The author does not seem to have any idea of what she is writing about. I suggest she reads https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patanjali#Life and https://www.vedanet.com/yoga-and-buddhism-similarities-and-differences/ for a starter. That’s at her level of intellect. I am not suggesting heavier reading because I do not think she has the capacity or the patience to do systematic research. Considering that she is writing in one of the rags [one off which was certified as a yellow rag by the Hon. Supreme Court of India.] created after 2014 to abuse and denigrate India, It’s civilisation, Hindu belief system etc to spread #Hinduphobia, I especially doubt a high training. The writing has more political aims than true desire to analyse the writing.
I get a rough idea of where she comes from the single sentence at the beginning of the writing ;-
"Two scholars dipped into 100 texts, and found that yoga is not as culturally homogenous as the "Right Wing" makes it out to be." [emphasis mine.] [I ignore the shoddy spell check]
She is not writing as a scholar but as a leftist ideologue trying to dissipate the claim of India to its ancient writings and thought from the pure political propaganda angle using a recent book that suits her, as per the latest “toolkit” of opposition created funded and guided by the likes of Soros. This itself reduces value of the article to the level of a rant.
Then follows a salivating appreciation of a book because a few sentences there suits her ideology and mission. The article has nothing substantial of her own contribution but only a retelling of some Western views. Had she been a scholar I would have added her to the pantheon of traitorous pseudos like Romilla Thapar, [who claimed to be a historian despite being innocent of expertise in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and Brahmi]; the vicious leftist communal venom spewing darbari, Irfan Habib and the like who caused the greatest communal divide in India because of their venom. But then, she is innocent of any claim of knowledge of the subject.
I had the book she is referring to, as a complimentary copy, for some time and was amused with a few pages that I had set it aside for reading when I am in a light mood after a couple of sundowners. Now I will read and compare and contrast as an intellectual exercise, If I am in a mood for that.
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