Sw. Ramdev Blasts Attempts to Patent Yoga
Taken from Forwarded mail:
Subject: [Shakti_Sadhana] Sw. Ramdev Blasts Attempts to Patent Yoga
This article is from a wonderful new e-journal called "Hindu Voice UK," to which someone in this group (I think I know who, thank you!) was kind enough to subscribe me.
For anyone who's not aware, the Swami Ramdev referenced in this piece is a hugely popular religious figure both in India and among Indian expatriate communities abroad, whose primary mission is to make yogic asana and pranayama practices accessible and nonthreatening to the masses. - DB]
May 30, 2007: Swami Ramdev is going head to head with a non-resident Indian (NRI) in the U.S. for trying to secure a patent on Yoga.
The NRI, Vikram Chaudhary, reportedly applied with the US administration for a patent on Yoga .
Ramdev believes that Yoga and Pranayam cannot be patented as they are ancient schools of Hindu philosophy, which prescribe physical and mental disciplines for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being.
"How can any Tom, Dick, and Harry, who has no true knowledge of yoga, get a patent of yoga, the traditional knowledge of India?" said Ramdev.
The techniques of Yoga were compiled by the great Vedantist Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. They have been practiced, tested, and refined across thousands of years by our ancient Rishis. The Indian government is only now becoming concerned that the people who patent Yoga and other related aspects of the great art are trying to earn money from part of their cultural heritage.
Ramdev stated, "Fake Babas and others who regularly consume liquor or eat meat have mushroomed in large numbers as experts of Yoga. Their interest is commercial."
Till date, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted 150 yoga- related copyrights, 134 patents on yoga accessories and 2,315 yoga trademarks whilst Britain has approved at least 10 trademarks relating to yoga training aids.
"As far as India's role in the case is concerned, all yoga institutions should work in tandem, and the Government should work on the issue with them," Ramdev said at a yoga [session] in India. "The Government should take it up in the national interest, in the human interest and the interest of the poor. The West is noticing the worldwide drift towards Yoga. They are trying now at the individual level. Soon, countries will take it upon themselves to grab patentrights of heritages like yoga and ayurveda."
In response, the Government has set up a task force to create a database of yoga techniques in order to stop others from patenting the centuries-old knowledge. The information will be made available in five international languages, and 11 countries, including the U.S.,Britain, Japan and China, so that the patent offices around the world can access it and know that it originated in India.
The task force has found that at least 150 yoga postures that were developed and practised in India for ages, which the system finds mention in Vedic scriptures, have been pirated in the U.S., Europe and in Japan.
A database of 10 million pages has been created so far.Under the Rs. 100-million (US $2.5 million) project, the health and family welfare ministry would be preserving all possible details of yoga postures in a multi-media digital library called the Traditional Knowledge Digital
Library.Hundreds of experts have been working on the project and 54 ancient books regarding research on Ayurveda, 35 for Unani and 15 for Siddha, have been referred to enable documentation of over 50,000 formulae in Ayurveda and 24,000 in Unani.
Clearly, India doesn't want to be caught off guard again by the West, certainly not when it comes to its own ancient healing systems of yoga, ayurveda, unani and siddha.
SOURCE: Hindu Voice UKURL: http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/17/Patent.htm
My Comments:
Imaging if India do the same with things that was discovered in US. Knowing the origin if US still allow it .....! I also have seen other simple things being claimed as "theirs" and suppress the actual origin.
Don't be surprised if situation like HIGHLANDER Movie happens and US patent the SUN, water and Air. Or some guys in US will patent Lord Shiva.
Subject: [Shakti_Sadhana] Sw. Ramdev Blasts Attempts to Patent Yoga
This article is from a wonderful new e-journal called "Hindu Voice UK," to which someone in this group (I think I know who, thank you!) was kind enough to subscribe me.
For anyone who's not aware, the Swami Ramdev referenced in this piece is a hugely popular religious figure both in India and among Indian expatriate communities abroad, whose primary mission is to make yogic asana and pranayama practices accessible and nonthreatening to the masses. - DB]
May 30, 2007: Swami Ramdev is going head to head with a non-resident Indian (NRI) in the U.S. for trying to secure a patent on Yoga.
The NRI, Vikram Chaudhary, reportedly applied with the US administration for a patent on Yoga .
Ramdev believes that Yoga and Pranayam cannot be patented as they are ancient schools of Hindu philosophy, which prescribe physical and mental disciplines for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being.
"How can any Tom, Dick, and Harry, who has no true knowledge of yoga, get a patent of yoga, the traditional knowledge of India?" said Ramdev.
The techniques of Yoga were compiled by the great Vedantist Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. They have been practiced, tested, and refined across thousands of years by our ancient Rishis. The Indian government is only now becoming concerned that the people who patent Yoga and other related aspects of the great art are trying to earn money from part of their cultural heritage.
Ramdev stated, "Fake Babas and others who regularly consume liquor or eat meat have mushroomed in large numbers as experts of Yoga. Their interest is commercial."
Till date, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted 150 yoga- related copyrights, 134 patents on yoga accessories and 2,315 yoga trademarks whilst Britain has approved at least 10 trademarks relating to yoga training aids.
"As far as India's role in the case is concerned, all yoga institutions should work in tandem, and the Government should work on the issue with them," Ramdev said at a yoga [session] in India. "The Government should take it up in the national interest, in the human interest and the interest of the poor. The West is noticing the worldwide drift towards Yoga. They are trying now at the individual level. Soon, countries will take it upon themselves to grab patentrights of heritages like yoga and ayurveda."
In response, the Government has set up a task force to create a database of yoga techniques in order to stop others from patenting the centuries-old knowledge. The information will be made available in five international languages, and 11 countries, including the U.S.,Britain, Japan and China, so that the patent offices around the world can access it and know that it originated in India.
The task force has found that at least 150 yoga postures that were developed and practised in India for ages, which the system finds mention in Vedic scriptures, have been pirated in the U.S., Europe and in Japan.
A database of 10 million pages has been created so far.Under the Rs. 100-million (US $2.5 million) project, the health and family welfare ministry would be preserving all possible details of yoga postures in a multi-media digital library called the Traditional Knowledge Digital
Library.Hundreds of experts have been working on the project and 54 ancient books regarding research on Ayurveda, 35 for Unani and 15 for Siddha, have been referred to enable documentation of over 50,000 formulae in Ayurveda and 24,000 in Unani.
Clearly, India doesn't want to be caught off guard again by the West, certainly not when it comes to its own ancient healing systems of yoga, ayurveda, unani and siddha.
SOURCE: Hindu Voice UKURL: http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/17/Patent.htm
My Comments:
Imaging if India do the same with things that was discovered in US. Knowing the origin if US still allow it .....! I also have seen other simple things being claimed as "theirs" and suppress the actual origin.
Don't be surprised if situation like HIGHLANDER Movie happens and US patent the SUN, water and Air. Or some guys in US will patent Lord Shiva.
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