks.

Ramdev has said that this so-called ‘black money’ suspected of being funds paid for bribes or other illegal transactions and stashed away to evade taxes could provide a huge boost to the Indian economy.

“When the black money is brought back, our economy will be so huge, our currency will be so strong that our one rupee will be equal to $50,” he was quoted in an interview earlier this week, where he demanded that the government take firm steps on retrieving the funds.

His other proposals also include withdrawing large denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 that he says are used for illicit transactions, introduce the death penalty for corrupt officials and dispose of graft lawsuits within one year.

Even though some of the demands of the 46-year-old guru, who believes that homosexuality along with Cancer and HIV/AIDS can be cured through yoga, seemed eccentric, the government worked hard to not directly contradict his demands, except the one regarding withdrawing bank notes.

Who is Baba Ramdev?

New Delhi: As Swamis go, he is rather young - turned 45 last year. Before Baba Ramdev became the latest crusader against corruption, he was best known for his efforts to popularise yoga among increasingly health conscious Indians.

Ramdev is largely a television and video phenomenon. He fired the imagination of an entire segment of TV watchers, who tuned out of daily soap opera to tune into and do yoga with Baba Ramdev. Now, thousands turn up at his camps to do mass yoga with him.

A wiry man with a full flowing black beard, hair parted and tied back, in red robes, the abiding vision of Ramdev is of a man demonstrating very difficult yoga asanas. He has a considerable following and people flock to his institutes in Haridwar, near Dehradun. The yoga guru claims to cure many ailments through yoga and ayurveda and has courted controversy with his claims of curing AIDS and cancer with yoga, though he later clarified that he had only said yoga helped provide relief to those with AIDS.

As his popularity has grown in the era of multiple television channels, Ramdev has found not just celebrity, but political ambition too. A year ago he announced that he would launch a new political party - the Bharat Swabhiman - to "cleanse the system." Ramdev said that he would not contest elections but that his party would contest all 543 Lok Sabha seats in the next elections on a manifesto that shall address black money and corruption as the key issues.

And those are the issues that Ramdev has brought out now. In a change of plans, he said he would launch a satyagraha instead of a party. He is do that today in the national capital. With a hunger-strike, much in the manner of social activist Anna Hazare, who had galvanized mass support with his hunger strike against corruption two months ago. Both Ramdev and Anna are part of a citizens effort to goad the government into making more stringent laws against corruption.

Ramdev was born in 1965 in a Haryana village called Alipur. He was named Ramkishan Yadav. Various biographies say Ramkishan attended school till class 8 and then joined a gurukul where he learnt Sanskrit and Yoga.

He later became a sanyasi (one who renounces the world) and took the name Baba Ramdev and began to teach yoga. He later moved to Haridwar, where he continued to offer free yoga lessons. His followers claim he has studied the Hindu scriptures deeply and even taught them in various gurukuls.

Ramdev has set up several trusts, gurukuls and foundations and conducts yoga camps and classes throughout the world. He is known for his focus on pranayama, the ancient breathing exercises that are a fundamental part of yoga.

Baba Ramdev muscled his way into India's consciousness in 1995 when his mass yoga sessions started being televised. He used his classes to preach against corruption in the system, and occasionally to promote a swadeshi ideology that was welcomed by saffron groups.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/who-is-baba-ramdev-109946