Mumbai, July 29 : Controversial Los Angeles-based yoga guru Bikram Choudhury has lashed out at Swami Ramdev sayng he is "as good as a clown".
In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Choudhury said "ramdev can't identify the asana he is teaching. He does Shupta Vajrasadana, and calls it Ardha Kurmasana. What he teaches is nothing, but stretching exercises".
Choudhury, the disciple of Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Parmahamsa Yogananda, author of "Autobiography of A Yogi", says: "There is a reason why I dominate 98 per cent of yoga in the world.
"I make people do real exercise. Running, jogging and playing sport is not exercise.
"When people join my torture chamber at 40.6 degrees Celsius, and reel under 40 per cent humidity, I don't say, Hi ,honey, welcome to Bikram Yoga. Dont hurt yourself, do the best you can.
"I say, Be ready to kill yourself for the next 90 minutes. After the first pose, you'll feel nauseous.
"After the third, you'll throw up. And by the end, you will have a blackout."
Choudhury claims to have successfully cured fatal illnesses, including phlebitis of US president Richard Nixon, Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen's drug addiction, and tennis star John McEnroe's paralysis.
Choudhury shows a letter by Harvard Medical School director of research, David Mischoulon, dated June 2012 in which he says he has already proved himself.
An assistant professor in the department of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital ,Boston, is keen to analyse Choudhury's sleep patterns to evaluate how he manages to function despite sleeping for four hours each day.
"Do you think they are stupid?" he asks. "Every top doctor across the world salutes me. Bikram is number one."
Whats ailing India's yoga gurus is lack of research and improvisation, says Choudhury.
In June this year, the United States Copyright Office declared that since yoga asanas improve health ,they are not eligible for copyright.
This leaves Choudhury's patented sequence of 26 hatha yoga postures performed in 105 degrees Fahrenheit, at risk.
"Of the 84,00,000 yoga asanas that exist, I picked 26, and arranged them in a sequence after years of research.
"Each pose is accompanied by my instruction, so that it can offer unique benefits.
"It's like arranging musical notes in a melody. No one owns the notes, but when Bappi da spins them into a melody, he does trademark them", says Choudhury.
Despite the June judgment, a copyright protection that was granted to Choudhury in 2002, has not been re-evaluated by the Copyright Office, and still stands valid. Unless revised, Choudhury isn't in immediate trouble.
Choudhury had trouble earlier this month, when Mumbai's only Bikram Yoga studio in Bandra downed shutters abruptly following a dispute with franchisee Anurag Srivastav.
While Srivastav's office claims Choudhury demanded an exorbitant franchise fee that wasn't due until the studio completed a year, Choudhury accuses him of running the studio without signing a franchise agreement that came with a USD 50,000 (Rs 27.6 lakh) fee.
"He paid nothing . Instead, I ended up paying close to a crore as rent and trainers fee for eight months", says Choudhury, who is now looking for a rule-abiding franchisee.
Choudhury loves five-star comforts despite beng a yoga guru.
Choudhury flaunts a diamond-rimmed watch. The sheen of his trousers matches the glint of chrome-toed loafers that we are told cost USD 3,000 (Rs 1.66 lakh).
He has nearly 100 Bentleys and Rolls-Royces. "I don't want to die lonely, meditating on a mountain. Does the Pope live in caves. I won't. I do my bit for society, I make people healthy. Why shouldn't I enjoy the benefits", says Choudhury.
When Mumbai Mirror pointed out that John Friend, whose Anusara Yoga empire included 2,00,000 followers in 70 countries, was recently found to be a serial adulterer and marijuana dealer, Choudhury replied : "No shastra in India teaches the guru to have sex with his disciples. But gurus have girlfriends. It's a personal choice".
"Sex is not bad", he says, highlighting the controversial connect between a healthy libido and yoga asanas. "A stimulant for sexual hormones, the right asanas, "says Choudhury, "can gift you incredible sexual powers.
"I had one lady tell me, Mr Choudhury, my husband used to eat, sleep and snore. Yoga has turned him into a sexual animal. What do I do", he laughs.
